The Yamaha A-S2100

iamjaymo

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So I've had the 2100 here for a couple weeks now but have held off writing anything about it as I wanted to let the initial excitement die down. The verdict? I like it even more than I did when it first arrived!

It is magnificent and exceptional - slightly warm through the mids, nice sparkle in the highs and it has the best bass reproduction of ANY amp I have owned. It is a smooth customer...loud doesn't really seem loud till you look at the meters and realize you should be in pain, but no, just musical bliss.

I had a Luxman L-507u before the Yamaha and to compare I would say the Lux is slightly more dynamic and a tad more exciting while the 2100 smoother, more refined and musical. The 507 had some big bass but it was a bit boomy compared to the 2100. The bass on the Yamaha is tighter, deeper and I can seem to really pick out the bass tones better as oppose to the Luxman. Pick your poison, both are good but I am glad I sold off the Lux as it was 2x more expensive. The 2100 is a great amp and one of the best I've had.

UPDATE: I didn’t mention anything about the built-in phono stage or headphone amp because at the time I simply had not tried them yet. I am between TT’s right now but the phono via the budget model Rega I am borrowing from a friend sounds pretty good to me. I have not compared it to an external stage and the Yamaha’s limited settings probably requires careful cartridge selection but it sounds no worse than my previous amp’s built-in phono stage.

Headphone amp, well, it sounds great! Much better than the A-S1000 I have at work and every bit as good as my vintage CR-1020. The multiple gain settings are a plus should you have hard to drive headphones.







 
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What a nice looking amp. I bet it sounds fantastic. I wish my A-S2000 had meters, mosfets, XLR input attenuator, etc. etc.
 
What a nice looking amp. I bet it sounds fantastic. I wish my A-S2000 had meters, mosfets, XLR input attenuator, etc. etc.

I had an A-S2000 once upon a time...loved that amp! Meters would fit just perfectly on the left side there.
 
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Makes me miss my 2000, although the meters really look killer.
Looking good!

Yeah, this is my 3rd newer Yamaha amp. I keep coming back to them - they have a certain sound I like but not exactly sure what it is specifically.
 
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Great setup and thanks for the review/comparison! The Lux has been on my list of amps to try, guess I should put the Yamaha on the list, too.
 
Congratulation, that is beautiful!



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It is magnificent and exceptional - slightly warm through the mids, nice sparkle in the highs and it has the best bass of ANY amp I have ever owned. It is a smooth customer...loud doesn't really seem loud till you look at the meters and realize you should be in pain, but no, just musical bliss.
essentially what I've found with my little Yammie. The midrange warmth isn't really noted in my system, but the speakers I use can be clinical with the wrong amp. The bass, as noted, from the Yammie line is superb. It is not merely that it goes deep, but does so smoothly with outrageously good texture to the notes. I didn't notice that aspect with my Klipsch speakers, but with the Triton's flat response down to 20Hz, one can notice it(not just me, but everyone who's plunked themselves down in my living room). Just this afternoon, I've been listening to Boney James' 'Ride', followed by Esperanza Spalding's 'Chamber Music Society'. Wide range of bass between those two, and the realism of electric bass, plucked upright, and bowed notes is stunning.
 
What a beautiful amp, in silver no less!

How warm does that guy get? Living in Texas, the heat generated by many Yamaha amps (and even pre amps) has steered me away from them.
 
What a beautiful amp, in silver no less!

How warm does that guy get? Living in Texas, the heat generated by many Yamaha amps (and even pre amps) has steered me away from them.

Had it cranked up yesterday for about 6 hrs. and it barely got warm. The rack it's in is pretty well spaced out but it never got even close to what I would consider "hot" or even "more hot than warm".
 
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I know that, over the past two or so years, I've been a bit of a cheerleader for the Yamaha integrated line, but I think that a lot of people think they know Yamaha products by the ones from before 2000. Those were good products, but as the 'heat' idea above shows, folks simply haven't encountered the current line, close up. That is a shame. I sure didn't head into my integrated search in 2012 expecting to end up with a Yamaha, initially heading towards brands linked to 'hi-fi' such as Rega, Peachtree, Emotiva, NAD, etc, etc. The Yamaha won, fair and square over probably 12 different amps, and was $300 less than the cheapest competitor. Some days, I wish I'd sprund for the AS-1000, but in real world, everyday use, I see no real need for the extra juice, and the overall sound was very similar when comparing them with efficient speakers.
 
I know that, over the past two or so years, I've been a bit of a cheerleader for the Yamaha integrated line, but I think that a lot of people think they know Yamaha products by the ones from before 2000. Those were good products, but as the 'heat' idea above shows, folks simply haven't encountered the current line, close up. That is a shame. I sure didn't head into my integrated search in 2012 expecting to end up with a Yamaha, initially heading towards brands linked to 'hi-fi' such as Rega, Peachtree, Emotiva, NAD, etc, etc. The Yamaha won, fair and square over probably 12 different amps, and was $300 less than the cheapest competitor. Some days, I wish I'd sprund for the AS-1000, but in real world, everyday use, I see no real need for the extra juice, and the overall sound was very similar when comparing them with efficient speakers.

Agreed. Seems to me Yamaha is somewhat overlooked in the Audiophile circles. No matter, the Yamahas are great sounding to me. I have had many times more expensive, more 'elite' brands but the A-S2100 is my favorite.
 
Congrats on your fine amp and thanks for the review. There is very little in the way of reviews for the 2100 on the net. Have you used the XLR inputs?
 
Congrats on your fine amp and thanks for the review. There is very little in the way of reviews for the 2100 on the net. Have you used the XLR inputs?

I have not used the XLRs as of yet. I soon will be upgrading to a DAC which has balanced connections but right now just the RCAs.
 
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If anyone has any experience with this amp, please feel free to share!

Considering picking this up as well. I'll have a chance to listen to it soon on my B&W CDM7 NT's.
 
awesome, congrats. I just hooked my DAC up via XLR on the 2000 this weekend. sounds fantastic.

Which dac are you using? Have you noticed any distortion using the balanced inputs on the 2000? The 2100 has a switch to attenuate the sensitivity of the xlr inputs by -6 dB so it will work with more sources/dacs.
 
I used the 2100 with the balanced inputs with my TEAC UD-501 DAC and they sounded excellent. It is an awesome amp. It compares favorably with my Accuphase E-560.
 
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