How To Restore Vintage Marantz

This is it! The most complete Marantz restoration how-to video on YouTube!

Please read this. Only use this video to help you restore your Marantz or other receiver if you're very confident in your abilities. I'm not responsible if you damage something or hurt yourself. Most importantly, understand that this is MY take on doing a restoration. Others might have different ways of doing things, others may also think things in this video are just plain wrong. This is a long video, but there's probably things that I forgot to mention in places.

The 2215B was not a good choice for this video in some ways since it has some pretty unique differences compared to the majority of vintage Marantz receivers. I have restored a 2250B video by video in the past, so I'll link those board-specific videos here:

If you have questions, you can leave them in the comments or send me an email. You can find my email in this channel's "about" section.

Links:

0:00 - Introduction
1:48 - Why Restore?
4:20 - What To Know
5:38 - How It Works
13:24 - How To Use Service Manual
20:32 - Parts To Buy
35:12 - Disassembly
41:08 - Preamp Detailed Restoration
42:46 - Using The Service Manual
50:23 - Desoldering
1:00:12 - Glue Removal
1:03:28 - Soldering
1:15:50 - Cleaning Controls
1:21:36 - Power Supply Detailed Restoration
1:49:42 - Phono Preamp Restoration
1:52:18 - Power Amplifier Restoration
2:13:15 - Tuner Board Restoration
2:18:07 - Conclusion

[jb]

I came back to watch this video a second time, take notes and screen shots. This is an extremely helpful layman's guide; you managed to convey a complex job in a way that a hobbyist can follow easily...which is not so easy! THANK YOU. I find your clarity of delivery/message, helpful presentation slides, and general attitude toward the entire process...a breath of fresh air. WELL

[kurtdepauw]

What an excellent video for hobbyists who want to start with restorations. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!

[g.t.]

Thanks so much for this. I've restored about 25 Marantz receivers in the last 5 years ( and i'm no professional, just a hobbyist ) and I wish I had this basic info when I started. I stumbled onto this by accident. Over those last 5 years I always thought to myself " why doesn't someone do an explainer video for the basic Marantz restoration"! Great job my friend.

[TJET]

I commend you for taking the time to provide this video for all of us. It takes a lot to put yourself out there and give us your experiences in upgrading / restoring this equipment. I admire anyone that can not only do this kind of thing but also accept the fact that there are going to be those that criticize your techniques. There is a learning curve in all of this and I'm sure you learn just as much from our feedback as we learn from you. Keep up the good work. You are helping and encouraging many of us out there that enjoy this hobby.

[mikehensley]

I had this exact receiver back in 1996! I was in an electronics class and a music shop would donate broken equipment, we would fix it in the lab and auction it off for class trips and parties. Marantz and Sansui amps are mostly the same as far as the circuitry and yes, they absolutely rock! Most problems we came across in these types of amps were output transistors and resistors in the output stage. great video!

[marcos]

Spectacular video. I have a 2252b I've been planning for years to restore but was too intimidated. After watching this I feel more confident in what to do for a proper job. Thanks so much for doing this.

[MikeDS]

15:38 The phono preamp is likely called an EQ amp as it removes the RIAA equalization from a record applied during recording. The curve is applied to reduce bass and allow the grooves to be more closely spaced, reduces noise (similar to Dolby NR), and reduces potential damage to the grooves during playback.

[SaturnV]

Tip: The "obsolete" information described at 14:00 is far from obsolete, but in fact, very relevant. I recently had a Pioneer SX-780 that I had to do an alignment on to correct a stereo decoding issue, that replacing components didn't resolve.

You will find all the test equipment listed on that page on the workbench of every professional.

At 15:41, "EQ" is used to denote RIAA Equalization. It implements standard compensation circuitry to maintain tonal balance by stereo manufacturers in conjunction with the vinyl record industry.

