Class A amplifier with tonecontroller

[Roberth]

Class AB amplifier with tonecontroller

Hello, I am looking for an Class AB solid state intergrated amplifier with tonecontroller, priceroof is about +/- 2000 USD.

Anyone got any tip?

 

[UncleAng]

Good luck. Tone controls on integrated amps at the price range you're looking at are pretty much passe. You may have to look for some 80's high end used gear when tone controls were still in vogue.

 

[Roberth]

Well, looks like it will be Class AB then, will have to do an compromise then...

 

[KentTeffeteller]

Indeed, most class A makers eschew tone controls. Alternative, better grade EQ between amp and preamp if there's a connection for an outside one.

 

[JohnVF]

There is a modern Class-A integrated with tone contorls- Luxman L-550a, but it's well out of your price range. This is just to say that they do make one...

You could go after a refurbished Yamaha CA-2010 from the late '70s. Switchable into Class-A. Or run an amp like a Bedini with a preamp that has tone controls.

 

[bdblkta]

Pioneer A-27 30w class A and up to 120w A/B

 

[mhardy6647]

There is a modern Class-A integrated with tone contorls- Luxman L-550a, but it's well out of your price range. This is just to say that they do make one...

You could go after a refurbished Yamaha CA-2010 from the late '70s. Switchable into Class-A. Or run an amp like a Bedini with a preamp that has tone controls.

oh, yeah... of course! The Yamaha CA-800, CA-1000, CA-1010 and CA-2010 amps all offer switchable Class A, tone controls (dual turnovers on most if not all of them) with defeat, and variable loudness. Brilliant solution! They are good sounding amplifiers, too, even by modern standards... and quite affordable (possibly because they're not quite as flashy looking as some of their other massmarket brethren).

Here's a bad photo of a CA-800 (switched into Class A, one will note, albeit with loudness flat & tone controls defeated)

Here's a somewhat better photo, but as someone noted recently this wouldn't be a good configuration in which to run in Class A (indeed, I was testing out the Sherwood integrated when the photo was taken).

 

[whoaru99]

There is the Yamaha A-S2000 that you can get (new) for around $2k. It's not Class A, but it is fully differential balanced circuitry and has tone controls.

http://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio-visual/hifi-components/amps/a-s2000_black__u/?mode=model

Can't personally vouch for the sound, but I have a hard time imagining it's bad.

 

[rulerboyz]

JVC AX-Z1010TN Super-Digifine Stereo Hi-Fi Amplifier. Made in 1990. Do a search on ebay and you will discover that there is a guy sitting on a stockpile who keeps selling them new in the box. According to the old Gramophone review:

The amplifier is rated at 100 Wattsper-channel into 8 Ohms (160W into 4 Ohms) and it is fair to call these genuine Watts since a novel JVC circuit arrangement produces Class A operation on all but the highest signal peak demands.

 

[JohnVF]

There is the Yamaha A-S2000 that you can get (new) for around $2k. It's not Class A, but it is fully differential balanced circuitry and has tone controls.

http://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio-visual/hifi-components/amps/a-s2000_black__u/?mode=model

Can't personally vouch for the sound, but I have a hard time imagining it's bad.

I liked the CA-1010 that I had, but I would put money on the A-s2000 being a better sounding unit. The CA-1010 was very nice but it really needed to be in Class-A to sound its best, and when in Class-A, it really needed the right speakers to shine. The 2010 might be a whole other ball game, though.

The 1010 is a nice looking amp:

But a Bedini Class-A separate amplifier is something else. One of the finer things I've heard.

 

[tpi10d]

There is the Yamaha A-S2000 that you can get (new) for around $2k. It's not Class A, but it is fully differential balanced circuitry and has tone controls.

http://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio-visual/hifi-components/amps/a-s2000_black__u/?mode=model

Can't personally vouch for the sound, but I have a hard time imagining it's bad.

I have this amp and like it. It has several internal relays-when you take tone control off of flat position, a light click is heard. Input selector uses relays.

Great recordings sound great. No buyer's remorse on this at all.

 

[Roberth]

I have this amp and like it. It has several internal relays-when you take tone control off of flat position, a light click is heard. Input selector uses relays.

Great recordings sound great. No buyer's remorse on this at all.

Well I am planning to buy Marantz instead, I know about the Yamaha amplifiers, but I think that Marantz has much better dynamics, and I allready have a cd-player from them.

 

[tpi10d]

The dynamics are fine relative to its 90 watt per channel power rating. In fact it sounds like its quite conservatively rated.

Otherwise, though, I'd do the same, get equipment which matches what you already have.

 

[Roberth]

The dynamics are fine relative to its 90 watt per channel power rating. In fact it sounds like its quite conservatively rated.

Otherwise, though, I'd do the same, get equipment which matches what you already have.

Dynamics got nothing to do with watts.

 

[tpi10d]

Dynamics got nothing to do with watts.

I can't think of a statement more fundamentally wrong.

What do they have to do with?

If an amp runs out of gas on a transient, it lacks dynamics in that instance. An amp is feeding power to a speaker motor. Watt is measurement of power.

If the amp's output waveform doesn't remain true to the input signal, the amp is distorting.

 

[JohnVF]

Lots of things unrelated to 'watts' affect the dynamics. One example: you can take the most (potentially) dynamic amplifier and castrate it with the wrong preamp. The wattage of the amp will remain unchanged, the perceived dynamics won't be.

 

[tpi10d]

If you castrate it with the preamp, you're introducing distortion. If the preamp isn't distorting, it isn't castrating.

Perhaps we're just discussing semantics.

 

[whoaru99]

I think there may be come cross-communication on the topics of subjective dynamics and basic electrical/mechanical dynamics.

 

[tpi10d]

I think you're right.

 

[JohnVF]

I'm not sure what the difference would be from the listening chair....

If a preamp or preamp section is incapable of driving the amp, including transients, the potential dynamic performance of the amp via its wattage rating means nothing.