irezumi

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Price Paid:  $0.00 from Pacific Stereo in SF

Summary:
What can I say that hasn't been mentioned in earliers reviews. I'm the original owner of two Marantz 2325 receivers and 2 pairs of Bose 901 Series II speakers. Bought it back in the day for one reason they would go with me to my grave and why waste $$$ on inferior equipment when all I can say is my loss of hearing is due to my system and going to Winterland (3x/week) for until it closed.

Vinyl, reel-reel, 8 tracks, no cassettes, CD and now iPod just blows everyone's mind that this old school receiver can hang. Hey, everything has gone retro but nothing today comes close to reproducing the sound that Marantz and other during the '70s manufacutered.

Like Zeppelin said, "The Song Remains the Same".

Strengths:
It gets even better on a good set of headphones. I still my Stanton and upgraded to Grados a few years ago. Marantz sounds even sweeter.

Weaknesses:
1st generation has their problems with the bulbs other than that who cares.
I never got a hold of the Quadraphonic option back then and looks like I'll never find one ever.

obttrb@yahoo.com

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Price Paid:  $0.00 from Recovered at Christm

Summary:
My brother gave this receiver back to me at Christmas. I bought this unit in 1979 while in high school and kept it until I let him have it in 1985. I did not realize how much I missed its rich sound until I hooked it back up and played it again. After 19 years it still works great. I use it in my office at work with 4 Bose 100 bookshelf speakers and an inexpensive KLH subwoofer. I use it to monitor mixed radio spots some, but mostly use it to enjoy music.

There is plenty of information available on the Marantz 2325 on the web that can be located through the Google search engine including reviews, manuals, and service and repair options. All this points to one important thing: this receiver is a great piece of equipment: according to some Marantz collectors, it is the best receiver ever put out by Marantz during the "monster receiver" era of the "70's.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating, so the proof of the equipment is the hearing. The Marantz 2325 makes your recordings come to life like no other receiver, even compared to the modern equipment available today (unless you go after the expensive high end equipment). If you have one of these, keep it. If it is broke, get it fixed. If you do not have one and can get one, get it!

This unit has on-board Dolby encoding which comes in handy with reel-to-reel tape decks which have no noise reduction. You can also listen to your FM stations with Dolby encoding. The phono pre-amp is excellent. There are two tape inputs which have monitoring features for both. There is also a pre-amp out/ main amp in set of plugs which make it handy to add a graphics equalizer without tying up a tape input/output, or even a powered subwoofer. All controls are on the front, so if you want more or less bass or treble, you simply turn the knob instead of hunt the controls in a menu somewhere. This unit also has a mid-range control which is very handy. There is a controller knob that lets you select between two sets of frequencies the bass and treble knobs control. For the 70's era listeners, the loudness button is very nice to have.

I listen to CDs and iTunes with my Mac notebook or Compaq PC. I use my Peavey as a digital audio converter so the sound from the computers is very clean with virtually no noise, even with 20f lines running from it to the Marantz. With this setup, you can hear the difference between mp3's, acc's and lossless formats.

This unit sounds great with my Bose 100's and my KLH subwoofer, especially with classical music. I do miss my JBL 4311 monitors I had in high school: they were much sweeter, but with limited space for speakers, and limited funds to upgrade, what I have is great!

Strengths:
The pure, clean warm sound that brings your music to life.
Front knobs that make adjustments easy.
Versatility with tape decks and equalizer hook-ups.
It looks impressive in your audio rack or entertainment center.

Weaknesses:
No remote control. Gotta get up to adjust it.
Has only one Aux input.

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
It was awful at first. Then I opened it up...saw tons of cat hair and 30 years of dust accumalation. Cleaned it up....there was something here. Then I really cleaned it up...de-oxidizing everything....
Put Steve Lacy and Gil Evans Paris Blues on.
Phenomenal.
You know in the old days when you would get a new piece of electronics and everything sounded new again...well that feeling never goes away when you turn this on. Such sweet thunder...limitless undistorted power seems to be at your volume control...if you find one of these, grab it.

Strengths:
Smooth classic Marantz champagne sound. Recorded sound does not get better than this at home.

Weaknesses:
Speaker connects at back are dated.

Similar Products Used:
Marantz 2226
Marantz 140

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
Exactly as stated here already. Having worked on these receivers and other Marantz models for over 20 years, I truly admire the quality and sound of these receivers not to mention love working on them and restoring them still today. Like just about anything from days past, "they don't make 'em like they used to" has never been more true. These are some of the most powerful amplifiers that you can find with linear power supplies and discrete components. Today's receivers of comperable power have switching power supplies, integrated circuits in the signal path, and laughable darlington array output stages. Darlingtons have high gain which means narrow bandwidth. The sound speaks for itself. Close your eyes and lift a new amplifier today and then go lift your 2325. The sheer size and boat-anchor-weight of this unit speaks volumes. If you feel that yours is in need of some help to get it back to the way it was and ready to thump the neighbors for the next 30+ years, come by and say hi: www.irebuildmarantz.com

Take care,
~RB

Strengths:
More power than you can shake a stick at, no really...

Weaknesses:
I hope you have strong eardrums!

WarrenMacD

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 4.00 votes

Price Paid:  $995.00 from Tip Top Sound, Cornw

Summary:
How do you start to review a classic piece of iconic audio from the mid '70s? Sometimes I sit in my darkened living room with the Marantz 2325 showing its muscle AND characteristic blue glow, listening to Sara MacLaughlin's "Angel", Ravel's "Bolero", or Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells". This beast delivers pure listening enjjoyment with a damping factor that gives one of the tightest basses you'll ever hear from a receiver. (It might as well be blue-faced Marantz amp. for you can't tell the difference with your ears).
You know it's powerful when you turn it on and for just a few milliseconds the lamps in the room on the same circuit dim while the massive power transformer powers up.
It's been 31 years and I wouldn't trade the 2325 for anything today! As a matter of fact it's stipulated that when I die, the 2325 must stay in the family, to be handed down like a diamond ring (I'm not sure the younger generations would understand why but when those of you who, like me, grew up with low-fi noise producing trash and were then introduced to hi-fi audiophile components like Marantz, you DO understand) Now excuse me, while I wipe away a tear and subdue the lights and listen to the sweet, pure, distinct, hair-raising sounds and looks of my friend, the Marantz 2325!

Strengths:
Dolby noise reduction, used with my reel-to-reels.
Excellent damping factor
Tone mode switch, plus the famouse Marantz midrange control.]
My speakers are medium sensitivity (93 db/watt/metre) and I still can't get the volume control higher than 10 o'clock.

Weaknesses:
Huh?

Similar Products Used:
What can be similar to a 2325? I bought my sister a 2218 from E-bay so she could experience Marantz and so she would look audiophilish (is that a word?) when company came over!