Marantz 2215B

Introduced in 1973 the Marantz 2215B receiver is one of the classic “baby” Marantz stereos. It originally retailed for around $250 but came down in price until its last year on the market in 1977. It only produces 15 watts per channel but they are a sweet 15 watts. Many people will tell you that the early smaller Marantz receivers sound better than their higher powered receivers.

The Marantz manual states:

The Sound of Marantz is the compelling warmth of a Stradivarius. It is a dancing flute, a haughty bassoon and the plaintive call of a lone French horn. The sound of Marantz is the sound of beauty.

While that statement might be a bit overdone, most owners of the 2215B do say that its all solid state design has a surprisingly warm and smooth sound. While the bass isn’t extremely heavy it is adequate when paired with efficient speakers.

The 2215B has many of the iconic Marantz features such as the blue dial face, gyro tuning wheel, faceplate bolts, and fat push button controls. One difference is that it has a slider knob for the balance control. The 2215B is not the same receiver as the 2215 in fact it is more closely related to the 2216. The 2215 was the earlier model and is quite different other than the 15 wpc output.

The FM tuner is a FET design with ceramic IF filters and a Phase Locked Loop Multiplex Decoder. Which is just a fancy way of saying it has a great FM tuner.

The Marantz 2215B has a headphone jack as well as bass and treble controls. The tuning meter is a strength meter for AM and a center tuning meter for FM. Its specifications are:

• Tuning range: FM, MW
• Load Impedance 8 ohms
• Power output: 15 watts per channel into 8? (stereo)
• Frequency response: 20Hz to 60kHz
• Total harmonic distortion: 0.8%
• Damping factor: 40
• Input sensitivity: 2.2mV (MM), 150mV (line)
• Signal to noise ratio: 74dB (MM), 85dB (line)
• Output: 525mV (line)
• Dimensions: 17-3/8 x 5-3/8 x 11-1/2 inches
• Weight: 20.9 lbs

Some other features of the 2215B are:

• 300 Ohm Binding Posts
• 75 Ohm Binding Posts
• Mono Switch
• Signal Tuning Meter
• Stereo Indicator Lmp
• Muting Switch
• Quadradial Output (FM Discriminator output, unequalized)
• Illuminated Dial Pointer

If your 2215B stereo needs some attention, or even an all out restoration, there are, fortunately, parts such as lamps and restoration kits available.

The interior of the 2215B is clean and open. Given its minimal features there isn’t much to squeeze into the case. But, it is very well built and performs at a high level. The inputs/outputs will accommodate 2 sets of speakers, a turntable, a tape recorder and an AUX. The FM Quadradial Output was intended to be used with 4-channel FM radio broadcasts but this feature never gained much popularity.

Oleg’s Vintage Audio did a nice restoration of a Marantz 2215B that is worth a look.

The Marantz 2215B is a great little receiver and when most people hear it for the first time they are surprised. If you have a small room, garage, or den this receiver would fit perfectly. It’s build quality and basic performance make it a great choice for those not overly concerned with power output.