• The move to the new server is done. There are some software and database maintenance updates in process. This has us passing the hat around to help out. We appreciate any donations. Seriously, even a dollar helps. The payment page may be found here - https://www.audiokarma.org/support.html

Yamaha B-1 and BX-1, instruments of torture

rottalpha

rottalpha

Yamaholic
Subscriber
Yes, I am the lucky SOB that ended up with the B-1/UC-1 and the BX-1's, that were for sale on the bay last week...:jump:

Thanks to exceptional packing skills, couple of days ago 193lb of pure blood Yamaha, made it to my house safely. A dream come true, I finally have a B-1 and the two BX-1's (that were not really planned for) as a bonus.

But wait, here comes the spoiler to this happy moment: I am stuck at work for an extended period in SF and will not see my new jewels for maybe a month of even two....I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE ...who can resist such torture:(
Anyway, maybe I will cheat and will end up home sooner, even for a weekend....

So if any one of you hates me by now :p, pleas know that I am doing some suffering myself.

That being said, a birdie told me that there are many more goodies where mine came from. If one should search the fleabay for let's say...hmm...Yamaha NSX-10000, (yep that is right) and then maybe look up that seller's other items...:eek2::eek2: Yes, I am still contemplating if I should mortgage my house to get some more:D
 
Last edited:
Register to hide this ad
Thanks Mark! Wanted the B-1 for a really long time. The BX-1's came as a bonus :-)
I looked at the C-1 too, but I am not that enthusiastic about it....something about the gazillion of knobs and buttons...Anyway, the C-1 went for even more $$ than my B-1. BTW, I looked at one of your old posts...you called the value of the B-1/C-1 right on the money...it was a few years back.

Did you ever fix your BX-1's?

Did you you see the rest of the goodies that Lane has for sale? Amazing! I wish I had the spare cash..
 
With tone controls bypassed the C-1 sounds superb, minimally adding or detracting from the quality of the input signal. I didn't use the C-2x (and soon sold it) after comparing it to the C-1. This is not so much a criticism of the C-2x as it is a reflection of just how good the C-1 is.
 
I feel your pain.. Couldnt listen to my system for over a month during construction.

Didn't even know yamaha made monoblocks. Those bx-1s look awesome, gotta love it
 
avionic said:
No comparison..C-1 hands down.
Click to expand...

Mark B said:
With tone controls bypassed the C-1 sounds superb, minimally adding or detracting from the quality of the input signal. I didn't use the C-2x (and soon sold it) after comparing it to the C-1. This is not so much a criticism of the C-2x as it is a reflection of just how good the C-1 is.
Click to expand...

I should have asked for your opinions a couple of weeks back. I would have had a C-1 by now.

I wonder who got the last one from the auction site.
 
So I made it home for the weekend and went strait for the box of chocolate :)

I started with the B-1 (again, thank you lmfree for the awesome packing job)

I looked under the hood briefly to make sure that there is nothing loose inside (according to my wife, the FedEx guy dropped it right in front of the door)...other than a bunch of dust, I saw nothing else that did not belong in there or anything that was moving around.

Next, plugged it in and checked DC offset. After about 15 minutes it settled at .04mV and (-)1.9mV
( http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/amplifier-distortion-dc-offset-and-you.5634/page-215 )

Hooked it to my test speakers; I noted a humming noise, even with the volume turned down to minimum and it was more pronounced in the right channel.
I hooked up a direct source (my phone with an adapter cable) and started playing some tunes. I noted right away that even with the UC/1 volume set to minimum, there is music still playing on both channels. That does confuse me and it does not seem right. Does anyone know why this is happening?

Anyway, after becoming more confident that I will not fry any speakers or v-fets, I hooked up a pair of NS-1000's. After a while, the initial humming noise I heard before, it all went away, which tells me that I have a tired cap or a loose / cold solder joint. Anyway, I took it through a few runs and it was all good. Turned it on the next day, no humming noise (so the initial noise was not related to the amp being cold on the startup). The amp played nicely for a while, but I can tell that it could benefit from a rebuild, from both, the sound and life expectancy, perspectives.

Just for kicks, I brought out a CD player with volume control as direct source and a rebuilt MX-1000. I know, not a fair comparison for the tired B-1. The rebuilt MX sounds superb and it does outshine the tired B-1 in pretty much every aspect. This was no scientific comparison by any means. The source, speakers and room positioning, etc...was just an ad-hock setup. I am sure things will be different when the B-1 will be rebuilt and the room / speaker arrangement will be proper. See attached picture with the two together. The B-1 makes the MX feel like feather-weight and the MX is not on the light side either. BTW, no B-1 was being harmed in the process (it was never turned on with the MX on top) My back will be hurting for days after moving these around.


Next was the BX-1's
After going to the precautionary measures and listening to the two mono-blocks for just few minutes, I was stunned. They sound absolutely amazing. Unlike the B-1, they have been worked on, which possibly explains it.
To be honest, I did not expect them to sound so good. I am so pleasantly surprised. As of now I do not have more than 1/2hr of listening.

