The Robb Collections

Is Physical Media-Based Home Stereo (Two-Channel) Music Listening Going Away? Or Have Streaming, Smart Phones and Ear Buds Taken Over?

March 13, 2025

#208

Gentle reader,

My previous article dealt with my needing a replacement stereo power amplifier after my second 1990's unit also developed a problem. Here is the link to it: The Robb Collections: Review of Marantz MM7025, their Last Two Channel Power Amplifier.

In that search, I found a real lack of two channel equipment except budget priced stereo receivers and some stereo integrated amplifiers. I mentioned this and as a result, I began a more in depth look at what NEW audio equipment was available locally, i.e., Best Buy, (not much) or via a popular audio/video website which happens to be in Virginia, which is where I have lived for almost fifty-one years now. That site being: Crutchfield: Car Stereo and Audio, Speakers, Home Theater, Pro Audio, TVs

Image by and courtesy of Crutchfield Audio

I exhaustively searched their entire website and compiled lists of what they carry to determine if multi-channel audio/video (Home Theater) equipment was proportionally more of their items offered for sale, or was two-channel (Stereo) dominant?

Crutchfield

Stereo Receivers: Choices 20

Cambridge Audio 2

Denon 2

Integra 1

Marantz 2

McIntosh 1

Onkyo 1

Sony 1

Yamaha 10

Total 20

Stereo Preamps 32

Anthem 2

Cambridge Audio 3

ELAC 1

HiFi Rose 6

iFi Audio 3

Marantz 2

Mark Levinson 1

McIntosh 2

NAD 2

OSD Audio 1

Panasonic 2

Pro-Ject 2

Rotel 4

TEAC 1

Total 32

Stereo Power Amps 18

18 of 112 Power Amplifiers available are two-channel/stereo

Stereo Integrated Amplifiers 34

124 items listed. Many are Streaming Amplifiers

34 are JUST Stereo Integrated Amplifiers

TOTAL @ Crutchfield 104

Home Theater Products at Crutchfield

Multichannel receivers 62

Surround Sound Processor Preamplifiers 8

Multi-room power amplifiers 44

Multichannel power amplifiers 94

Multichannel integrated amplifiers 90

TOTAL 298

In answer to my question above: "(Is) multi-channel audio/video (Home Theater) equipment was proportionally more of their items offered for sale, or was two-channel (Stereo) dominant?" That answer is yes: Home Theater equipment is FAR more of what Crutchfield carries over Stereo equipment. Is this the national norm? Worldwide? I have no way of knowing. But, I suspect it is typical of most countries.

These statistics compiled above are based solely upon my spending a long time on Crutchfield's website. Which is something I recommend you do if you are looking for something new.

I bought a new Yamaha integrated amplifier, like this one, to replace the aged one seen in the image below, which was the Yamaha stack I had created to supply music to my Klipsch KG4 and BOSE 301 speakers in this room which we designated "The Office" before we moved in twenty-four years ago.

This is from 2019. Only the cassette deck remains and it is not in the stack anymore. Every other component has been replaced do to failure or my finding something better, such as an HD Radio tuner. So, like Grampa's old Ax*, while A stack of components still sits there, none of it is the same.

*The story of Grampa's Old Ax goes like this: "This is Grampa's old ax. The handle has been replaced three times and the head once, but it's still Grampa's old ax." Of course nothing remained of the ax. Both parts were discarded. Therefore, it is not Grampa's old ax.

That so many stereo components (104) ARE available as new at Crutchfield, makes me wonder if my question is answered universally. If I were to type "Stereo Amplifier" into Amazon's search page, there would be MANY items listed. How many are NOT made in China? How many are what the typical home stereo enthusiast would buy and enjoy at home and be proud to share and show off to others? Compared to how many are capable of reproducing recorded sound and not, in your opinion worth even thinking about?

Parts Express: Speakers, Amplifiers, Audio Parts and Solutions is a site I have visited often in the past when I was modifying old speakers, such as these below. They carry all kinds of electronic stuff and are kind of the 21st Century's Radio Shack.

Above, a modified Radio Shack LX5 speaker.

