FOR SALE: MARANTZ RECEIVER / AMP MODEL #2250B * BONUS: ORIGINAL MANUAL & BROCHURES

NOTE: This Item is being sold in LORING, Ontario

PRICE: $565 Cdn. SOLD

HISTORY

It’s probably a good thing that I fell for my wife before I knew she owned a Marantz Amp or she might still be wondering today whether I married her for herself or her Marantz. I like to think I’m a good man but after all, I am still just a man with human weaknesses.

My wife and I adoring each other and our Marantz Amp.
From Frank and Dino to The Beatles and The Rolling Stones
- they all sound great!

One of the Marantz Amps Model #125 at Sugar's 1977

I fell in love with Marantz when I worked as a disc jockey at Sugar’s Discoteque at the Leonard Hotel in St. Catharines in 1977 even before I fell in love with my wife. Just as the love for my wife has never died, neither has my love for Marantz.

My system at Sugar’s consisted of 2 Marantz Amps, Model #125. One amp was used for the left channel and one amp was used for the right channel sending 250 watts of pure fucking power per channel to the disco freaks on the dance floor.

My wife’s amp is only 50 watts per channel but hey…

DJ Booth at Sugar's in St. Catharines 1977

I was already in love with her and it wasn’t like
we were living in a disco that needed the extra

volume. I’m sure our neighbours were thankful for that. 

And my wife’s Marantz does boast a better Total Harmonic Distortion rate than the Marantz #125. So there’s that.

But unlike our marriage, all good things must come to an end. I don’t know why they must come to an end. But that’s what the proverbial “they” say about that.

One day our (we were married now so it had become community property) Marantz Amp quit working. As we couldn’t afford the repair work at the time it went into storage and there it sat neglected for the next 30 or so years.

Front view.

Finally, when the time to downsize came, we had to make a decision. We considered scrapping it and sending our Marantz to the landfill site.

Back view.
If you need the captions to tell the front from the back,
you're probably not even interested in this.

I turned to the internet for advice and this comment caught my eye. “You should never throw out a Marantz Amp because then there would be one less Marantz Amp in the world.”

That kind of undying devotion struck a note with me so I decided to see if it could be repaired.

A stereo repair center in Barrie had it for a year and finally told me, as hard as they tried, they could not get the output transistors that were required for the right amp to be repaired.

When we moved to Northern Ontario, I decided to give it one more shot and took it to a stereo repair center in North Bay, waited another 6 months and paid more money only to be told the same thing.

Still, I was not convinced. So I scoured the internet until I found an old hippy in California who promised me that if he couldn’t get the output transistors needed to repair the right amp he would provide me with a rebuilt right amp and get it working for me.

Did I mention this sucker weighs 35 pounds? Shipping it to California and paying the shipping back was cost prohibitive so I asked the old hippy if we could just skip a step and assume it needed a whole rebuilt right amp and have him send it to me which he was happy to do.

When it arrived, I took it back to the repair center in North Bay to have the right amp replaced.

The bottom line is, I don’t always listen to the Rolling Stones on our Marantz Amp, but when I do… so do my neighbours.

That was just a few years ago and now it’s time to downsize once more. But at least this is ONE Marantz Amp that is still in this world today and has been spared the fate of the junk heap. It is ready and prepared to provide YOU with the joy it has provided my wife and I AND my wife and her ex for the past half century.

Four beautiful views of one beautiful Marantz.

ABOUT THIS MARANTZ (circa 1976)

"The Marantz Model 2250B  is an all solid state receiver incorporating the innovative design and unparalleled technology that have made Marantz famous in the audio component industry.

The Model 2250B features a sensitive FM tuner, a highly selective AM Tuner, a low distortion preamplifier, and two direct coupled power amplifiers on a single chassis, while retaining a flexibility comparable to that achieved using separate components."

BUT WHY THE "B"?

The Marantz Model 2250 had known issues with the power switch and relay failures which were corrected with the Model 2250B. In this case the “B” stands for “Better”.

Pros:

• It’s a Marantz!

• It has 50 watts per channel.

• It has a 0.25% THD.

• ~ $350 spent in repairs in 2019

• Insert EVERYTHING you can read in the Technical Specifications here.

• It’s a Marantz!

Cons:

• There aren’t any to speak of. It’s a Marantz! 

• There ARE however a couple of burnt out tuner display bulbs and the light for the Tape 2 indicator. I don’t really consider this a con as these can easily be replaced. Many people replace ALL the lights with long lasting LED lights.

As if the Marantz Amp isn’t enough on its own this Marantz Amp comes with the following extras which is very rare to see with Marantz Amps sold online at sites such as ebay or Kijiji.

Marantz Receiver Amp with original manual and papers from the mid 1970s.
Warranty Registration Cards remain black as they were never filled out.
Click on this, or any of the pictures for a larger, clearer view.

• MANUAL

  Full 35 page Manual plus an additional 7 pages of introduction. (8.5” x 11”) The manual includes  instructions on how to get the most out of the Marantz Amp in English, French and German. The 14 illustrations demonstrate proper setup, usage and connection to other components. 2 fold-out pages consist of charts showing Tone Control Characteristic, FM Characteristics, Stereo Separation, Harmonic Distortion and a flow-chart type Functional Block Diagram. 

On page 30 you will find Technical Specifications providing every detail of the Marantz Amp from the physical dimensions and weight to ratings of Power, THD, Frequency Response and more.

WARNING: there is a small tear on the cover and a corner of page 14/15 is missing. This only affects the readability of the section on the “Low Filter And Hi Filter Switch” in GERMAN. These minor defects can be seen in the pictures provided.

