Yamaha CA-410 II vs Lafayette LR-3500 pushing Advent 25th anniversary

Which one?


  • Total voters
    6

Maxbenno

New Member
Hey there,

New to the forum, and new to buying vintage gear! I was hoping some of you badass experts can help me out with a dilemma im facing.

I just picked up a pair of Advent 25th anniversary speakers for $100 (Score!), and I'm torn trying to decide what amplifier to get. There are 2 really good deals on CL right now, and I'm hoping one of you has strong feelings or experience. My apartment is not huge and im in a building with neighbors, so volume is not my priority, but rather something that will make these babies sing in just the right ways, even at lower volumes.
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Up first is the Yamaha CA-410 II, which is paired with a matching tuner, (Yamaha NFB PLL MRX-610 II) and supposedly puts out about 25-30wpc. The owner has it listed with speakers for $300, but said he would be willing to do the tuner and receiver alone for $150.
https://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/ele/6256379975.html
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Next is the Lafayette LR-3500. Owner said he would be willing to part with it for $100. This receiver is more powerful, at about 47wpc. More powerful, but I'm concerned it wouldnt be quite as good a match as the Yamaha for the listening volumes im looking at.

Both seem to be in excellent condition, and were stored and cared for very nicely, and both even come with the original Manuals!

Help me out! What would you do?

-Max
 
I'd be heading for the Yamaha myself. Layfayette and Fisher at the time those were produced used Asian contractors for most of their product lines. As an old sales guy from back then, it was easy to sell off those brands and onto Pioneer, Sansui, Sony or Technics brands.

Cheers,

David
 
The CA-410 is a pretty good amplifier, but it was very much "entry level".

That Lafayette receiver is both beautiful and well-made. The OEM is not known to me, but was indeed probably one of the big Japanese OEMs (Foster, Automatic Radio, NEC, etc., etc.). The late, great Toasted Almond (George Grand) was an LRE expert; there have been a couple of others who passed through here. A search may turn up more information.

I'd want to try both (and I am a pretty confirmed Yamaha fanboy) as I am not sure which would be preferable without audition.

I'd skip the "Fisher" (FINO - Fisher in name only ;)), but that's just me.

EDIT: I am a wee bit concerned by the photo of the LRE -- note that the FM center tuning meter is off-center. Maybe just the result of a random photograph, but if it was tuned by ear for best sound, and the meter's indicating off-center-channel... there might be a tuner issue.

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The CA-410 is a pretty good amplifier, but it was very much "entry level".

That Lafayette receiver is both beautiful and well-made. The OEM is not known to me, but was indeed probably one of the big Japanese OEMs (Foster, Automatic Radio, NEC, etc., etc.). The late, great Toasted Almond (George Grand) was an LRE expert; there have been a couple of others who passed through here. A search may turn up more information.

I'd want to try both (and I am a pretty confirmed Yamaha fanboy) as I am not sure which would be preferable without audition.

I'd skip the "Fisher" (FINO - Fisher in name only ;)), but that's just me.

EDIT: I am a wee bit concerned by the photo of the LRE -- note that the FM center tuning meter is off-center. Maybe just the result of a random photograph, but if it was tuned by ear for best sound, and the meter's indicating off-center-channel... there might be a tuner issue.

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Thanks for the advice, and interesting thought on the Tuner. Do you feel like $150 is a steep price for the Yamaha? Do you think that driving my Advent's with a lower wattage might give the sound a bit more breathing room, and make the receiver sound better and move versatile in the small space? the room that it's going into is about 15ft x 12ft, so I'm a little worried about overpowering the space.

If you HAD to choose one without being able to audition both, which do you think you would pick? I know that's a frustrating and near impossible question to answer obviously.

Other note is that the Yamaha has been stored in a cool dark closet for the last few decades, and is being sold by the original owner in what he claims to be pristine condition. The Lafayette has been in regular use by the current owner for the last 8 year (the amount of time he has owned it) and he claims everything is working great on it, but he hasn't brought it anywhere to get it looked at. I did some searching, and people have generally given this receiver good reviews on AK and some other forums, but unfortunately there really isn't a lot of information out there on it.
 
Thanks for the advice, and interesting thought on the Tuner. Do you feel like $150 is a steep price for the Yamaha?
Yes. Yes, I do.

Do you think that driving my Advent's with a lower wattage might give the sound a bit more breathing room, and make the receiver sound better and move versatile in the small space? the room that it's going into is about 15ft x 12ft, so I'm a little worried about overpowering the space.
No, not as such. I would expect a better quality, better sounding low(er) powered amplifier to sound better than a higher powered, not as good amplifier, but one cannot beat empiricism.

If you HAD to choose one without being able to audition both, which do you think you would pick? I know that's a frustrating and near impossible question to answer obviously.

