is the C-80 any good?

[tygr]

Is the C-80 pre any good in combination with the M-80? I know they were made for each other but how is the sound compared to other pre-amps with the M-80 (which should be here tomorrow, BTW).

Thanks.

 

[Chris Brown]

Yamaha preamps are pretty neutral, so to that extent, assuming everything is working properly, there should not really be a huge difference in sound between a C-80 and other Yamaha preamps.

I don't have an M-80, but using my C-80 with each of my 4 other Yamaha amps has given me nothing but amazing results.

Also, consider that the C-80 has inverted preouts. I use mine to bridge two of my P2201 amps for ~700wpc, when each one in stereo is only 230wpc. You can also make use of the inverted pre-outs even when you only have one amp, by running one channel out of phase:

IMO it's things like this that give the C-80 an advantage over other Yamaha preamps, rather than differences in the sound of the preamp itself. I have a mint condition Yamaha C-4 that I obtained earlier this year. I did considerable back and forth testing between it and my C-80 and the end result was that I honestly couldn't tell a difference when powering my amps (I did not use the inverted preouts for the comparison, but had it wired normally). Because of that, I'm continuing to use the C-80 as my main preamp. Though if the C-4 had inverted preouts I'd almost certainly be using that instead because it looks way cooler. C-80 is kinda ugly IMO

 

[tygr]

Thanks much Chris, that's info I would never have found on my own!

 

[avionic]

Thanks much Chris, that's info I would never have found on my own!

You don't read the owners manuals either.

C-80/85 sound excellent.

 

[tygr]

Actually I read it after Chris' post, but thanks Avionic.