It's blue, but not a deep blue, but a little bit towards the green, but NEVER greenish. All three of my receivers have (had) that.
The Blue LEDs make it too blue, IMHO.... I say this because my first Marantz was a 2220B that I bought new in '75. And all LEDs tend to "glow" differently, they lack the broad spectrum "warm" glow that I would always expect from a vintage 70s Japanese receiver. I've also owned my current two Marantz for 30 and 15 years, so, yeah, they we blue but NOT greenish.
I suppose if the lamps get too hot, it might change the color, but my receivers were in storage for eons. That said, when we rebuilt the 4415, the tech noticed signs of overheating on the vellum and he replaced the lamps with lower wattage units. The unit doesn't look any darker to my eyes.
Now, if you want Blue LEDs... well, I got a series of mono and stereo amps that have Sear Your Retina Blue LEDS on their front panel.... something about Nelson Pass designs sound better with a Blue LED and Do Not Even Ask For A White Or Red One 'Cause You Won't Get It. 🙂
You know, it could be waaay worse... someone might want to go Pink and make a Marantz look like a Superscope.
The Blue LEDs make it too blue, IMHO.... I say this because my first Marantz was a 2220B that I bought new in '75. And all LEDs tend to "glow" differently, they lack the broad spectrum "warm" glow that I would always expect from a vintage 70s Japanese receiver. I've also owned my current two Marantz for 30 and 15 years, so, yeah, they we blue but NOT greenish.
I suppose if the lamps get too hot, it might change the color, but my receivers were in storage for eons. That said, when we rebuilt the 4415, the tech noticed signs of overheating on the vellum and he replaced the lamps with lower wattage units. The unit doesn't look any darker to my eyes.
Now, if you want Blue LEDs... well, I got a series of mono and stereo amps that have Sear Your Retina Blue LEDS on their front panel.... something about Nelson Pass designs sound better with a Blue LED and Do Not Even Ask For A White Or Red One 'Cause You Won't Get It. 🙂
You know, it could be waaay worse... someone might want to go Pink and make a Marantz look like a Superscope.
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Lol, that was... I have no words.
Lamps now replaced, all went good so I've been able to tick off yet another issue - starting to feel more confident!
I have now noticed a new error though, this one feels like it could be a tougher one. it's barely noticable, but sometimes in
At a certain frequency there is a scratching - kinda like tunery sound (kinda like a tuner with somewhat bad reception), typically on low frequency (I was able to reproduce the error playing Time by Hans Zimmer, and in the very beginning of the song it was quite noticable) - I wasn't able to tell if it was on one or both channels but it kinda felt like it was only one. It comes and goes too, and it's happening without me touching any controls or changing volume. I got it both on AUX and TAPE input (again computer connected via 3.5mm->RCA).
I cranked up the volume to let it stretch out, it's an intense song for sure with lots of instruments so I wanted to run this specifically to try the sound of the receiver. When going back to lower volume now, the same level where I reproduced it earlier - it's suddenly not happening at all.
I think I heard it yesterday too, so I'm guessing something is going on - and it's not consistent.
UPDATE. I get the same kinda scratchy noise if I move the input wheel between aux/tape and sort of move it back and forth in "between land" between the two. Perhaps I should give the input selector another shower of deoxidation spray?
Any ideas?
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Instead of using the AUX input, use one of the tape inputs and run the tape monitor switch. As I recall, look at the schematics above, that bypasses the input selector. See if that "fixes" it.
Do this before anything else.
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Cool, will try that. Would it even be recommended to run it permanently through tape input with the monitor switch on? I won't be connecting anything else to the receiver apart from my computer - so I can use any input I like really.
Vol
This is how I run my 2325 as well. I keep the selector on the FM ( a rather extravagant radio if I may say..) and if I want to listen to the signal from my main preamp (where my turntable and DAC reside) I use the tape monitor switch: I have a long interconnect to the TAPE 1 input. Saves wear and tear on that input selector and I think it's a shorter path as well.
Makes sense! Shorter path sounds good.
Speaking of DAC (you brought it up) 😉.
I currently run my music from an iMac using the 3.5mm output to two RCA, as mentioned. I kinda feel that this is a bit of a bottle neck as I have in my mind that the 3.5mm to RCA is probably the worst option to use connecting a computer to a receiver, given the 3.5mm is actually a headphone jack. Now, normally - if I had bought a modern receiver this is not the way I'd do it. Obviously I'd use digital connection from the computer's USB port, directly into the amplifier (many modern ones, now take USB in as sound input, which I guess means it's a dac built into the amp)
Since that's obviously not possible without me travelling back in time to the 70's and telling those technicians about USB I don't have so much options. I did, however see that there are some cheap DAC's on Amazon which will let me connect my iMac through usb to the DAC and then from the DAC's RCA-output to my vintage receiver.
Is this how I should do it/recommended, or would it make no difference?
Vol
You are opening a can of worms...
My cheapest DAC is a NuForce uDAC2, It does micro USB input and RCA output. Works up to 24/96 with my Android devices and my PCs. This one draws its power from the USB bus and needs a driver when running under Windoze. It runs great using an USB OTG cable under Android.
