Yeah, they're wonderful. The fact that they're dimmable makes them even more impressive. I'll continue to express my respect to the minds at Yamaha for creating such wonderful sounding equipment that also satiates the senses of sight and touch. Bravo Yamaha!
Bravo indeed! I originally thought the meters were a bit big on 3200, but in person, they look great!! My 3200 arrived today, a day early! I took some pics, one tonight and one earlier today (below.) Haven't been able to listen very much, as my girlfriend works from home on Tuesdays until 7pm. On the other hand, it was good she was home, as this thing is so heavy it took both of us to lift it onto my shelf, which is 5 and half feet from the floor. I have been running a burn in track by IsoTek quietly all day but I had a chance to hear a few songs at lunchtime. I definitely liked what I heard! I told my girlfriend that of all the amps I have auditioned (A-S2200, Hegel H390, Musical Fidelity M6si) out of the box, this one is heads and shoulders over the rest. A few concerns, when the box arrived I noticed that it was taped twice. I couldn't tell if it had been opened once before, of if Yamaha simply tapes it twice. Or if it needs to be opened by customs and therefore required retaping. All of the green tape on the front of the amp was intact, though. And the accesories looked like they hadn't been opened before. My other concern is that there may be some dust on the inside of the window to the meters. I'll have to check again tomorrow during the day when the light is better. I bought this from Amazon, so I have until January 31 to return it for a refund, not that I am forseeing that. At the time, there was a discount offered, so I got it for $7,159.
Purrr... And how about the speaker terminal lugs on the back?! I've been thoroughly impressed w/ the craftsmanship of my 3200. It took me a couple of weeks before I noticed that the indicator notch on the volume knob even has some finely tapered flair going for it. I'll never get tired of that spring loaded mute switch either. Enjoy!
Looks stunning on that shelf @George P . The A-S3200 is truly a piece of art IMO I really hope you have better luck with this A-S3200 than you did with the A-S2200. Glad to hear the first impressions are good! And with break-in, the sound should only continue to improve.
Do you mean the extra notch on the inside of the volume knob, so you can see how loud it is even if only looking at it from the side? Thanks!
Thanks, man. I know my girlfriend, whom I live with in a small apartment, also hopes I have better luck. I agree, with break in, I usually get what our old member Barry Diament taught me: "Overall focus, clarity, extension, dynamics, soundstage just expand and get more clear until they stop expanding and getting more clear. At that point, the unit has "arrived.""
I hope this is the one George! I owned the A-S2200 for a few months but then the opportunity came up to make a change and I traded it out. But before I did I had an opportunity to listen to the A-S3200. The 3200 was more to my taste, it seems to trim just the right amount of richness from the tone of the 2200 and that gives a sense of enhanced clarity and forthrightness over it's junior sibling. Also IMO the large meters make it a much more appealing piece of industrial design too!
But not before cheerleading me on (along with @aunitedlemon) to my own A-S3000/A-S3200 decision. One of the best I’ve made in some time (pending getting this Luxman SACD home, of course).
This is true I expect the Yamaha will be more than capable of extracting and relaying all the nuance and improvement afforded by the Luxman over the outgoing source.
Thanks, me too!! I fully agree with the way you describe the sound of the 3200. It sounds like how I expected (and wished) the 2200 had sounded. I was gambling that the 3200 had to offer a great deal more in the way of sound over the 2200. I felt like it had to for the price. Luckily, Amazon had one for a good price, so I rolled the dice. Tonight, even my girlfriend was making nice comments on the sound, saying it was a "clear, but also cozy, at home sound." I agree.
You know which one I'm talking about. It's going to get better! I can't believe how textured sound can be. I've been really awed by the soothing tonality of bass lately.
Yes, when the 3200 breaks in the sound gets even more textured, better clarity and dynamics floats better.
@George P hope you hit the goal with your new amp. Also the tone control circuits needs a break in. I find them useful, just adding a bit bass/treble on some recordings. And you don’t loose much transparens in sound after breaked in.
I’ll chime in and agree that break in is real. I thought the sound I was hearing was just fine but one day a couple of months in I realized that the amp had attained an nth degree of clarity and presence.
Thanks, Espen. Interesting about the tone controls. Maybe I should leave each of them engaged when I am playing stuff on repeat and not home? That will be enough to break them in, right? I'm guessing it would be better to turn them each up a bit to achieve this?
Yes, just leave each of them engaged when you’re not at home and playing on repeat. I have not a turntable at this moment, but guess the same would be with the RIAA step in the amplifier. Enjoy!
That seems to be the "special sauce" with this amp right? Lithe, supple and musical without forgoing a level of clarity and insight that lets you listen deep into the best recordings. It's a pretty neat trick. And to think, once upon a time I used to look down on Yamaha as merely a home theatre brand.
@Espen R and @aunitedlemon - how have to come to understand/use the volume control on the 3200 remote? On my A-S801, one push of the volume control would result in a change that was big enough to be perceptible, but small enough to fine tune the overall volume level. On the 3200, though, a push of the button seems to result in so little of a change that I can't hear it from the listening position. So, I have taken to pushing twice on the remote instead of once when I want a small change. So, I am curious about your experience/tips on this? Also, did you find the burn in progress to be linear? I am finding the sound to be bright/glary for awhile, then sounding amazing for awhile, then back to a bit bright/glary, etc. I think the remote is the same on the 2200, so if you guys have any ideas/experience, I'd appreciate it. Thanks.
Sweet AS3200 sir !!! Enjoy the crap outta that !! If I ever upgrade that’s my next piece. My wife will kill me — just kidding. As long as I can justify it — eg someday upgrade my speakers, and I pay cash — in the meanwhile enjoying what I got — but the 3200 meters are freaking cool. Amongst other things it has lol!! Imo. Anyway enjoy !!!