Yamaha P2201 Thoughts

evman140

Hearing things...
Yamaha P2201

Hi everybody,

I've found a P2201 for sale locally and wanted to get your opinions to help me decide whether to pull the trigger or not.

Its in pretty sad shape, covered in dirt and several good dings here and there - its definitely been around.

Are there any concerns with this amp? How old is it anyway? I haven't been able to date it accurately. The manual is dated 11/17/98 (printed) - is this even close?

Are there any big service items I'll encounter soon? How long are those big original 22kuF(I think) caps going to last me? Those will be pricey when they need changed..

I understand this is professional amp, any good for Hi-Fi? I think it will be great regardless, just want to hear what you folks think. It will be driving my JBL Northridge E80 towers.

Thanks all!
 
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I don't have specific first-hand knowledge of the P-2201, other than it was a follow-on to the P-2200 (minus the meters).

I have a P-2200 that's also pretty beat up but the sound it produces through my JBL 4410's is absolutely amazing. I know that mine dates back to the late-70's.

If the price seems reasonable and you get a chance to verify it works - go for it. If you're not happy, there's bound to be someone here that'd want it.
 
That is good to hear Tom, thank you. I'm a little frightened by the age though.

I was smart enough to grab a pic for you lot as well - pretty knarly, huh?

IMG_01311.jpg
 
Those things are rock solid. Yours looks no worse for wear than mind did when I got it.

Go for it - if it works it will put a big grin on your face!
 
I had been drooling over the specs since yesterday - incredible stuff!

The DC offset factory spec is 10mV, I measured it on site and it gave 16mV for the left channel, and 3.4mV for the right!!!! WOW!!

And yes - I bought it!! Already made up some adapter cables and played a few tracks :D :D :D
 
That is good to hear Tom, thank you. I'm a little frightened by the age though.

I was smart enough to grab a pic for you lot as well - pretty knarly, huh?

IMG_01311.jpg

Nice grab! Hoping that white stuff is mostly dust and not paint, but either way, it should be easy to clean off with enough elbow grease. Dust is easy to take out with Swiffer dusters through the heatsink fins. Real issue is what's going on inside the case - got any nudie pics of the chassis without the top cover?

Usually some good compressed air will get most of the dust out. If there's nothing wrong with the offset, you're probably ok till you get the urge to recap. Best to do a good inspection of the main caps top to bottom, and check/photograph all the caps on the two amp boards for any signs of problems. Double check the two 7A fuses that they are correctly sized and clean the input and output jacks and terminals.

These are pretty tough amps and sound very good too. The only downside is they lack specific speaker protection (DC sensing and output relay) but could be added if there is sufficient space.
 
Nice find. I wouldn't be too worried about the dirt as long as it measures fine. I have been very satisfied with my P2200 and it seems to be pretty rock solid.
 
Thanks guys, it's turning out to be a pretty great find!

The top of the amp is covered with dirt and other nasty gunk. I spent about ten minutes or so cleaning it with a rag and a spot of rubbing alcohol - cleaned up great! The cleaning did reveal some of the heavier marks to the chassis and color. Also, all of the bolts on the chassis lid are corroded and will be replaced soon. To fix some of the blemishes, I have been thinking about breaking it down and sand blasting the more damaged pieces and eventually re-coat them. I have some pics but can't upload them until later, I'm on my mobile right now.

I'm not going to rack mount it and will set it up on my av center but it doesn't have any feet, so keep an eye out for some custom alu lathe-turned feet!*

The sound is great, I didn't think my JBLs were capable of handling this kind of power but they are turning out to be a great match.

As noted before, the offset is great, except for the left channel being significantly higher that the right. I've checked the figures multiple times and after a few different operating intervals, yet the results are the same. This amp stabilizes very fast!! Not exactly worried about the offset, but the left side of the chassis is noticeably warmer than the right.

Concerning the interior, I haven't yet had a chance to have a peek - involved in many audio projects at the mo, not much time. But, I am at ease with the main capacitors (don't get me wrong, I will check them over thoroughly - time permitting) as they provide a full 10 seconds of [LOUD!] playback after you switch the power off. Lots of capacitance left in these methinks.
 
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Well here we are, nice and clean - or relatively clean at least.

IMG_0139.jpg


This wonderful amp gave a spectacular performance to some good friends this evening. They agree - it's amazing!!!
 
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Nice grab! Hoping that white stuff is mostly dust and not paint, but either way, it should be easy to clean off with enough elbow grease. Dust is easy to take out with Swiffer dusters through the heatsink fins. Real issue is what's going on inside the case - got any nudie pics of the chassis without the top cover?

Usually some good compressed air will get most of the dust out. If there's nothing wrong with the offset, you're probably ok till you get the urge to recap. Best to do a good inspection of the main caps top to bottom, and check/photograph all the caps on the two amp boards for any signs of problems. Double check the two 7A fuses that they are correctly sized and clean the input and output jacks and terminals.

These are pretty tough amps and sound very good too. The only downside is they lack specific speaker protection (DC sensing and output relay) but could be added if there is sufficient space.

I can tell you, being in the middle of two re-cap projects, I am not ready to re-cap this beast! LOL But, I will definitely be doing it in the future (probably not until summer). Will report my findings on the two main cans.

All of the input jacks are pretty dirty and aren't worth saving, going to replace them in short order.

Yea, this amp could use some speaker protection and a bit soft power on! Boy does this thing POP! Gotta power up the equipment in the right sequence.
 
Looks pretty good. IIRC, there's some outfit which supplies black screws that fit for Marantz gear, probably could work for the covers on the P2200/2201. I'll have to look for that outfit.

Yeah, a recap looks a bit involved and so far I haven't seen many threads outside of Brutal's about doing that for the big Yamaha pro power amps. But I suspect soon we'll see them.
 
Recaps not that bad.More chassis and heatsink there than actual circuit boards.I believe the boards unplug as well or at least partially enough to flip the boards over for soldering.
 
I'd definitely like to recap this beast but it will be awhile. I'll let you know when I get around to it.

In the meantime, this brilliant amp is making for one hell of a listen! I need to find a more appropriate place for it, presently its using up a lot of my floor! :D
 
I got another Yamaha amp yesterday. Now the P-2200 has a little brother P-2100 to keep it company. Not sure how I will work it into my set-up, but I will!
 
I got another Yamaha amp yesterday. Now the P-2200 has a little brother P-2100 to keep it company. Not sure how I will work it into my set-up, but I will!

Very cool! I would definitely be looking for a rack and then bi-amp my speakers!!!
 
It's more along the lines of needing a bigger rack! Rather than bi-amping, I've got my eyes open for another pair of JBLs - something smaller for the top of the desk to help improve imaging (I don't have an ideal setup).

And, just in case it's needed, I also got my hands on a Crown Com-Tech 200 amp. Might need a bigger desk as well! ;-)
 
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