Need recomendation on classic stereo repair

[Flyinbowtie]

When my Godfather passed (The SR71 guy) his wife called me and asked me to come over. With all of is time overseas, he was able to get some nice stereo gear. Unbeknownst to me he had put away his Sansui 1000A Tube type amplifier-receiver and his Marantz 4270 4-channel amp/receiver. Ken had given her instructions I was to get both of these units.
I want to have both of them restored by someone who knows what the hell they are doing.
I want to do the Marantz first then the Sansui.
I have done some reading and apparently one of the things that made the Sansui sound so good was the very high end transformers in it, and I have also read some horror stories of units sent in for refurbishment coming back with those transformers replaced with chinese crap.
I am hoping one of the RDP family will know someone who does this, or at least knows of a reputable shop I can send them to and not worry about having to track some guy down under less than friendly circumstances. These pieces are very special to me, I spent lots of hours as a kid then teenager listening to music on both of them, I want both to be something I can pass down to my sons. They both light up when plugged in but that is as far as I am going to go.
So...any ideas guys?
Will check in this evening...

 

[Nordie]

This might seem a little weird, but if you can find an old school ham radio guy they could probably get you hooked up. Ham radio and receivers are really not that much different.

We have a guy here in Vegas that restores vintage amps and ham radio gear. There's gotta be someone like that in your neck of the woods.

 

[boater250s]

This is who I go to. His name is Bobby. He repaired my Yamaha receiver, JVC cassette deck and a TEAC reel to reel. I also purchased a Marantz receiver from him. I’ve had no problems, and he stands behind his work. Their is a six to eight week turnaround, he’s super busy. I’ve been into stereo equipment since I was a young man, it’s my second hobby, next to Boats.

 

[mjc]

I have had a couple old tube stero consoles and I would turn them on and do a test. That stuff won't go bad just sitting.

 

[pronstar]

I’ve got an older Fisher integrated tube amp.
I had a channel go out...happens every few years.
I was surprised at how much the cost of these components has gotten.

I believe a tube I need, that used to sell for $20, is well over $100 now, and that’s if I can find one...this according to the repair shop.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[The Prisoner]

might be a try, but when I need tube work on my guitar amps, I take them to Sam Ash guitar in Vegas so maybe a local place like that may work?

 

[Dog]

These guys are all about stuff like that. It is a forum but I am sure someone could help you find someone in your area.

EEVblog Electronics Community Forum - Index

EEVblog Electronics Community Forum - Index

www.eevblog.com

 

[FreeBird236]

If the Marantz works, I can't imagine anything wrong other than dirty switches, there really is no tune up, get some tuner cleaner and save yourself some money.

As far as the Sansui, it's the tubes that that you want to make sure are good quality replacements, but they could be satisfactory as well, just dirty switches is the norm.

 

[Taboma]

When my Pioneer Elite receiver was suffering an intermittent problem I researched it on an A/V forum. Discovered it was a rather common "Fatal" problem Pioneer wouldn't stand behind leaving many with a pile of junk., as Pioneer didn't offer a replacement board.
I'd bought it used from an audiophile neighbor, who then revealed he'd had it in some now defunct repair place in San Diego, twice !! Claimed he thought it was OK when he sold it to me, which it was, for a few months before it failed again.

Found some posts on that A/V forum, claiming they'd sent their boards to a guy for repair with links leading me to this site -----
https://repairalmostanything.com/ ----
So I went there, found the guy's posts claiming he knew what part to replace and was doing this from his home if you sent him the board. Seemed a bit sketchy, but I emailed him, received instructions for which board and how to remove it. Mailed it to him at some home buried in the woods of Tennessee, plus $ 50 on Paypal and crossed my fingers. Got it back about three weeks later and it's worked fine since and that was probably 8 years ago at least.

Good luck, hard to find any repair guys anymore in our modern toss-it-when-it's-broke society, especially good reputable ones.

 

[Flyinbowtie]

Thanks guys for the input. It helps.

The Sansui was his go to piece for many years, on one trip to Okinawa he came home with the Marantz in a box and the Sansui was put away. Reading up on the Sansui has been interesting. Apparently time is not friendly to the oil filled capacitors in it, and bad things can happen when you try to bring them to life again after a long time. The unit means too much to me to screw it up. Now that I have some places to look for a decent shop to start on this project I will be getting after it.

I contacted Randy at ireuildmarantz.com and he has been a weath of information. He suggested I contact a fellow named Chris Ready, [email protected] who is an expert when it comes to the Marantz 4 channel stuff. I have an email in to him. I do have a local music store who does restos on old guitar amps, and he has done a lot of tube type stereo amplifiers in the past, but didn't seem comfortable with the Marantz. I may let him have a crack at the Sansui and send the Marantz out of town.

I know I could spray some tuner cleaner into the Marantz, but I am more worried about screwing something up. I know cars and stuff, but don't know jack about electronics. Would rather not create a problem where none exists. I also know that this fellow Chris Ready can replace the bulb lighting in the Marantz with LED's. One of the lights is out. I'd like these units put into a condition where they will be playing in my son's homes long after I am gone.

Randy offers a "packing kit" that he has put together with a double layer box and HD bubble wrap that he says is the way to go for shipping pieces like this, and after shipping a lot of product he suggests Fed Ex, states that they are gentler on items marked fragile than UPS. I dunno about that, just FWIW. I am going to get his shipping kit for the Marantz. Randy also told me that any of the Marantz stuff from that era that was sold at a Post Exchange will have a "P" designator after the model number on the tag located on the back of the unit. I will go out and look this morning. I don't know if Ken physically purchased and picked it up in the exchange in Okinawa or ordered it through the PX at Beale, where he worked, and just picked it up and brought it home when he got back to Beale.

I will update this thread when I have more info.

 

[DaveH]

rubbing alcohol is what you want to clean any contacts with.

 

[Mandelon]

I had a couple Marantz units over the years. Really quality stuff.

Who remembers the tube and transistor checking machines at Thrifty Drug? You could plug in your tubes to check them, and get replacements..
I passed another out of business Radio Shack yesterday. Times keep changing...

 

[Flyinbowtie]

Update.

Randy I mentioned above has helped a ton. He explained to me that the unit I have, the 4270, is essentially one of Marantz's "last big bang flagships before the company changed...a lot.
It was built in 1974.
This is a unit capable of discreet 4-channel operation. He told me that he does not work on the 4 channel units do to the inherent complexity they are known for. He suggested I contact another fellow, who specializes in them. He told me the guy doesn't charge enough for his work and he is always 5 months out"
This would be Chris Ready at [email protected]. I snooped around before contacting him and he does seem to have guru status in the niche world of classic Home audio.
Chris was another wealth of info.
He does a complete restoration on these units, hand solders over 600 new pieces into the unit, tests and prints out a "dyno sheet" on each unit he does before returning it to the customer. He guarantees his work indefinitely. I told him I was going to use it primarily to run a two channel system playing a turntable though Kilpsch Speakers, that it may have a CD changer on it and a Reel to reel at some point.
Chris asked if I had noticed that older receivers frequently sound much better playing analog sourced music than they do when pushing digital sound out. I have indeed noticed this.
He stated that while Marantz used the best components they had in the construction of their stuff there was a limit to what they had in those days. He told me that when he does the restoration he uses the best quality transistors available and that I will notice right away that the digital sound reproduction will improve in a big way...the transistors and such of old simply cannot handle the rapid data transfer rates of the good digital formats...CD, FLAC, etc.
I told him I was good with that, but I don't want to lose the warm sound quailty I remember this unit putting out...he said that it won't be a concern...
He explained that the process this unit will undergo will take about 50 hours on his bench.
I am on his list.
I am getting the shipping kit from Randy and will package my precious beast up to ship to Chris Ready when he is ready. He is in Pennsylvania.
I am very excited about this. Looking forward to breaking out the old vinyl, and buying some new stuff too.
The Sansui, alas, is a tube type unit and he does not work on them. I have a local lead on a fellow that may do this kind of work. I will need to recover $ wise from the investment in the Marantz before I tackle the Sansui.
I will update this thread when needed. Perhaps it will help the next guy looking for info on these things.
Finally, both of these guys told me that the niche market for this stuff is growing by leaps and bounds, and that the general interest in 2 channel home "hifi", and the old school "qaud" is also returning. That is nice to hear. Surround Sound has its place and I won't abandon it, but man am I looking forward to hearing these units again.

