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Marantz 2238B Vintage Stereo Receiver – 42 WPC, Level 1 Serviced - Image 1

Marantz 2238B Vintage Stereo Receiver – 42 WPC, Level 1 Serviced - Image 2

Marantz 2238B Vintage Stereo Receiver – 42 WPC, Level 1 Serviced

Marantz

Marantz 2238B Vintage Stereo Receiver – 42 WPC, Level 1 Serviced

$1,395.00

✔️ Marantz 2238B — 42 watts per channel into 8Ω, direct-coupled, Made in Japan 1977–80
✔️ The extended tuner face with white dial and blue illumination — one of the most striking receivers Marantz built
✔️ Dual-gate MOSFET FM front end with PLL stereo demodulation; Gyro-Touch flywheel tuning
✔️ Baxandall bass/mid/treble, tone defeat, high and low filters, loudness contour, dual tape loops
✔️ Pre-out and main-in at 1.5V — usable as a standalone preamp or power amp. Level 1 serviced

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Description

Marantz 2238B — The Extended Tuner Face, Level 1 Serviced

Marantz 2238B Vintage Stereo Receiver – 42 Watts Per Channel, Level 1 Serviced, Made in Japan, Good Condition

One of the most visually striking receivers of Marantz’s golden era, and a genuinely capable one — direct-coupled, 42 watts per channel, built in Japan, and freshly serviced on our own bench.

The 2238B occupies a particular place in the 22xx family. Its extended tuner face, white dial and blue illumination make it one of the most dramatic-looking receivers Marantz ever built, and the performance backs the appearance up. The direct-coupled amplifier gives wide power bandwidth and firm low-frequency control, and 42 watts a side is enough for most real rooms and most real speakers. The FM front end uses a dual-gate MOSFET design with phase-locked-loop stereo demodulation, so tuner performance is low in distortion with strong separation — casual FM listening on one of these is a pleasure rather than a compromise.

Many enthusiasts consider the 2238B the sweet spot of the 22xx line: enough power to be useful, the full build quality of the era, and a visual character that has kept it desirable for nearly fifty years.

The tone section is among the most versatile in the series. Separate bass, mid and treble rotary controls on Baxandall circuitry, a tone defeat switch for a direct path, high and low filters, and a loudness contour offer precise and flexible sound shaping for any preference. Pre-out and main-in jacks at 1.5V let the 2238B work as a standalone preamplifier or power amplifier, which is real system flexibility rather than a specification-sheet feature. There are dual tape monitor loops with record and playback distinction, an MM phono input with precision RIAA equalisation, an auxiliary input, and two sets of speaker outputs with front-panel A/B switching.

This example has undergone our Level 1 service and testing, which should ensure many more years of reliable performance ahead. It has been thoroughly cleaned inside and out, all pots and switches cleaned and deoxidised for silent, smooth operation, lamps replaced to restore full dial and indicator illumination, and bias and DC offset checked and adjusted to specification. It performs exactly as it should and sounds wonderful.

A word on the condition grade. We have graded this one Good, and we grade strictly — there is no significant wear here, and a good many sellers would list this same receiver as Very Good without hesitation. What you will find is the light, honest marking of a component approaching fifty years of careful use. It presents very well.

Made in Japan, Level 1 serviced, and carrying the extended-face styling that makes the 2238B an instant centrepiece.

Marantz 2238B Specifications

Type: Stereo AM/FM receiver, solid-state, direct-coupled
Power Output: 42 watts per channel into 8 ohms, both channels driven
Total Harmonic Distortion: 0.1% at rated output
Damping Factor: 40
Frequency Response: 10Hz – 40kHz
Input Sensitivity: 1.8mV (MM phono), 180mV (line)
Signal to Noise Ratio: 50dB (MM phono), 50dB (line)
Output: 180mV (line), 1.5V (pre-out)
Inputs: MM phono (RIAA equalised), Aux, Tape 1 and 2, FM/AM antenna
Outputs: Pre-out/main-in (1.5V), Speaker A and B, front-panel headphone
Tone Controls: Rotary bass, mid and treble (Baxandall), tone defeat, high and low filters, loudness contour
Features: FM muting, Gyro-Touch flywheel tuning, extended tuner face with white dial, dual tape loops with record/playback distinction
FM Front End: Dual-gate MOSFET with PLL stereo demodulation
Semiconductors: 3 IC, 46 transistors, 34 diodes, 1 FET
Years of Manufacture: 1977–1980
Country of Manufacture: Japan
Finish: Silver faceplate
Dimensions: (Width x Height x Depth) 440 x 137 x 365 mm (17.32 x 5.39 x 14.37 inches)
Weight: 12.5 kg (27.6 lbs)

Completing the System

At 27.6 lb the 2238B is a comfortable match for the IsoAcoustics zaZen II platform, rated to 40 lb — decoupling a receiver from the shelf it shares with a turntable is one of the cheapest real improvements available. We are an authorized IsoAcoustics dealer and happy to advise on fit. For speaker cable, our Custom Speaker Cable Builder makes exactly the length and gauge your run needs, terminated in Radique gold-plated banana plugs — and with A/B speaker switching on the front panel, this receiver can drive two pairs.

⚠️ Important Information for International Buyers

This unit is configured for North American 110/120V power. Buyers outside North America will require a step-down transformer and appropriate plug adapter.

