I had the exact same experience when comparing the 2100 (and 1100) to amplification by Naim, Audio Research, PrimaLuna, Hegel and others on various Harbeth speakers. I am hearing the higher end Yamaha house sound as a somewhat too 'nice' and big sound with recessed mids. A general lack of punchy mids/mid-bass. I really wanted to like it because of aesthetics (meters, classy wood side panels, feel of the volume control, etc) and the topend is really wonderful, but I couldn't fully enjoy the sound. Perhaps it's better with speakers that are more mid-forward themselves. I would be interested to know if the 3000/3200 are different in this regard..?
I agree, check the Marantz if the loudness button is on. Transitioning from Marantz 4270 to a preamp/amp with no EQ or loudness button took some time to adjust. Once I did, I realized that the "punchier" Marantz was due to the emphasized V-curve by the loudness button. Once its off, I can tell the difference in quality sound presented by the newer amps I've owned. Nonetheless, I enjoy the vintage Marantz sound and continue to use them for OTA listening.
Finding this conversation interesting as I've recently been A/B my vintage recapped Marantz 2230 with a 2200 and the one area the Marantz stands-out on is mid-bass. It has more roundness, presence in this area. I'm not hearing it as a more lively sound but rather more audible bass tones filling in where it's not heard on the Yamaha. That being said the Yamaha outshines it everywhere else but I can definitely hear where the mid-bass is lacking. Give your 1200 at least 100 hours to break-in before deciding if it's right for you. Supposedly the 3200 has better bass and overall better sound but I have not heard one. If any owners that have gone from a 1200, 2200 to a 3200 can comment on what sound improvements they heard, that would be great..
Yes of course the loudness button is off. It's my understanding that it's only of use when playing at very low volumes. I almost never have it on
Congrats on the purchase. I found that the yamaha needed about 60-100 hours to fully break in. The difference was not crazy or anything, but it I would say it developed a little more punch and a better soundstage/ separation of instruments, and what I can only describe as a little more of a tube like quality to the sound. Some may call it warmth, but I think of it as tube like quality in the same sense of how a tube driven guitar amp sparkles and smoothes a little more once it has been on for a while
Yup. It isn’t uncommon for my amp to be left on for months at a time. I turn it off, if my wife or I aren’t going to be home for more than a couple days
Haha that’s a genuinely funny ‘review’ It took me a while to catch on. A thousand hours of pink noise. Whoohoo
As I’ve said ad infinitum, I’ve come from a stable of vintage integrated amps (that include a pristine Marantz 2270 that served as my gateway to the world of vintage) to an A-S3000 a little over 90 days ago. I can appreciate that you might define what you’re hearing in your space with your gear as more punchy. When I began to spend time with my A-S3000 (I also had an A-S3200 for almost a month as well that I returned in favor of the 3000, but that’s another story), I thought I was missing something. Gone was the big bold brash muscular sound that wore its watts on its sleeve and in its place was natural, airy, articulate and by comparison understated sound that, as the reviews say, just never seems to break a sweat - ever. To bridge this gap I’ve found myself experimenting endlessly with the settings on my REL sub to compensate and have at last found a very sweet spot that retains the new accuracy with some nice lithe low end presence that think compensates. Over the course of these past 90-ish days I’ve returned to my Sansui 9090 twice. The most recent time, about a month ago, was quite a revelation. The cumulative time spent with the Yamaha threw into very sharp focus all the differences (shortcomings?) of the Sansui, chief among them being accuracy and depth. For me it was akin to returning to a CRT television after watching a 4K OLED model. This was really a bittersweet moment because I’ve spent the better part of 2 decades on a vintage kit. Also, the sound of the A-S3000 has certainly evolved and opened up over the course of these 90 days. Initially I didn’t notice this. Guests who’ve heard the amp from its arrival in May asked if I had the same amp because it “sounded better” to them.
We all process what we hear in an individual way. I don't believe there's a right or wrong answer. We like what we like right? That said - I tend to come down on the side of comments made by both @nyrjoe and @ether-bored particularly regarding the Marantz tendency towards increased bass presence (or fullness). I can see how that could be perceived as sounding more punchy or muscular. IMO the Yamaha does trade some bass weight and girth for articulation and speed down low. That would be my preferred trade off if indeed a trade off had to be made. When I did own the Marantz (a PM-7200 of 20 or so years ago, so not quite of the vintage variety) I eventually became annoyed by the slight ripeness in the bass. In fact it's the reason I moved on from it - I found it's performance down low a little "ponderous". If you still have the Marantz around, once you've given the Yamaha a bit of time to run in perhaps do as both the aforementioned members have done and switch back after a time to see how they compare in your view. On second listen it may be possible that what today seems like punchiness may (comparatively) lack refinement and may be more of a sound painted in broad strokes?
Anyone know if standby mode on the A-S1100 and the like keeps the unit warm? Curious if it's the equivalent, in that regards, to leaving it on. I've read and heard various things on standby mode from just turning off the display and leaving everything else powered to powering everything down except for the ability to turn everything on again via remote. Which is it?
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No, standby does not leave the amplifier circuit powered up. If it did, you’d be able to feel obvious warmth from the top of the amp, even without feeding it a signal. The standby might possibly leave the preamp circuitry powered, but I believe it only powers the remote and protection circuitry.
Putting my A-S3200 into standby seems to be very much the same as completely powering it off. It goes cold in standby and when I bring the amp out of standby it sets off the same array of clicks as it does when powering it on from off.
I'm going to leave mine on continuously for a few days and see if I notice a difference after putting into standby overnight. What's interesting is that "bloom" that happens at 65dB to 70dB for me is happening at 55dB to 60dB after about 36 hours of continuously being on. It sounds fuller. It could just be the mastering of what I'm listening to but this is across several songs from various artists on the radio, so who knows...
I have the same issue: brand new A-S2200 with B&W 804 D3 speakers and also new CXN streamer. When put a just little bit louder (subjective of course, but it's at the fourth dash, -30 db) that the amplifier shuts off; the light above the power switch is blinking. Tests with other configurations: connected with an (old) CD player: it did't shut off. The CXN streamer with XLR or with cinch: same reaction: shuts off. The CXN streamer an another amplifier (A-S500) with cinch: keeps on playing. Any advise ? some setting somewhere ? due to the amplifier, or due to the streamer (and what would cause this?)
I agreed. After owning my AS2200 for awhile .. when I have it on after a much longer period of time it just keeps sounding better .. there really is something special about these amps. Like awesome clarity with a touch, or right amount of tube sweetness!!
This speaker runs around 4 ohms nominal but can dip into 2.5 ohms. I wonder if that’s the issue going to the 2.5 ohms that’s causing it ? The amp can do 4 ohms no problem but maybe if the speaker is going to 2.5 ohms it’s giving it issues ? I could be wrong though. Maybe it’s something else. Just my initial thoughts
Not sure which issue you are replying to, it's good to quote the person or click reply to the post, but there is a diagnostic chart in the service manual for the flashing light ... there are also instructions for putting it into diagnostic mode ... there could be DC voltage on the output of the streamer ...
Anyone know what the life expectancy of the meter LEDs are? I'm thinking about leaving my A-S1100 on 24/7 and don't want to have to manually turn the LEDs off. Also how long will the display on a Yamaha R-N602 last if left on 24/7? Just curious if anyone knows the life expectancy.