 

[Flyinbowtie]

A pic to show how she looks for 45 years old, and a little trivia. I hadn't even dusted it off when took this picture.
Talking to the man that has helped me touch base with the tech that is going to restore this thing, and he told me to look next to the model number on the back, and look for a (p) symbol. If this symbol is present it means the unit was sold at on a US Base at a Military Post Exchange, which fits my memory that Ken bought this unit on the base in Okinawa when he was supporting the SR71 mission. There it is, next to the 4270 .
I don't know why Marantz did this. Yet.

 

[caribbean20]

A pic to show how she looks for 45 years old, and a little trivia. I hadn't even dusted it off when took this picture.
Talking to the man that has helped me touch base with the tech that is going to restore this thing, and he told me to look next to the model number on the back, and look for a (p) symbol. If this symbol is present it means the unit was sold at on a US Base at a Military Post Exchange, which fits my memory that Ken bought this unit on the base in Okinawa when he was supporting the SR71 mission. There it is, next to the 4270 .
I don't know why Marantz did this. Yet.

View attachment 929809

View attachment 929807

Fun stuff. I’ve got a set of Dahlquist DQM 9 studio monitors just refinished, new cones, crossovers, etc. They don’t make em like they used to. Pure wall of sound where you can pick out each instrument. Sadly, very selective on when and where I can let them fulfill their true destiny at 10. Nothing like old school speakers pounding your chest.

 

[TPC]

17 watts per channel was the BFD. Remember that?

 

[Flyinbowtie]

Fun stuff. I’ve got a set of Dahlquist DQM 9 studio monitors just refinished, new cones, crossovers, etc. They don’t make em like they used to. Pure wall of sound where you can pick out each instrument. Sadly, very selective on when and where I can let them fulfill their true destiny at 10. Nothing like old school speakers pounding your chest.

Those are very nice speakers. Very nice indeed.
I have Ken's Bose 901's, I reconed them last year. I also have the EQ they need. They were hooked up to the Marantz for several years but Ken was never really happy with them. I will probably sell them when I have time.
I would like to find a nice set of LaScalas down the road. I have a pair of Klipsh RF3's that the Marantz will power when it gets back. Once we get through the move we are planning I will figure out the next step with this stuff. I need to nail down the resto plan for the Sansui as well.

TPC I most definitely remember when 17watts was a number, LOL.

This unit has a switch on the back, it is 25w x 4 or 70w x2. I have a pdf copy of the owners manual.
It say when attaching speakers to use a minimum of 16 gauge copper "lamp cord".
What...no monster cable required? LOL
The older stuff sounds incredible at much lower watt numbers than are touted by manufacturers today. There is more to sound creation than just power numbers for sure.

 

[caribbean20]

Those are very nice speakers. Very nice indeed.
I have Ken's Bose 901's, I reconed them last year. I also have the EQ they need. They were hooked up to the Marantz for several years but Ken was never really happy with them. I will probably sell them when I have time.
I would like to find a nice set of LaScalas down the road. I have a pair of Klipsh RF3's that the Marantz will power when it gets back. Once we get through the move we are planning I will figure out the next step with this stuff. I need to nail down the resto plan for the Sansui as well.

TPC I most definitely remember when 17watts was a number, LOL.

This unit has a switch on the back, it is 25w x 4 or 70w x2. I have a pdf copy of the owners manual.
It say when attaching speakers to use a minimum of 16 gauge copper "lamp cord".
What...no monster cable required? LOL
The older stuff sounds incredible at much lower watt numbers than are touted by manufacturers today. There is more to sound creation than just power numbers for sure.

I spent every penny I had on those speakers in the early 80s and am itching to put them in the living room, which, of course, my wife, rightfully so, says no. So . . . thinking about punching holes in the drywall next to that wood and have them flush with the wall. Vibration likely would clean all those useless nik naks off the shelves, but I’m going in strong and see if I can get permission. It’s just drywall

Don’t mean to hijack your thread, but figured you’d appreciate the effort.