One other add thing I noted: the B-1 after 15-20 minutes gets uncomfortably hot to the hand. The BX-1's after about 1/2 hr of light use, are substantially cooler. I will take some measurements. Oh, and did I mention that the BX-1's are huge!

The sad part is that the B-1 as well as the BX-1's will be going on the shelve for a while, until I have time to work on them (which is likely not for a while)....I have too many amps with the guts split open laying in boxes for now...including a B-2 and a Sony TA-N7...... got to finish those first.
IMG_20160805_092217314[1].jpg
IMG_20160805_120702917[1].jpg
IMG_20160805_180858264[1].jpg
 
Last edited:
rottapha...glad to hear another AKer was able to get those classic Yamaha amps. My brain nearly exploded when I saw all of the high-end classic gear that Lane had listed. I would have loved to bid on any of those items, but I don't have the funds at the moment. The BX-1's are very rare and I am surprised at their size compared to the B-1. I need to get a step down transformer for my 100v Yamaha B-4 amp to see if it works. It's not a VFET, but unlike the US market M-4 is dual mono and can put out 30 watts RMS in class A mode. BTW...there's another C-1 preamp listed on the auction site, as well as a B-1 amp with one bad channel, but the seller is including a set of (tested good) Yamaha-branded replacement VFET transistors with the sale. I'm very tempted to go after the B-1, but I already have a B-2 with a bad channel due to blown VFETs.
 
as well as a B-1 amp with one bad channel, but the seller is including a set of (tested good) Yamaha-branded replacement VFET transistors with the sale.

Where ?
 
yesshows77 said:
rottapha...glad to hear another AKer was able to get those classic Yamaha amps. My brain nearly exploded when I saw all of the high-end classic gear that Lane had listed. I would have loved to bid on any of those items, but I don't have the funds at the moment. The BX-1's are very rare and I am surprised at their size compared to the B-1. I need to get a step down transformer for my 100v Yamaha B-4 amp to see if it works. It's not a VFET, but unlike the US market M-4 is dual mono and can put out 30 watts RMS in class A mode. BTW...there's another C-1 preamp listed on the auction site, as well as a B-1 amp with one bad channel, but the seller is including a set of (tested good) Yamaha-branded replacement VFET transistors with the sale. I'm very tempted to go after the B-1, but I already have a B-2 with a bad channel due to blown VFETs.
Click to expand...

Probably BX-1 much larger because 100W of pure Class A requires a lot of heat sink to dissipate, a lot of transformer to supply, etc.
 
If the B-1 doesn't sound outstanding it needs to be refurbished. You're fortunate that your BX-1's are in good working order. I have 2 sets of them and they're all in need of being repaired & refurbished.
 
yesshows77 said:
rottapha...glad to hear another AKer was able to get those classic Yamaha amps. My brain nearly exploded when I saw all of the high-end classic gear that Lane had listed. I would have loved to bid on any of those items, but I don't have the funds at the moment. The BX-1's are very rare and I am surprised at their size compared to the B-1. I need to get a step down transformer for my 100v Yamaha B-4 amp to see if it works. It's not a VFET, but unlike the US market M-4 is dual mono and can put out 30 watts RMS in class A mode. BTW...there's another C-1 preamp listed on the auction site, as well as a B-1 amp with one bad channel, but the seller is including a set of (tested good) Yamaha-branded replacement VFET transistors with the sale. I'm very tempted to go after the B-1, but I already have a B-2 with a bad channel due to blown VFETs.
Click to expand...

All BX-1's are 100v and similar to your B-4. I do not think BX-1 was officially exported.
Based on my understanding, you will need a step-down with at minimum double the rating of you amp max rated consumption. I use a 2kVA cheapo variac set at 100V. But I do not yet a permanent solution either.

Thanks for the pointer to that C-1! I may have to wait for a while....
 
Mark B said:
If the B-1 doesn't sound outstanding it needs to be refurbished. You're fortunate that your BX-1's are in good working order. I have 2 sets of them and they're all in need of being repaired & refurbished.
Click to expand...

That is what I suspect Mark. I looked inside and it is all in pretty virgin condition. It needs refurbish. Lane had it out to a tech for adjustment.
At the same time, do not take me wrong. The amps sounds good. To me it did not sound as good as the restored MX. MX is not a push over amp when restored. I am sure that things will change once the B-1 gets restored. Let me put it this way: for a 40 years old amp with most likely original condition, this B-1 sounds damn good.

Mark, could you please verify with one of yours with the UC/1 hooked up if you have any sound on the speakers when the volume is at the minimum.

Edit: I am sorry to hear about your BX-1's still not working. The ones I have, were clearly worked on. It looks like a professional job, albeit not a restore job. Ask Lane and see if he had commissioned the work and if yes, who did it.
 
Last edited:
clinic-audio said:
as well as a B-1 amp with one bad channel, but the seller is including a set of (tested good) Yamaha-branded replacement VFET transistors with the sale.

Where ?
Click to expand...

fleabay US and there was one on the equivalent Japanese site, too. Both included the UC/1, and the silver plate with volume controls which mine is missing.

Patrice, you would not happen to have a spare, would you :)
 
I agree with you about the MX-1000 - it's a fine amplifier. I've got a beautiful one in my Yammy collection.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom