4270 vs. 2270 for 2 channel use?

[N8Nagel]

I see that the 2270 seems to have a special place in people's hearts for some reason... well I have a 4270 that was given to me by a friend which is apparently a MPX board and some minor cosmetic work away from being a functional receiver again. I am pretty committed to this one because not only was it given to me but also the sticker on the back shows that it was sold new by a hi-fi shop that was owned by the father of a guy I went to school with (who the friend who gave it to me has no way of knowing)

Anyway my question is this. I have no interest in using this unit in quad mode, but if used in 2-channel mode, is the 4270 roughly equivalent to the 2270, or are there significant differences between the two?

 

[llwhtt]

The power amplifier sections are completely different, the 4270 is EF, emitter follower, quasi-complementary output stage whereas the 2270 is CFP, complementary feedback pair, full complementary output stage.

 

[Steven Tate]

I'm not sure it really matters if it sounds as good as a 2270. It's a Marantz, so it will sound good if brought back to life. The price makes it a moot point. Of course it's worth fixing. Fix it, enjoy it and then go on the prowl for a 2270 when the time is right.

 

[N8Nagel]

I'm starting to bump up against the point where I'm starting to get close to 50% of the value of the unit in parts, tech bills for the stuff I couldn't do myself, etc.

But as you say it's irrelevant because of the history. It already sounds pretty good, I'm currently having the tuner repaired because I'm not equipped either gear wise or knowledge wise to do that myself. I was just curious if it was really a "top shelf" unit when run with the amps bridged or not so much. Only other Marantz unit in the house is a 1060 which isn't really comparable.

 

[Steven Tate]

If the quad function was of little interest to you, and price being comparable, I would pick the 2275. It’s one of Marantz’s best sounding receivers IMO. If the 4270 is a super low cost thing, by all means, snap it up. It is also a very nice receiver.

 

[gregmcm]

Cant' go wrong with a 2275. Power, quality sound, great looks and built to last.

 

[wlhd1610]

I really like the 2275 and 2325 receivers of all the smokey dial Marantz units.
Great looks,nice build quality,easier to work on with the multiple plug in boards and they seem to continue their upward climb in resale value which means you can't go wrong.

Bob

 

[Steven Tate]

Were is a good place for me to search for replacement knobs and light kits for both (2275 and 4270)? Any help will be appreciated. Going to keep both and take one to my shop and leave one at home. I am not used to forums so if this is the wrong post for the wrong place please let me know and I apologize.

Light kits are available from several AK members. You might PM dgwojo, aaron99 or runningdog for info on lights and possibly buttons. Replacement buttons are also available on eBay. Knobs are another story. I’m not aware of any new replacement knobs. That means the best bet is eBay or other auction sites looking for parted out knobs or even parts units you could buy at a low price.

 

[N8Nagel]

dgwojo definitely has the lights for the 4270 as I bought some from him.

 

[blhagstrom]

Both units are excellent when restored.

The 4270 is a mofo to restore.
I’ve posted a few threads about them.
A total restore is not a chore for a noob unless they have a lot of patience and time and just won’t quit. They are a bear.

2275 is in my best Marantz list and may be my favorite.

 

[stereofisher]

As far as the 4270 I think I will just clean it up inside and out. I have a new face-plate for it and will re-lamp it etc. It sounds and works great. The 2275 the same except will search for a few cosmetic parts. If it ain't broken then play it again. Thank you for the input.

Clean up the 4270. Got one free five or six years ago. Lives in my livingroom. Just got my 2270 back from a ground up rebuild. That is above my pay scale. Cleaning and lightbulb guy that’s me. Have had covers off of both. The 4270 is jammed inside. Much more room in a 2270 or a 2275. Doing the same keeping both! The 2270 is in my sleeping quarters. After Bob’s rebuild it’s very strong!

 

[N8Nagel]

So I see this has come back to the top... well my 4270 still won't work in quad mode and I haven't seen a 2270 I can afford... Wish me luck, I'm on tech #2

 

[N8Nagel]

Do you need the quad? Unless one has a reel to reel with quad tapes it is not that useful. Of course the quad vinyl too but even with a quad turntable they were so so. The tapes where fantastic but try and find good ones. I think they made an 8-track quad too but-not so much.

I don't need it but I have a nasty hack going in the bedroom. Cable box and Roku streaming stick into a HDMI switch (that I need to replace as it's going flaky, but I need to find one that's IR controllable so I can use a universal remote to program the whole lashup) into the rear HDMI port of an Oppo BDP-103. Oppo's HDMI output goes to TV and it's set to downmix multichannel sources to 4.0, that goes into the aux input of a Sansui QRX-7001. Sansui drives the speakers obviously.

I do in fact have a quad R2R as well but no quad tapes. I also have a Dual 1229Q, and have found both the SQ and CD-4 adapters for the 4270. I was hoping to use it to replace the QRX because then I could have more flexibility in speaker choices because the Marantz has pre outs so I could eventually get a ~75WPC power amp for the rear channels and use the internal amp bridged for the front. I actually have a 50WPC HK 770 amp so I could use that and just adjust the F-R balance to work. I also have SQ LPs but no CD-4 - the adapter at this point is an affectation although I may use it as a phono stage temporarily as I also have an Acurus integrated that I'd love to give a workout but it has no built in phono stage. The only other outboard phono stage I have is a TC-778 which I'm guessing is actually inferior to the CD-400; it was the first phono stage I bought because I wanted to lash up a TT to my AVR and I thought at the time that I might inherit my grandmother's collection of 78s and that never happened due to some sad circumstances.

 

[Steven Tate]

What I could use is a new bezel for the 2275. Previous has disrespected the unit when moving it. There must be a law.

If you are talking about the silver faceplate, reproductions are available. If you are at all interested in a black faceplate, Bob Speece (AK member wlhd1610) might have a beautiful laser etched one for the 2275. I got one for a 2245 and love it. However, laser etching doesn't work on silver because the lettering would be the same color as the background. If you want silver, there are reproductions available on the bay with epoxy lettering that are decent, but not quite up to Bob's faceplates IMO. Here is a thread with a couple of pics of a 2275 with a black faceplate. They are very sexy and the same faceplates that Bob sells.

http://audiokarma.org/forums/index....black-is-beautiful.605796/page-2#post-9751981

 

[N8Nagel]

Thank you Steven, I have a black face-plate for each. The pics I have seen of them look great! What I need is the bezel for a 2275. Not the dial but the plastic piece that fights over the front cover the dial (am/fm etc)

The black part or the clear plexi part? You could probably make the latter although it'd be a PITA. The former, you probably would have better luck epoxying your old one back together and painting it.

 

[N8Nagel]

It's the clear plexi part and it is scratched, not broken. I am thinking I might be able to take the scratches out with nova system or the like. The scratches are not too deep so I think there is hope. Ot seems finding a clean replacement is unlikely. I have seen people clean turntable covers with Nova but not sure about this. The 4270 is clean but of course they are not a match.

The best success I've had was using very fine sandpaper - I want to say 2000 grit? - on a badly damaged turntable dust cover. It looked like someone had at one point used it as a tray for building model cars or airplanes, as that was the only way I could explain the marks on it. I then used a headlight restoration kit from my FLAPS and then followed with Novus polish. It wasn't perfect when I was done but was at least presentable. Of course all this for a not that awesome (but it was great sounding) belt drive Dual. At least the new owner (girlfriend's daughter) appreciates it, although I never told her what a PITA it was.