 

[Flyinbowtie]

I hope you can pull it off with the wife, LOL.
No worries on hijacking, this thread is about classic home audio stuff. All are welcome on the topic!

 

[Taboma]

I spent every penny I had on those speakers in the early 80s and am itching to put them in the living room, which, of course, my wife, rightfully so, says no. So . . . thinking about punching holes in the drywall next to that wood and have them flush with the wall. Vibration likely would clean all those useless nik naks off the shelves, but I’m going in strong and see if I can get permission. It’s just drywall

Don’t mean to hijack your thread, but figured you’d appreciate the effort. View attachment 930722

By 'Those' speakers, are you referring to Bose 901's ? Age and vast decades of countless forms of physical audio abuse has rendered me a fan of Close Caption and has made it futile to maintain any semblance of audiophile. But for a short period in what seems to be another life while in Frankfurt Germany, in the early 70's, I sold various levels of audio equipment. From uber-expensive cutting edge electro-static to casual entertainment an enlisted man could afford and our lines included Bose .
I seem to recall, or at least I think I do, one of the more important factors for getting the most out of your Direct / Indirect 901 design, was placement. That when positioned correctly, the listener would gain a wider frequency response and enhance the speaker's ability to fill the space.
With that possibly useless information, I wish you good LUCK with your "It's just drywall" experiment.

 

[WhatExit?]

Love this thread. Stereophile from way back...

Always wanted a Marantz 1060 integrated amp but bought Pioneer instead. Had several of them - the last one I had was the SX-1010 along with their CT-F9191 cassette player to go along with my Dual 1229 turntable

3 ½ years ago I sold my Klipsch LaScala (birch) speakers that I purchased 100 years ago at a HiFi shop in Oakland or Emeryville, CA. I moved those speakers with me across the US several times. They blew away many people's' minds and ears when they heard what they could do. Amazing speakers.

 

[pronstar]

By 'Those' speakers, are you referring to Bose 901's ? Age and vast decades of countless forms of physical audio abuse has rendered me a fan of Close Caption and has made it futile to maintain any semblance of audiophile. But for a short period in what seems to be another life while in Frankfurt Germany, in the early 70's, I sold various levels of audio equipment. From uber-expensive cutting edge electro-static to casual entertainment an enlisted man could afford and our lines included Bose .
I seem to recall, or at least I think I do, one of the more important factors for getting the most out of your Direct / Indirect 901 design, was placement. That when positioned correctly, the listener would gain a wider frequency response and enhance the speaker's ability to fill the space.
With that possibly useless information, I wish you good LUCK with your "It's just drywall" experiment. [emoji16]

This is true. IIRC as their flagship “direct-reflecting” speakers, placement was key so that you could sit in the sweet spot of direct and reflected sound.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Universal Elements]

Love this thread. Stereophile from way back...

Always wanted a Marantz 1060 integrated amp but bought Pioneer instead. Had several of them - the last one I had was the SX-1010 along with their CT-F9191 cassette player to go along with my Dual 1229 turntable

3 ½ years ago I sold my Klipsch LaScala (birch) speakers that I purchased 100 years ago at a HiFi shop in Oakland or Emeryville, CA. I moved those speakers with me across the US several times. They blew away many people's' minds and ears when they heard what they could do. Amazing speakers.




View attachment 930752

Love the La Scala’s. Trying to figure out how to get these to the west coast. I have 4 Hafler 500’s that would love to put some power through them. Pretty rare and they kick ass.

FOUR STACKED DAHLQUIST DQ-10 SPEAKERS IN ORIGINAL DAHLQUIST METAL FRAME | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for FOUR STACKED DAHLQUIST DQ-10 SPEAKERS IN ORIGINAL DAHLQUIST METAL FRAME at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

 

[warpt71]

I have an old Marantz but can't find pics of it anywhere right now and I'm not at home. I know I've posted them here before and someone offered to buy it lol. I have plans to set it up in my garage but will need some speakers. Last time I plugged it in it worked but would consider sending it out to make sure it's 100%.