I found this pair of LYRIC speakers with ten inch woofers at Salvation Army many years ago. The surrounds were completely gone. Stock speaker on the right with new Eosone woofer already installed. ALL Eosone drivers with Cerwin-Vega! E-310 crossovers.

This is a Realistic Minimus 11 metal speaker. All components replaced.

My famous Radio Shack Minimus 7W speaker (one of two) on the left and one of two stock ones I also bought on the right. The Robb Collections: Converted my already upgraded Minimus 7 speakers to ribbon tweeters!

Modified Minimus 11 compared to modified Minimus 7W.

I did this search on their site just now: Search results for "stereo amplifier" and it yields 113 results over five pages. Many are their own brand "Dayton Audio". Others, like PYLE brand are ones I would never buy. When I searched for "Class D" it yielded 135 results over six pages. Many are built PCBs which one needs a power supply and a cabinet or case for. Others are "Audio Excitor" drivers, and subwoofer plate amplifiers as well as car audio amplifiers and mixing consoles with a few subwoofers. They have ONE name brand stereo integrated amplifier, a Denon model, in all those pages.

I feel that it is safe for me to say that if one were to walk into the average (not high end) electronics store what they would likely find was all kinds of HDTVs home theater receivers, Blu-ray players, subwoofers and multiple speakers of all kinds and sizes to enjoy the sound effects in their home of a Blu-ray or DVD being played and/or being steamed. But, stereo equipment, if they carry it at all, might be over in a corner somewhere with just a few components to choose from. That is IF you have any home entertainment electronics store near your home. We have one: Best Buy.

To conclude: If I had access to sales figures, I could answer my own question more fully. But, where would one find such figures and for which population areas, which companies, which stores? Also, all of the equipment, used and new which sells via eBay, Facebook marketplace and other sites. No way that I know of to find sales figures.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. My researching and writing this blog is a labor of love. Feel free to comment below or on Facebook. I write two other blogs: Pictures of Nancy. The Love of My Life. and People Say I'm Special. But I Don't Know Why

Scott Robb

March 13, 2025

#508

Review of Marantz MM7025, their Last Two Channel Power Amplifier.

February 19, 2025

#507

Gentle reader,

Bear with me, this is turning into a longer than usual article. A lot to unpack here. Please keep reading.

First, some background information. I began my quest for affordable music reproduction way back in 1976 in Richmond, Virginia. I had gone to Woolco, which was part of the Woolworth store company, not knowing about stereo stores, yet. It was more of a department store than the average Woolworth was and they had a few things.

What started my quest was this: I had been to my new friend Phillip's bedroom in his parent's house, in which he had two HUGE speakers he made which housed 18" woofers. He had a nice Pioneer integrated amp, a turntable and Revox reel-to-reel tape recorder. The kind with the 10 1/2" reels. He put on Pure Prairie League's Two Lane Highway LP and when the title track started playing, my mind was blown! At the time, I only had a plastic fold-up "suitcase" style record player. The average Crosley today would put it to shame. I never knew that music could sound so GOOD! And LOUD.
The above two images I found on the Internet. It is just like the Morse Electrophonic Quad receiver with built-in 8-Track/Quad cartridge tape player I had bought at Woolco. It came with four matching speakers which had fake plastic horn tweeters. It was all I could afford then. I had much to learn.
I soon subscribed to Stereo Review and Audio magazines and began reading up on various things. The Internet did not exist then. I felt the magazine's reviewers might be biased, what with the companies whose equipment they were reviewing was also advertised in the same issues.
This, very large paperback book came to my rescue. It was advertised in the back pages of both magazines and promised unbiased reviews especially of affordable components and speakers. The preamplifier shown above this photo was my first purchase. It was a Dynaco PAT-5 in kit form. I could not afford a Dynaco power amp kit, so built two SWTPC Tiger .01 60 watt mono amplifier kits. A B.I.C 940 turntable and a pair of "floor sample" Dynaco A25 bookshelf speakers comprised my first stereo.

These images were also found online.

The Dynaco preamp lasted for years, those SWTPC amps did not. I was later able to buy a used FM-5 tuner and ST-400 power amp, both made by Dynaco.

Stacked for the photo.

