Inside Yamaha amps

[Glint]

Some pics of a Yamaha A-S700 I owned some time ago, replaced it with a topping TP-22, pictured last :/

Well built looking amp though, no dodgy capacitor rubbish.

 

[DMill]

These posts better stop or I’m gonna spend a couple thousand on a A1200. My girl is gonna kill me.

 

[Overseas]

Best ofer for AS1200 is around 1900 euro in EU, just for info

 

[restorer-john]

Some pics of a Yamaha A-S700 I owned some time ago, replaced it with a topping TP-22, pictured last

Hardly a step up the audiophile ladder, more like you slipped a rung and fell off.

 

[trl]

...not mentioning the much lower output power, but at least there's some space gained and less heat generated.

 

[TheBatsEar]

Wonderful amp. Yamaha has apparently tuned it's sound by ear according to the video I will post. It really does look like the build of a classic Yamaha of the 80's in the heyday of audio.

That video is quite horrible.
A random engineer and a random sales person changing random caps by ear, and that makes it into a special European build? I have doubts.

Some pics of a Yamaha A-S700 I owned some time ago, replaced it with a topping TP-22, pictured last :/

Well built looking amp though, no dodgy capacitor rubbish.

Cheers

These posts better stop or I’m gonna spend a couple thousand on a A1200. My girl is gonna kill me.

Best ofer for AS1200 is around 1900 euro in EU, just for info

I should sell mine for a profit then, bought the amp for 1450€, was only 3 month old. The seller was in trouble, he bought it on credit, wasn't even payed off.

 

[DMill]

I should sell mine for a profit then, bought the amp for 1450€, was only 3 month old. The seller was in trouble, he bought it on credit, wasn't even payed off

I’m looking used now. I see a used A1200 for $2k and a new A1100 for the same price. Hmmm.

 

[TheBatsEar]

I’m looking used now. I see a used A1200 for $2k and a new A1100 for the same price. Hmmm.

If money was a concern for me, i would buy a R-S700 (same power amp and power supply than A-S700/701/801) and call it a day. In terms of amplification, there is little in the A-S1000/1100/1200 that you don't get in the 700 series.
You pay for looks, weight and, dare i say it, prestige or something.

 

[Overseas]

My subjective feelings see/ hear a significant improvement in As1100 vs Rn803, worth the price. Also comparative increased heating in standby mode.
Also as always in anecdotes, my wife does grasp the change, too. No blind test.

 

[Deleted member 48726]

My Yamaha A-S1000, currently not in use. Took it apart for some cleaning the other day. It packs a heavy weight. I wondered why when I took it apart. The bottom plate is about 2 mm. thick. This is over 2 kg. in itself. The feet look like some cast iron and probably also is 1 kg. for four pieces. The rest of the weight is probably the transformer and the thick convective cooling plates.
Don't get why it is only rated at 90 W/channel @ 8 ohm. There are six transistors and two 18.000 uF capacitors per channel. I guess the transformer is not up to par for sustained power. If so, it's a missed opportunity. Have to look up the model of transistor also. -Could be that these are a bottleneck also.

There is scribbled some date on the inside of the top-cover. Did they manufacture the amp up until 2013?

 

[Deleted member 48726]

My Yamaha P3200 power amplifier. Used in studios, now in my living room.
2 x 340 W @ 8 ohm
2 x 440 W @ 4 ohm
2 x 950 W @ 2 ohm (Burst)
1 x 880 W @ 8 ohm bridged

I have wired the two cooling fans in series as to minimize fan noise while keeping the ramp up and protection.

 

[Deleted member 48726]

My Yamaha MX-630 power amplifier.
2x125 W @ 8 ohm
2x150 W @ 6 ohm
Dynamic power @ 8 / 6 / 4 / 2 / 1 ohm = 175 / 220 / 290 / 390 / 420 W
Thought that I might take it apart and adjust idle now that I have taken the other apart as well for this thread.

