These have been well reviewed, but have not seen much from owners. Has some one had a chance to listen to the Yamaha versus gear from Accuphase, Luxman, McIntosh (or smaller integrateds from LFD, Lavardin, etc.) and other top flight integrated SS contenders. I expect it would be a very solid value, especially at street prices for the Yamaha gear, but how does it fair against some if top gear out there? Love the look as an added bonus (yup, in my early 50s). Some say with their R&D prowess that can make a great piece of gear if they set their mind to it - did they do it? (As an additional bit of info - should it matter - my speakers only need 30-40 watts or so, and are very easy loads for amps - tube friendly).
Solid made, great look, no 3D sound, bright forward. Is hi fi sound is your taste good choice. but if you are into rega musical sound or even more hi end, look somewhere else. I sold them I missed the look and construction not the sound. Hoping that helps. I had the 2000 and matching cdp. Regards
That might make a big difference in the results depending on how power and current hungry they are/were.
Things could be a lot different with speakers that are tube friendly and an easy load to drive.
I've used a vintage yamaha receiver with my Triangle monitors which are pretty easy to drive and the results were surprisingly good. The only problem is the receiver is only 20 watts and can only go so loud before hard clipping quite noticeably. If the new Yammys perform similarly or better (that is what I would expect), 80-90 watts could be the ticket to very good sound at very reasonable cost. I considered trying these newer Yamahas myself in my application but decided to go in a different direction than an integrated amp.
Funny how Juglern had a much different experience.
I currently own the A S-2000 Yamaha integrated and matching CD player. It is VERY refined, with a great 3D soundstage. It is not bright at all especially compared to 3 previous integrateds ( McIntosh 6500, Moon I-5, Musical Fidelity A5 ).
Build quality is off scale and this unit plays beautifully. Current speakers are Sonus Faber Domus, but I did have a one month trial with much more expensive 12k speakers. This beauty redefines the concept of value in a sub 3k product. Its that good. All of this with accurate tone controls, phono stage, great headphone amp and those cool rocking switches and stunning looks. What's not to like? Chers and good luck.
That is a very impressive array of integrated and very much in line with what I am looking to compare the Yamaha too. Could you say a bit more about the Yamaha versis the Mac - a 6600 is also an integrated I am considering, but the price is significantly higher.
I'm also using an A-S2000. I replaced a Parasound JC-2, XTA 224, Rawson clone Aleph J mini, and a Parasound A-23 by having passive crossovers made for my speakers and substituting the Yamaha integrated. Not only did I not experience any drop off in performance but I actually find I like the new arrangement much better in every way.
As a bonus I received a terrific phono section and a separate headphone amplifier all in the one box.
When Yamaha decided back in 1975 to enter the U.S. hifi market, they ignored the watts per dollar race then going on among Japanese manufacturers and offered instead a lineup of products that were very much superior in build quality and, hence, better sounding than the leaders at the time. Many of those products are still much sought after 35 years later.
Now it appears that Yamaha has once again decided to carve out a niche and they are doing so in style with a lineup that once again defies the current standards for pricing and performance. On top of that, the clever ones amongst you may discover a vendor in the U.S. who is selling the A-S2000 new in box for $1200. There can't be any way to beat that deal legally.
Encouraging! If it can compete with Mac, Sim, Parasound, and the great Aleph J (though a clone)- that would be pretty impressive given the build quality, appearance, and street price. Has anyone compared the 1000 versus 2000? Is it just fewer watts, or more going on there - other than balanced input.
Macrojack - good post but one caveat - I encouraged a friend to purchase one of those '' $ 1.200.00'' A-S2000 new-in-box to replace his aging Krell integrated with something more versatile (and probably better sounding).
He could never get that deal. Brand new ones (mostly the silver finish) cost significantly more.
If you know of someone who could get a new-in-box unit for that price, let me know.
I have the cds 1000 cd player. Use it as an SACD player and a transport for a DAC. Sounds great with SACD and very good on red book. It can be modded by VSE for ultimate performance. Great build quality, better than the Sony 5400. I don't hear the brightness someone mentioned, but very clear, clean and well balanced sound. Haven't heard the integrated amp, but know some folks who dumped some pretty good separates for it. Yamaha put some serious effort into these pieces.
The ones who are really brave I always think are those who drop tens of thousands on more on new pieces, that immediately depreciate significantly in value by the thousands, based on product reputation alone or feedback of others that perhaps they have ever even heard before buying.
In any case, I was being sarcastic because I realize now that anyone who has a use for this amp should buy it without hesitation. Whether or not it surpasses other options in performance, it romps all over anything in the area of value. Check it out here on Audiogon.
