Classic Receivers

This Pioneer SM-B201 Stereophonic Amplifier was built in the early 1960’s. It has FM and AM tuners and produces 14 watts per channel.

In the pre-MPX days of AM-FM simulcast stereo one channel was on AM and the other on FM. Two broadcast towers were required for stereo. In other words, FM was broadcast on one tower and AM on another. The user of the SM-B201 would have to tune both dials to the correct frequencies to get stereo. Of course, not many stations wanted to build two towers to broadcast in stereo so the design was short lived. The Fisher 800 was another example of simulcast stereo.

The Pioneer SM-B201 has a strange symmetric front because of its dual tuning dials and “magic eye” tubes.

The controls include separate Bass and Treble as well as a Whistle and Loudness switch.

On the back panel there are outputs for 4, 8 and 16 Ohm speakers. There are phono inputs for both ceramic and magnetic cartridges of 3mV or more. There’s also a Tape In and Out, Aux in and FM/MPX out.

The SM-B201 has 19 tubes including the two 6E5 eye tubes. 12AX7’s are in each channel driving a pair of 6BM8 (ECL82) output tubes. There is also a 5AR4 rectifier tube.

The early Pioneers were built like tanks but age takes a toll on them. The magic eye tubes in the SM-B201 are usually dead and the gray capacitors are usually leaking. With a little servicing you can have a nice amp and a great conversation piece.

These early receivers are somewhat rare but not impossible to find. They are not as popular as the later 1970’s Pioneers. A nice SM-B201 will run anywhere from $200 to $400 depending upon condition.

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The Marantz 2216 was one of Marantz’s lowest powered units at 16 watts per channel. It’s sometimes referred to as a “baby” Marantz. It was produced from 1977 until about 1980 and retailed for roughly $240. It has the classic Marantz silver face styling and the centered Balance control slider.

Features of the Marantz 2216 include:

Two tape in/outputs

Phono input

Aux input

FM muting

High filter on/off

Loudness on/off

Input selector

Separate bass and treble controls

Tuning meter

The build quality of the 2216 is excellent. The tuner section boasts a Phase Locked Loop FM Stereo Demodulator, ceramic filters in the IF amplifier section, a three gang tuning capacitor and FET RF amplifiers. The 2216 also has the gyro touch tuning wheel that Marantz is famous for.

There is also a 2216B unit which is different in appearance with a Balance control knob instead of a slider and Speaker selector buttons instead of a knob.

Of course all Marantz receivers are popular these days and even the lower end models like the 2216 are no exception. For those wanting an introduction to two channel analog audio the 2216 is a great choice. It will also pair up nicely with most vintage speakers such as the KLH 17 or AR 2ax speakers. A nice Marantz 2216 can be found for around $250 to $300.

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