YAMAHA A-S701 - tear-down, thoughts about the internals & few measurements

[maty]

Yamaha A-S701 MKII​

Yamaha A-S701 | Integreret forstærker Tape Connection

Yamaha A-S701 MKII, integreret forstærker til en skarp pris med et udvalg af både digitale og analoge indgange, samt pladespillerforstærker i god kvalitet.

tapeconnection.dk

Nothing new. Same pictures and specs

 

[maty]

Yamaha A-S701 MK II stereoforsterker Sort - Subwoofer tilkobling, digital inn - Audio Import AS

Enkel og kraftig stereoforterker med digitale innganger samt subwoofer utgang

www.surround.no

 

[TheBatsEar]

Please select color finish: only black!
The prophesy was true, the end is here.

 

[mhardy6647]

What surprised me is the lack of information how this new version MK2 is different from the old one.

It may say "Mk2" on the front escutcheon.
Perhaps an homage to the ca. 1977 Yamaha CA-610II?

Please select color finish: only black!
The prophesy was true, the end is here.

What goes around, comes around

(truth be told, though, the Model T was available in different colors at the beginning and end of its fairly long production run)

 

[Rosenbloom]

The dealer said Yamaha UK had replied him. The answer he received is there are “some internal changes and improvement” in the MK2.
Haha, may anyone buy MK2 and have another tear-down to find out the truth?

 

[TheBatsEar]

“some internal changes and improvement”

AKA reduction of production cost.

There isn't much impactfull you can leave out, so i suspect they switched maybe to a cheaper transformer or DAC. Doesn't have to be worse. But might. But maybe not. But probably yes. There are limits to my acceptance of cost cutting.

 

[trl]

https://www.av-connection.com/?PGr=8301 has even the manual for MKii published, although on Yamaha website seems to be the same file for MKi, so I suppose the specs and the PDF files from Yamaha portal are the same for both MKi and MKii versions. Looking forward for someone to buy it and open up the case.

 

[TonyJZX]

i reckon they swapped dac manufacturers... that's it

take a guess from which company to which new cheaper company

 

[jaco61]

How so?

More than 5db

 

[ewwwDavid]

Hi guys. Just registered here after lurking for years. I’d like some advice if someone has time. I’m a novice with speakers and purchased the Lintons based off reviews. I do love them. Currently using a S701 I’ve had for a few years.

Thoughts on the 701 vs Schiit gear? Like a Freya and Vidar 2 in mono (don’t have enough money for dual)? Would the Lintons benefit for dual? I always thought dual was for floor standing and didn’t think “bookshelf” speakers needed that much power. Granted the Lintons aren’t exactly bookshelf speakers.

Thanks in advance. Can also pm if you want to chat about it. I love learning more about audio.

 

[TonyJZX]

that's a price thing

an 801/701 is for someone who doesnt want to spend a heap of cash and wants a traditional box that has heaps of power and with that yamaha sound

is it not the toyota camry of integrateds if a camry had a bit of muscle? the attraction of the yamaha is you can buy it from a corner b&m and it will never break down

if given the opportunity some of us would go with seperates but the price goes up a lot

what two box setup can be had with similar power and price to the 701? i'd happily lose all digital and bluetooth functions for it

 

[ewwwDavid]

Thank you for your insight! Yeah the separates are definitely more exp. I'll have to think about what I want. Thanks again

 

[TheBatsEar]

that yamaha sound

No such thing, there is no particular "sound", as can be seen in the frequency response.
Which is flat.

what two box setup can be had with similar power and price to the 701? i'd happily lose all digital and bluetooth functions for it

Me too!

 

[trl]

Thoughts on the 701 vs Schiit gear? Like a Freya and Vidar 2

For the A-S701/801 the most detailed review I've seen is the one from audioholics (see the 1'st page from this thread too), although other measurements can be found on the 1'st page of this thread too, see https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...t_dac_usb_cd-direct_open-circ-1khz-png.36400/ where the SINAD achieved @5W is 88dB, identical with the one measured by audioholics and very close to the 90dB SINAD measured by Amir on a similar audio device: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ds/yamaha-r-n803-smart-receiver-review.13830/).