I also have a portable Topping NX4 DAC. Normally I only drive headphones on that but I do have some high quality 3.5mm to RCAs. I have no tried this with Windoze, but it works great with a USB OTG cable under Android.
Somewhere I got a uDAC3.... hmm... where did that thing go?
Then it goes up... to a Nuforce HDP4, M-Audio Firewire, RME ADI Pro, Burson.... etc, etc.... The HDP4 runs great under Android using an USB OTG cable. I think it did need a driver under Windoze. The RME, Burson... those I drive under Windoze... need drivers... the M-Audio Firewire did NOT need a driver.
My advice is to search the Web ( use HiFiShark.com ) and see if someone is selling an older NuForce uDAC2. It should be no more than 45 bucks.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1253100404...3NQoOMfp7UKOeV5tF0oJjm3g==|tkp:Bk9SR8SS6fjWYA
Now, I don't know if it will run well with a Mac, but it runs fine with Android with no driver, so I'd guess the Mac's Unix based OS will handle it as well.
Using an outboard DAC will generally sound better.
Yes, using the Tape monitor bypasses the tuner...some older units the FM radio would "leak thru" the signal when you would put it on "Aux"...the solution would be to tune the FM off channel & have the "Mute" engaged, killing the residual FM signal. But off course this applies only just where in the chain this low-level signal "leaks thru".
Don't worry about using DACs thru your Marantz, the utter precision of DAC technology is far above human perception...regardless of what others "think" they hear...human hearing really ain't that great....the $50 vs. $5000 DAC machine will always be a 50-50 crapshoot, you won't hear a difference....Shhh...a well entrenched insider secret, designed to have schmucks keep buying the newest & greatest.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Rick...
Don't worry about using DACs thru your Marantz, the utter precision of DAC technology is far above human perception...regardless of what others "think" they hear...human hearing really ain't that great....the $50 vs. $5000 DAC machine will always be a 50-50 crapshoot, you won't hear a difference....Shhh...a well entrenched insider secret, designed to have schmucks keep buying the newest & greatest.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Rick...
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In this era, mixing digital with vintage analog is not always a good idea.
I'm talking about limits, along with compatability here.
Vintage equipment was designed to play with its own playmates.
I'm talking about limits, along with compatability here.
Vintage equipment was designed to play with its own playmates.
You mean, like installing a USB and DAC within the vintage unit? If so, I agree, respect the vintage units.
But, there is nothing wrong with using a DAC as source for a vintage unit. I do that all the time. I drive Tidal HiFi and the recorded music in the NAS servers through my DACs, preamp and then down a 12 foot interconnect to the Marantz ( or whatever receiver I got in there ). And all my audio systems at home, vintage and modern, have a DAC in there somewhere. It's convenient to play 24/96 files.
Understandable. However my setup will never add anything else but a computer. So in my perticular case it's either thru 3.5mm headphone jack from computer to RCA. Or to a dac and then RCA.
Vol
I'd go with the PC sound card line output to RCA.
They make cables and adapters for that, and I'm quite sure you'd be satisfied....
Unless of course, you're one of those rediculously picky "audiophiles" that never seem to be satisfied.
Ever bother to look at the DACs on a motherboard or an SOC? He's not talking about a "sound card", he's talking about the audio coming out of the motherboard -or SOC in many cases.
Nobody has been shipping "audio cards" in a general purpose machine ( Intel OC, Mac ) for eons.
Do you have any idea how noisy and how many clocks they got going around them?
45 bucks will blow that away into the weeds.
Seems like the nuforce udac is somewhat hard to get a hold of in Sweden. I think I might settle for a Fiio D03K. Around 25 bucks and from what I've read reviews are positive. Sells in local stores here too.
Fiio seems like a well known brand for dacs in general.
What do you think?
Vol
Fiio seems like a well known brand for dacs in general.
What do you think?
Vol
Actually, disregard that. Noticed it's just USB powered, not able to use USB to connect it to the computer.
Darn it - it was actually really hard to find that combination of a USB input DAC with combined power (getting power from the USB) to RCA. I've found many options but it's either USB-in/powered USB, but with no RCA out, or it's RCA out, but with separate power and coax/optical in....
So far the NuForce is my only option, but I've only been able to find used ones in the USA... Surely there must be a newer production of a similar product?
Vol
So far the NuForce is my only option, but I've only been able to find used ones in the USA... Surely there must be a newer production of a similar product?
Vol
I did find this now though. It's more of an external soundcard than a DAC I guess, but I did notice that the CM6533 chipset seem to be inside many dacs...
https://www.electroniksindia.com/pr...for-laptop-computer-external-sound-card-white
https://www.electroniksindia.com/pr...for-laptop-computer-external-sound-card-white
Good idea. Although the intermediate positions can cause scratchy noise even when new and slowly moved across positions.
A may be similar scratchy error that occurs sporadically at low volumes can also be caused by oxidized contacts of the speaker relay.
There are replacement relays aviable, but you can also try using a strip of paper/cardboard soaked in deoxidation spray that you pull through between the contacts.
Those Marantz'es did not use relays. It's old style switches.
Agree with the speakers too.... the OP could try using the second set of speaker outputs.