Help a brother out. Yamaha as-2100 and comparable integrateds

I recently upgraded both my amp and speakers..

Moon 340i X with Dynaudio Contour 20's excellent combo, could not be happier (-;

 

Made any decisions?

 

I’ll see if I can check them out. Hoping to hit Toronto for a weekend in November, should be able to spend some time in some of the Hifi shops there.

 

I know the G90 and vintage Sansui pretty well. I went through a vintage Japanese gear phase. Beautiful amp. I actually preferred the Marantz 2325 and the Pioneer 1280. Had a Marantz 2325 for awhile till I was offered stupid money for it. I’m looking for a more modern, more neutral sound and no longer want to deal with vintage gear. Still have a Fisher 500c and that is more than enough

 

I’m thinking the as-2100 is what I’m going to go with. I can get a new one from an authorized dealer between $2800-$3000. I did come across a Supernait 2 open box with full warranty for 3k but by the time I called the place it was gone.

Since I’m only looking at new products, that haven’t been refurbished, with full warranties around the 3K dollar mark, the Yamaha seems like a no brainer. Still want to hear the Hegel and the Belles but those are long shots.

 

I honestly think the Yamaha is the answer for you here. It is a great piece (I only have the 1100.) I was in a similar situation to you before acquiring mine. I had a vintage Mc stack (C33/MC2105). While I liked it, what I was hearing in other gear made me go after a more modern natural sound. Plus, I didn't want to hang onto the vintage problems.

For awhile I had the Line Magnetic 216 Kt88 integrated that I really quite loved. I passed that on after awhile, as I wanted something I could leave on for many hours without worry. I was very pleased that the Yamaha was able to retain a healthy dose of that tube midband magic, while kicking out killer bass and sweet treble. Its really a fantastic integrated amp, and I prefer it to a friends much more expensive separates setup. As a bonus, the phono stage is really quite good. It can be bettered, but only for a sizable chunk of change.

With careful pairing, I think you can have a setup that delivers on most of what is attainable in high end audio with these Yamahas. Good luck in your decision process.

 

I have a line on a Supernait 2 with full warranty for 2599. Am I a fool to pass on it??

 

A great amp. Go for it

 

If it’s from a place in AZ I passed. I talked to them twice and got two different stories about the amp. If it’s not go for it. They are going for around 2600 used. Naim makes great amps.

 

I certainly am tempted, but cannot do an in-home demo. I did bring home an XS2 for a few days and liked it but didn't love it, so I'm currently undecided. And kind of agonizing over it. LOL.

 

Stories? What kind of stories are they giving you?

 

I purchased A-S2100 and am pairing it with some vintage Yamaha NS-1000 speakers, using an Oppo UDP-203 to a Violectric V850 DAC. My room is on the small side, but performance is great all around. If things get too bright, I can tame the sound with the D-Pads on the speakers (haven't used the tone controls on the A-S2100). This is my first mid-fi purchase and don't have a lot to compare it to, except I recently picked up a Triode TRV-35SER tube amp... The soundstage is a lot smaller than the A-S2100, and the tubes can't do bass nearly as well as the A-S2100, but it is great for older recordings and has a relaxing laid back sound that is good for older recordings. So I basically use the A-S2100 for more immersive listening experience and a tube amp to chill out with.

 

I would like to ad another recommendation to check out the Hegel H190. I have never heard to H190, but I own it's little brother the H90 but I have heard the H190 is a substantial upgrade. My H90 was a substantial upgrade from Rotel pre-amp and power amps. The difference really surprised me. I think the sound is on the warmer side of neutral and has good dynamics and bass. I drove both Monitor Audio Silver 8's and Kef LS50's with excellent results. So much so, my next upgrade won't be the amp. When I do upgrade my amp I will be looking at an H190, a S2100, a Simaudio, Naim. I also have a Rotel RA 1570 which is similar priced to my H90. I like the Rotel but it just doesn't compare to the H90; although, the Rotel has many more features.