Below you will see more illustrations of some of the
pages of the manual, including a better view of the
very minor rips and damage found in the manual.

• SCHEMATICS

  A Double Page Schematic Diagram for Model 2250B measuring 10.5” x 16.5” when unfolded. If you look closely at the picture provided you will see the diagram is slightly misaligned in the center. This was due to my photo stitching after I scanned the schematics in 2 parts and does NOT show in the actual diagram.

  

  A Roadmap to what makes Marantz Amps a superior sound system.
  Of course it's all Greek to me. (You'll definitely want to click on the 
  picture to see what I mean.)

  
  
  

• INSERT

  A Full Page (8” x 10.5”) insert in French and English explaining “ a few minor differences from the model described in the European bilingual manual” and the Canadian model.

  

  Differences between the Canadian Model and the
  European models are noted here, such as the
  improved FM de-emphasis in this Canadian Model.

  
  
  

• NOTICE

  IMPORTANT READ THIS NOTICE is a 5.5” x 8.5” red flier urging the new owner to read the instruction manual carefully. It also urges the new owner to “use the equipment often”, fill out the Warranty Registration Card AND the Purchaser’s Record. It is printed in black type with English on one side and French on the reverse.

  

  Marantz resorts to a little flattery and whimsy in this insert
  to encourage the new owner to read the manual
  and fill out the warranty registration card.

  
  
  

• WARRANTY INFORMATION

  THE MARANTZ WARRANTY. A full page 8.5” x 11” single page explains the details of the warranty coverage of various Marantz components provided by Marantz and Superscope Canada, both of which were subsidiaries of Superscope Inc. of California at the time. The page is printed on a harder, almost cardboard type of material on both sides with English on one side and French on the other. The Purchaser’s Record at the bottom of the page remains blank.

  

  The Purchaser's Record at the bottom of the Warranty was intended to be a
  personal record of the details of this Marantz Amp that the owner would
  fill out and keep on hand for future reference. As you can see it is blank.

  
  
  

• WARRANTY REGISTRATION

  MARANTZ WARRANTY REGISTRATION CARD AND ENVELOPE. (English Only) The 3.25” x 5.5” Warranty Registration Card is accompanied by a standard sized 4” x 9” business envelope preaddressed to Superscope Canada, Ltd. in Mississauga. The Warranty Registration Card remains blank except for the pre-stamped Model number. Oops! It appears my wife and her ex weren’t too concerned with the Marantz Warranty. Or maybe they knew that almost any Marantz would well outlive the 3 Years Parts and Labor warranty provided.

  

  There was no internet to register new purchases with in the 1970s.
  That the Warranty Registration Card was never filled out and mailed
  is a testament to the faith my wife and her ex had in Marantz.

  
  
  

• AUTHORIZED SERVICE CENTRES

  MARANTZ / SUPERSCOPE AUTHORIZED SERVICE CENTRES. What good is a warranty if you don’t have access to an authorized service centre? Measuring 4.25” x 5.5” when folded, this booklet provided the addresses and phone numbers of 18 Authorized Service Centres for Marantz in 7 provinces across Canada.

  

  What good is a warranty if you don't know
  the location of an authorized service centre?

  
  
  

Why would you buy a receiver/amplifier that is almost 50 years old? That’s a fair question. It doesn’t even fall into the category of being an antique. But to a collector, a Marantz Receiver Amplifier of this vintage (circa 1976), in this condition and combined with the original manuals and brochures, is a rare find. 

And even if you’re not a collector, this Marantz stands among the best as a fully functional stereo component that competes with even the best stereos in today’s market.

The number of old Marantz Amps from the 1970s that you can easily find listed on the internet remain a testament to Marantz’s reliability as well as their continued popularity.

SHIPPING & HANDLING OPTION

This item is available for pickup in LORING, Ontario. But if you are interested in having it shipped I can send it via Canada Post Expedited Parcel.

Expedited Parcel includes online tracking and insurance.

Please consider that, at 35 lbs this 1970s Marantz Amp is much heavier that most amps made today. Shipping costs will reflect that weight.

To help you consider the overall cost should you want this shipped, I estimated the size and weight this would be when packed for shipping. I then checked Canada Post shipping costs of a sampling of 15 cities in Ontario ranging from Thunder Bay to Windsor and from Owen Sound to Kingston. The rates, including insurance, range from $60 to $70 with anticipated delivery to most places of 1 to 2 business days. Of my sampling, Owen Sound was the only exception at $75 with a delivery expectation of 3 business days. When you are ready to purchase I will provide you with the exact cost and will only charge you what Canada Post charges me.

NOTE: I WILL NOT SHIP WITHOUT INSURANCE! Insurance protects us both.

Of course you’re still welcome to make an appointment to purchase this Marantz Amp and pick it up here to save the shipping costs if you wish.

Payment by Interac e-transfer is preferred but I will also accept Money Order if it is being shipped. I will also accept cash but only IF you are picking it up in person.

I can usually ship the following business day after receiving payment.

Just look at the details listed here in the Spec Sheet!
Even in the 1970s many stereos never even bothered to publish the
THD, much less boast of one that started with a decimal point.

Click on the photo for a larger view of the very
minor rips and tears you will find in this manual.

Even with the availability of Google and the internet it would be
difficult to find this kind of detail about most stereos today.

These kinds of testimonies of the durability of
the Marantz Receiver Amps were often found in
full page ads such as the back cover of Playboy.