[mpearson]

Nice work! As a teacher of teachers I can tell you this works. You do not get caught up in unnecessary details at first and give content that can be rewatched with a clear visual and spoken path to learning by the student. I do lots of making and lots of tinkering as I am also a Maker teacher with both complete designs of electrical boards and micro electronics. I have not really ever gotten into the whole audiophile bit. I am now looking at entering this realm and find your work refreshing. Again, nice work and I hope you share more of your expertise and passion for teaching technical elements. Cheers!

[johnglover]

I know just enough to get myself in trouble when trying to work on my marantz amplifier. The way you draw it on paper is definitely a way I can understand it. I have referenced this video many times. Seriously thanks for all the hard work you put into your videos.

[andrewbird]

I bought a used Marantz receiver from a friend circa 1979-80 when I was 22-23. I always thought Marantz was the best quality and I loved their ads. And they were the best looking receiver IMO, with the blue lights and wood case. It was only a few years old, but my friend wanted to upgrade. I think I paid him around $100 for it. I used it for about 20 years, mostly to run a turntable off of it and of course for the radio. I also had a cassette and even a reel-to-reel hooked up to it at different times. About 20 years I ago - as the way I listened to music had changed significantly - the Marantz was collecting dust, so I gave to Goodwill. I didn't think it had much value. It was old technology, I thought, though it worked perfectly when I got rid of it. I had no idea that collecting and restoring vintage receivers from the '70s was a thing.

[david.carter]

1st timer. Been an analog man a long time. you have become like my high school teacher, from Germany, who tried to make me understand how it works. I was not a learner then. Thanks for the knowledge.

[Rick-Willy]

This is the best tutorial I've seen in years. You went over all aspects and explained it very well!

[billbradleymusic]

Brother, you are giving my inner electrician confidence! If only everything in life were so step through informative.

[peterclissold]

Your videos are easy to watch and helpful. I have enjoyed many of them as I have restored Pioneer and Marantz receivers. Thanks!

[bentnickel]

I own several Marantz units and you've convinced me to try a restoration on my 1070. Thank you.

[lucybartley]

Top chap, this is the easiest to follow vintage Marantz video on YouTube and just what I have been waiting for before attempting to recap my 2230

[marcump]

my 1976 2220b has only had the light bulbs replaced.. only two had burned out but i replaced the set for uniformity. I recently checked the bias and dc offset.. all still good. mine was mostly in regular use when I was in hight school.. then it has sat idol, unplugged for nearly 30+ years. I may soon take the time to order new caps and so on.. this is a great source for this procedure.

[georgecovetskie]

Good Job Bro.
I use to do bench repair from 1975 to 1986 and eventually ended up working the field service for medical equipment. It payed Much better but I sure miss doing bench work.
I loved hearing the old equipment working again and how they all sounded.
At 67 my eyes are not going to let me work on small component stuff anymore but I do fix Old Tube amps for fellow musicians that use point to point wiring.
I do have a Marantz 2252b I need to dig into I had in storage and your video got me thinking I should just go and attack it.
Thanks for sharing.

[batforjustice]

In my many years of experience. I rarely recap items because in most cases they don't need it. Not only that, there could be hundreds of caps in some things(expensive). In CRT Tv's I only replace the ones that are stressed by heat, high voltage, or are obviously leaking. I leave the rest in if they test good. As a rule, capacitors usually don't fail unless they are backwards, cooked by heat, or operate at a voltage that is to close to the max rating. I have seen some that were actually operated higher than max voltage spec that was a part sourcing mistake during design, or assembly. I don't replace transistors, or diodes unless they are actually bad. The pitfalls of replacing some transistors is they will be equivalents and may mess up the bias of a circuit, creating unwanted distortion. Some actually can't be found because they were made for motor drive circuits like in old 45 jukeboxes. Realistically most audio equipment is not turned on 24/7 at max volume and won't see abuse. Trust me, home audio equipment will never see the abuse that arcade equipment gets. The most important thing about fixing items is you should make notes about what was done and when; and leave a record in or on the item with a sticker.