Great info here

 

[warpt71]

Found it! Lol

I know next to nothing about it but I have hung onto it for 20 years

 

[MSum661]

A pic to show how she looks for 45 years old, and a little trivia. I hadn't even dusted it off when took this picture.
Talking to the man that has helped me touch base with the tech that is going to restore this thing, and he told me to look next to the model number on the back, and look for a (p) symbol. If this symbol is present it means the unit was sold at on a US Base at a Military Post Exchange, which fits my memory that Ken bought this unit on the base in Okinawa when he was supporting the SR71 mission. There it is, next to the 4270 .
I don't know why Marantz did this. Yet.

View attachment 929809

View attachment 929807

Nice Jewelry Brother!! And Great story! I would never let it go for any amount.

I believe the letter symbols represent where the unit can be powered up from. Each country has different types of power ratings and plug types so the units were designed to be purchased and used in different Countries. Example....
: A = Australia C = Canada E = Europe K = Far East N = unknown, usually found in Europe P = Post Exchange U = USA.

Below is my 2285B which has a (e) on the back plate which stands for "Europe." There's a switch on the unit that allows either the US or Europe power supply option. One item I know for sure is that the (e) unit 2285B is super rare and hard to find. Most people that bought vintage marantz's back 40+ years ago had lived in the States so the symbols didn't matter. I'm guessing your unit is also rare as well because of that fact. Even though the (P) was labeled on your unit there must have been enough concern to at least make it clear the unit wasn't just for the US. But who knows. I have a Technics 1200 MK2 turntable in mint condition that also has a switch for US or Europe power supply as well. Kinda Cool in a weird way. Also, I just changed out the older lamps due to one going out and replaced them with the LED's. Really easy job.

 

[Taboma]

This is true. IIRC as their flagship “direct-reflecting” speakers, placement was key so that you could sit in the sweet spot of direct and reflected sound.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Reflect, that's the word I thought of later after I'd typed Indirect --- wasn't it corners they likes, hence their unique design ?

 

[WhatExit?]

Years ago I thought the Bose 901s were great because, well, they did sound great. They call them direct/reflecting and their placement is critical so there are "easier" speakers to live with (like the LaScalas).

I listened to a lot of speakers especially the 901s and all the Klipsch speakers as well as many others. After spending time with them doing A-B comparisons whenever possible, it was very obvious the 901s are great speakers but they're not Klipsch speakers. And if you've ever listened to LaScalas or the grandaddy, Klipschorn speakers you'll hear and feel the incredible differences. Very simply the 901s are terrific speakers but they lack bass and if you look at them you can see why.

Below is a review of the 901s and they make the mistake of mentioning the Klipschorn speakers which is like comparing a Camry to a Camaro...

"Much like a pair of Klipschorns, the Bose 901 lends itself to corner placement. Because the majority of the drivers face rearward, placement is the key to fine-tuning the imaging performance."

We Review the Bose 901…

Part One "No highs, no lows, it must be Bose." And so the story goes in the wubbulous world of high-end audio. Other than using a green sharpie to get better CD sound, or that guy that calls you on the phone and osmotically makes your system sound better, no greater myth exists in audio [...]

www.tonepublications.com

Modern Klipschorns...

 

[WhatExit?]

By the way, for anyone interested in Klipsch LaScala speakers, there are many posts/threads about people who have restored them. I thought for some time about doing it to mine since I purchased them in the early 1980's but decided I'd lived with the ½ refrigerator-sized speakers for long enough.

It's still a very interesting idea I shouldn't even think about because I am tempted to do it as a Covid project. There's lots of info online about this - not sure what the used (tired) LaScala market is like now - probably expensive since others are likely interested in doing it too.

lascala speakers rebuild - Google Search

And, if you're really adventurous, you can build your own

La Scala LF build

On a woodworking scale from 1 being I don't know what a router is and 10 being I'm a master carpenter and do it for a living. How hard is it to build a La Scala bass bin? It is my understanding that the Khorn is much difficult than the Jubilee. Or at least more parts/cuts. I've never built anythi...

community.klipsch.com

klipsch la scala plans - Google Search

There are plenty of options/suppliers for brand new speakers and crossovers for the LaScalas so that's not an issue

 

[Flyinbowtie]

MSum661 thanks for the explanation on the code, that makes sense!
Nice piece you have too.

