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Help me pick a Yamaha Integrated Amp (A-S1000/2000/1100)

C

crossroads69

New Member
Hi everyone,

I am strongly considering getting my first integrated amplifier and Yamaha is very much within my sights.

Just to give some background, I built my first stereo system in 2013 with B&W 683 fronts powered by Emotiva XPA-200 power amp through a Yamaha RXZ-V663 AVR. Music is played through Micromega MyDac and movies are played through Pioneer Elite universal player. The system is used about 50/50 for music and movies.

I think I now ready to add an integrated amplifier. That way I can play music directly without going through the AVR and use HT bypass input for movies. After researching for sometime online, I am really taken a liking for the new Yamaha hifi range - looks great and most owners have only good things to say. I don't think I have any options to audition the Yamaha amps locally.

So which one should I go with? I was initially thinking of the A-S1000 (don't use balanced inputs) but currently it's available for same price new as A-S2000 refurbished. Is A-S2000 a better purchase then? Are either of these a good fit for B&W? I haven't read anything online that suggests the other way.

I think the new 1100/2100 series looks even better (meters!) and looks like Yamaha has also upped the game with sonics. However, they are currently bit out of budget for me and so I'll have to wait bit longer for better deals (new or refurbished). Worth waiting for A-S1100 versus getting A-S2000 now?

While the new amp will currently power the B&W 683, it will also have to power my next speaker upgrade in 2017 (hoping to jump into $2500 category).

Thanks for reading - appreciate any feedback/suggestions/opinions!
 
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Crossroads69, welcome to AK!

You have listed a lot of questions here, not sure I can steer you to the best decision but I will say this about the new Yamaha amps based on my own experience...

The A-S2100 is an amazing amp and outshines the A-S2000 (better bass control while remaining deep and impressive, slightly better high end too). That said, I was VERY happy with the A-S2000 for several years and could have easily kept it for many more years to come as it also is an outstanding amp. I have never heard the A-S1000 or the A-S1100 so I can't fairly compare it with the other two. Honestly, I don't think you can really go wrong with any of the Yamaha integrated amps. I also have the A-S500 in my secondary system and I love it too! I'm biased towards these Yamaha amps and may not be the best person to get advice from because of it lol.

Look forward to hearing what you decide upon and how it all works out for you.

Again, welcome to the forum.
 
If you have the money just go for the 2100. I've not been fortunate enough myself to have heard a 1000, 2000, 2100, or 3000, but I sure do love the 500 and 501. I can only imagine what the others would sound like; but like spooky foot, I'm a Yamaha wonk and my opinion is also biased.;)
 
More of the same here.
The new Yamaha amplifiers are outstanding value for money and I don't think anyone looking for a new amp can go wrong with the new yam's and I think either one will be a good match for your B&W's.
 
Thanks guys! I think I will rule out the 1100/2100 for now - just bit beyond what I'd like to spend currently on the amp.

That leaves me with two options - a new A-S1000 or refurb A-S2000 - which route would you guys go? For now, I don't see my system using the balanced connections offered by the 2000. Excluding that, does the 2000 have any technical edge over the 1000?
 
The price difference is marginal; if it were me I'd go for the 2000. They can be had for $1500 new with free shipping. If you ever decided to sell the resale would likely be better because of the balanced inputs for those that would want them.
 
SuperLead100 said:
The price difference is marginal; if it were me I'd go for the 2000. They can be had for $1500 new with free shipping. If you ever decided to sell the resale would likely be better because of the balanced inputs for those that would want them.
Click to expand...

Finally pulled the trigger and ordered the A-S2000!! Decided to get the factory refurbished model for $1200 and its on its way :)
 
Don't mean to hijack this thread but it sounds like there are some Yamaha lovers here. How would some of the older Yamaha integrated amps such as the A-700 compare to these modern integrated amps?
 
Wolverine said:
Don't mean to hijack this thread but it sounds like there are some Yamaha lovers here. How would some of the older Yamaha integrated amps such as the A-700 compare to these modern integrated amps?
Click to expand...

I can only compare the lowest level of the new line, an A-S200. It sounds perfectly good, but I liked the sound of my A-520 better. But for it's price the A-S200 is a great value as long as one discounts the obviously bloated output specs and treats it like a ca 40-50 watt amp. But on the other hand the A-520 came without a waranty and needed extensive deoxing.

Cheers,
James
 
The A-S2000 was delivered this morning and so far, first impressions have been mixed. Let me start with the positive...

The unit looks and feels absolute top notch, you can tell this is a "flagship" product from Yamaha. It weights almost twice of my Yamaha AVR and the material quality is in a different league. My particular refurbished unit was manufactured in Sep 2013 in Malaysia.

