2020 Yamaha Integrated Amps A-S1200/2200/3200

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Deadly_Icy_Calm, Mar 27, 2020.

  1. Helom

    Helom Forum member

    Location:
    U.S.
    No but I’ve mostly lost interest in Yamaha amps having discovered Pass
     
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  2. George P

    George P Notable Member

    Location:
    NYC
    OK, thanks.
     
  3. EastConcept

    EastConcept Forum Resident

    Location:
    United Kingdom
    Might be worth checking out these links if you haven't already done so

    https://allforturntables.com/2022/02/06/yamaha-a-s3200-vs-a-s2200-which-is-a-better-choice/

    (you'll need to enable English subtitles if you don't speak German)
     
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  4. George P

    George P Notable Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Thanks, I'll check out the video. I have already seen the link you provided. I wish more attention in it was paid to the sound quality. I bought the A-S2200 fairly recently, but did not love it, though I liked it. I wonder if the A-S3200 has the clarity and dynamics I feel are lacking in the A-S2200.
     
  5. MikeJedi

    MikeJedi Forum Resident

    Location:
    Las Vegas
    I am surprised — as I feel the AS2200 has a wonderful sound to it and great clarity! .. but I suppose it depends on what your particular situation is and what you are looking for etc , what equipment etc etc. out of curiosity , what speakers are you connecting it to ? :)
     
  6. aunitedlemon

    aunitedlemon Unity is in the pith.

    Location:
    Oregon
    I think that if the sound of the 2200 didn't appeal to you then the 3200 won't either.
    I haven't heard the 2200 but the 3200 makes me very happy. I find it hard to believe that there's a substantial sonic difference between the two Yamaha's but I was also surprised to read Helom mention that the 2200 in their possession sounded veiled. My 3200 strikes me as a clear lens that lets my ears dive deep into the music and continually find myself surrounded by and enveloped in the music.
    Have you tried any of the Luxman integrated amps? If I wanted to spend more money on an integrated amp and challenge my 3200, I'd begin w/ Luxman.
     
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  7. George P

    George P Notable Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Source - Marantz SA-KI Ruby SACD player
    Speakers - B&W 704 S2 (three way floorstanders)

    Would you say that your AS2200 is notably dynamic in your system?
     
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  8. George P

    George P Notable Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Hi my friend, glad to hear you are happy with your A-S3200!

    One big reason I am considering trying the A-S3200 (at no risk, for 60 days) is because everything I have read about it says that it is a powerful, dynamic, special amplifier with great refinement and clarity. Everything you have told me has been glowing as well. Helom's comments and my own findings with the A-S2200 contradict with most of this, suggesting that there is a bigger gap between the two than I once thought. Heck, the A-S3200 is almost twice the cost of the A-S2200, so for it to not be considerably better than the A-S2200 seems kinda silly, right?

    And no, I have not tried any Luxman amps. The Luxman I would want to try is almost $3,000 more than the A-S3200. And the fact that they come only in silver is also a drawback, not to mention the price of the A-S3200 is already a huuuuge stretch for me.
     
  9. MikeJedi

    MikeJedi Forum Resident

    Location:
    Las Vegas
    Absolutely , and twice on Sunday’s :)

    I don’t sense any lack of dynamics. At all. In fact it’s one if the things I first noticed when I hooked it up ! :)
     
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  10. MikeJedi

    MikeJedi Forum Resident

    Location:
    Las Vegas
    FWIW everything I understand while there are some differences I don’t think they are massive between the 3200 and 2200. Not to say there is no
    Improvements. There’s certainly but I don’t think it’s skyscraping imo.
     
  11. MikeJedi

    MikeJedi Forum Resident

    Location:
    Las Vegas
    By the way , excellent components you got there :)
     
  12. George P

    George P Notable Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Thanks.
     
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  13. George P

    George P Notable Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Given that the A-S3200 is $3500 more than the A-S2200, doesn't it seem logical that the differences would be substantial? Otherwise, I would expect almost everyone to just buy the A-S2200 and save themselves the extra money.

    I think that the current data on how the two amplifiers compare is slim at best. This makes sense, as who has the money to buy both and compare them. Also, all of the reviews I saw compared them to other amplifiers but none of them compared the 3200 and the 2200.
     
    Last edited: Nov 20, 2022
  14. Helom

    Helom Forum member

    Location:
    U.S.
    I thought you had settled on a Hegel H390? What happened there?
     
  15. George P

    George P Notable Member

    Location:
    NYC
    A number of problems:

    1. It often blew my circuit breaker when turning it on. And it was on a 20 amp circuit with not much else plugged in.
    2. No tone controls.
    3. Odd volume control. I felt it was hard to pick a volume and stick with it.

    So it went back. I know you recommended the Anthem STR, but it too has no tone controls.
     
  16. aunitedlemon

    aunitedlemon Unity is in the pith.

    Location:
    Oregon
    I understand. The Luxman that keeps catching my eye (L-509X) resides near $xx,xxx territory and that's a bridge I don't want to cross yet. Thankfully they're only available in silver and that opposes my current color scheme. :cool:
    I think acoustic treatments need to happen to this room before I start reeling in 5-digit components.
    If you wind up auditioning the A-S3200 I'd be curious to hear what you think of it.
     
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  17. RPM

    RPM Forum Resident

    Location:
    Easter Island
    It does, but dsp.
     
  18. George P

    George P Notable Member

    Location:
    NYC
    My A-S3200 arrives Wednesday. I will surely keep you posted! I know that it will need some burn in, of course, but was yours listenable right away?
     
  19. aunitedlemon

    aunitedlemon Unity is in the pith.

    Location:
    Oregon
    If I remember correctly, my A-S3200 was immediately more holographic than my A-S801. The things that really improved over the first couple of weeks were the stunning quality of the bass and the liquidity of how the music flowed through the speakers.
    The 3200 displays a lot more tone in the lower frequencies than my ears have ever been privy to and it has improved my understanding of how lower frequencies can be simultaneously rich and delicate. There's so much more character to bass than just punchy stomps or booming thuds and I've come to enjoy the importance of these frequencies more than ever. Very much thanks to the 3200.
    Where I feel the A-S801 has a definitive solid state grip on the music, providing excellent exposure to everything in the recording, the A-S3200 presents the music with what I keep thinking of as a superbly "liquid" sound. It's a silky smooth enunciation that handles dynamic shifts and stark transients w/ clear grace. Never harsh, never dull, and utterly engaging at all volume levels.
    I'm listening to Art Blakey's "Just Coolin'" right now and the audible finesse between rim shots and press rolls is just captivating. Never mind the depth of textures provided by the other instruments. No wonder I'm not in bed.
    May the 3200 delight your ears as well.
     
  20. ether-bored

    ether-bored click OK to continue

    Not if you buy it preowned here in Japan (where I’m bringing a preowned mint Luxman SACD player home with me from). :cool:
     
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  21. Daedalus

    Daedalus I haven't heard it all.....

    I enjoy immensely my A-S3000. I haven’t heard the 2200 or the new 3200 so my experience is limited but I do believe that if the music is present on the medium being played the 3000 will reveal it. It seems to be extremely transparent to source -and also assuming the speakers are sympathetic. I have found the built in phono stage to be excellent as well.
     
  22. Espen R

    Espen R Senior Member

    Location:
    Norway
    Yes, that's exactly how I would describe my A-S3200; powerful, dynamic, with great refinement and clarity. I hear deep into music with this amp.
    And as I said before, it sounds great after 30 seconds from cold start, not many amp does that so well, Imo. But of course it needs 70-200 hours burn in. But sounded good after 5-10 hours, even better with more hours on it.

    I think the new Z-series from Luxman could be a alternative for me, as I read they are more tight in the bass and have good clarity. But I'm very happy with my A-S3200 amp:)
     
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  23. George P

    George P Notable Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Thanks, Espen! That info is very helpful!
     
  24. G B Kuipers

    G B Kuipers Forum Resident

    Location:
    Netherlands
    George, I think you would like even the 'entry' Luxman very much. L-505uX ii.

    I had the Yamaha A-S2100 for a while but their voicing is just not to my liking. Luxman seems better to me because it's more transparant.
     
  25. EastConcept

    EastConcept Forum Resident

    Location:
    United Kingdom
    I'll echo the above comments with regards to the A-S3000/32000's. I'm imagining they're relatively close in sound.

    I find my A-S3000 to be very dynamic and transparent. I absolutely love it! The way it reveals the music is effortless.

    It was a very noticeable step up in terms of refinement and clarity when compared to the A-S1100 it replaced. More powerful, too. My girlfriend simply refers to it as the "clear-sound amplifier"

    I'm sure a Luxman would be a superb alternative if you're still not sold on these audiophile Yamaha amps after trying the A-S3200.
     
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