Warpt it is cool to see all the Marantz gear in this thread.
What Exit I would love to have a pair of LaScalas, I dunno how I am going to sneak the $ for those by the wife, LOL. They ain't come down in value, that is for sure. Might have to re-think my needs, LOL

The 901's seem to be a love or hate speaker system, and they are sure as heck extremely placement sensitive. I can't recall what series mine are I will look next time I am up in the loft. There is a Garrard Turntable up there too, now that I think about it. I have my OG Technics, it will do for now.
Back on the 901s...they just don't seem to fill a room with music, IMHO. These will be for sale at some point.
Probably use the $ from them to help offset the bill on the resto of the Sansui.
Once both the Marantz and Sansui are done I will start looking for vintage speakers to complete the system.
The 4270 has been very carefully packaged up and Chris Ready has given me the go ahead to send it to him, so it will be going bye-bye next week, with a hefty insurance rider on it. I am going to hask him to send me some pics as he does his work so I can share the resto on here.
Very much enjoying reading all the posts and looking at the pics in this thread, glad to see I have some fellow stereo people on RDP.

 

[Flyinbowtie]

Update...

I spoke to Chris earlier this week, and again just a few minutes ago.
He has been doing this kind of work for many many years and is clearly WAY over the top in his attention to detail, which is exactly why I feel fortunate to have found him. He told me it would be about 5 months before he got to my unit.
He was a month early.
It is in final testing stages now....

"FBT I have worked on about 60-70 of these, done full restorations on only a few. They are not fun to work on due to how tightly packed the systems are. I can say without hesitation you own one of the finest Marantz 4270's in the world"
"Most techs don't want to take them on and most people who own them don't understand what they have or don't want to spend the money to do this. I replaced close to 300 components in it, and it has been on my workbench for nearly 3 weeks. I will send the replaced pieces back so you can see...all but the capacitors, they contain acid and I dispose of them myself. Every piece I installed is the best money can buy.
I can tell you on the bench it sounds wonderful, and I have done everything humanly possible to make sure it will sound wonderful for another 40 years."

As you might imagine this all made me smile just a bit.

He will be sending along a worksheet and other data he has on it, and pics he took of it in various states during the resto. The cabinet, which is very hard to find apparently and are usually pretty beat, was sanded and refinished to perfection. He told me he could tell by the carbon tracking traces on the balance/fade/left right slides that there was very little "fiddling" with it, and that it was extremely clean on the inside other than the usual dust and such. He told me when he first turned it on and got some base readings on it he was surprised by how tight the balance in the amplifiers section was, he said that measurement would have still passed a QC control back in the day.
The volume control needed a lot of love, he said it did not appear to EVER have been pushed past 5 based on the wear traces. The face plate had never been off and he described it as "near perfect". He sent some pics to a guy in Texas he knows who he buys/sell/trades some parts with. This guy also retails them now and then, and I have a very, very nice standing offer if I ever want to sell it, which I don't. Won't ever.

I will post the pics when it gets here, I am gonna hafta save some $ to get some smaller speakers for the home AV system because once I hook the Klipsch's up to this they are staying hooked up to it. I have an Ortofon cartridge and stylus selected for the turntable, so soon there will be the lovely sound of analog filling my den again. But, until I get some $ in the coffee can again I am just going to have to look at it and smile in anticipation.

At this point I can say without question if you ever want to have work done on a Marantz, and you want one of the best, you need to touch base with this guy. If that comes to pass send me a PM and I will give you his contact info and you can say I sent ya. He does work on other brands, but unfortunately he does not work on tube gear, so I can't plan on using him for the Sansui which will be up for resto after we move.

Plan to be patient tho, he is a busy guy, and he is a meticulous, thorough and picky guy....which is just who ya want messing with your classic stereo gear.

 

[Willie B]

Update...

