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Speakers for Vintage Marantz ? Plus other Qs

I recently rescued a Marantz 2265B receiver, which I just had repaired by a competent technician. I'm now looking for used speakers to pair with this receiver, as well as ideas for an appropriate source.

Regarding the speakers, I have a very limited budget of up to $500 CAD, but I prefer to spend much less (~$200). I want something that has good synergy with the receiver, is capable of playing many genres well, and has decent but tuneful bass response. Unfortunately, the speakers will have to be placed very close to the back wall, which is made of brick, as the speakers will sit directly in front of a non-usable fireplace. The receiver is rated at 65wpc, which I assume is a conservative rating.

Given these constraints, I presume the most sensible choice would be vintage speakers ('70s-'80s), high efficiency (88dB+?), medium-sized cabinets, and front ported. Does this sound right? What specs should I look for when determining if a speaker would be suitable? I'm hoping to find something local on Canuck Audio Mart. Vintage B&W? Vintage JBL? What should I be looking for?

Regarding the source, I'm debating between using a tradition CDP, or perhaps integrating some PC audio. I'd really like to figure out how I can incorporate an iPhone 6 dock -- if they even exist -- so friends can simply plug in their phone when they come over for a visit. Any advice? The receiver will sit on top of an Ikea Expedit cabinet -- the one that everyone uses to store vinyl records -- so if I can fit a laptop in one of those squares, it would be nice if I could connect it directly to the receiver for high-res playback. I just don't know anything about the state of PC audio, or how it can be incorporated into vintage 2-channel setups.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
jferreir

Showing 1 response by rar1

rar1's avatar
rar1
1,745 posts
 
I used Marantz 2240 and 2216B receivers over a 10 year period from 1997 to 2007. I never bought into using vintage speakers with vintage receivers. I always used modern speakers and a CD player.

I had the best results with the Rega ARA (now RS1), NHT SB2 (now Classic Two) and Wharfedale Diamonds (both 9.0 and 10.1).

Speaker placement was always on a shelf or top of a bookcase and near to a rear wall.

Understanding how expensive audio can be in Canada, especially in shipping and import charges, take a look at these Polk bookshelves which may just work for you. A few years back, I had auditioned these speakers and liked them quite a bit.

Polk RTI A1

Polk RTI A1 Review

Rich
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