 

Well I finally got to listen to the Belles Aria and the Hegel 190. Both very nice. But felt the Yamaha was a bit better than the Aria and that Hegel didn’t give anymore just different. Of course very unscientific appraisals here. Power Modules is coming out with a new integrated that looks very impressive but I passed for reasons other than sound quality. Also listened to the Hint 6 again.

In the end the Yamaha was just too good a deal. Amazing sound and built like a tank and just beautiful. Plus backed by a major manufacturer. So I looked around and found a great deal from an authorized dealer about 3 hours from me and ordered one. Should have it in about 2 weeks. First it will get some use over my Cornwalls which should be interesting.

Thanks to everyone for the responses.

@Helom I got another chance to listen to the A4 and compare them to the Classic 2/3. I’m thinking you were right and am going to go with the A4s. Thanks for the tip.

 

Enjoy them in good health - you made some great choices.

 

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Got her hooked up and playing. First though is that this is one quiet amp. First played Friday Night in San Francisco and it sounded a little thin compared to the Fisher below it. After about 20 minutes though that resolved and it just sounds amazing. I’ve never heard a solid state amp through Cornwall’s that I liked till this Yamaha.

Can anyone recommend an image hosting site to work for this forum. I can’t seem to make either Flickr or ImgVenue to work here.

 

Enjoy, these amps are the bees knees!

 

The things a beast. Barely fits on my console but damn it’s impressive. Now to unpack the room and kick back. Will be replacing the Rega DACr with a Bluesound Node 2i and the Klipsch and Fisher will be going into storage till I move.

Next big dilemma will be speakers right now I’m looking at Spendor or Dynaudio. Anyone using an a-s2100 to drive either brand?

 

@Agitater (and others) what’s your opinion of the A-S2100 vs. the Anthem STR integrated?

I can get either at a substantial discount (the Anthem used but with warranty) and will probably run the winner into the Spendor A7. (very likely replacing my R700)

I’ve heard and liked both amps through the Spendors at the dealer. I’ve heard the Anthem at home through my KEFs but didn’t immediately love it, but I have an odd room so I feel like some of its DSP voodoo could be helpful.

Anybody else have experience with these two amps?

 

I think there is such a thing as too much consultation. I've heard both the A-S2100 (and own one) and the Anthem STR. They're both terrific integrated amps. I made my choice some time ago, and that choice has already been described in this thread and others (in which you're either the OP or an active participant). You've also auditioned both integrated amps driving your speaker brand of choice. I'm not sure what additional validation you need to make a choice for yourself.

Between the Yamaha and the Anthem there's no bad choice. Analog purists or technophobes pursuing gorgeous music reproduction might tend to opt for the Yamaha A-S2100. Technophiles who are also music lovers might tend to favor the Anthem STR. Both integrated amps (and the Spendor A7 speakers) are wholly respected by audiophiles in general too if that means anything to you.

I can't personally presume to tell you what you should hear or how you should hear, and neither should anyone else, IMO. You "...didn't immediately love..." the Anthem at home through your KEF R700 speakers, but yet you want to still give it chance because (...) why? Because you like the way it sounded at the dealer's showroom driving Spendor speakers? Were they the specific Spendor speakers that turned your thinking away from replacing your HK integrated amp? And is that the integrated amp that you're now again thinking of replacing?

Basically, you're making it really hard for people to spend any more effort trying to provide useful opinions to you. I think it's worthwhile considering that if you won't trust your own hearing when auditioning speakers and integrated amps, nobody else can help. We can't tell you what to do because none of us hears the way you do.

 

That's an oxymoron

 

It's uuuuuge! Are these readily available in Black & Silver?

 

The 2100 is readily available here in the UK, but it’s sibling the 1100 is rarer than hens’ teeth. Nobody has stock and no lead times for possible delivery. I’ve sourced an absolutely mint ex-display unit in black at a local dealer - demo tomorrow morning and hopefully home for the weekend! I definitely need a bigger rack.

 

To the original poster, how are you liking the 2100 vs your old tube amp(s)? Differences? Pros? Cons? And what was your reasoning for moving away from tubes after many years? (Sorry, I don't think I saw that in your initial posts.)

And any update on your new speaker selection?