Marantz Model 4230 Quadraphonic Solid-State Receiver

Marantz 4230 Vintage Quadraphonic Receiver – As-Is, Tested

Selling a vintage Marantz 4230 receiver, a beautiful example of classic Marantz engineering and style. This is a 4-channel quadraphonic unit that also functions in standard 2-channel stereo mode.

Details:

• 2-channel stereo output tested and working, using the Tape 1 input and the phono input
• Quadraphonic (4-channel) functionality tested vari-matrix mode with stereo phono input
• Rated at 30 watts per channel in stereo mode 12 watts per channel in 4-channel (quad) mode
• Classic silver faceplate with blue dial lighting. Metal chassis

Cosmetic condition: Some faceplate scratches, inside is pretty clean. Includes new chassis feet (not installed for shipping)

This is ideal for someone looking for that vintage Marantz look and sound in stereo, or a collector interested in enjoying full quadraphonic functionality.

Dial and meter lamps seem completely lit. I think there's LED upgrades if you want a brighter display.

I tested the volume, tone and front speaker balance. I hooked up to the Tape 1 inputs and the sound was awesome! Both channels sounded good and, when switched to mono, the volume was the same from both speakers.

So I hooked up 4 speakers to the main speaker outputs, and then to the secondary outputs. Balance L/R and F/R were nice and quiet. Tone knobs as well. FM sounded good, even though my antenna was a piece of guitar string.

I hooked up my turntable and spun Led Zeppelin II. Whole Lotta Love was a whole lotta fun with the 4 speakers! The Vari-matrix circuit and the Dolby signal processing worked as expected.

In Vari-Matrix mode the 4230 takes a 2-channel input and breaks it into 4 channels. The front left and front right will be the same as in Discrete mode but the rear left and right channels are “synthesized” from the front channels. The level of synthetization are controlled by the Dimension knob. All 4 sounded balanced and clean.

Some notes and caveats for this receiver: The power mode switch on the back panel is very important. It will switch the 4230 from 4-channel 12 watt output to 2-channel 30 watt output. So, if you’re running 4 speakers in quad mode then that switch needs to be set to the 12W x4 position. For 2 speakers in stereo mode it needs to be set to 30W x2 position. Also, in 2-channel mode only the front speaker terminals are used. ALWAYS TURN OFF the receiver before changing the power mode switch. Don’t switch from 12wpc to 30wpc or vise versa when the receiver is on. DO NOT use 4 ohm speakers in 2-channel mode. They’re OK in 4-channel mode but not 2-channel. Using 4 ohm speakers in 2-channel mode may result in smoke.

Link to manual from AudioKarma: