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In Reply to: RE: Sony TA-A1ES vs Yamaha A-S2000 Integrated Amps ? posted by AbeCollins on July 15, 2014 at 21:05:18
I have not auditioned the Yamaha but would advise you to avoid the Sony TA-1ES IMO very poor SQ despite absurd OTT reviews in HFN & RR , Words & Music. ( have yet to see a US review) the pre-power sections can not be separated . However fortunately its available direct from Sony on a 3O day trial. As a Sony fan I was extremely disappointed. For a second opinion I took this amplifier to a loudspeaker designer to audition and he totally agreed with me .The bass is deficient overall sound is very artificial, runs too hot, ( may not bother you being into antique tubes) small heat sinks , we suspect the FET input is part but not the only problem.This is very suprising because part of the design was over seen by Eric Kingdon Sony's Chief European Technical man but not unfortunately by Sony's previous head audio engineer who has retired.
Edits: 07/15/14 07/15/14 07/15/14 07/15/14 07/15/14 07/15/14 07/15/14Follow Ups:
What HI-FI reviewed the Yamaha and the Sony and they liked the Sony better and pretty much slammed the Yamaha. However, I find their reviews to be overly sensationalistic and lacking integrity.
What speakers did you run with the Sony?
And what other amp was used on those speakers that sounded better? How did the amps compare?
Thanks.
My speakers are the new TL Focalstage Floorstanders, using full range Jordan Eikona 2 Drivers , the speakers also incorporate an adjustable tweeter. I use a twenty year old SS amp, called Prime Design A100 , 120 watts 8 ohms,500 Va transformer, 80,000 mfd capacitance fed from the pre-outs of the Sony STR-DA5400ES, I have tried many other amps but prefer the A100. However as I have posted several times you can try out the Sony TA-IAES on a 30 day money back trial direct from Sony. This is the best way to find out if the amp suits your speakers. as IMO most reviews these days are useless for SQ.
Edits: 07/16/14
Thanks for your comments on the Sony TA-A1ES. I pulled the trigger on a good deal and bought one anyway. Will see how it performs in my setup with my office speakers. If it's not right for my needs, I may be looking for a Yamaha A-S2000 or A-S1000 down the road.
As the Sony TA-1AES is not required for serious listening. in that case for background music its shortcomings will not be noticed. Great you got it for less than $2K, in the UK it is very much overpriced at £2K
It will be used for background music BUT I will also give it a 'critical listen'. If it fails to deliver on either, I will seek a different solid-state integrated.
I have an entry level Marantz integrated that sounds OK but I swapped it out after just a couple days as the Rogue tube amp is significantly better.
Good luck with the Sony, Abe. I was interested in that one myself.
I had the Yamaha A-S2000, and its a good sounding unit. Quite a bit different to the Advantage receivers.
Let me suggest another integrated: Electrocompaniet PI-2, or a PI2-D. I swapped the A-S2000 for the PI-2, and I'm very happy with it. Electrocompaniet gear just seems to stand out when it come to SS gear. It does a better job at low level detail than any other SS gear of similar quality to date.
"What this country needs is a good 5 watt amplifier!" (Paul Klipsch)
Thanks for the info on Electrocompaniet. I'm very curious to know how the Yamaha compared, aside from the better low level detail you hear in the Electrocompaniet. Which is more dynamic? Warmer? Deeper bass? Etc?
Thanks!
P.S. I'm waiting for UPS to deliver the Sony. The UPS tracking website says it should be here no later than 8pm tonight.
Abe, the Yamaha is a nice sounding unit, no question. The balanced floating design sounds excellent with the right component. However, the A-S2000 has one major design flaw you won't read about in any of the reviews. The flaw is, the XLR input overloads at anything over 2.8 V! As fate would have it, the matching CD-S2000 only puts out 2.8 V in XLR. So, as long as you use it, no worries. However, most XLR is 4.2 volts, hence a overload condition.The Electrocompaniet sounds better overall, pretty much across the board. The bass is slightly deeper (and tight), the midrange is cleaner sounding, and the treble is quite a bit better, with no sizzle compared to most SS. It also has two XLR inputs on the PI-2, or one and a built in DAC for the PI-2D. The matching ECC-1 CD player is one of the very best sounding CD players I've come across. The detail from the 24 bit DAC is better than most of the 9018ESS machines. I'm certain it's the superior analog stages.
"What this country needs is a good 5 watt amplifier!" (Paul Klipsch)
Edits: 07/24/14
"However, the A-S2000 has one major design flaw you won't read about in any of the reviews. The flaw is, the XLR input overloads at anything over 2.8 V! As fate would have it, the matching CD-S2000 only puts out 2.8 V in XLR. So, as long as you use it, no worries. However, most XLR is 4.2 volts, hence a overload condition."
Are XLR inputs on consumer gear usually compatible with pro audio? What about Sony TA-A1ES in the thread above? Is it able to accept input from pro-audio player or DAC?
Thanks
Thanks for sharing the little known flaw in the A-S2000. I have components that used balanced XLR so that could be a problem should I use them instead of the RCAs.
I'll do some research on the Electrocompaniet models you mentioned. I'm certain they're much more expensive than the 'consumer' volume production Sony and Yamaha. But maybe that's the price you pay for superior performance.
Abe:
I often find What Hi-Fi magazine's reviews helpful, but not in a way the publication intends. They typically like components that are bright in the upper midrange and treble, which they seem to believe is neutral. They often use the term "exciting." I prefer a more neutral to slightly warm sound. Thus, if the magazine says a component is not "exciting" or too laid back for their taste, I become interested in that product.
An Australian magazine tested several of the Yamaha integrated amps, such as the A-S2000, 3000, and 700. The review of the 2000 does not say much about the sonics (link below), whereas the write-up on the 700 does (link below).
http://www.avhub.com.au/index.php/Product-Reviews/Hi-Fi/yamaha-a-s700-amplifier-review.html
Thanks Alex,
I don't know what to make of What HI-FI. ;-) They're usually over-top with their rave reviews and very harsh on the products they don't like. And their reviews often go against the grain of what others observe. I think you explained it.
As I mentioned in my posts further up, I decided on the Sony anyway since I found a good deal on one. But if it's not to my liking, I'll be looking very seriously at the Yamaha A-S2000 or A-S1000.
Thanks for the review links.
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