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Speaker Advice - What speakers for Yamaha M-70 / C-70

J

JoeMt

New Member
I have not had a good stereo for decades. But I love music. A guy sold me his Yamaha M/C/T 70's for 100.00.

No speakers......I'm not sure what to look for in speakers? New / Older? A local store had a set of Klipsch b2's (up to 85 watts) and I have an older 100W Subwoofer.....Thought about doing that for now since I live in an apt.

I want nice sound....I like the warmth of a Gibson, I want to hear it on my stereo.

I'm guessing I should have something in the 170 W range for speakers......looking for suggestions/education.

Thank you
 
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That is a nice setup if it's healthy! i used my Yammie m65 on DCM, Klipsch, Advent, and Polk, even Magnepans. All sounded excellent. I would play around and see what you like. With a good set of speakers you won't need a sub.I am not familiar with the B2s...they may be fine. If not, find some old Advents, Polk monitor 10s, or towers speakers if you have the room. Auditioning the speakers before you purchase is essential.
 
I've gotten good results from a C70/M70 system using the JBL L112s used by the original owner and later got even better results using Infinity RS IIs.
 
I picked up this set on Friday night at the thrift. I paid less than you, but both amp and preamp will need service. At this age, I can't really complain.

Great build quality - I'm a sucker for potted transformers. I had the MX-600/CX-600 set a couple of years ago, and it wasn't nearly as nice.

The C-70, finicky relays aside, seems to be well enough liked, particularly the phono section. Some people's reviews are positively gushing.

Preliminary research on the M-70 bears out what the unimpressive 4 ohm spec tells us - this isn't a high current amp and shouldn't be the first choice for difficult impedance loads. Other than that, it seems like a decent 200wpc amp that's simply outshone by some of the other Yamaha TOTL offerings of the era. Shouldn't be a bad choice for running most speakers you could ask it to power. The Yamaha brochure pairs it with NS-1000/1000M, which would be a classy combo.
 
You're making a common newbie mistake in worrying about power rating of the speakers when making a choice.

Power ratings on home speakers are kind of a crock (broadly generalizing). Just know that you've got enough power on hand to entertain virtually anything in the way of speakers, maybe giving a second thought about Magnepans, big Infinities, and other large, exotic speakers with a reputation for presenting a difficult load.

Learn to listen for distortion, and turn your system down, accordingly. It's a sign that your speakers or amp are overtaxed, and damage is likely. With 200 wpc on tap, it won't likely be your amp running out of steam.
 
Thank you for all your help...It works great. I hooked up my Yamaha speakers (ct-30s) from My yamaha C500
 
darkblue94 said:
You can run just about any speaker you can find with that amp. There are exceptions of course, there always are.

The short answer...great sound. :)
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darkblue94 said:
Some are in some ways, some are not in other ways. :confused: There is no single "correct" answer to this sort of question except...Yes, no, maybe.
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I completely agree with both of these statements. The Yamaha M?0 series is one of my favourite series of amps. There is something about their sound output that I really like! Congratulations!

Most of my experience is with my old m-40, but I've heard an M-80 and an M-70. The M-50 and the M-70 don't have quite the current availability of the M-40 and 60 and 80, but the whole series is based on the 0 Distortion Rule. Mine was a very capable amp with the ability to drive 3 pairs of speakers at the same time if you wired it correctly and had the right balance of speaker impedances across the three. I never tried it, but I do know there is a tremendous amount of instantaneous clean current available when needed.

One thing to watch out for is the glue used on the pcb to hold various parts in place. This turns corrosive over time and will damage capacitors and pcb tracks amongst other things. It should be removed and inspected for damage and repairs made. That is about a $400 investment, but this amp is worth it if you are going to keep it, and if the price is right.

I used my m40 as a speaker test amp. I knew that if I used this amp, I was going to hear my speakers at close to, if not at their best!
 
I have both the M45 and the M65 amplifiers and although I've shifted to vintage tube amps and higher efficiency speakers I can not even consider letting go of them. One of my favorite features on them is the Class A operation at the low end of the wattage scale. With higher efficiency speakers I don't exceed the 10 watt limit of the Class A function. It sure as hell puts out a ton of heat though. Outside of Class A these amps will laugh at all but a few oddball speaker loads. Bilbo is dead on about the old glue issue, if it hasn't been taken care of and they're still working okay then it's a miracle.
 
Acouple more questions.

My Yamaha ns-30T speakers are 6 ohm...is that a problem? Secondly I am thinking I should send the amp and pre amp to legendary....to be reconditioned. Does the tuner need it to?

I'm inclined to do it myself, but I know it's time consuming. I have board repair skills but I've never worked on any of this equipment....It will take longer
Wish it cost less and all three is a hit $
 
JoeMt said:
Acouple more questions.

My Yamaha ns-30T speakers are 6 ohm...is that a problem? Secondly I am thinking I should send the amp and pre amp to legendary....to be reconditioned. Does the tuner need it to?

I'm inclined to do it myself, but I know it's time consuming. I have board repair skills but I've never worked on any of this equipment....It will take longer
Wish it cost less and all three is a hit $
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I originally considered sending my M65 to Legendary but after some research I decided against it. There are much better ways to waste your money than giving it to them. There are some top notch technicians that specialize in Yamaha electronics that are Audiokarma members. You can contact them directly right here on this forum. Start a thread in the YAMAHA forum and they will take it from there.
 
6 ohms is no problem for it. Many home theatre systems are designed to drive 6 ohm speakers. And any amp that can handle a 4 ohm load will drive a 6 ohm speaker no problem. Ratings and specifications can be very deceptive. A lot depends upon what was measured and how.

I will be very interested in hearing how your experience is with Legendary Speakers. I love their write-ups on some of the M series amps. I completely agree with their assessment of the M40!

It just wasn't quite enough power for my needs. I like big 4 ohm speakers, what can I say?
 
Where is the OP located? That would help suggestions on the closest Yammie Restorer. I agree, there is some excellent talent out there. I often wonder if people realize how much of a bargain it can be to buy vintage and restore if you like it.

First, you can often take some time while using it before you restore it. Do you like the sound, the cosmetics, the tactile feedback from the controls, it all plays a role in our enjoyment of this hobby!
 
BilboBaggins said:
6 ohms is no problem for it. Many home theatre systems are designed to drive 6 ohm speakers. And any amp that can handle a 4 ohm load will drive a 6 ohm speaker no problem. Ratings and specifications can be very deceptive. A lot depends upon what was measured and how.

I will be very interested in hearing how your experience is with Legendary Speakers. I love their write-ups on some of the M series amps. I completely agree with their assessment of the M40!

It just wasn't quite enough power for my needs. I like big 4 ohm speakers, what can I say?
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In fairness to Legendary Amps I must say that I understand that they do beautiful cosmetic restorations. My M65 was/is not in need of cosmetic surgery as it it in beautiful cosmetic condition, still they quoted in the neighborhood of $700-900 for the restoration not including parts replacement. In my case taking the amp to a local technician was smarter for me. I'm sure that had my amp come out of a house fire or hurricane they could make it pretty again for $1000+ but then It would still have a market value of at most $600-700.
 
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