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...with thanks to slapshot for the inspiration to make the leap.I'd been thinking about going from an amp/pre to an integrated for quite a while. Funds and fear of f'ing things up had kept me from making the move.
Then a buddy of mine here on AA emailed me to say he would buy my pre (rebuilt and modded Yamaha C2a) if it were ever for sale.
Food for thought.
I called an old pal who's family has worked for Yamaha since they first were offered in the States, and asked for a BIG favor.
He obliged, so I sold my amp
The good news was I was out-of-pocket zero dollars. Nice !
The bad news was, the gear I really liked was gone. Yikes !
I've had the Yamaha A-S1100 for about 3 weeks now and would estimate I have roughly 40 to 50 increasingly encouraging hours on it.
It was wobbly at first. Some of that may have been the amp needing break-in and some of it may have been me hearing shit I'd not heard before... or in a long time.
Long story short, the phono stage (discrete) is as good as I could have hoped for... and it is what I was most worried about, as it is where my C2a excelled (the new owner reports the same).
The big surprise is the line section. I've always considered my Micromega Stage 3 CD player to be fairly average, at best. But, through a modern line stage, it is thoroughly enjoyable.
Go figure.
So, now I have one box that I like as much (if not more, time will tell) as my two old boxes and have added remote (!!!) and a headphone jack... and its like I upgraded my ceedee player.
Very cool.
Here's a crappy picture I took with my phone ...
And here's the stock photo from Yamaha ...
I have to admit to being a long time fan of Yamaha. I like the way their better stuff looks, feels (tactically) and sounds.
My first new (sealed box) piece of gear in probably more than 20 years.
Man, I've missed that new-gear smell !
...and the meters are way cool. Reminds me of my old CA-2010.
One feature that I really like is the way the mute works. It is not an electronic mute. When you hit "mute" the volume knob rotates left. Not sure there is an advantage there, but I like it.
...gotta go now. I've got records to enjoy.
Dean.
reelsmith's axiom: Its going to be used equipment when I sell it, so it may as well be used equipment when I buy it.
Edits: 05/24/17Follow Ups:
Took a chance and bought some excellent condition Yamaha NS-670's locally for $50 each
Least to say, these are about the best built vintage speakers I have seen in along time. I guess only Yamaha with their gobs of working capital could afford to make their own drivers with cast aluminum baskets and beryllium vapor deposited dome tweets, solid 3/4" plywood under cherry veneer cabinets, heavy duty crossovers, yada, yada... sound great mated to my Marantz 2270...
Thanks! for sharing- reelsmith
I have been thinking about a Micromega cd player as well.
Good to hear you are enjoying your new toy. I know you are thrilled to finally get those cool meters you always wanted! Have fun.
I wondered if anyone would notice that !
Dean.
reelsmith's axiom: Its going to be used equipment when I sell it, so it may as well be used equipment when I buy it.
I switched to integrated amps a few years ago and have no complaints at all. I would love to try a new Yamaha amp someday. I have a Yamaha generator and it creates a nearly black background..... if placed far enough away. ;-)Enjoy!
Edits: 05/26/17
was at a friend's house in 1978, who's older brother owned a Yamaha 40 wpc integrated amp (sans the meters), along with a Bang and Olufsen tangent tracking turntable and a pair of A/D/S L410 speakers sitting on some cinder blocks in his bedroom. I was hooked as soon as he put on an Al Dimeola album (Elegant Gypsy I believe it was) - great memories!
I appreciate all of the comments and your shared Yamaha related stories.
Given how I've slowed down turning over gear the last ten years or so, I'm thinking this amp will be around a very long time.
Next up is a subwoofer... used, of course.
Dean.
reelsmith's axiom: Its going to be used equipment when I sell it, so it may as well be used equipment when I buy it.
That's a very clean looking design. Interior shots show a nice layout with large power supply and discrete circuitry throughout.
It harkens back to the look of the B-2 JWC reviewed back in the day - which really sounded smooth on his Dayton-Wrights.
Very nice! I sold Yamaha gear for 20 years and always liked the classy looks as well as the high quality construction and sound.
...beginning in 1977, the hayday of the "CA" series of integrated amplifiers.
I owned a bunch of them (CA-610/810/1010/2010) and still use one in my home office (410).
The new amp has that vintage Yamaha look. Their aesthetics have always appealed to me.
More importantly, they sound great !
Dean.
reelsmith's axiom: Its going to be used equipment when I sell it, so it may as well be used equipment when I buy it.
About two years ago I acquired a pair of Yamaha P2200 power amps. They were is good cosmetic condition, but a bit dirty. I went through one of them, cleaned it up and replaced all electrolytics except for the large power supply caps which still seemed fine. Using it as a bass amp in my biamped system, I was totally blown away at the control it has on the woofers. I haven't heard any amp that's better in the bass, and it has those gorgeous analog meters. I would love to get a nice vintage Yamaha receiver.
I too am an old Yamaha fan. One of the big mistakes was selling off my vintage Yamaha gear.
Just having an amp with new generation transistors and semiconductors makes a whopping difference in noise reduction. That (and the break in) is most likely the "wobbly" you were experiencing.
When I had my Marantz 250M redone with new semi conductors - Wow what a difference. Keeps the original sound but brings up the background music.
Enjoy and looking forward to MORE reviews as it breaks in!!!
charles
...when I moved from my Rotel/Adcom pre/power (Monolithic Sound phono) to my Cronus Magnum integrated. 4 pieces (Monolithic had separate power supply)down to 1 and the Cronus is everything I could have asked for.
Congrats on your new integrated - I've always loved that classic look!
I love the look and feel of Yamaha gear I recently gave a CR 220 that I restored to a budding audiophile. He loves it.
Yours looks like several classes above. Enjoy
I like Yamaha a lot. I had the C-2x preamp and B-2x power amp. That was a great combination with a superb phono stage. I played those components for a number of years and I will always have fond memories of them.
Enjoy your new Yamaha!
John Elison
Congratulations! I love that classic Yamaha look. Not surprised it sounds great having read up on it awhile back. Enjoy.
___
"If you are the owner of a new stereophonic system, this record will play with even more brilliant true-to-life fidelity. In short, you can purchase this record with no fear of its becoming obsolete in the future."
Edits: 05/24/17
Nice! Wish I still had my Yamaha CR-600, the first real piece of hi-fi equipment that I ever bought.
If it sounds even half as good as it looks you've got a winner. Enjoy it and congratulations.
Congratulations to YAMAHA for keeping their classic, timeless, style.
The gear is not supposed to compete for sensual attention from the music. Who knows how much people are paying for those absurd CNC'ed to death boxes that I find to be just plain ugly.
When I see something like your new amp I am heartened. I do not keep up with what is out there but do remember when YAMAHA appeared in the US audio market and made quite a stir with their sonic quality in an age of PIONEER receivers. And then came the VFet amps ... You had to take them very seriously. Looks like that same seriousness of purpose has continued.
Integrated amps have always had a special place in my listening hierarchy, can't deny the synergy and ultra short signal paths between the pre and power amp portions.
I've never purchased a receiver for myself, my very first gear back in the 70's consisted of a tuner and integrated. I've given receivers as gifts to my boys etc for ease of operation, I've even inherited a Pioneer SX-1010 from my father in law that sadly currently resides in my closet.
I have to say most of my gear for the past 30yrs has been separates, but since the great sell off of 2012 I seem to have accumulated a plethora of Kenwood integrateds lol.
Martin
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