Looking for vintage system suggestions (maranta, klipsch, etc...)

@rawchuck,

Though I am a bit of a Klipsch "fanboy", I do appreciate great sound and many other mfr’s can do it right.

With that said, a Marantz 2270 or 2275 will mate very well with a pair of Heresys. Though not technically(height wise) floorstanders, Heresys offer a very efficient, dynamic, and punchy presentation that mates well with 25w tube amps as well as 200w/ch SS amps. I drove a pair of Heresy I’s and Quartets for quite some time with a Marantz 2252B and the combinations were wonderful. The 70’s Marantz are on the "warmish" side of neutral that tames the often described "brittleness" or "strident" treble that IMO Klipsch doesn’t fully deserve. I now drive my Heresy I’s and and Heresy II’s with NAD and Cambridge Audio.

As far as vintage Klipsch floorstanders, look also at Quartets, forte’s II’s, and Chorus I & II’s. Your budget of $2500.00 is plenty big to find a very nice all vintage rig that will bring you tons of enjoyment.

Head over to the Klipsch forum where there is gobs of knowledge about this genre and quite a few things for sale that might catch your eye.

https://community.klipsch.com/index.php?/forum/63-garage-sale/&;

Just reread and noticed you mentioning new gear with vintage looks.  The Yamaha A-S1000, 2000, 1100, and 2100 integrateds definitely fit that category but may blow your budget a bit if you opt for models that have the cool retro meters(1100, 2100, 3000).

Bill

Any interest in buying new equipment that has the vintage look and sound?

Outlaw RR2160 @ $800
http://www.outlawaudio.com/products/rr2160.html

Pro-ject Classic 25th Anniversary turntable w/ cartridge @ $1100
http://www.needledoctor.com/Pro-Ject-Classic-Turntable_2?sc=2&category=352

Wharfedale 80th Anniversary Denton Speakers @ $500
https://www.musicdirect.com/speakers/wharfedale-denton-80th-anniversary-bookshelf-speakers-pr

https://www.whathifi.com/wharfedale/denton/review


I have gone the restore the vintage Marantz receivers route (2216 and 2240) years ago with very competent technicians and each cost small fortunes and only lasted a few years with power supplies failing, etc.

I have had the previous generation Outlaw receiver (2150) for the last 11 years and it is a stellar receiver with a tuner on par with either of the vintage Marantz receivers.  I have it paired with the Wharfedale Dentons and it has the modern take on the warmish vintage-ish sound that I was after.

Rich  

I am in the process of assembling a vintage second system, based largely on components I’ve owned for decades, but had not restored. It is in some ways a serious system, and in other ways, has limitations, but it is truly period and has resale value. However it is not the receiver/bookshelf speaker approach (there is a store here in Austin, where I recently moved, that has a whole floor of receivers and bookshelf speakers, brought to spec, at relatively reasonable cost).
My small vintage system (with the caveat that this will be more money than a receiver/box speaker set up) is:
original Technics SP-10 that I bought new in 1973. This is not the more desirable mk ii or mk iii but I already owned it. It was restored by Bill Thalman, who arranged to have a custom plinth built. I will probably stick an older 12 SME arm on it, with perhaps an Ortofon SPU.
McIntosh MX 110z-- the only piece I bought recently for this system- cost from dealer- about $1500. Restoration--still awaiting final number, but the big cost here is Telefunken NOS 12AX 7 tubes, which you don’t have to use.

Quad II power amps- these have been around longer than dirt, are plentiful in the UK and pretty reasonable to restore- they are simple amps- but very low power. The real cost here is true GEC KT-66s, which are spendy.
Original Quad Loudspeaker (aka ’the 57’). The gold standard for midrange- transparent, almost spooky on some material. Not for your Iron Maiden records, though. Strings, jazz, female vocal, folk, that kind of small scale stuff just sings. Cost- not terribly expensive, must be restored, you see them used here on the ’Gon already restored. There are a couple of restorers who are noteworthy. I used Kent McCollum, who does a sympathetic restoration. I’ve owned mine since 1973, but stopped using them regularly in 1990.
This may be more than you want or too limited, but I get vinyl playback, a very good tuner, and what I consider to be the best midrange in the business, though the speakers were first brought to market 60 years ago.
They look like vintage radiators from England.
I now listen to horns through my main system and recommend tubes- you can, with an efficient horn, use an SET amp, which is to me, the raison d’être of having horns.
If I spent too much of your money, I’m sorry.
I had one of those Marantz receivers in 1970 with a pair of Advents before I dove deep. It was a good sounding system (at that time, based on what I knew and could afford as a high school student). I don’t know how well they would work with smaller Klipsch.
A good semi- vintage not terribly expensive table is the Well Tempered- had one for years when they weren’t vintage. Don’t know if the old ones are supported though.Quirky, but delivers. To me, a modded Oracle would win the glamor award.
I should probably delete this post, since your budget is $2500. But know, there's a lot to be had in vintage land and I'd still push for a decent old tube amp and horns if you could bring that in under budget. 
regards
bill hart