I spoke to Chris earlier this week, and again just a few minutes ago.
He has been doing this kind of work for many many years and is clearly WAY over the top in his attention to detail, which is exactly why I feel fortunate to have found him. He told me it would be about 5 months before he got to my unit.
He was a month early.
It is in final testing stages now....

"FBT I have worked on about 60-70 of these, done full restorations on only a few. They are not fun to work on due to how tightly packed the systems are. I can say without hesitation you own one of the finest Marantz 4270's in the world"
"Most techs don't want to take them on and most people who own them don't understand what they have or don't want to spend the money to do this. I replaced close to 300 components in it, and it has been on my workbench for nearly 3 weeks. I will send the replaced pieces back so you can see...all but the capacitors, they contain acid and I dispose of them myself. Every piece I installed is the best money can buy.
I can tell you on the bench it sounds wonderful, and I have done everything humanly possible to make sure it will sound wonderful for another 40 years."

As you might imagine this all made me smile just a bit.

He will be sending along a worksheet and other data he has on it, and pics he took of it in various states during the resto. The cabinet, which is very hard to find apparently and are usually pretty beat, was sanded and refinished to perfection. He told me he could tell by the carbon tracking traces on the balance/fade/left right slides that there was very little "fiddling" with it, and that it was extremely clean on the inside other than the usual dust and such. He told me when he first turned it on and got some base readings on it he was surprised by how tight the balance in the amplifiers section was, he said that measurement would have still passed a QC control back in the day.
The volume control needed a lot of love, he said it did not appear to EVER have been pushed past 5 based on the wear traces. The face plate had never been off and he described it as "near perfect". He sent some pics to a guy in Texas he knows who he buys/sell/trades some parts with. This guy also retails them now and then, and I have a very, very nice standing offer if I ever want to sell it, which I don't. Won't ever.

I will post the pics when it gets here, I am gonna hafta save some $ to get some smaller speakers for the home AV system because once I hook the Klipsch's up to this they are staying hooked up to it. I have an Ortofon cartridge and stylus selected for the turntable, so soon there will be the lovely sound of analog filling my den again. But, until I get some $ in the coffee can again I am just going to have to look at it and smile in anticipation.

At this point I can say without question if you ever want to have work done on a Marantz, and you want one of the best, you need to touch base with this guy. If that comes to pass send me a PM and I will give you his contact info and you can say I sent ya. He does work on other brands, but unfortunately he does not work on tube gear, so I can't plan on using him for the Sansui which will be up for resto after we move.

Plan to be patient tho, he is a busy guy, and he is a meticulous, thorough and picky guy....which is just who ya want messing with your classic stereo gear.

... I am completely envious of the equipment you are dealing with ...what Ive got in my garage a Quadraflex tuner which I don’t even know who Quadraflex was???...some pioneer speakers some acoustic research speakers and a couple more??? it sounds OK through the technics turntable but I’m sure it doesn’t sound anything like what yours will...

 

[Flyinbowtie]

Quadraflex was Pacific Stereo's house labeled brand, that is all I could find Willie.

A couple of pics as it was being finalized. All of the lighting has been replaced with LED's.

 

[TITTIES AND BEER]

I got 2 of the big house speakers ( 20” x 36” ) ? In good shape if you want them

 

[riverroyal]

I have a 12” speaker craft sub that just started making a funny noise. Anyone needs it $100. thing was 900 new. I don’t have the patience or time to mess with. shakes the room,
brought another sub from a diff room to use now.

 

[Willie B]

Quadraflex was Pacific Stereo's house labeled brand, that is all I could find Willie.

A couple of pics as it was being finalized. All of the lighting has been replaced with LED's.

View attachment 973107 View attachment 973104 View attachment 973106

...All I can say is really really nice... I worked in electronics at Litton Data Systems from the age of 19 to 23... everything in your photos is very familiar to me... everything we did was done to mil spec in other words military specification...the only thing I see in your pictures that would not be mill spec is the use of zip ties which I don’t even think were even invented in the 60s???...where as we would use what was called spot tie...it was kind of like a wax string and had to be spaced well I can’t actually remember how far the spacing was???...After the waxed string was tied in a knot around the wire bundle we would then put a clear liquid on it which was called glyp...I really have no idea what that clear liquid was???...

