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

[AudioSceptic]

Indeed, my local shop! I have always been happy with the service and they tend to be competitively priced with some good clearance offers.

The founder/owner seems to have been good to his employees too <https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/may/14/richer-sounds-staff-julian-richer>
Back on topic, you'd choose Yamaha over Cambridge Audio (almost the "house brand" at Richer sounds) in this price bracket?

 

[JJB70]

The founder/owner seems to have been good to his employees too <https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/may/14/richer-sounds-staff-julian-richer>
Back on topic, you'd choose Yamaha over Cambridge Audio (almost the "house brand" at Richer sounds) in this price bracket?

IIt depends, some things I'd go with Cambridge, others Yamaha, although I think both brands generally offer good performance at value for money prices. I tend to prefer Yamaha industrial design and they seem to have developed digital and multi-room type functionality for their gear more effectively than Cambridge, although some of the Cambridge stuff offers excellent value and performance tends to be excellent for the price point.

 

[amirm]

I am glad no one asks me to write such detailed write-ups. Promoted to home page.

 

[JohnBooty]

FYI for those interested, Accessories4Less typically has these in stock (manufacturer refurbished, 1yr Yamaha warranty) for $499.

https://www.accessories4less.com/ma...tural-sound-integrated-amplifier-black/1.html

I've ordered from A4Less and the Denon I received seemed like brand new. Anecdotally I have found them to have a good reputation. We recommend them quite often at r/BudgetAudiophile and I've not heard any bad experiences.

I do like the adjustable Loudness contour that does a very good job on evenings when listening quietly to TV

This feature is highly underrated, particularly for folks who don't live alone!

 

[Erik]

The founder/owner seems to have been good to his employees too <https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/may/14/richer-sounds-staff-julian-richer>
Back on topic, you'd choose Yamaha over Cambridge Audio (almost the "house brand" at Richer sounds) in this price bracket?

While most measurements of Cambridge Audio amplifiers do look ok, this is the worst PowerCube I've ever seen.

Source: AUDIO magazine.

And here's a "high-grade" Yamaha amplifier measurements from the same source.

The lesson here is to always look for measurements, even if the product comes from a reputable company.

 

[restorer-john]

FWIW I bought a Yamaha AX-592, I guess in the late '90s. I don't use it much anymore, but it works fine.

It's essentially the same amplifier. Yamaha refined their integrated designs in around 1990 and haven't really change since. Just add a feature and pull off something else- re-arrange the front panels, change colours etc.

I could pull out an AX-xxx and it'll perform much the same as this one reviewed.

 

[maty]

The lesson here is to always look for measurements, even if the product comes from a reputable company.

At 1 watt, H3 is 25 dB more than H2 !!!

And, worse, H5 is higher than H2 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[maty]

https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/aks...78481.html?s=14b897e2599d05423241970d417a54eb

by AKSA (Hugh Dean)

[ 3. Most pleasing musical instruments tend to promote even order harmonics over odds. The harmonic profile is highly complex, giving us 'tone', or 'timbre', and this gives a belief that distortion from a sound system needs to depress ALL harmonics. But if some harmonics are present, they should be even orders rather than odds, and the reality is that all systems generate unwanted harmonics, even the best systems. As it happens, H2 adds warmth to the sound, while H3 adds the sharp, highly 'clean' sound; a sense of resolution. H4 adds a bit of body, and higher than these we really do not like them at all. These are all subjective observations but they explain a lot about tube amplifiers and why people like them.

4. If a sound system promotes H3, H5, and H7 but no others, it will be sound resolving but tend to sound 'machine-like', as some describe as 'digititus', or sterile. There are some people who like this sound, however... ]

 

[maty]

[Polish] https://audio.com.pl/testy/stereo/wzmacniacze-stereo/2547-yamaha-a-s1100

 

[yigitboy]

I used one with Davis Acoustics Dufy Hd bookshelf. It could not feed them. Bass was Insufficient. Detail was not bad

 

[maty]

http://audiophilefr.com/davis-acoustics-dufy-hd.html

DAVIS Acoustics DUFY HD
Sensibilité : 90 dB pour 1w à 1m
Impédance nominale : 8 ohms
Puissance admissible : 110 watts
Réponse en fréquence : 50 Hz à 23 kHz +/- 3db
Fréquence de coupure : 3500 Hz
Dimensions : ( H x L x P ) 30 x 16 x 25

