I'm back to doing the same on my A-S1100. We had a few windy nights where the power fluctuated, and my wife in general doesn't like me leaving it on overnight. I turn it on first thing in the morning and off last thing at night. My system sounds great and I no longer think about it, I just enjoy the music. I listen to music in the background in the mornings so by the time I do any critical listening the system and my state of mind have had time to warm up. You need to be careful/strict when comparing things. I find the biggest difference in sound quality to be the mastering of the recording, so always use the exact same recording when comparing. Whenever I question how my system sounds I remind myself it's not the system, it's the mastering. Unfortunately not all music is mastered well.
I remind myself that it's not the system, it's me. My mood and health seriously affect my perception of music. If I'm feeling off it's of no surprise when the music isn't as satisfying as usual. It goes as deep as favorite tracks not even sounding good sometimes. Some days there just isn't a "right side of the bed".
I find that having the trim set to +6 dB pleases my ears w/ the 300 ohm impedance of the Sennheiser's.
Update: I finally ordered the NS-5000s. I'm hoping to have them by the end of the week, although it might stretch to early next week. My new concern is whether my Yamaha A-S3000 will be sufficient to drive these. My wife may kill me if I tell her we need a new power amp (i.e., the M-5000) and a separate preamp.
The new component in the 5000-series, the Yamaha YH-5000SE headphones is said to set new standards in sound quality. Reference digital components in the 5000 series will also be launched, my dealer told me. But no more info was given.
I'd love to hear more about the digital components. I'm guessing we'll see a new CD transport. I'm hoping for a dedicated DAC and streamer (combo or separates), but I'm guessing that the streamer wouldn't be Roon compatible.
Eagerly anticipating a nice new Yammie 5000 series SACD/CD so I can eventually replace my Oppo105 which is no slouch but I am upgrading my speakers so at some point in the future would probably be a nice upgrade. The 5000 series digital piece could be a lot of dough though lol.
Espen R said: ↑ The new component in the 5000-series, the Yamaha YH-5000SE headphones is said to set new standards in sound quality. Reference digital components in the 5000 series will also be launched, my dealer told me. But no more info was given.
I like these rumors of new products from Yamaha. I'm still in the market for an upgrade to my digital music situation...
I'm perfectly happy with my Yamaha R-N602 and CD-S300 for digital. They go directly into my A-S1100. Using one of the line outs on the R-N602 bypasses the amp section of the R-N602 and just passes the signal clean through - it's the equivalent of Pure Direct mode but I get the display. I confirmed this with Yamaha. I have the CD-S300 going both through the R-N602 coax into the A-S1100 and directly into the A-S1100 RCA CD in, and I honestly cannot hear a difference between the two. I also have a Technics SL-1210 GR going directly into the A-S1100 and the R-N602 and CD-S300 sound just as good depending on the mastering, so I know they are performing. For comparison, on the GR I have a 2M Bronze, KAB ProS40, Nagaoka MP-200, and AT-VM95ML to pick from. I mainly use the R-N602 for Hi-Res vis USB, FM Tuner, and Spotify streaming. I also have optical available for Blu-Ray and DVD music, as well as other streaming music video, but I never use it. All that said, I wouldn't complain if someone wanted to buy me a 5000 series setup. But the point of this, is digital on the RN-602 and CD-S300 running through the A-S1100 holds its own compared to vinyl going direct into the A-S1100 depending on the mastering. My only gripe is you can't really switch things up like you can with carts on a turntable. Vinyl will always have that advantage.
As I spend more and more time with my A-S3200, I have a few observations and a few questions of 2200/3200 owners: Man this thing is revealing, huh? It seems to dig out every nook, every cranny in the music. This can be both good and bad, of course. I am wondering if any of you have found that recordings that used to sound OK, now sound worse? The remote continues to bug me. Pushing the up/down button once does so little that the difference is usually inaudible. And holding down the up/down button does things a lot quicker, but a lot less precise. Perhaps I'll get better at this in time. Perhaps its just on some recordings, but do any of you find that to get decent bass you need to play the music louder than you would like to?
This is a view I'd concur with. But I don't think Yamaha fall into the camp of brands that ruthlessly eviscerate recordings. The price you pay as you move up through the ranks I guess? Maybe a speaker/amp match thing? Or the room? As a generalization solid state systems do (subjectively) like a bit of volume to pop? Do you notice this particularly as different to the time you spent with the A-S801 for instance?
Agreed! Yeah, with the 801, a lot of the rough edges got smoothed over. The 801 puts less emphasis on the treble (its a bit rolled off on top), thus bringing out the bass. Or perhaps the 801 has a bit of added bass, compared to the 3200. I used to be able to pop almost anything on when I had the 801 and almost never considered using the tone controls. With the 3200, I am noticing that a lot of my 80s CDs are revealing their limitations and making me want to reach for the tone controls. Luckily, the tone controls on the 3200 are superb. Using them doesn't result in an odd, unbalanced sound like they did on my 801.
Also, with the 3200, everything is so clear, so naked and revealed, that at times it sounds too forward and I find myself turning the volume down when I don't want to. I suspect that this might be a burn in/getting used to the sound thing. Perhaps other owners could confirm/deny this?
I think your idea has some merit here. IMO the 3200 really "tells it like it is", not in a clinically sterile way, but in it's own "recording quality under a magnifying glass" sort of fashion. I've definitely played some albums that I know well, and that never used to offend my ears, and caught myself scrunching up my nose as I thought, "has this recording always sounded this crappy?" The flipside is just how gob smacking incredible the high quality pressings sound. No, I don't. I employ a carefully integrated subwoofer though. Did you ever use the "loudness" dial much on your 801? I loved that control and used it as EQ, especially at lower listening volumes. It balanced out bass presence superbly. That control lead me into a crude education regarding the principal behind the Fletcher-Munson curve. I was afraid I'd miss that loudness control when I was considering a nicer Yamaha but I was happily relieved to find that the 3200 delivers a beautifully balanced presentation in spades.
I can only speculate but I'm wondering if what you're experiencing doesn't have more to do with your speakers? Are you using the B & W 704's listed in your profile? Am I incorrect in thinking that they're known for a rather forward and sometimes bright presentation?
Absolutely! Yeah, when the recording has ample bass, I don't need to turn it up to get ample bass. I guess I was just thinking about 80s rock/pop CDs that are thinner on the bass.