...The group I worked with where it was necessary to have at least a secret government security clearance was building power supplies for the Vietnam war effort...

...I do you remember Pacific stereo...but now I’ve got to Google it because that’s about all I remember is the name Pacific stereo...lol...

 

[Flyinbowtie]

Well after all the BS my "baby" as the restoration guy called it, arrived Tuesday mid day. It is now on the shelf. After spending some time reading I have decided it is going to wait another few days to get fired up. I ordered a Furman Surge Protector/Line Conditioner which will be between it and P,G,&E.
We have semi regular brown-outs, power surges, etc, and I now have way too much invested in this thing to take a chance on losing it. After 5 months what is another week or so?
The stylus for the turntable isn't here yet either.
Attached are pics of the parts list and work sheet on the unit. He even sent along all of the "pulls" he replaced, The larger bag is packed with gizmos.I don't think I could have asked for a more thorough work up, and from what he tells me it sounds great. If you have a classic Marantz and want to future proof it I can give Chris Ready my unqualified endorsement.
The next time I post it will be with the lights on and the music playing...

 

[Big B Hova]

Well after all the BS my "baby" as the restoration guy called it, arrived Tuesday mid day. It is now on the shelf. After spending some time reading I have decided it is going to wait another few days to get fired up. I ordered a Furman Surge Protector/Line Conditioner which will be between it and P,G,&E.
We have semi regular brown-outs, power surges, etc, and I now have way too much invested in this thing to take a chance on losing it. After 5 months what is another week or so?
The stylus for the turntable isn't here yet either.
Attached are pics of the parts list and work sheet on the unit. He even sent along all of the "pulls" he replaced, The larger bag is packed with gizmos.I don't think I could have asked for a more thorough work up, and from what he tells me it sounds great. If you have a classic Marantz and want to future proof it I can give Chris Ready my unqualified endorsement.
The next time I post it will be with the lights on and the music playing...

View attachment 978686 View attachment 978687 View attachment 978689

What did it run you? I have a pioneer sx950 I need rebuilt

 

[Flyinbowtie]

That is a nice piece too!
But very different from this thing, your best bet is to shoot him an email describing it, what, if anything is wrong with it and if you just want it repaired or a full on resto, or in between. He will probably have you call him back, but the above is how I opened the conversation with him.. He generally has a 5 month waiting list. He is in Pennsylvania. He isn't cheap...but the best rarely are.
His name is Chris Ready.
[email protected].
You can tell him Jeff with the 4270 Marantz suggested you touch base with him.

 

[warpt71]

Such a cool story!

I scored these speakers for free a couple weeks back. I haven't hooked them up, but was told they were working when they were taken down from the po garage. My intent is to hang them from the ceiling in my garage and run them with my Marantz

These actually came from the owner of Champion Marine. Just more cool stuff from the SFV

 

[rivermobster]

That is a nice piece too!
But very different from this thing, your best bet is to shoot him an email describing it, what, if anything is wrong with it and if you just want it repaired or a full on resto, or in between. He will probably have you call him back, but the above is how I opened the conversation with him.. He generally has a 5 month waiting list. He is in Pennsylvania. He isn't cheap...but the best rarely are.
His name is Chris Ready.
[email protected].
You can tell him Jeff with the 4270 Marantz suggested you touch base with him.

Omg...

That is a massive amount of tedious labor to replace all the components he replaced!

That must have been a few pennies to do. Looking forward to hearing that someday!
Maybe Dark Side of the Moon, full tilt...

 

[Willie B]

...Now that I’ve started dialing in my stereo system in the garage which is not much more than a mishmash of old stuff ...it really does sound good but contact cleaner is doing nothing for the on off loudness feature of the tuner...So if it’s stuck on loud great if it’s not stuck on loud ...will have make the decision whether to have it fixed or not???...
... And then there’s the issue of straightening out some of the vinyl that has warped from being in the garage since probably 1988???...I’m thinking a flat table a piece of plywood over about 10 albums and hot weather should straighten them out...The several that are warped still play fine but it bothers me watching the tone arm going up and down with the warpage???..,