Marantz 2230 as preamp

Hi,
Sorry I'm new an just have a question about hooking my marantz up to a tube amp.
I currently have a 2230 receiver, turntable and sony CD player with some paradigm studio 20 speakers.
My listening room is 13' x 16'
I am just considering buying a Dynaco st 35 to use with this system and am wondering what i would gain by this. Would i notice a huge difference in sound?
Also am wondering how exactly i hook this up to the marantz with out damaging anything.
Ive did lots of searches on google but can't seem to find a whole lot of info out there.
Your help and any suggestions would be greatly appreciated .

thank you
Shawn

 

You've not found information but have found an st-35 . I believe connection is easy as the 2230 has "pre-out to main jumpers" ie an external loop of pre amplified signal before it's taken back into the box to be amplified. So remove the jumpers and connect from the pre-outs to Dynaco.

What you'll get? I would only surmise from reviews, slightly less base but a strong mid band and 17.5W per channel.

 

Thank you for the quick reply Colin. Yes i have been trying to do some research here.
The thing is i just picked up these studio speakers and now kinda have the upgrade bug i guess.
Looking to make them sing so to speak.
I like the 2230 but am wondering if its enough to drive these speakers well enough
I mostly listen to stuff like Black keys, mumford and sons, ben harper.
Any thoughts or suggestions would be considered and send me off in search of more research.

 

My first tube amp that I bought ca. 1995? was the integrated version of the Dyna amp, the SCA-35, which includes a simplified 'PAS' type preamp. I bought it for $100 from a friend, whose EE friend had gone thru it to make sure everything 'worked' and actually put in some new output tubes for him.

I had a well-regarded Yamaha A-700 integrated amp and the SCA even stock just blew me away with the increased musicality, a bit of depth/space, and more of a feeling that real musicians were playing together. I relegated the A-700 to driving the passive sub in my 3 piece ("2.1") system. I had to adjust the sub volume separately in this arrangement but it was OK.

I don't know anything about the 2230 but seems like it could be used with the ST-35 easily via the preamp outputs. Just be sure not to hook it up to a tape output (fixed volume)!

http://www.tnt-audio.com/ampli/dynaco-st35_e.html

I think you'll love the ST-35, which is even more well-regarded than the SCA-35. If you aren't an EE type, try to make sure that the output transformers are good etc.. Hopefully you're buying it from a friend or someone that will be trustworthy. These are old amps, but if the parts are OK, can sound sublime.

The power should be enough for the Paradigms, to moderate levels. The amp will run HOT so make sure there's plenty of room around it (don't put it in a tight enclosed cabinet!).

If you want the amp to remain stock, that's OK, but the resolution and etc. can be improved by substituting better parts (coupling caps, etc.). I'm not familiar with the ST-35 actually, but I modded and simplified the SCA-35 (bypassed all the tone controls, etc.) for significantly improved (to me) sound, which still had the 'tube magic'.

It's certainly worth a 'try' and if it doesn't really float your boat, you can probably resell at not much of a loss (and maybe MAKE some money). I think these are pretty rare?

The 2230 seems not to be a slouch either
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=168873 interesting to compare sonics with it as-is and with the ST-35 as amplifier ...

 

Thanks for the replies guys. I'm still debating if this is worth it. It sounds pretty good currently to me. Especially sense i gave it a good cleaning.
I may update my CD player instead.....decisions decisions.. thanks again

 

I used (years ago) a 2230 > outlaw monoblocks > magnepan mmg. The sound was actually fantastic. Be forewarned using the pre outs switches off the headphone outputs if that's a concern.

 

I have owned/heard several Marantz 2230 over the years and find their sound quite nice. They are definitely "aged" and may need recapping to sound their best.