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Yamaha Amplifier

H

Hifibythekg

Super Member
I want a great Yamaha power amp to run my main system. My speakers are biggish Celestion Ditton 66 floorstanders which apparently like high current, probably in order to grip the 12” bass drivers.

My question is:
In which descending order of sound quality would people recommend the various Yamaha amplifier models?

If there’s a comparable non-Yamaha amp you’ve previously liked the sound and build of, please feel free to say.

Avionic, Oilmaster and MBZ recently provided great help when I restored my Yamaha CR1020, it’s working perfectly and sounds superb. Hence my current loyalty to Yamaha..
Thank you all.
 
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You should check out the Yamaha P2200 or PC2002M amps. They are built like a brick. Great sound quality. No corrosive glue issues. Plenty of power. No issues with low-impedance loads until you hit 2.5 ohms. Passive cooling with huge external heatsinks on the sides. Very reliable. Nice looking power meters on the front. Also, the P2201 is the same as the P2200, and the PC2002 is the same as the PC2002M, but come without meters, and can be found cheaper.

But personally, I think seeking out a specific model is the wrong approach. Keep an eye out for what's available, and see what pops up. The more specific you get, the less likely you will be to find what you are looking for.
 
Thanks Chris. Yes, I’m aware of these models, and they sound ideal. Are there any other Yamaha power amps that would surpass them for sound quality?
For instance, would an M-4 likely have a better or lesser sound quality?
 
Hifibythekg said:
Thanks Chris. Yes, I’m aware of these models, and they sound ideal. Are there any other Yamaha power amps that would surpass them for sound quality?
For instance, would an M-4 likely have a better or lesser sound quality?
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101M --- PC5002M in a pretty dress..
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I have a beautiful M2 and a hammered "road warrior" P2200 that I recapped, is it wrong to love the P2200 more for the stories it could tell?
Big gobs of power in both, you can't go wrong.
 
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Hifibythekg said:
would an M-4 likely have a better or lesser sound quality?
Click to expand...
milo63 said:
I have a beautiful M2 and a hammered "road warrior" P2200 that I recapped, is it wrong to love the P2200 more for the stories it could tell?
Click to expand...

I've never been able to tell much difference between my M-2 and P2200/P2201 amps. I'm pretty sure that the M-2 is biased higher stock compared to the P2200. My M-2 certainly runs hotter than the P2200/P2201 amps, even when running them bridged. I've never used an M-4 but I'm just assuming it sounds similar to the M-2.
 
Thanks guys.
After listening to your comments and reading up I’m very keen to get hold of P2200. Only problem might be the price and availability in the UK. Are there any power amps (even by, forgive me.., other brands) that do a very similar job (smooth sound quality and high damping) that might act as a stepping stone that I could start looking out for?
 
I've started this reply a few times. Not an easy one for me.

I have a P2250. Used, ratty but it is pro gear.

cons include: no meters, XLR inputs (no RCAs), screw barrier for speakers, heavy. Pro gear. it won't be as pretty as the ones post above.

pros include: cheap, XLR inputs (balanced), easy to work on if it breaks, big power (175?w/c), cheap, sounds great. It is one of my cheaper power amps.

A few updates include check/adjust bias per service manual, check DC offset, added speaker binding posts, XLR to RCA adapters.

It seems to work well with a few preamps I've tried. And with my speakers.

it might be a cheap way to hear the Yamaha sound.

If you lived closer, i'd let you try it (or a HK citation 22 or ...).
 
Thanks everyone for your suggestions and pictures. I’ve taken time to read up on all of them.
I’ve been offered a Yamaha P2200 but should I be worried about it having no speaker protection? Is there anything I can do/add that will protect my vintage speakers?
 
stoutblock said:
Nice! A most impressive effort by Yamaha. When did you get this beast?
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It has been several years ago. It had some major shipping damage and a dead channel. Wood side panels were totally trashed. Cracked circuit boards were also mended.
 
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