Hit play and the sound quality is SUPERB WHEN IT WORKS (but more on that later). I sampled through all my favorite music from The Beatles to Eric Clapton to Shelby Lynne to Adele and everything sounded distinctly better compared my previous AVR-Emotiva combination. The music has great presence/body, vocals/instruments sound more natural and the bass is powerful but controlled. I am quite thrilled by the sound of this!

Now lets get to the bad/negative part. After setting the amp up and hitting play, only the left speaker worked. I re-connected the speaker wires but still no sound. I tried different speaker cables (with and without banana plugs) and different speakers but got no sound out of the right speaker. After that initial slam of disappointment, I then changed the speaker connections from A set to the B set and voila, there was finally sound coming from both speakers! I continued to test the A set connections but at this point, I can certainly say that the right speaker connection for A set is defective :(

So it was the B set where I sampled all the music. However, this wasn't without any issues. This time the left speaker worked fine for 80-90% of the time breaking in and out the remaining 10-20%. There was also some crackling sound around the time it would stop working. I'm not sure what exactly is going on but there clearly seems to be a problem with the unit.......the same speakers/cables work flawlessly with the Emotiva power amp.

So I'm gonna have to call Accessories4less on Monday and figure what their return/exchange process is for defective items. It sure is going to be a pain returning this beast and then waiting for a replacement. I sure am disappointed with Yamaha's quality control around refurbished units, expected better from them.

Meanwhile, please let me know if you think I should try something different. On visual inspection of the unit, I do see slightly wider panel gaps on the left side as well as some physical marks perhaps indicating that the unit was opened for some sorta check or repairs.
 
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Update:

After about 7-8 hours of staying ON and playing records, the B set is now functioning normally without any issues, letting me enjoy the new sound :)

The A set continues to have a problem with the right speaker connection.
 
That stinks CrossRoads . First of all , I was not aware Yamaha had updated their Integrated line . Thanks for the update . If it was me , I would order from Amazon if it was available and the price is close . Their return policy is awesome . If Amazon was not available , I would seek out an audio dealer . Yes , I know , that is few and far between . I bought a refurbished Harman Kardon once and it has worked flawlessly . Good luck

Good luck with your return .
 
zebra03 said:
That stinks CrossRoads . First of all , I was not aware Yamaha had updated their Integrated line . Thanks for the update . If it was me , I would order from Amazon if it was available and the price is close . Their return policy is awesome . If Amazon was not available , I would seek out an audio dealer . Yes , I know , that is few and far between . I bought a refurbished Harman Kardon once and it has worked flawlessly . Good luck

Good luck with your return .
Click to expand...

Budget constraints meant I had to go refurbished on this ($1200 v/s $2000)......there are no local audio dealers for Yamaha here and so online was the only option. I am hoping Accessories4Less is good about returns especially involving defective units.

For now, I will continue to enjoy the new amp through the B set connections.
 
redrooster said:
Its probably just the pots and switches needing some DeOxiting, Do you you know what was involved with the refurbish on the unit,full recap,new relays,etc? Theres a sticky here on AK on how to go about DeOxiting your amplifier check it out.
Click to expand...

Hmm, I don't think this is a dirty pots issue; this unit was built two years ago and is not vintage. Most likely a manufacturing defect and the problem not properly vetted during the refurb - if refurbed at all. May have only been returned to stock after a quick test that showed it working.
Very disappointing to have it arrive in this condition. On the other hand I'm glad to hear that when it does work it sounds great!
Good luck and keep us posted:thumbsup:
 
SuperLead100 said:
Hmm, I don't think this is a dirty pots issue; this unit was built two years ago and is not vintage. Most likely a manufacturing defect and the problem not properly vetted during the refurb - if refurbed at all. May have only been returned to stock after a quick test that showed it working.
Very disappointing to have it arrive in this condition. On the other hand I'm glad to hear that when it does work it sounds great!
Good luck and keep us posted:thumbsup:
Click to expand...

Yup, very disappointed indeed. I definitely expected better from Yamaha, especially given its one of their high end models.

That said, it sure does sound fabulous. I spent most of yesterday evening and today listening to the A-S2000 in action (via B speaker connections) and I have no complaints about the sound. It has removed any skepticism that I had about spending $$ on a new amp - the power delivery seems so effortless on this unit compared to my previous AVR/Emotiva set up.

Now just hoping that the return process is simple and I get a flawless replacement soon.
 
I've requested a return label for the amp and Accessories4Less.com will ship me a replacement as soon as I ship this one back. Hoping the process goes smoothly and I have get another, problem-free A-S2000 soon.
 
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