It is the amplifier I've had for longest. I bought it when I was 13 or 14 I think. That would make the year of purchase around 1998. It is great. It may look a bit cheap on the inside but the abuse it has taken during my teenage years is insane. Never a problem with it. Doesn't even get much warm. It has even been used for a passive 15" subwoofer on just the one channel for years and also for mid / tops at a mobile disco for some multiple gigs when a pro amp burnt out. I have never seen the clipping lights in this thing!

Now it resides as a pensioner in the not-used-gear room.

 

[restorer-john]

My Yamaha MX-630 power amplifier.
2x125 W @ 8 ohm
2x150 W @ 6 ohm
Dynamic power @ 8 / 6 / 4 / 2 / 1 ohm = 175 / 220 / 290 / 390 / 420 W
Thought that I might take it apart and adjust idle now that I have taken the other apart as well for this thread.

It is the amplifier I've had for longest. I bought it when I was 13 or 14 I think. That would make the year of purchase around 1998. It is great. It may look a bit cheap on the inside but the abuse it has taken during my teenage years is insane. Never a problem with it. Doesn't even get much warm. It has even been used for a passive 15" subwoofer on just the one channel for years and also for mid / tops at a mobile disco for some multiple gigs when a pro amp burnt out. I have never seen the clipping lights in this thing!

Now it resides as a pensioner in the not-used-gear room.

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The old MX-630 is a classic and was a real bargain at the time (about 1991/92).

 

[dualazmak]

My Yamaha A-S1000,
....
There is scribbled some date on the inside of the top-cover. Did they manufacture the amp up until 2013?

In Japan, we could purchase brand new A-S1000 up until around the end of 2015. I assume Yamaha manufactured it until around June in 2015...

The bottom plate is about 2 mm. thick. This is over 2 kg. in itself. The feet look like some cast iron and probably also is 1 kg. for four pieces. The rest of the weight is probably the transformer and the thick convective cooling plates.

Yes, rather "heavy" duty, indeed.

The same for my A-S3000 (shared here in this thread); size 435W x180H x 464D mm, weight 24.6 kg which is larger and heavier than my Accuphase E-460 of size 465W x 181H x 428D mm, 24.4 kg.

 

[dualazmak]

Hello OP @TheBatsEar,

I edited my post #34 on A-S3000 by adding several photos. If possible, would you please update your index post #2 so that it includes A-S3000 as well as MX-A5200 shared in my post #91?

 

[Deleted member 48726]

The old MX-630 is a classic and was a real bargain at the time (about 1991/92).

I've been happy with the time spent with mine, that's for sure. It should have the discrete HCA system as well. I remember it being a non-switching amplification, thought to deliver class a amplification or near class a without the wasted heat. It may not be 100 % true as I don't think Yamaha continued the system on amps after the MX-630 / 830 era. May be wrong about that though. But if it worked that well, they may have made more amps with it.

 

[Deleted member 48726]

In Japan, we could purchase brand new A-S1000 up until around the end of 2015. I assume Yamaha manufactured it until around June in 2015...



Yes, rather "heavy" duty, indeed.

The same for my A-S3000 (shared here in this thread); size 435W x180H x 464D mm, weight 24.6 kg which is larger and heavier than my Accuphase E-460 of size 465W x 181H x 428D mm, 24.4 kg.

Okay, didn't know they kept the production up for that many years. Then it isn't as old as I thought.

I have a feeling they wanted to over sell the series a bit on the weight and "cheated" a bit by having unnecessary heavy plates, feet and cooling profiles. I mean; 90 W @ 8 ohm and the dynamic power isn't really that impressive on paper. It's good, but not as good as one would think when the scale says 22 kg. -And I haven't seen any real-life measurements to see if it delivers more than the rated power. So if anyone has a link to a test, it would be appreciated.

 

[TheBatsEar]

update your index post #2 so that it includes A-S3000 as well as MX-A5200

Done.

I don't have anything to take apart right now except for my A-S1200, and that is used daily.
Maybe at the weekend.

 

[mhardy6647]

You don't have to dissect it -- just pop the top!

 

[Deleted member 48726]

You don't have to dissect it -- just pop the top!

No! Unsolder EVERYTHING!