I assume you haven’t tried the higher end matching Yamaha CD players as you are don’t seem to value digital playback as high as records? I realise that there are differences but to my ears good digital is very good and benefits from great amplification as much as analogue.
Very helpful, thanks. And for others who have chimed in, pros and cons, also thanks for your opinions too. When I upgrade amps, for right now, I'm likely to go with the 801 for now. Mostly because I'm debating moving my system from my small listening room that only I get to hear, to our main living room, that is double in size, so everything will likely be changed. But I also have 2 large dogs, and older kids, so it's not going to be a room that will be just me listening to vinyl. I want to add a streamer soon, update my TT and CD player, and a lot of time, audio will come from video sources, so something a little more versatile than the 1100/2100 would probably a good thing. In a few years, kids will be moved out, dogs will be old or deceased, and I might have a better opportunity then to build a higher end system that will actually be used as such. For now, likely it will be a bit chaotic, so the high end listening experience will be somewhat of a lost cause no matter what.
Sorry, I gave up on Phono a long time ago, but I would say, if you are serious about lp's, a seperate phono preamp is probably better.
Sorry OC ZED, I tried to include the quote. I do not use the phono section, so I can't comment on that. I can only imagine that a separate phono preamp could/would improve the sound. I'm not qualified to say at what level you would have to spend. .
I haven’t tried the Yamaha CD players. The digital section of the 801 is fantastic, in my opinion. The phono section, not so much. The phono section of the AS-2000 sounded great to me. My last standalone DAC was a Mytek Brooklyn which was great. I currently have a Project S2 Prebox Digital in a second system that sounds fantastic for its 400 dollar MSRP. I’m not sure where you got that I don’t value digital as much, but I didn’t intend to give that impression. My Rega RP6/Exact/Fono MM *might* be on par with the digital section of the 801. Debatable.
That’s funny. I ended up with the 801 for the same reasons. I have a daughter that just turned 4 and another that just turned 1. They’re trying their hardest to destroy the 801. I’m glad I don’t have something more precious in that spot right now.
I have a good Moon phono preamp now, so I would keep that for the 8o1. The 801 is bluetooth ready, but is there much advantage of that over the 701, and just getting a separate adapter anyway? Also have a Musical Fidelity V90 DAC.
I am putting an order in for the A-S3000. Hope to have it by the weekend to start breaking it in. I'm looking forward to seeing how it compares to my PrimaLuna Evo 300 integrated.
It was just you felt the lesser amp was good enough for digital and the greater for analogue. I think now you simply meant one has a better phono stage and you feel the amplifiers are pretty similar in sound quality?
I took it to mean that the 801 amp simply matched better for digital and the 2000 was better matched for vinyl.
Why, anything happened in the CD Player world in the last decade (or more)? Other than extinction, that is )
I missed that! My thoughts were that Yamaha make. 1000, 2000 and 3000 level CD player so are clearly designed to match digital. There is no record player till the 5000 range.
How long have you had the Primaluna? I know "break in" is a hotly disputed topic, but it took well over a year for my DP HP to really show its stuff. Anyway, will be interested to hear your thoughts on the Yamaha.
I think the 801 has a better digital section (as the 2000/2100 doesn't have one at all). I think the 2000 has a much, much better phono section. The 801, in my opinion, sounds more neutral and powerful/more grip. The 2000/2100 sounds smoother, richer and more refined, but also a bit softer. I actually had the 2000 clip on me a few times, where that's never come close to happening with the 801. It all depends on which speakers you're running. I thought the AS-2000 and KEF LS50's were a perfect match. The KEFs can be a little hard and the 2000 was a great tonal match. With my Vienna Acoustics, which can be a bit polite, the 801 is a great match with it's neutrality and grip.
I would define it by how quickly an amplifier can start and stop the motion of a driver, namely larger woofers. Think how tight or loose a kick drum can sound.
I would generally agree with James' assertions, though I do think bass control is better on the 2100 over my old 701. That said, because the sound is a tad softer and refined, perhaps it seems stronger on the 7/801. Certainly I note better woofer control on Harbeth SHL5 Plus with the 2100. Without doubt, the phono section on the higher end amps is better. The phono is perhaps the weak point on these 5/7/801 amps; useable, certainly, but that's it. You'll best with a relatively inexpensive outboard. No surprise there really. I thought the headphone output was great with HD600's etc. It's high impedance and very powerful. We're talking degrees of separation here. The 5/7/801 are good amps. I'd wager they would not be the weak point in most systems, irrespective of cost. You may find a better match with the higher end iterations.
We’ve had the Primaluna for about 6 months. We’ve been happy with it and use it quite often. We decided to make the purchase on the Yamaha because we were looking to set up a second system in the house and I have access to some significant discounted pricing on the line. We’re open to swapping the 3000 in to the main system if we like it better. We’re keeping an open mind on it.
Ya, that would be awesome. I measured out the spacing on the cabinet that I'll be placing the 3000 on top of. It will take every inch of it. The prior posts remarking about the size of these amps weren't exaggerating.
Any idea how a 2100 would sound compared to the restored McIntosh C28 / MC2105 I've been running the last couple of years? Obviously noise floor would be lower. I've had vintage Yamaha components in the past such as a C4/M4 combo that I enjoyed very much. Only modern Yamaha piece I have right now is the BD-A1060 which is a terrific sounding piece of gear.
