Marantz 2325 Stereophonic Receiver Manual (2024)

I got a 2325. About 15 years ago, my old boss gave it to me, he'd had it since new.

Anyhow, in '22, I decided to have it fully rebuilt. No LEDs for me... so after a bunch of money I got it back with four large bags of old parts. The restoration was done by someone who knows what's he's doing, knows that not all capacitors are the same and has done a number of my other vintage pieces. Pretty much the only new modern design stuff were the upgraded types of big caps in the power supply, everything else was faithful to the OEM Bill Of Materials. We restored it, not improved it.

So, this baby looks like a 747. The incandescent lamps give it an incomparable glow ( my first Marantz, in '74, was a 2220B..) and the feel of the controls is definitely upscale.

Now for the bad part.

The sound.

It has the old Marantz sound ( I also have a 4415 ) which if you like it's very nice, but it is a dark and somewhat slow sound.

I mean, it looks extremely nice and it works very well, but ultimately it has a vintage sound that is closed in... with a deep bass that is a bit overripe and a treble that is not too extended.

Mind you, this is just how these things were built then. That was the State Of The Art in japanese receivers then. Which is a nice sound, but if you want accurate sound, time has moved on.

So, I put my Marantz back on the shelf and I take it out every so often (dang it, it's heavy) to warm it up. But, my day to day amps are big Class A FET 100 wpc mono amps and another which is strictly a no voltage gain, current drive solid state FET 25 wpc stereo amp.

I don't really understand why people are paying so much for nostalgia, but if you're gonna pay, this is one fine looking, fine working and reasonably sounding unit.

Maybe because I was 15 and this was a dream of mine and this brings back memories of youth, but probably because she just keeps on playing whatever you ask with authenticity. The guys owning the stereo store back in the early 1970s would let us listen for several hours when they were slow. Finally, I started acquiring different pieces, it started with 2320 at a garage sale in 1990, I asked the guy why he was getting rid of it, he said because it was old. I knew he was getting anything newer would take a couple of grand to sound better and the addiction started. Now with the king 2325, with a nice piano black finish case, my audio dream of Marantz (along with other models) has become a reality. Instead of different zones, I have different systems in each room. Did they really build these receivers to last 50 years? WOW. Now one has to spend $3-4K to get equal sound and with inflation, I guess that is about right. As commented in another post, these things just keep going up in value every year.

Now in my early sixties now and the wife wants to downsize. I am going to have an awful time letting my 2230 ever go, and like a fine piece of art, when that time comes, I want to make sure it goes to a good home.

Owning this collectors' item is owning a piece of history. This receiver's reign as king during the receiver wars was the longest lasting. For many months throughout the mid-70's, while this Marantz flagship sat upon its throne, countless hi-fi geeks the world over would dream of owning one. Some fortunate music lover bought this one - the one I'm listening to right now - all those years ago, and got to bring it home and experience hi-fi bliss. That's a cool thing to think about as I listen to its warm, silky goodness.

The one I own is fully restored. It's amazing how well it holds up even against today's hi-fi. It's a bit warm and colorful compared to today's top-end stuff (as is most hi-fi gear produced during the golden era), but that's exactly what I like. The 2200 series is the most enjoyable, least fatiguing series of receivers I've ever listened to. And in my experience, this series tends to match well with a broader array of speakers compared to my Sansui or Pioneer gear. It offers tight, controlled, yet rich, sustained bass, and clean, silky-smooth treble. My 2235b would probably be more suitable in my current listening space as the 2325 - being such a powerful beast - can get a bit boomy at times in a particularly small space. But if you have the space and the speakers, this flagship Marantz from the golden era of hi-fi will make for the perfect flagship piece in your vintage collection.

The value of the 2325 has been absolutely skyrocketing in recent years. Get one now and get it restored.