✅ Buy With Confidence — The Radique Promise

Backed by Radique Audio’s Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty and our Perpetual Trade-Back Program. When you’re ready to move on, we’ll take it back. That’s the Radique difference.

📦 Watch how we protect your gear — our unboxing video.

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📞 Questions? Use the Ask a Question button above, or call us at 613-416-9995.

⭐ Don’t Just Take Our Word For It

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Additional information

Weight	29.6 lbs
Dimensions	18.4 × 21.3 × 9.4 in

About brand

Marantz at Radique

Marantz began in 1953 in Queens, New York, where Saul Marantz built tube preamplifiers and amplifiers, and by the 1970s it was making receivers with champagne-gold faceplates, blue-lit dials and flywheel tuning. We carry Marantz receivers, amplifiers and preamps, turntables, tuners, CD players and cassette decks. We've had more than 150 Marantz listings so far, covering nearly 100 different models. Every used Marantz here is inspected, tested and serviced as required, then photographed in-house and covered by our Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty and Perpetual Trade-Back Program. Many Marantz components were sold without their wood case, so we also make new cherry WC-22 and WC-10 style cabinets. Don't see the model you want? Tell us on First Dibs and we'll email you when one arrives.

Our five best-selling Marantz models so far: the SR4023 stereo receiver, the vintage 2225, the SR7000 AV receiver, the SR4320 stereo receiver and the vintage 2238B.

The Marantz story, 1953 to today

Saul B. Marantz founded the company in New York in 1953. His first product, the Audio Consolette preamplifier, became the Model 1, and Marantz dates the first Consolettes to 1952–53. Marantz says the early factory was in Woodside, Queens.

The tube years. Through the late 1950s and early 1960s Marantz built a small run of tube separates in New York that collectors still chase: the Model 7 preamplifier (1958), the Model 9 power amplifier (1960) and the Model 10B tuner (1964).

Superscope and the move to Japan. In 1964 Superscope, the company that also distributed Sony tape recorders in the US, bought Marantz, and Saul Marantz resigned at the end of 1967. The Model Eighteen of 1968 was the first Marantz receiver, rated at 40 watts per channel. Under Superscope, design moved to California and, from the late 1960s, production moved to Japan through Standard Radio, which became Marantz Japan in 1975. Receivers such as the 2230 and 2270 are listed as designed in the USA and produced in Japan.

The power race. After a 1974 Federal Trade Commission rule tightened how amplifier power was rated, receiver makers competed on watts. Marantz's Model 2500 of the late 1970s was rated at 250 watts per channel and had an oscilloscope tuning display.

Philips, Denon and today. In 1980 Philips bought Superscope's stake in Marantz Japan and the brand outside the US and Canada. Marantz says its CD-63 of 1982 was one of the first CD players, and its "KI Signature" models carry the initials of Ken Ishiwata, who joined in 1978. In 2001 Marantz Japan bought the trademark back from Philips, and in 2002 it combined with Denon to form D&M Holdings. In September 2025 HARMAN, a Samsung company, completed its purchase of Sound United, the parent of Marantz and Denon.

Which Marantz is which?

Tube separates (1950s–60s): the Models 1, 7, 8B, 9 and 10B, built in New York. Rare collector pieces.

First receivers (from 1968): the Model Eighteen, followed by the Nineteen at the end of 1969.

22xx receivers (from 1972): the first set was the 2215, 2230, 2245 and 2270, with the champagne-gold faceplate, blue-lit dial and "Gyro-Touch" flywheel tuning. A higher number generally means more power: the 2230 is rated at 30 watts per channel, the 2270 at 70. Later "B" versions such as the 2220B and 2285B followed.

Big late-1970s receivers: the 2325 (125 watts per channel), the 2500 flagship and four-channel "Quad" receivers.

1000-series integrated amplifiers: for example the 1060 (30 watts per channel, from 1971), the 1070 and the 1150 (75 watts per channel). The slim 1030, 1040, 1060 and 1070 share their case size with tuners such as the 104, 105 and 112.

Tuners: from the tube Model 10B to solid-state models such as the 2130, with its oscilloscope display.

Wood cases: Marantz sold its wood cases separately: the WC-22 for the 22xx receivers, the WC-10 for the slim 1000-series amplifiers and 100-series tuners, and the WC-1 for larger models such as the 1200. That is why so many turn up bare. A customer who sold Marantz in Ontario in the 1970s told us the cases his shop ordered were built here in Canada, by Westinghouse. Our own cherry WC-22 and WC-10 style cabinets are made in Canada too.

CD players: from the CD-63 of 1982 to the KI Signature versions.

Buying used Marantz: what to check

Dial and meter lamps. Burnt-out bulbs are common on 1970s receivers and are often replaced, sometimes with LEDs. Ask which, if the look of the dial matters to you.

The dial itself. The diffuser sheet behind the dial ages and can dull the glow. Check that the Gyro-Touch pointer moves smoothly and tracks the stations; dial cords are a common replacement part.

Controls and switches. Crackle when you turn a control or work a switch usually means dirt. Try every input, and walk away from a unit that drops a channel.

Capacitors and bias. Electrolytic capacitors in 1970s gear are often past their best, and full restorations replace them. Restorers also set the bias and DC offset.

Cosmetics. Pitting on the faceplate points to damp storage, and dents or water stains to rough handling.

Everything we list is inspected, tested and serviced as required here, and comes with our warranty.