A friend of mine based on what he heard on my system - tried to buy an AS2000 integrated here from the dealer advertising on A'gon - he was told they were out of silver ones until dec 20th - might as well say 2012 at that rate AND the silver finish goes for a lot more money. This integrated is a winner even at full retail - what a breath of fresh air Yamaha brings to this snobbish high-end feature-sripped integrated market. This amp is packed with technology and features - it is a FUN amp that brings me back to the fun days of hi-fi.
Just a note, the silver finish is the one to get - totally jewel-like with the light wood sides (much better than photos) instead of the more mundane ARR-like black finish.
I'm currently using a Yamaha ax-596 integrated with my Paradigm Sig S2s. Will I realize an improvement with an a-s2000? I listen to blues, classic rock and classical (mostly symphony). Usually at moderate volume.
I don't know. Similar power and current. I don't think you would be dissapointed in the quality of the AS-2000, but I would be suprised if it were an "wide margin" difference where you would easily know the difference in an A/B listening session at the same volumes. Only one to find out.
Danoroo, what are you looking for from a change in amplifier?
I think what I'm looking for is a more open, airy, three dimensional sound, primarily in the mid range. Maybe slightly more forward. Am I barking up the wrong tree? Maybe it's new speakers that I need.
Circuit topology, parts quality, assembly quality and surface conductvity of signal route is nearly on-par with Accuphase.
The AS2000 cannot be compared with an AX-596. The 596 is a good amp for the money. The AS2000 is in another league altogether.
Unfortunately, the AS2000 has been removed from Yamaha's 2012 catalogue. The snobby nature of our hobby makes it hard to support this product when one can purchase a Simaudio Moon amp for less money. And that's a shame. This Yammy betters most of the competition at this price level on sound, (including the Sim) smokes them on features, and is STILL built to last 30 years - something that cannot be said of many flimsy boutique amps out there.
No that there aren't any left at dealers - I think it will become a classic in due time.
I understand there are some differences under the hood - but mostly, the AS2000 is a touch more refined and transparent. Now it all depends how much of that ''touch'' you feel might make a difference. I could definitely hear the 2000 having an edge over the 1000. It is subjective of course, but I found the 1000 to less involving. Still the 1000 is a very good machine and a good buy nevertheless. I did my auditioning with some very revealing speakers, and the 2000 was my favorite. If you can spring it, the 2000 is the way to go.
The audible differences are less pronounced between the cd players (1000 and 2000) however, as I could not detect anything difference worth mentioning. They are both equally impressive with that silky-smooth transport.
I don't there is a difference, what I caution is against hyperbole which makes minor difference seem monumental. I've seen seasoned audiophile who could not consistent determine if a 30 watt tube amp or a 200 watt SS amp was playing - no two amps could be more different, and yet. Not saying the AS-2000 is not a better amp, but I find claims that one piece will blow away another piece is almost always, well. overblown. It is a beautiful amp though and worth having on those grounds alone assume decent performance, which reviewers seem to agree is pretty darn good - I just would not expect transformations from night to day.
"The audible differences are less pronounced between the cd players (1000 and 2000) however, as I could not detect anything difference worth mentioning." It is interesting how often I find this to be the case with CD players by any given manufacturer - pro reviewers have been saying much the same thing as well with these two Yamaha CD players.
I have the A-S2000 (black) for a year now. I'm using it with the Harbeth SHL-5. My previous amp was the Krell KAV300i for almost 10 years. I had both amps for a period of 4 months. I can confirm now my initial findings about this outstanding amp. * Totally neutral. What is on the disk, what comes in, goes out unchanged, as it ment to be. Not "warm", not "analytical", not "bright", "laid back" or "forward". It all depends on the recording. All exposed, from garbage to ultra high end. * Dead quiet. No pops, clicks, hiss or any kind of noises while working, or at turn on and off. * Great output protection. Our expensive speakers deserve it. (I have tried it on purpose). * It is fully balanced from input to output. That means four amps in one box! Fully balanced amps for home use are only a few from high-end brand names and always very expensive. Considering the built quality of the A-S2000 and the asking price, it is one of the great bargains ever... * It is built like a tank, it has defetable tone controls, phono, headphone out, it comes with a real instructions manual (a book) and finally, I can see (and hear) my money on it. What else can a music lover ask? I totally forgot about "what amp?", tubes, s state, matcing cables and all that. I know, this is not good for the hobby, but I like it a lot those days!
Takisjk is attempting to lead you out of the wilderness. Like me, he has found that obtaining a very good, user-friendly integrated amplifier with full features, reasonable pricing and a monstrously stable manufacturing source can set you free from the audio quest.
Accepting that you have what you need and then forgetting about the chance that there may be some minuscule performance distinction separating you from nirvana is all the tweak you need. No amount of financial investment can overcome dissatisfaction. If you always want more, contentment will continue to elude you.
The most effective tweak available - and the cheapest - is to simply alter your thinking. Perception is reality in matters such as this.
