YAMAHA A-S3000 and SONY TA-A1ES Tests and Evaluations: Part-1
In Single-Amplifier + LC-Network Full Range Audio System
Note: I am an end user audio enthusiast and I have no conflict of interest at all with any of the manufacturers, import companies, distributors and audio shops relevant to this post. This post is not intending to intensively share objective and/or subjective evaluations of the candidate amplifiers, but I would like to share about how I would test and try candidate amplifiers in this project.
Hello friends,
As pre-announced in my posts #302, #304 and #305,
YAMAHA A-S3000 Class-AB integrated amp and
SONY TA-A1ES quasi Class-A integrated amp have arrived at my home on January 4.
I hope and believe your web browser would properly translate
this comprehensive page on A-S3000 and also
this spec page into English. As you may aware, the new model A-S3200 is now on sale, but
A-S3000 is still available at some audio shops in Japan with YAMAHA's 5-year warranty.
TA-A1ES, Sony's quasi-Class-A integrated amplifier, has been occupying a unique position in the market for rather long period after its launch in 2013. I hope your web browser would properly translate
this conprehesive page on TA-A1ES and also
this spec page into English. TA-A1ES is still widely available in the market in Japan (with 3-year warranty at SONY's web store) and other countries.
It is said that
TA-A1ES behaves as pure Class-A (a little bit warm though) under about 10 W output power range, and it behaves as Class-AB above 10 W.
I am very much interested in
SONY's description of;
"The TA-A1ES uses a current feedback type power amplifier to achieve a sound with excellent focus of the sound image without phase rotation up to the ultra-high range. "
(This looks somewhat similar to Accuphase's description for
A-36 as shared
here.)
and,
"In addition, by applying sufficient bias, the heat generation of the transistor becomes almost constant, there is no sudden temperature change at the semiconductor chip level, phase rotation in the ultra-high range is suppressed, you can enjoy a sound with good focus, and the emitter resistance is deleted. "
I tentatively stacked these two amps for my tests and evaluations; the physically cool
A-S3000 is under the relatively warm
TA-A1ES;
Prior to the tests and evaluations, I did burning-in for
A-S3000 and
TA-A1ES in rather large (
ca. -20 dB) sound volume by playing
my audio sampler music tracks for continuous 48 hours. The large sound volume burning-in was done "in silence" using
the 8 Ohm 100W dummy speakers (ARCOL HS100 8R F) on my SP cabling boards.
As usual, I started the full-range tests and evaluation of
A-S3000 and
TA-A1ES comparing them with
ACCUPHASE E-460, my reference integrated amplifier.
As shared repeatedly, the reference set-up with
E-460 is like this;
The details of the LC-network in the outer box and software crossover
EKIO's I/O configurations are shown in this diagram;
Please refer to
my post #248 and
#251 for the 22 Ohm fine tuning resistors in
Be-SQ,
Be-TW and
ST circuits.
And, "the simpler, the better"
EKIO crossover filter configurations remain unchanged;
For the following tests and evaluations on
A-S3000 and
TA-A1ES, I mainly used my audio sampler music tracks as shared in
my post #44 which is also pasted here for your reference;
I listened to these sampler music tracks more than hundred times throughout my current project for the past 18 months, and my ears and brain well memorize the best relative gain/volume configurations for all of these tracks.
OK, I first tested and evaluated
A-S3000 in full range operation as in this diagram, just by replacing
E-460 with
A-S3000;
and;
Even though I listened
A-S3000 several times at Yamaha's show room and audio stores, this was my very first experience listening it at my home in my current audio setup.
In comparison with the reference sound with
ACCUPHSE E-460, the total sound presentation given by
A-S3000 is similarly very nice and really impressive. As reviewed and reported in many places in Japan and abroad, the sound is clear, natural and rich, in very slightly warmer and lively side compared to
E-460.
My wife and I agreed that we felt very pleasant with the sound of
A-S3000, just like
E-460, especially the nice and wonderful low range (
ca. 45 - 500 Hz). We also confirmed this by playing only the low range 45 - 500 Hz sound using the
EKIO's flexible mute/solo functionalities in its GUI I/O panels.
A-S3000 is an integrated amp, and we also confirmed the excellent volume controller which gives no audible coloring nor distortion in normally applicable volume range.
As known well, the bass-tone, treble-tone and L-R balance controllers are fully bypassed when we set them in the neutral positions, this feature is really nice.
My wife said that she liked
A-S3000 better than
BENCHMARK AHB2... Yes, I know and confirmed that the engineering sound design policy and approach for these two amps are different with each other as you may agree; I should not, I cannot, therefore, deny her subjective feeling unconditionally.
On next day, we moved-on to full-range tests and evaluations of
SONY TA-A1ES;
and;
Again, even though I listened
TA-A1ES several times at audio stores, this was my very first experience listening it at my home in my current audio setup.
After listening to all of the audio sampler tracks twice, we (my wife and I) unanimously agreed that we slightly more liked the total sound presentation of
A-S3000 and
E-460, especially in the low - mid range, as well expected.
Then we carefully and intensively listened to the high range sound of
TA-A1ES (above
ca. 6,000 Hz, mainly by Be-tweeters
Be-TW and horn super tweeters
ST) by playing only the sound above 6,000 Hz using the
EKIO's flexible mute/solo functionalities in its GUI I/O panels.
I this purpose, we also used the wonderful
"Track-20 High frequency linearity check" of
Sony's SUPER AUDIO CHECK CD, which I touched in
my post #26. The Track-20 is really extraordinary recording of
"Bimmel Bolle Classic Orgel" sounds like huge European Carillon containing very much powerful, high-energy, high-speed, high frequency bell ring together with wide range 30 Hz - 20 kHz base sound. I usually use this track to check sound and phase of tweeters and super tweeters, as well as total Fq linearity. I have never heard recorded sound having such a high-energy and high-speed high Fq components.
I clearly found, and my wife agreed, that the high range sound (above 6,000 Hz) of
TA-A1ES is really nice and wonderful in clearness, cleanliness, sonority and 3D perspectives, maybe due to its very nice phase characteristics just like we have experienced with
ACCUPHSE A-36 class-A power amp as shared in
my post #282 and
#283.
TA-A1ES is a very simply designed integrated quasi Class-A amp with no tone nor L-R balance controller, and I also confirmed the excellent volume controller which gives no audible coloring nor distortion in normally applicable volume range.
Well, in addition, I should not forget to share this point with you; both of
A-S3000 and
TA-A1ES (just same as
E-460) are really quiet amps. Even in very high volume/gain position, I could hear no high frequency hiss noise at all when I placed my ear(s) almost contacting to the Be-tweeter and the horn super tweeter.
Having these findings and impression on
A-S3000 and
TA-A1ES in full-range operations, I moved into the bi-amp tests and evaluations still using LC-network, to be shared in my next Part-2 post.
