Oh dear oh dear oh dear...

I have truly, **truly** taken a large step down the slippery slope...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3025063032&category=39783

But I have to tell you... I'm really excited (and quite surprised) to have won this... particularly at this price!!

(Though I think I may have to wait on Grover's line stage, now...)

Comments... support... or handy hints, anyone??

-Kevin

 

Wow. You're now a Marantz guy.

Remind me to tell you about the best sounding little tubes for this sucker.

Congrats. Not a bad price!

 

Thanks, guys!

Hmm-- y'know, I had a funny feeling that the best tubes were probably **not** the ones that were in the pictures...

-Kevin

 

And here's a pic, for those who might not be able to follow the link...

-Kevin

 

Now you need a McIntosh 240 for that Boston sound!

 

Steve, you dog-- I'm still trying to figure out what to liquidate to pick **this** up!!

I do have a question, though-- would Grover's line stage be a good match for this, or would you recommend something vintage?

If it helps, I'm kind of going for "right", rather than necessarily just for "vintage", in terms of sound.

Thanks for any advice!

-Kevin

 

Well, first, see how the Marantz sounds in your system. I can better advise you then. I like to keep vintage with vintage, but I have a bunch of systems. If I just had one, I would use the Grover line stage, it's fast and neutral. You might need a Marantz 7C though to match your 8B. And then:

The World's greatest tubed tuner; the Marantz 10B:

 

The Marantz 7C (best shot I could find in a pinch

 

Don't forget, you need to get a gold tube screen and the little black thingies that go over the bias screw adjusters on your 8B. Those things seem to be missing in action....

 

Steve:

Roger you on the missing parts... the black thingies seem to be one of those items that often comes up missing, but I'm not **so** concerned about that...

And, I've seen repro cages for sale, but I think I'd rather hold out for the real thing, since they don't seem to be all **that** rare, and (at least in my case) it certainly doesn't have to be in Mint condition.

I like the idea of the fast and neutral aspects of Grover's line stage, so that may be the way to go for me-- I think I remembered reading in the Archives that you had said that you (personally) liked the "vintage" aspect of the Marantz 7 pre, but that you felt that some might object to the coloration that it gave. I believe you said it was a bit on the "dark" side.

While I know that I can't match the beautiful variety of components that you've got heating up your stereo room, I guess my goal is just to set up a simple system that will give me some idea of what **you're** hearing when you do your work. Which is why I was shooting for "right" (on a budget), rather than strictly "vintage".

I'm glad to see I'm in the ballpark, at least!!

Thanks, bossman!

-Kev

 

Well, if I were you, I would continue using your Dynaco preamp for a while and spend your next $$ on getting a good McIntosh example; a 240, or a pair of 30's or 60's. Worry about a preamp after that. By that time I think you will know if you want a Grover or a vintage...

 

Pablo,

He has the "collector blood" in him. He just got a rare old Color TV so I know he is into all things tube.

I think it's more important for him to score a nifty McIntosh AMP to go with his Marantz than to get a preamp right now. Preamps are always easier to find than a great tube amp. Once he has the Mac as well, he can relax and concentrate on a neat preamp. That's how I would do it as well!

 

Don't feel bad, Pablo, a girl I was dating for a while took a look at my VAC amplifier and said "What does that box do with all of those lightbulbs on it?"

Good thing she was cute....

 

Our kind host certainly has **me** pegged, alright...

And thanks for the good advice, Steve-- I will gravitate toward a good Mac set, next-- I've recently been turning over in my head the pros and cons of two -30s versus a 240, but I reckon I'll just settle on whichever looks the best when the time comes.

(By the way, I've found a local TV guy [40 yrs. repair experience] to take a look at "Betty"... I think the previous owner may have made some mods inside the CTC-5 chassis that aren't really recommended, so I'm gonna have her checked out. She should be up and running soon!)

To answer Proufo about tube amps-- it's the **sound**. I can't tell you what it's like to have that silky, elegant sound wash over you as you're listening to your favorite record or CD... and I've developed this feeling just from listening to my Dynaco tube system, which is nowhere near as accurate and musical as the Marantz will be. But I can tell you that once you experience that feeling of the music effortlessly appearing in front of you, there is **no** substitute for it!!

And I'm not really obsessive about the "Patagonian tubes" thing-- I do want to have nice vintage tubes [which **are** what the unit was designed for], but I'm sure once the amp is running properly, what comes out of it will thrill me enough!!

Thanks for all of the nice comments, too, gang-- and be sure to check the "Classifieds" section in the next day or so, because I'm gonna be unloading a few things to help ease the strain on my wallet... including my current Dynaco amp, with a few goodies thrown in!!

-Kevin

 

Kevin,

Gosh darn it, don't sell your Dynaco yet. Wait and see if the Marantz "does it" for you before you unload a groovy amp like that!

 

OK, Steve-- I'll hold off. No sense shooting myself in the foot by being in a hurry.

And I've got to say, sir-- advice like this is why this forum is about the greatest place in the world to hang out!!

**********************

Everybody can still count on checking the Classifieds, though-- they'll still be some **other** good stuff there!!


-Kevin

 

It's always nice to know that us nutballs are all over the place!

Kevin, you can always sell Dynaco and Marantz gear. It sounds great and people want it. Not everyone likes the Marantz tube sound; it's more accurate than a Dynaco or McIntosh and you might find it less than the romantic tubey sound of a slow amp. Or, you will love it at first "hear".....