While this Marantz MM7025 power amplifier IS a two channel amplifier and, believe me, I'm listening to it right now, it works just fine as a one. Marantz built it to drive pairs of speakers in a Home Theater setup.

See those terminals above the AC input? The are made to allow control and communication from Marantz's Home Theater Preamplifiers to their various power amplifiers. I have no idea what the latest "needed" speakers count is now for home theaters channels, but, it has not been 5.1 for a very L-O-N-G time.

Image of Marantz MM7055 courtesy of Marantz.

To drive all of those multiple channels well, one might step up from the average Home Theater Receiver to a purpose built HT preamplifier. Marantz's other HT power amplifier is the MM7055 (above) which has five channels. The manual which came with my MM7025 also includes the MM7055 amp. Wanting more pairs of speakers, one just adds more MM7025 two channel amps. The sky, or rather, the ceiling, is the limit!

Enough about that. Time to show you WHY I had to buy the MM7025. Above is the equipment I had been enjoying for many years. When Panor (short for Pan-Orient) Corporation of Taiwan bought the rights to the Dynaco name, they set out to make high quality but (relatively) affordable components and speakers. All that I could afford to buy from them then was this:

I saw the new Dynaco's ads in Stereophile and The Absolute Sound magazines and wrote a real typewritten, stick-it-in-the-mailbox, paper letter to them requesting information about their new equipment.

They sent me all of these brochures in the mail. They eventually made all kinds of stereo equipment, JUST stereo equipment. In both TUBE and solid state. I have written about their stuff for years now in The Robb Collections. Sadly, they later went out of business and their website with ALL the information about their products was gone!

YEARS later, thanks to eBay, I was able to buy Dynaco's ST-200, 100 WPC power amplifier, then a QD-2 and eventually their PAT-6 preamp/tuner. Which is what you see in the system photo above.

Then, one day, the left channel of the Dynaco ST-200 power amp failed. I began looking for a replacement and found a series 1 B&K Components ST1400 (made in the USA) power amplifier. You can see it above in place of the Dynaco amp. (Top-Left)
This is the hodge-podge of RCA cables I had been using. Every time I added a new component, I needed even more RCA cables. This image is before I bought too-short, it turns out, XLR cables to connect the two.

Since I had been using brand matched components for so long, naturally, I began looking for a B&K preamplifier. Who wouldn't? I found the ONE B&K Components PRO10 preamplifier which still had the REQUIRED power supply on eBay and snatched it up. How many of those power supplies were tossed by unknowing survivors of deceased audiophiles?

Since both of these two B&K components offered XLR balanced terminals, naturally, I needed XLR cables. Which is when I came across WBC cables on Amazon.

The Rabbit Hole is fast approaching.... Naturally, I might as well replace the hodge-podge of RCA cables with WBC. Right? Well, why not buy their SPEAKERS cables?

One must admit, it LOOKS much better with all the WBC RCA and XLR cables. Read all about it here: The Robb Collections: Monster Cable Doesn't Make Speaker Cables or Wires Anymore. Why? Links to all of the previous stories about WBC cables are linked in that article.

And now, I am getting to what you have been waiting for!

I decided that it was time to stop buying years or decades old stereo equipment. I looked on Best Buy's web site and chose Marantz for one reason: They offered "Recertified" equipment for 40% off brand new WITH full three year warranties! Why spend $999.99 when one can get the same unit "previously enjoyed" for $599.99? So, I bit. It included free shipping from California to Virginia too.

All wrapped up and in like-new condition.

I also chose it because: XLR. Also, note, it was made in Vietnam, not China.

Fresh from the wrapping.

B&K Components on the left, Marantz on the right.

The arrangement of the Marantz MM2025's input and output terminal allowed for my three-foot-long XLR cables to reach it nicely and I placed my Dynaco QD-2 and vintage Radio Shack APM-300 between the preamplifier and new Marantz power amplifier. This image shows everything awaiting the new amp's arrival.

And here, it is in place, waiting for it's first music. Yes, I DID remove that factory sticker from the front of the MM7025. It is parked in place and since this photo, I have been able to move it a little to the right so that it lines up with the two disc players below.