 

[Wombat]

https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/aks...78481.html?s=14b897e2599d05423241970d417a54eb

by AKSA (Hugh Dean)

[ 3. Most pleasing musical instruments tend to promote even order harmonics over odds. The harmonic profile is highly complex, giving us 'tone', or 'timbre', and this gives a belief that distortion from a sound system needs to depress ALL harmonics. But if some harmonics are present, they should be even orders rather than odds, and the reality is that all systems generate unwanted harmonics, even the best systems. As it happens, H2 adds warmth to the sound, while H3 adds the sharp, highly 'clean' sound; a sense of resolution. H4 adds a bit of body, and higher than these we really do not like them at all. These are all subjective observations but they explain a lot about tube amplifiers and why people like them.

4. If a sound system promotes H3, H5, and H7 but no others, it will be sound resolving but tend to sound 'machine-like', as some describe as 'digititus', or sterile. There are some people who like this sound, however... ]

Re 3., above. I like my system to accurately reproduce the input at the output(speaker), warts and all. No added or subtracted audible distortions and no preference for particular instruments. On my system a trumpet can be 'in-your-face' just like a 'live' one and I don't want it muted for those who haven't experienced it and/or prefer a subdued version at their ears.

 

[maty]

I think there is a consensus on harmonics in an amplifier:

* None above 90 dB

* If there are, that H2 > H3 > H4 ... with H2 at least 10 dB above H3. The question is: how much H2 to play ALL kind of music? -73 dB, -84 dB maybe.

Never dominant H3.

 

[maty]

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...1100-as-2200-integrated-amplifier.8819/page-2

 

[Biblob]

It's essentially the same amplifier. Yamaha refined their integrated designs in around 1990 and haven't really change since. Just add a feature and pull off something else- re-arrange the front panels, change colours etc.

I could pull out an AX-xxx and it'll perform much the same as this one reviewed.

Would AX-592 be worthwile to buy secondhand?

 

[restorer-john]

Would AX-592 be worthwile to buy secondhand?

Absolutely. In good condition, functioning perfectly and at the right price, I wouldn't hesitate. It's a great amplifier.

 

[anmpr1]

Would AX-592 be worthwile to buy secondhand?

Here's the lowdown on mine. The remote works on volume, but the motorized input source selector sometimes hangs, and you have to switch manually. Other than that, it works fine for a 30 year old amp.

I personally wouldn't pay much for any 30 year old amplifier, just because of the age. but that's just me. If you can get one really cheap, it might be worth the risk. If I needed an inexpensive integrated amp, I'd probably look at a new Yamaha 301.

Like I mentioned, the companion TX-950 tuner died on me about 12 years ago. Capacitor leaked over the circuit board. It was probably fixable, but FM was not important to me, so I deep sixed it.

 

[anmpr1]

Here's a thought. Let's say you could get a 592 for 100 dollars, or so. Maybe less. According to David Rich's review of the the 592 and its predecessor, the Yamaha amplifier section is is quite beefy on these machines, with considerable dynamic power in to 4 ohm loads. One could decouple the amp from the preamp, and use one of the almost SOA DACs reviewed here, like the Singxer, and have a pretty solid system for not too many dollars.

 

[Willem]

Sure, but in the Netherlands a new AS301 with digital inputs is 270 euro, an AS501 350 euro, and an AS701 550 euro. I think the AS 501 is the sweet spot, at least in this market. For 350 euro you get almost 100 watt rms per channel into 8 Ohm, an inbuilt DAC, and no need to replace capacitors.

 

[dkinric]

FYI for those interested, Accessories4Less typically has these in stock (manufacturer refurbished, 1yr Yamaha warranty) for $499.

https://www.accessories4less.com/ma...tural-sound-integrated-amplifier-black/1.html

I've ordered from A4Less and the Denon I received seemed like brand new. Anecdotally I have found them to have a good reputation. We recommend them quite often at r/BudgetAudiophile and I've not heard any bad experiences.



This feature is highly underrated, particularly for folks who don't live alone!

Agreed, this site has some amazing deals, especially on refurbs and B stock. I got a Yamaha RS202 integrated from them for a second system on sale for $89. Been very tempted to send it to Amir for testing, but shipping would probably cost half as much as the unit.

Included remote, built in bluetooth, plenty of power. Distortion rating a bit high for audiophile use - but $89!