808_state
Super Member
If you want the best quality stuff with superior/worry free packing it has to be the hifido.
Yamaha GT-2000 Turntable Social Group
- Thread starter timofred
- Start date
If you want the best quality stuff with superior/worry free packing it has to be the hifido.
Welcome to AK & welcome to the GT-2000 club!
808_state
Super Member
Nice! Did you get it off Yahoo jp auction? They've had several over the last couple of months with the box. Looks super clean and congratulations!
dhyu99
New Member
Thanks for the welcome!
Yes, through Buyee. Seller had the original box, so I had no worries about a shipping damage. I just picked up YOP-1 on my way back from work, too!
Ahhhh, the most desirable yamaha pre. How do you like it / do you still use it?
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808_state
Super Member
The YOP-1 whether original or aftermarket is a must. Glad to see you are getting the best straight out of the gate. How do you like the C-70? It's on my list of future purchases. I've got a CX-1 (to pair with my M-85) on the way from the Yahoo jp auction. Many of these guys have moved on from the C-2x but I love mine. The phono adjustments really work.
dhyu99
New Member
I was lucky to find an original silver one for 20,000 yen, also from YahooJp. It's ridiculous how much some ebay sellers are asking for these.
I'm very happy with C-70, which I also acquired not too long ago. I've heard and read that C-70 has a good phono stage, so that got me interested for an analog setup. I'm really loving the sound of my yamaha's. These will stay with me for a long time, unless I find a C2X for a really good deal to replace C-70.
808_state
Super Member
I was lucky to find an original silver one for 20,000 yen, also from YahooJp. It's ridiculous how much some ebay sellers are asking for these.
I'm very happy with C-70, which I also acquired not too long ago. I've heard and read that C-70 has a good phono stage, so that got me interested for an analog setup. I'm really loving the sound of my yamaha's. These will stay with me for a long time, unless I find a C2X for a really good deal to replace C-70.
Most of the ebay prices are a scam as they assume that no-one outside of Japan checks the jp auction. You can also get NS-2000 speakers from either hifido or the jp auction at a fraction of what they go for on eBay.
The C-4 is also good for vinyl but can require some patience with repairs to get the bugs worked out. I think the inverted 2nd pre-out on the C-70 is supposed to be a nice bonus. I highly recommend a C-2x. Keep the C-70 for a second setup
dhyu99
New Member
Yup that's the thought. I may buy C-2x down the road to replace C-70, but I'm definitely keeping C-70 for a secondary setup.
Moving on from C-70 discussion, I just bought about $100 worth of records yesterday to get started. I'm definitely having a good time during this 3-day labor weekend.
808_state
Super Member
So as a religious/fanatical watcher of the Yahoo jp auction I noticed that a broken and non-functioning HX-10000 Yamaha centennial phono preamp went for $4k. Wow! It must really be something as I know it goes for double that when working. I'm just curious what people's experience has been with phono pre's and or head amps and the GT. My GT and YSA-1 are hooked straight into the MC jack on my C-4 and I've been pretty happy with it. I tried an HA-1 head amp into the MM jack and actually liked that better but got a little hum so I'm back to the MC jack for now with my MC-100 cart and it's really good/quiet. The MC-100 is a champ in the inner groove.
What say you for the YA-39/YSA-1/YSA-2 and the phono's you've tried?
What say you for the YA-39/YSA-1/YSA-2 and the phono's you've tried?
bimasta
Addicted Member
Theophile, what are the differences between the various tonearms in the 750/2000 range? They all use similar (and very good) design principles and look similar: gorgeous, with all the obvious features and also subtleties of perfect tonearm design. The various models could all be different — but on the other hand, it would have been far more cost effective to mass-produce one great arm to go on all tables in the range, with maybe one no-compromise super arm at the top. Armtube composition, bearings, and internal wiring obviously might be different at various price-points — the latter two could easily be upgraded. Even the armtube, if one is obsessive.
I have a humble arm from the DP-Y8, which seems to have been the prototype, using all the same design principles, but lacking the elegant finish and a couple of features because of the simpler/cheaper design of the TT it accompanied. Even so, according to TVK, it has the lowest bearing friction of any arm ever, excluding unipivots of course — but TVK is far from infallible.
I've always wanted one of these arms, and while the Y8 (or whatever it's called) is very good and lovely to look at, I want to move up the ladder. I've had (and still have) some of the UK vintage "super-arms" (SME 309, Linn Ittok, Syrinx PU3, Odyssey) but suspect that these Yamaha arms (which the Brits so condescendingly and racistly dissed as "Jap-Crap") are much better, and certainly more beautiful (though the Odyssey is a museum-worthy kinetic sculpture).
Would you please evaluate for us the various tonearms in the illustrious GT2000 family? There aren't many, and with your encyclopedic technical knowledge and love of writing (the love is obvious because you write so well) you should be able to cover the subject in a mere 10,000 words.
It would be immensely helpful to me and countless others — indeed, a service to all Humanity.
I have a humble arm from the DP-Y8, which seems to have been the prototype, using all the same design principles, but lacking the elegant finish and a couple of features because of the simpler/cheaper design of the TT it accompanied. Even so, according to TVK, it has the lowest bearing friction of any arm ever, excluding unipivots of course — but TVK is far from infallible.
