Reading another AS3200 review tonight, I found this info: There is one thing to take serious note of, should you buy an A-S3200 for yourself. The idea of component break in is somewhat contentious, and anything dreadful out of the box doesn’t transform into wonderful 1000 hours down the road. These aren’t butterflies. However, the A-3200 is slightly dry and stiff sounding out of the box. Not a deal killer, but after about 200 hours of continuous play, it opens up tremendously. Further than I’ve experienced with other solid-state amplifiers, which makes me wonder if my test unit was up on a shelf in a warehouse for some time before it made its way here. So, my only suggestion is that when you take delivery on your A-S3200, give it a couple of weeks play time before you judge it completely. Yamaha’s A-S3200 Integrated Amplifier – Reviews | TONEAudio MAGAZINE
I write from Spain, sorry for my bad English. I will receive a black Yamaha A-S2200 on Thursday or Friday - too bad I wanted it silver but there won't be until September or later - I'm going to pair it with a Focal Aria 936 and I haven't been able to read anyone who has this pairing anywhere, someone can contribute something along these lines. These Focals can go down to 2.8 Ohms. and they are hungry for the current. Thanks.
Are EI transformers to prefer in comparison to toroidal? I am asking since I consider a switch from the 3000 to a Luxman 590 (EI) or an Accuphase e480 (toroidal). Any thoughts ? Cheers
Depends on the situation, a designer will generally pick the best one for the job, but sometimes other factors come into play as well, including marketing and other non-technical considerations. Toroidal transformers generally have much wider bandwidth and higher primary to secondary capacitance, so can require more attention to RF ingress through the power line. And can hum when distortion of the AC input results in a net DC voltage on the line. But they have a more contained magnetic field, and lower losses since there is no air gap in the core, so can be smaller for the same power rating. Take your pick, though not sure the power transformer type should really be much of a concern for the consumer
I guess it might, but the core is gonna saturate with either high voltage or low frequency, so the transformer loses a lot of efficiency, and distortion increases at saturation, along with the magnetic field. But toroids are generally operated much closer to the saturation point, and can saturate much easier due to their inherently more efficient core design. But the main point was just that EI transformers form a natural filter and don't have the extended high frequency response of toroids, which is generally a good thing for AC power conversion in audio products, both in keeping RF out and in somewhat limiting the current pulses to the capacitors. The market is driven now by the audiophile consensus that huge toroids are better sounding than smaller IE transformers, though many of us have found the opposite is often true. Tough for a big company to go against those customer expectations, though.
Has anybody been able to determine the actual measured capacitance of the MM phono stage in the 2200? So far in this thread, it's been mentioned as being 100pF, 320pF and 420pF (!). Obviously for the majority of modern MM cartridges (particular the Audio Technicas and Ortofons) 100pF is preferable to prevent a peaky treble. Has anybody actually measured it so we have a definitive result?
It's kind of difficult for a "normal" user to measure the input capacitance of an active circuit like a phono input, the circuit is usually a series/parallel mix of capcitance and resistance, along with active devices, so can't be measured accurately with a capacitance meter. One method is to use a signal generator with a known resistance on the output, and test at two frequencies, first measuring the voltage drop across the source resistance at the lower reference frequency, and then the voltage drop increase at a higher frequency, and then calculate the capacitance responsible for the increase. So we generally just look at the schematic and guesstimate. The A-S2200 is too new to find a free service manual, so the A-S2100 is shown below, left channel only of MM/MC phono section, with the capacitors mostly affecting the value for MM cartridges circled in red ... C1053 and C1002 are directly on the input, one to signal ground and one to analog ground, they are both 100pF, but both aren't used in all locales, some just use one of them. And then there is the C1016 on the input of the MM section in parallel with the 47K input resistance, shown as 220pF. The FET input on the MM stage is cascoded so the Miller capacitance will be very low, can probably just add another 10pF for the active input, and maybe add another 10pF for connectors and wiring and such ... so maybe 340-440pF total, depending on where you live, but it's possible the 2200 is different, or that the schematic isn't accurate, so a measurement would always be much better ...
I am a A-S2100 owner and have the amp for roughly a year. My previous amp was a Rega Elicit-R and I was pairing that with B&W 683S2 speakers because I read somewhere that Rega and B&W had good synergy as a pairing and I got the speakers at a nice price 3 years ago. I'm pleased with the Yammy with the 683S2's but, from what I'm reading in this thread that those speakers are not doing the amp justice....so I think B&W 683s2's are a "good" match, but I'm fairly certain that upgrading them is my next choice because... I guess I'm wondering if Yamaha has its own name brand match synergy-wise when it comes to speakers for it' A-sx00 series? I have a fairly large room at 13'x19', like to listen at around 80-85 dbs and I'm a classic rock/alt rock guy. I'm definitely considering a B&W upgrade like the 702 S2 or 703 S2 but I'm open to something in a similar price range like the Klipsch Forte IV although I have no experience with horn speakers. Would the Yammy be too revealing for horns? Any experience, thoughts or advice on what floorstanders to pair with a Yammy A-S2100 would be appreciated.
In my case, I suspect it was a case of three different "sounds," the A-S2200 has its own sound, my Marantz Ruby SACD player has its own sound and the B&W has it's own sound. So when I went back to the more neutral sounding A-S801 I was happier with the sound. After buying and trying the A-S2200, I have much deeper appreciation for my A-S801. The guy on youtube loves the sound of his 1100 with his Klipsch. I highly recommend checking out this video:
@Reckoner - Sorry I think that video is more for the 301 although near the end he compares it to the 1100. Although he should have some other videos on YouTube that might better apply to your question if you look up any of his other videos on the 1100.
I've heard that the NS-3000 series speakers are supposed to be released in North America by the end of the year, although that's still up in the air based on global inventory issues. I haven't heard too much about the NS-3000s other than that they are based on the NS-5000 reference line speakers which are supposed to be amazing. If you're open to non-Yamaha speakers, I can recommend the Golden Ear Triton One.R floorstanders. They sound great in my system with excellent detail and soundstage.
I have KLH model 5's paired with a Yamaha A-S801. It sounds awesome! Great match. 100 watts or more on these speakers are good. I can't imagine why the higher up Yamaha's wouldn't be even better than the 801. I bet any beefy integrated amp from the likes of Yamaha, Mcintosh, Luxman, etc. would work well.
Regarding your last point, a month and half ago I would have fully agreed with you, but now I would say the higher up amps by Yamaha are different, but not necessarily better. Luckily, provided we use dealers that offer a return for refund policy, we live in times where one can try out an amp in one's system and return it if it isn't to one's taste.
I haven't heard them so I don't know but I hope they would offer something better or more for the price difference. Regardless I love the 801 and it is good enough for my needs for many years until/when I have thousands of extra dollars burning a hole in my pocket
Thanks for the response! Good to hear from someone with experience. I ordered a pair some time back, and there have been a few delays. The longer I wait, coupled with not knowing when the waiting might end, the more nervous I get about the purchase. Even worse, I have never actually heard the KLH 5’s. Adds to my anxiety about the whole enterprise. Thus my question. It eases my mind some to know that there are actual model fives out there, and hooked up to a Yamaha. Thanks again.
I love my 801 too! I guess what I am learning, for me, that more money spent does not necessarily mean more satisfaction.
Having actually used AT mm cartridges with my A-S1100, I can confidently claim the capacitance is a non-issue, at least with my particular model. You’re not going to get a warm, thick sound with an AT cartridge but that’s going to be the case with most preamp/AT cartridge combos.
Have to disagree. I’m a firm believer in matching the cartridge to the phono stage in terms of loading. To me its essential to getting the performance that was designed into the cartridge. The AT-440mlb sounded far too bright when I owned a Yammy A-S2100. Was hoping they’d have reduced the capacitance with the 1200 / 2200 / 3200 series by now. I use an external phono stage built by myself that I can easily adapt for any cartridge, so I guess it’s a moot point to an extent now. But it would have been nice to reduce the box & cable count if Yamaha had designed in a more sensible amount of capacitance. Will likely still go for the 2200 model before the year is out though (regretted selling the 2100).