Other note is that the Yamaha has been stored in a cool dark closet for the last few decades, and is being sold by the original owner in what he claims to be pristine condition. The Lafayette has been in regular use by the current owner for the last 8 year (the amount of time he has owned it) and he claims everything is working great on it, but he hasn't brought it anywhere to get it looked at. I did some searching, and people have generally given this receiver good reviews on AK and some other forums, but unfortunately there really isn't a lot of information out there on it.
If the LRE receiver passes muster, I'd be awfully tempted. No, they are not common; LRE was fast turning the corner to irrelevance when that receiver was on the market, so there just aren't many around.

On the other hand: One of the two of the very last lines of LRE receivers were virtually identical to the Setton receivers of the late 1970s, and their recent prices reflect it. Not really relevant to the LR-3500, I'll admit... but still interesting to contemplate.
 
I doubt very seriously that Pioneer made it; the cosmetics are very Pioneer-esque, but that is because (virtually) everyone wanted their product to look like Pioneer's at that time.

No it won't "overpower [your] room". You'll only use the power you need for the program material to which you listen and sound pressure level you wish to obtain (up to the maximum available from the amplifier).
 
The Yamaha is probably the safe bet, in terms of there probably won't be too much wrong with it. I've got about 10 low-power Yamaha receivers and integrateds from the late 70s through mid 90s and there's rarely anything bugging them that a little De-oxit and a new light bulb won't fix.

It's also well-suited for your particular situation as the variable loudness gives you the ability to really tailor the sound - especially at lower volumes. I quite like the 410II, Yamaha built this line nicely - and I should mention, the mk. 2 version is 40 wpc, not 25.

$150 is a little steep but you are getting the tuner as well.....note however that particular tuner is not the match for the CA-410II. There are some aesthetic differences going on, major one being that the tuner will have a wooden case as opposed to the amplifier's metal one. The knobs are different sizes, flip switches on the tuner as opposed to push buttons on the amplifier, etc. Not a big deal, just a little bit of FYI.

Knowing nothing about the Lafayette, I'll keep my opinions to myself, other than to say it's going to be a lot harder to find people who know anything about fixing it should the need arise versus the Yamaha. I've heard plenty of good things about Lafayette stuff in general though, so if it doesn't have any problems it might well be worth the time.

I wouldn't give the Fisher a second glance unless they want to go down to $15-20.
 
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Good point re: the variable loudness.

Oh, and I managed to forget that the $150 was amp & tuner. That does "soften the blow" of the price considerably :)

oh, and just to qualify my earlier "Yamaha fanboy" comment for the OP, a photo's worth roughly 10^3 words, I think...

DSC_0241 by Mark Hardy, on Flickr
 
Lol, Y'all are not making this an easy decision.

Thanks for pointing out that the mk2 doesn't have the wood case, as I hadn't realized the styling was different from the regular 410. Honestly this is a big drawback, as I'm really a big fan of the wood cases and veneers from that era, so this makes the Yamaha slightly less appealing.

Another candidate has also entered the race. Listed for $125 on CL (although I'm sure I could talk him down a bit) is a Pioneer SX-525
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Is this something I should consider as an alternative to either? Rated at 17wpc, so kinda a little guy.
 
Nothing too exciting from my perspective.

By the way, speaking of the Yamaha CT-410II, just stumbled across this view of the innards thereof. Not sure of the provenance of this photo.
 
OP, might I suggest you keep an eye out for Sherwood 7100s and 7200s. Just a thought - although it probably should be asked, what kind of sound are you looking for? A Yamaha for instance is going to have a much different overall sound than a Sansui. With Large Advents you probably will have no shortage of bass as it is - so if you're a big basshead you might want to find an amplifier with characteristics that enhance that; or if not, you might look for something that's a little more detailed in the midrange.
 
OP, might I suggest you keep an eye out for Sherwood 7100s and 7200s. Just a thought - although it probably should be asked, what kind of sound are you looking for? A Yamaha for instance is going to have a much different overall sound than a Sansui. With Large Advents you probably will have no shortage of bass as it is - so if you're a big basshead you might want to find an amplifier with characteristics that enhance that; or if not, you might look for something that's a little more detailed in the midrange.

ideally, a receiver with a solid midrange would be great. I have a pretty diverse musical appetite, and while I understand there is probably not a "1 size fits all" solution for this, something that gives me the widest range of usability is really my goal. I don't need earth shattering bass, (although i do really enjoy FEELING the bass) so something that really accentuates the mids is preferable, especially considering the reputation that the Advents have for great Highs and Lows, I feel like a receiver that can offset and complement some of the speakers highlights would be great.

Do you know anything about the characteristics of what I have listed? What are some good receivers that Fit the description?
 
The aforementioned Sherwoods are very sweet sounding and have very good FM tuner sections, too. They're not terribly common but they're also not terribly expensive.

FWIW, I think that Yamaha built the best sounding massmarket Japanese hifi of the 1970s. Others feel otherwise, but the Yamaha stuff of that era, to my ears, still holds its own with cost-no-object audiophile hardware (of that era or the current one). Most of the other massmarket brands' stuff -- does not (although, of course, some does).
 
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