I've always wanted one of these arms, and while the Y8 (or whatever it's called) is very good and lovely to look at, I want to move up the ladder. I've had (and still have) some of the UK vintage "super-arms" (SME 309, Linn Ittok, Syrinx PU3, Odyssey) but suspect that these Yamaha arms (which the Brits so condescendingly and racistly dissed as "Jap-Crap") are much better, and certainly more beautiful (though the Odyssey is a museum-worthy kinetic sculpture).
Would you please evaluate for us the various tonearms in the illustrious GT2000 family? There aren't many, and with your encyclopedic technical knowledge and love of writing (the love is obvious because you write so well) you should be able to cover the subject in a mere 10,000 words.
It would be immensely helpful to me and countless others — indeed, a service to all Humanity.
808_state
Super Member
A dead ringer for the YA-39...wow! We're these arms (the Vestax, YA-39, YSA-1 & 2) oem'd by the same vendor? The same materials and bearing quality?
bimasta
Addicted Member
Disappointing — if true. Like a gorgeous woman without a thought in her head. I agree the VTA adjust is crude — even my little DPY8 prototype has the same lock/post/collar, but added a very effective knurled ring that engages a fine thread on the inner post, and you can raise/lower VTA with a fingertip, no force, no jostling, no stylus disturbance in groove even while playing an adagio.
But I also wonder if maybe you're suffering that audiophile "the tonearm is always greener..." syndrome. Posting that Vestax pic proved nothing. And you can't be serious calling it "near identical" — it's a cheap trashy ripoff of the basic design with near-zero quality or integrity (in both senses of the word).
So why haven't you tried a "better" arm? Can't be cost, a lot of people will loan you any arm you want, just to prove your theory. I think you'll find some "better" arms might not be. How could your TT sound as sublime as it does if the arm is a weakness? You've written that a TT is a system, not a series of parts, an integrated whole, a gestalt.
And thanks for your parenthetical about "first world problem indeed". I've lived in third world countries — not visited, lived. I always approached my audiophilia thinking "How long would the money for this amplifier feed a family in Malawi?" Thinking like that, I could never justify paying big bucks for anything as trivial as Audio, because I know families in Malawi.
Yours is the first comment along these lines I've in this or other forums, I guess they're off-topic, so nuff said.
808_state
Super Member
I'd say the YP-D71's tonearm was the closest thing to a prototype for the YA-39 arm. It would be interesting to know when Vestax's use of this design came into the picture. I have an SAEC WE-308 mounted to a 2000L waiting for me in Japan but it would be nice to try the 407-GT that was adapted for the GT-2000's.They go for as much as a whole deck.
bimasta
Addicted Member
You may be right, I'm far from expert on Yamaha arms. Several of their TTs featured versions of the arm, and the YP-D71 certainly does, but other models preceded it. More importantly, I hope — I'm sure — you'll love your SAEC/2000 combo — and I'm jealous — though I'm delighted with my current partner.
muovimies
Super Member
The above is certainly possible but it could also be the arm was designed for Yamaha exclusively by someone else and once Yamaha ceased production of turntables that design became the property of the OEM / they were allowed to sell it to others (or whatever were the terms of their deal). Suggesting this only because the Vestax seem to be from late 90s/early 00s maybe(?) and I don't recall seeing the "Yamaha arm" on any other tables besides Yamahas, despite the basic design seemingly being around from late 70s - if it was readily available to anyone, you'd think you'd find one on many 80s turntables. Of course it could be there are tables out there having that arm I'm just not aware of or don't remember. Or it could even be the OEM or Yamaha themselves had a big pile of the arms or partial arms and sold them off cheap after the Yamaha TTs were no longer made and Vestax (or whoever did put the tables together for them) was there to cease the opportunity.
Btw. do you know if Micro Seiki was the OEM for the Yamaha arm? Out of curiosity I googled some Vestax tables and they all seem to have different arms, but many of them very familiar looking
Including some that seem like exact copies of some Micro Seiki made (afaik) Luxman arms (again, apart from the arm tube). I have a hunch Vestax (or whoever made the tables for them) were just very opportunistic in producing them and since the tables seem to be from the time when most everyone else had just stopped production of TTs, there must've been quite a bit of surplus parts available if you were there to pick them up. Anyway I'm just speculating, and Japanese manufacturing scene seems very ripe for this kind of speculation, since it seems there was a time everyone made stuff for everyone else and had stuff made for them, even if their own factory produced a similar competing item. Not sure how that all makes sense, but it probably does if you understand how things worked in Japan back then.
ateal
Super Member
Just googled Vestax turntable and what a mish mash of different arms they used. They were certainly not designed and produced by the turntable manufacturer as that would have too cost prohibitive for the budget tables they were/are.
My money is on muovimies theory. They produced the deck and adapted the varieties for whatever batch of tonearms they could secure.
Back to the YA-39. In my opinion it is an outstanding performer due to the fact it can support my Ortofon SPU cartridge and make it shine like it's supposed to. If anything I would replace the tonearm wires before replacing the arm which in turn would require modifying the plinth.
I think this mod would bring about an even greater level of detail retrieval. Problem is I don't have anyone to perform this work and it is too much of a challenge for me.
My money is on muovimies theory. They produced the deck and adapted the varieties for whatever batch of tonearms they could secure.
Back to the YA-39. In my opinion it is an outstanding performer due to the fact it can support my Ortofon SPU cartridge and make it shine like it's supposed to. If anything I would replace the tonearm wires before replacing the arm which in turn would require modifying the plinth.
I think this mod would bring about an even greater level of detail retrieval. Problem is I don't have anyone to perform this work and it is too much of a challenge for me.
