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Is buying a vintage Marantz 1150 Integrated Amp a good idea?

posted 11 years ago by howard.schumann
10 replies | jump to latest

I'm considering replacing a fine but mediocre-sounding Rotel 930AX integrated amplifier with a vintage Marantz Model 1150 from the 1970s but I have a lot of considerations.

Although it has 75 watts per channel as opposed to the 30 watts from the Rotel and most likely would sound much better, being that it is so old (but in very good condition) and the parts may be very expensive if repairs are needed or it may fail all together, would you play it safe or go for it?

My plan is to trade in the Rotel for it so I would not have any backup if the thing dies.

Many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices WJ

[–] Speed_Daemon 10 years ago

First of all, circa 1970s isn't quite vintage for Marantz. By that time the brand was only fair. The really hip and cool collectible stuff was made before the company was purchased by Superscope in 1964, and still made in the US. You'll have to pay top dollar for one of those old relics, and you'll be disappointed by sound quality that's only so-so by today's standards.

If you want a good integrated amp from the '70s, I recommend the Harman-Kardon A402. The engineering was solid, sound quality was superb, and the LED display still looks cool. Needless to say, you'll need to replace each and every capacitor to get the original sound quality. While transistors seldom fail, caps do dry out eventually. My Citation 19 (with the same LED display as the 402) is going in for an overhaul for just that reason!

[–] howard.schumann 10 years ago

Thanks for the suggestion. I know Harmon-Kardon was good because I used to own one. I've decided, however, to stay with my Rotel. I had some technician rewire the sub-woofer so it sounds much better (it was out of phase).

The greatest thing youll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return
- Nature Boy

[–] Speed_Daemon 10 years ago

Rotel has had a solid reputation as a good mid-range hi-fi manufacturer.

Good call on rewiring the sub. IME proper loudspeaker hookup and placement makes a larger difference in the sound than buying new electronics. Cheers!

[–] howard.schumann 10 years ago

Thanks for your comments. They have been very helpful.

The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return
- Nature Boy

[–] Speed_Daemon 10 years ago

Happy listening!

[–] ahthewarmthofthesun 10 years ago

Love the song "Nature Boy"; the song's message is true.

Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them.

[–] howard.schumann 10 years ago

No doubt about it.

If the truth were to be made known, laughter would abound - Chinese proverb

[–] ronaldseto 9 years ago

I would suggest a McIntosh or an older tube type receiver. Fisher and Marantz are good choices. Dynaco made a name for itself in being the most inexpensive components sold which could be tweaked for a few dollars to mimic high end components costing 5 and 10 times more.

[–] R_Kane (15828) 7 years ago

Stick with your Rotel.