I think Yamaha knows exactly what kind of sound they wanted for the 1200; a bit forward kind of sound and a sound that rocks with popular music. And for most people, that’s exactly that kind of sound they want and do entertain them. For more dead serious HiFi audience, there is the 3200, or C/M 5000 set.
When I compared the A-S1100 and A-S2100 a few years ago, I found them to be very, very similar sounding. Any difference there might have been seemed especially small in the grand scheme of all the different amplifier philosophies that I tried (from pushpull tube amps to Naim to Sugden, etc). Btw: This was using the rca inputs, I did not try the balanced inputs.
I still have and always enjoy a lot my A-S2000 / CD-S2000 pair (the latter's laser replaced after 4 years of operation...). I wonder if the new series justify any change? And still no news about CD-S2200... I would very have liked to have a Yamaha unit which could be used also as a DAC (as the CD-S2100 can).
Hi I am new here... but I have a Yamaha A-S2200 / CD-S2100 combo driving a pair of Yamaha Ns-500m and a pair of JBL 4319 speakers. On the JBL`s I mostly use an Yamaha MX-1 power amplifier connected to pre-out on the A-S2200.. This is the first "High-end" amplifier I have tried but for my it sounds VERY nice. The sound is so CLEAN and effortless, detailed nut never hard sounding, more what you call warm sound... I realy like these yamaha components, I think tis is the "end game amplifier" for me. Really like the didtal inputs on the cd-s2100, very clever feature. Was a little worried about only 90watts but i sounds much bigger Just my opinion
I think all the A-S1200/2200/3200 use MOSFETs at the output stage. Is it a single pair per channel or dual pair per channel.?
This may have already been mentioned but the 2100/2200 are differentially (i.e. fully) balanced. This is a rare thing in an integrated, never mind at this price. I can't think of any other integrated under $5k that is fully balanced from input to output. So auditioning the 2100 with a fully balanced signal chain might be a more fair comparison? Idk
Fair enough. I didn't test its balanced inputs at the time simply because I knew I was going to use the rca inputs exclusively.
Apologies for dumb question but can you elaborate on what this means and how do you take advantage of it? Thanks in advance
In a balanced signal L and R channels have equal impedance to ground. So, gear that has XLR inputs can be balanced even if the preamp is single ended (though this often results in worse performance than simply using RCA due to adding arguably unnecessary stuff into the signal path). Differentially balanced is when the L and R channels are transmitted in opposite polarity and isolated from each other in the signal path. This latter point requires a doubling of components, hence higher cost. Balanced and differential signaling are different things, but often get lumped together under the "balanced" header. Adding to the confusion, things can in fact be "fully balanced" but not "differentially balanced," so it's important to disambiguate. Taking advantage of a fully differentially balanced setup requires a differential signal path from source to output, otherwise there's no point. Really it's hard to justify bothering with imo, but it's impressive what the 2100/2200 can do.
Thanks for the detailed reply but wow that is so over my head i feel like listening to my am transistor radio about now But i really appreciate your thoughts on this
Thanks.Is there someone who can confirm this >Single or Double output pair.Just curious about the implementation .
Your speakers are fine with this level of amp. I would go with the better amp and slightly cheaper speakers if given the choice. You can always upgrade speakers later and have a better amp to drive them.
Has anyone compared the Yamaha A-S2200/3200 to the Parasound HINT 6? Both interest me to replace a Parasound 2100 preamp and an amp that is DOA. Thanks for any thoughts !
I compared the Hint 6 to the a-s2100 side by side. Ended up going with the 2100. Felt it had better tonal balance, bass, and was just a more involving amp. The Hint 6 in comparison was a little on the dark side.
Have a pristine pair of vintage ADS L1530s and feel that one of these Yamahas would be a good fit. Looking at some refurbs and I'm between a A-S2100 and A-S1200, with the latter being $300 less. I only intend to use RCAs and don't use headphones. In reading it would seem the 2-series has a wider soundstage and more depth, maybe a little more detail in the high end though the specs are the same. So, in getting the 1200 I'd be saving enough money to buy a WXC-50 and getting a toroidal transformer - which depending on who you listen to may or may not be an "upgrade". Any advice?
This morning I switched on my AS 1200 and I noticed a low level hum. Anyone else experience any of this with their Yamaha's. Just got it in September. I'm wondering if it's the Furman Power conditioner. I switched it off and changed outlets and it took care of the low level hum for about five minutes. Still sounds stellar soundwise. We do have Hurricane type rains coming through Ohio right now. Any one have advice?
Just from the amp itself. The low hum seems to be coming from the area where the four blue filter caps are located. Maybe I'm just noticing the the noise now? Current coming through the amp? I just remember this amp being dead quiet when the volume is turned down. I'll probably check to see if its the Furman and plug the amp directly into the outlet
I also experienced a similar hum. Seemed to come from the transformer caused (and what I think caused from the power line). I now have the 3000 at another apartment and no hum. /Joakim
It’s very likely the toroidal transformer is susceptible to DC offset on the incoming power. You can try a Humdinger from Audio by Van Alstine.
The hum is no longer an issue. It's dead silent once again. Lasted about a day. Not sure if it was something from the outside causing the problem. Quite possibly from what you've all mentioned. I was getting a little worried but I do recognize that Yamaha has a two year warranty on these amps. Think I may consider getting the Humdinger DC Line Blocker. Thanks Helom!