I had to pre-wire the Dynaco QD-2 which was a bit tricky, having to reach through that hole. Especially with the ridiculously thick WBC 7-guage (center channel) speaker cables, which are the shortest WBC makes, at three feet (a little less than one meter) long. Nice thing about all that braided cloth, it protects the cables from being damaged by passing through that hole.

Marantz's clear plastic three-way binding/banana speaker terminals are not very strong. Therefore, I had to suspend those thick and heavy cables so they would not be damaged or broken.

The XLR inputs are on the left end of the MM7025. One must slide the small switches to the right and below the terminals between RCA and XLR for the correct cables you have chosen to use from your preamplifier.

Below, I have both factory photos of Marantz's family of Home Theater Power Amplifiers. Note that they use the same architecture, but arranged differently with the five-channel verses the two channel unit. The two-channel has a central cooling fan.

Images of Marantz MM7025 2-channel and MM7055 5-channel amplifiers.

Note that they both have identical terminals to connect signal cables to and from one of Marantz's Home Theater Processors, of which there are many. From 7.2 to 15.4 channels. Here is a link to the ones they currently sell: Marantz™ AV Processors & Pre-Amplifiers

Marantz AV8801 11.2 channel preamp processor front

Marantz AV8801 preamp processor rear

Marantz AV8805A 13.2 preamp processor front

Marantz AV8805A preamp processor rear

Marantz makes these preamplifiers with up to 17.4 outputs! That's sixteen pairs of speakers, one center speaker and FOUR subwoofers!

BUT, enough about that! What do I think about the Marantz MM7025 power amplifier? To begin, I normally take the cover off to see (and photograph) what is inside. However, since this amp is under warranty, I did not do so. First, the specs:

As you can see, both amplifiers have identical specifications. Which makes for ease of balancing the outputs of the up to seventeen speakers. But, this is about STEREO.

This is a 10mm wide angle shot of the listening room. The room was originally the "master" bedroom. Supposedly, we are not supposed to use the "m" word anymore. It is of modest size in a 1500 square foot split-foyer home. The front speakers are Cerwin-Vega! LS12 models. The last C-V speakers made in the USA. They are fantastic and are THE best sounding speakers I have ever owned, and I've owned a lot of them. I found them in Salvation Army for $99. One of the best hundred bucks I have ever spent.
The smaller speakers (in the room photo) are the last vintage Dynaco equipment I still own. They are not wired up since the MM7025 and preceding B&K ST1400 only have one pair of speaker outputs.

The rear speakers, are passively driven by the Dynaco QD-2, and are Tannoy C88 tower speakers, which I overhauled.

Said, QD-2 atop the vintage Radio Shack Realistic APM-300 LED power meter.

The "guts" of the QD-2.

With this photo, you can see how the QD-2's terminals are laid out. Center channel outputs are turned off.

I literally used a laser to align all four speakers to so that they pointed exactly where my head is when seated. The QD-2 has adjustable rear volume. I don't know how it works, but it makes the soundstage huge. I feel like I am ON the stage with the band/orchestra arranged directly in front of me.

I bought the CD on the right thirty years ago. Fourplay is made up of four iconic Jazz musicians and this is their first album. I am VERY familiar with every track on it. I chose the SACD to first test the MM7025. The fifth cut is one of my favorites. In this case, I was hearing......finger snaps! I had NEVER heard them before. I could point exactly to where the snapper was and how high his hand was! I could not believe it.

The 400 capacity CD tower was my first CD holder. more than half of it is filled with Smooth (now called Contemporary) Jazz. I have almost as many LPs from the genre. I deliberately chose albums (of many genres) I have played many, many times to thoroughly test the amp. This Marantz MM7025, is without a doubt, THE BEST power amplifier I have ever owned. And I've had a bunch of them.

Thank you SO much for taking the time to read this article. This is a labor of love for me. I love sharing my passions with others. I am truly humbled that so many folks around the world want to hear what I have to say. I cannot thank you enough.

Next article will be about: Is STEREO Music Playback Losing Popularity? I was going to tack it onto this one, but, it was already long enough.

Feel free to comment below or on Facebook. Also, note: If you keep scrolling down, each previous article is right there. Beware, there are more than 500 articles!

Scott Robb

February 19, 2025

#507