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Yamaha A-U671 Integrated Amp & DAC Review

astr0b0y

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I don’t understand the use of a subwoofer output without a HP filter for the speakers and LP for the sub out. Otherwise how could you integrate the two successfully?
 

MZKM

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I don’t understand the use of a subwoofer output without a HP filter for the speakers and LP for the sub out. Otherwise how could you integrate the two successfully?
Many enthusiasts believe in not using a crossover, so it saves Yamaha money.

I know Paul McGowan has stated something to the effect of:
”The speaker designer designed that low end response, so messing with it just sounds wrong”
 

Dimifoot

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One of the many benefits of using a sub, is that you relieve the speaker (and the amp) of the heavy/impossible task of (trying to) reproduce the 1st and 2nd octave.

Crossovers and Sub-outs should be compulsory :) in 2020 for DACs (obviously not the ones intended for headphone use) and Integrated amps+Dacs.
 

anmpr1

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Made in China that explains it. Real Yamahas are made in Malaysia these days.
The thing is, though, it's not 'where it's made' but what the manufacturer asks for. If Yamaha (since that's who we are talking about) specifies the cheapest thing going, that is what they will get. If Yamaha desires higher quality, they pay up front and that is what the factory makes for them. In this case, the onus is on Yamaha for sourcing el-cheapo, and not the place where it's built.

Sitting next to me I have an Epiphone Les Paul and an Ibanez AS73. Both are inexpensive (dirt cheap compared to a Gibson LP or ES-335). But the actual fit and finish from both China and Malaysia are first rate. In fact, I really don't know how they do it so cheaply. What you don't get is a nitrocellulose finish (instead you get poly) and the electronics will probably have to be replaced in a couple of years--but you'll do that anyway when you upgrade pickups--a relatively inexpensive do it yourself procedure. So the problem is not where it's made, but with Yamaha bean counters.
 

mhardy6647

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Yamaha has been clever to mimic the look of 1970s and 1980s switchgear:

index.php
Alas, the controls are plastic and don't have nearly the nice feel of their old brethren. The volume control is motorized though and is operable through the remote.

Yeah, huh? ;)

P1020541 by Mark Hardy, on Flickr

Conclusions
I have a soft spot for the look of the Yamaha A-U671. And inclusion of a USB DAC in a light and compact enclosure. Not much else to hang your hat on from there on. If you can find one at a yard sale for $100 it would be a good purchase. I don't know that I would buy it over so many other modern choices with Room EQ and streaming built-in.

If'n any of youse guyses see one for a hunnert US smackers -- feel free to pick it up for me. I'm good for the cash, honest. :cool:

1581950775072.png


On the "plus" side, I see a real opportunity here for aftermarket audiophile upgrades to that black twisty-tie and (especially) that reinforced tape holding down those ribbon cables. I am sure an audiophile, anti-vibration technology solution upgrade to that tape would yield staggering if not jaw-dropping improvements in blackness and PRaT. :rolleyes:

In seriousness, I've neither seen nor even heard of this component before this review. It is an odd duck, isn't it? Wonder what market niche they were trying to fill with it, and why they thought that was a good idea?
 

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Francis Vaughan

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It is just weird. It offers less capability, measures worse, and is shoddily made, in comparison to Yamaha's own wxa-50. All it has going for it is a slightly retro conservative look. Probably comes from a different part of Yamaha, one with quite different goals and market.

It may not be broken enough to warrant a headless panther, but it isn't far short. It certainly doesn't justify its price.

Compared to the just fabulous construction ethos of their 1970's gear, this just makes me feel sad.
 

Doodski

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I can tell you some stories about the QC in the Malaysian facility back in the day. It came on line in about 1990/1 and we had entire pallets of receivers that were faulty... Luckily, they ramped up production slowly and only with the low end products first.

It's been pretty good in the 30 years since to be honest.
When the manufacturing location transition was being made from Japan to Thailand, Malaysia and other countries it was a money making time for me due to all the extra work from defective units coming from the new factories with inferior product even though they mostly looked the same as the Japanese units. >@^_^@<
 

confucius_zero

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Well shit... I'll stick to my wxa50 then.
 

raif71

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Yeah, you got that Yamma, Ha
That Yamma, Ha
That Yamma, Yamma
Yeah, you got that Yamma, Ha
That Yamma, Ha
That Yamma, Yamma
 

Count Arthur

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Yamaha has been clever to mimic the look of 1970s and 1980s switchgear:

Shame they couldn't get those "bar" knobs to line up nicely, that's pushing my OCD buttons.

I guess they are rotary knobs, rather than switches, in which case I'd prefer conventional circular/cylindrical knobs, so that they don't look untidy when not lined up.
 
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AGLeS

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This is a review and detailed measurements of the Yamaha A-U671 USB DAC and integrated class D amplifier. It is on kind loan from a member. The A-U671 costs US 499 but most vendors say it is no longer available even though it shows as current on Yamaha site. How fast modern gear becomes obsolete...

Conclusions
I have a soft spot for the look of the Yamaha A-U671. And inclusion of a USB DAC in a light and compact enclosure. Not much else to hang your hat on from there on. If you can find one at a yard sale for $100 it would be a good purchase. I don't know that I would buy it over so many other modern choices with Room EQ and streaming built-in.

------------

@amirm do you have a short list of recommended choices of DACs with room EQ and built-in streaming? Probably operator error but I can’t seem to use the master index to down select for these specific features.
 

infinitesymphony

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Just looked it up, all they tell you is + / - 10 dB. So you don’t know what range of frequencies is affected at all. See page 3. Specs on page 17 don’t reference it. Really sad. This is a sad piece of gear, IMHO.

https://usa.yamaha.com/files/download/other_assets/3/795413/web_ZS22000_A-U671_om_UL_EnFrEs.pdf
Here are the specs for the A-S501 in case Yamaha are using the same EQ section for all of the amps that look like this:

Bass
Boost/Cut (20 Hz): ± 10 dB
Turnover Frequency: 400 Hz

Treble
Boost/Cut (20 kHz): ± 10 dB
Turnover Frequency: 3.5 kHz
 
OP
amirm

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pavuol

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Shame they couldn't get those "bar" knobs to line up nicely, that's pushing my OCD buttons.

I guess they are rotary knobs, rather than switches, in which case I'd prefer conventional circular/cylindrical knobs, so that they don't look untidy when not lined up.
Exactly, mon ami!
(Hercule Poirot)
 

gvl

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The thing is, though, it's not 'where it's made' but what the manufacturer asks for. If Yamaha (since that's who we are talking about) specifies the cheapest thing going, that is what they will get. If Yamaha desires higher quality, they pay up front and that is what the factory makes for them. In this case, the onus is on Yamaha for sourcing el-cheapo, and not the place where it's built.

Sitting next to me I have an Epiphone Les Paul and an Ibanez AS73. Both are inexpensive (dirt cheap compared to a Gibson LP or ES-335). But the actual fit and finish from both China and Malaysia are first rate. In fact, I really don't know how they do it so cheaply. What you don't get is a nitrocellulose finish (instead you get poly) and the electronics will probably have to be replaced in a couple of years--but you'll do that anyway when you upgrade pickups--a relatively inexpensive do it yourself procedure. So the problem is not where it's made, but with Yamaha bean counters.

I was just trying to say that it appears that Yamaha plant in China is making their low end models.
 
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