For the other two devices feel free to lookup here on ASR for some reviews and comments like https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/schiit-vidar-amplifier-review.12633/ and https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/schiit-freya-pre-amp-review.36059/.

 

[Bernard23]

I'm struggling to establish what the important differences between this 701 and the 501, apart for the the connectivity and power specs. Is the 701 worth hunting out over the 501?

 

[TheBatsEar]

I'm struggling to establish what the important differences between this 701 and the 501, apart for the the connectivity and power specs. Is the 701 worth hunting out over the 501?

The differences as i can remember them:

• slightly more output power, A-S 701 has 160W (4 ohms, 1kHz, 0.7% THD), the 501 120W
• the A-S701 has a slightly larger power supply
• the A-S501 and 701 have a knob for "Pure-Direct", the A-S701 adds a knob for "CD-Direct"
• price

Since i never need that much power, and "CD-Direct" isn't something i value, i would pick the 501 for it's lower price. The 301 is a bit compromised in terms of power supply and the 201 is built differently and very cheapish.

If used is ok, check out the A-S500 (like the A-S501 without digital inputs) or R-N700 (power supply from A-S701/700, plus pre-out/main-in and record source selector).

 

[Bernard23]

The differences as i can remember them:

• slightly more output power, A-S 701 has 160W (4 ohms, 1kHz, 0.7% THD), the 501 120W
• the A-S701 has a slightly larger power supply
• the A-S501 and 701 have a knob for "Pure-Direct", the A-S701 adds a knob for "CD-Direct"
• price

Since i never need that much power, and "CD-Direct" isn't something i value, i would pick the 501 for it's lower price. The 301 is a bit compromised in terms of power supply and the 201 is built differently and very cheapish.

If used is ok, check out the A-S500 (like the A-S501 without digital inputs) or R-N700 (power supply from A-S701/700, plus pre-out/main-in and record source selector).

Thank you, likewise I have no need for CD Direct. Presumably the onboard DAC and phone stages are of equal ability?

 

[Willem]

I bought an AS501 for my daughter and it is perfecty fine. It will be sonically indistinguishable from many more expensive amplifiers (and better than some expensive snake oil offerings). At the time the AS501 was a lot cheaper than the AS701 in the Netherlands, so it was the sweet spot. Buy an AS701 if you need the power. I honestly think these Yamahas are the perfect amplifiers for many people, unless they need the big power of some class D separates. They have low output impedance for a flat reponse with just about any speaker, plus all the analogue and digital inputs you can wish for, plus tone and balance controls and adjustable loudness. They are a tried and tested design from a respected major manufacturer.

 

[Bernard23]

I bought an AS501 for my daughter and it is perfecty fine. It will be sonically indistinguishable from many more expensive amplifiers (and better than some expensive snake oil offerings). At the time the AS501 was a lot cheaper than the AS701 in the Netherlands, so it was the sweet spot. Buy an AS701 if you need the power. I honestly think these Yamahas are the perfect amplifiers for many people, unless they need the big power of some class D separates. They have low output impedance for a flat reponse with just about any speaker, plus all the analogue and digital inputs you can wish for, plus tone and balance controls and adjustable loudness. They are a tried and tested design from a respected major manufacturer.

Useful insight, thank you! I suspect that yamaha, denon, marantz are as good and sometimes better than the more fashionable manufacturers

 

[Bernard23]

One decision I have to make is to understand if there is a worthwhile improvement (which includes functionality as well as sonic ability) over my existing hardware. No one has tested the Denon I've got, so I'm stuck with mostly subjective opinions with the attendent uncertainty that those bring.
I can only assume a benefit in additional headroom as the power is rated higher, and connectivity is not as well featured.