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MCS 3253 vs Yamaha 620?

J

joshuatx

New Member
So in my long hunt for a silver-faced receiver on CL I've come across two local sellers - one has a MCS 3253 and the other has a Yamaha 620, at $50 and $45 respectively. They're both willing to demo the receivers and have owned them for awhile, in fact I think both are "inherited" from their parents. They both look pretty solid, is there one that is outright preferable in terms of sound, build-quality, and power? This will be my first silver-face receiver, currently using an 80s era Technics SA-929.
 
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Assuming the Yamaha is a CR-620... the Yamaha.
EDIT: also assuming, of course, "all things being equal" (i.e., both in good working order even if not refreshed).
 
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I had MCS 3233 and have CR-800.
If you like brighter sound, MCS.
If you like warmer/heavier sound, Yamaha.
 
Mystery said:
I had MCS 3233 and have CR-800.
If you like brighter sound, MCS.
If you like warmer/heavier sound, Yamaha.
Click to expand...

Interesting as I`ve never considered Yamaha anything but neutral and representative of the music without adding any coloration or warmth to it. One could even say it is almost sterile-like in presentation. Additionally, when I matched Yammy gear w/Klipsch, I found nothing but brightness beyond fatiguing. Having owned a R-9 since new (still have) and the CR-800, 820, 640, and 2040 (also still have), I`d recommend going with the 620 as long as you`ve got good speakers to match with it.
 
silvernutsaq said:
Interesting as I`ve never considered Yamaha anything but neutral and representative of the music without adding any coloration or warmth to it. One could even say it is almost sterile-like in presentation. Additionally, when I matched Yammy gear w/Klipsch, I found nothing but brightness beyond fatiguing. Having owned a R-9 since new (still have) and the CR-800, 820, 640, and 2040 (also still have), I`d recommend going with the 620 as long as you`ve got good speakers to match with it.
Click to expand...

In direct comparison against MCS 3233, Yamaha CR-800 sounded heavier and warmer.
MCS sounded tinny and bright.
If the Yamaha is compared against Pioneer, then Yamaha may feel sterile. :headscrat
 
Mystery said:
I had MCS 3233 and have CR-800.
If you like brighter sound, MCS.
If you like warmer/heavier sound, Yamaha.
Click to expand...

That may not be a fair comparison. The MCS 3233 and 3253 were made by two different manufacturers.

I have the 3253, and the sound is not bright at all. It's very full, and dynamic, with solid bass. It also has an excellent phono section.
 
I think I'm leaning toward the Yamaha CR-620, I'll see how the weekend shakes out in terms of actually getting around to seeing them. It's not going anywhere actually, the CL listing has been gone for awhile, it's a one-on-one sale at this point.

That said, I'm finding the MCS debate interesting, I noticed the MCS has had different manufacturers when researching it earlier. Pretty sure it's a 3253, but it's a guess as I haven't gotten a phone call back yet confirming it's model #.

Here's the posting:

http://austin.craigslist.org/ele/3637041398.html
 
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