You are right, but the hobby is about fixating on minuscule difference and diminishing returns - you are describing people with normal attitudes towards listening to music at home. I suspect if I had the Yamaha in front of me and a Luxman 590 and was told to pick one......
Pubul57 - Your selection would depend on which sensory function you used to establish preference. Your eyes, your ears, your ego or your inner accountant might all direct you toward one of those two products or the other. I might prefer the Accuphase myself on some basis but I do not intend to ever test that preference. Due to web chatter I'm inclined to think that the 590 is somehow better - reputation carries a lot of weight - but I have the Yamaha already and it requires much less of my money than arguable alternatives so, for me, the status quo will prevail. The Yamaha A-S2000 is a really nice piece. I can't testify that it is the nicest but I have owned several Rowland Concentras and this Yamaha holds its own in that company. N.B. - I have not compared them side by side. I also owned a Krell integrated several years ago that wouldn't hold a candle to either of them in sound or build quality. All I'm getting at, I guess, is that choosing your parameters might be a lot more important than choosing your product.
At the current prices available for the A-S2000 if you can fine one I would snap it up. The best built and sounding amp at it's current price by a landslide. A real audiophile amp that compares impressively with the snobbiest small brands. Don't let your ego waste your money. Buy the Yammy and spend the rest on speakers.
I'm totally agree with Kevmorse. This is one of the best amp. you can buy for $$$$$$. My running with JBL studio 530 and those speakers are Killers for $$$$$$.
You can get a GOOD.. {20% "PLUS"} across the board improvements with these a-s2000's after you do our QuickSilver GOLD contact enhancer.. male connector pins tweak to them!....
Before doing this tweak, you turn on the power on this amp and then you unplugged the power cable at the ac outlet and wait 24 hours before doing anything!!!!.....................
You just coat all the connector pins on all the circuit boards inside the amp with a toothpick. The connector pins are right there where you see all those cable wires hooking up on all those circuit boards there. You only coat the tips of these male connector pins using that toothpick. Some of these connections connectors have already been soldered to the circuit boards...with this amp you ONLY unhook the {WHITE COLORED connectors} hooked up to the circuit boards. In the back, they are circuit boards that are stacked on top of each other, you have to take all these circuit boards off to get to all these connector pins on each circuit board there. Behind the front face plate they a few WHITE COLORED connections connectors there to to coat too.
It takes about 6 months for this stuff to break-in fully!...
Now you have a amp that can play with the Big Boys and one of the biggest bargains your ever see in this hobby!!...
We believe we found the "Weakest Link with gear"!!!.......
We have done this tweak to ALL our gear and TV's with great improvements to everything we have tried it to!!....
"We believe we are hearing the music like the Studio Engineers meant us to hear it now"!!!................
I have the Yamaha A-S1000 and i be having for awhile now, and I have positive and negative things to say about it.
Let's start with the negative first. The remote control, has a nice brushed aluminum front but the rest is really cheap plastic and i don't understand why they haven’t done it all in aluminum. Its relay controlled, and maybe the RD department at Yamaha took it just too far and went over the edge. When you use the treble or bass settings, the relay kicks in and cuts out the sound for just a second. I know i know its a minor thing, no it's a micro micro micro minor thing, but i thought i had to find find some negative thing, and trust me i had to look hard in order to find some, because i don't believe things can be without faults cause we as humans has different preferences and so on and it's only the manufacturer that writes only positive reviews. Anyway way way OT, now to the good stuff.
I was surfing around reading reviews watching youtube reviews and one reviewer on youtube ‘new record day’ reviewed a A-S2100 and he said something about being PO when listing to the RIAA or Phono or whatever you call the turntable input, he was PO because how many other manufacturers got away with producing so terrible phonostages and i totally get it, because the phono stage in this yamaha is unbelievably good. You can listen to this amp for countless hours without ever getting tired.
One reviewer in What hifi said something about it being to laid back, and i totally disagree, i would more use words like smooth and incredible musical.
I used some more or less basic stuff like a Rega Planar 3 with a Ortofon MC1 Turbo and the speakers are the Pioneer SP FS 52.
Listening to U2 album Boy which is mastered by John Dent at Sound Clinic who is an epic skilled mastering tech, you are able separate every instrument and really feel that rehearsal space vibe 4 dudes in a room rocking out. If you really gives it some volume it still sounds great, those Pioneer speakers maybe be easy to drive, and i have had countless of other amps on it, and they never really sounded good and i couldn’t understand why people where so glad for them until i got the yamaha now the Pioneers really sings!
The more demanding Beethoven's Symphony no 1 and 2 it handles like a dream, you are able to feel the room, in which the orchestra sits in, and feel every violin bow being played over the violin.
I bought mine second hand and i got with the CD-S1000 which is a SACD and it was a fairly good deal, and i can safely say that this is the last amp i ever gonna own.
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