Here's what I wrote in the comments of that Stereophile review: To perform due diligence, I went back through Stereophile reviews of integrated amps over the last 12 months to see what speakers they used for testing. 7/22/2020. Rogue Sphinx V3 ($1595) by Herb Reichert. Loudspeakers: Harbeth M30.2. P3ESR, Magnepan .7, KEF LS50. Rogue Sphinx V3 integrated amplifier 5/19/2020. Aavik Acoustics U-380 ($39,000) by Jason Victor Serinus. Loudspeakers: Wilson Audio Specialties Alexia 2. Aavik Acoustics U-380 integrated amplifier 3/6/2020. Quad Artera Solus ($2500) by Herb Reichert. Loudspeakers: Klipsch RP-600M, Harbeth P3ESR, Magnepan .7. Quad Artera Solus integrated amplifier/CD player 1/31/2020. Schiit Audio Ragnarok 2 ($1799) by Ken Micallef. Loudspeakers: DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/93, Klipsch Forte III. Schiit Audio Ragnarok 2 integrated amplifier 1/23/2020. Pass Labs INT-25 ($7250) by Herb Reichert. Loudspeakers: Harbeth M30.2, Devore Fidelity Orangutan O/93. Pass Labs INT-25 integrated amplifier 12/23/2019. NAD Masters Series M10 ($2749) by John Atkinson. Loudspeakers: KEF LS50, Rogers LS3/5a, PSB Alpha P5, Q Acoustics Concept 300. NAD Masters Series M10 streaming integrated amplifier 11/29/2019. Devialet Expert 140 Pro ($16,000) by Jim Austin. Loudspeakers: Revel Ultima2 Salon2. Devialet Expert 140 Pro integrated amplifier 11/29/2019. Krell K-300i ($7000) by Jason Victor Serinus Loudspeakers: Wilson Audio Specialties Alexia 2 Krell K-300i integrated amplifier 11/19/2019. Luxman SQ-N150 ($2795) by Ken Micallef. Loudspeakers: DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/93, Klipsch Forte III. Luxman SQ-N150 integrated amplifier 7/23/2019. Aesthetix Audio Mimas ($7000) by Jason Victor Serinus. Loudspeakers: Wilson Audio Specialties Alexia 2. Aesthetix Audio Mimas integrated amplifier 6/20/2019. Mark Levinson No.5805 ($8500) by Jim Austin. Loudspeakers: Revel Ultima2 Salon2. Mark Levinson No.5805 integrated amplifier 5/16/2019. Parasound Halo Hint 6 ($2995) by Ken Micallef. Loudspeakers: Spendor Audio Systems A7, DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/93, Quad S-2, Klipsch Heresy IIIs. Parasound Halo Hint 6 integrated amplifier 12/20/2018. Cambridge Audio Edge A ($5000) by Ken Micallef. Loudspeakers: DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/93, Elac Debut B6, Klipsch Heresy III, Quad S-2. Cambridge Audio Edge A integrated amplifier 6/26/2018. Anthem Electronics STR ($4499) by Thomas J. Norton. Loudspeakers: Energy Veritas V2.8, Monitor Audio Silver 10 Anthem Electronics STR D/A integrated amplifier 5/3/2018. Luxman L-509X ($9495) by Ken Micallef. Loudspeakers: DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/93, Elac Debut B6, Quad S2 Luxman L-509X integrated amplifier Here are my observations: 1. Serinus is consistent with his use of the Wilson Audio Alexia 2 speakers. He's tested other integrated amps in the approximate price range of the Yamaha A-S3200 ($7500), namely the Aesthetix Mimas and Krell K-300i. He even mentions the Krell in his Yamaha review. If he's consistently using the same speakers, then his observations with the Yamaha seem more valid. 2. I like the approach by Ken Micallef. He performs his reviews with a number of different speakers across multiple prices (DeVore Orangutan $8400, Klipsch Heresy III $1999. Elac B6 $229). 3. Aside from Serinus, all the other reviewers use speakers in about the same price range as the integrated amp being reviewed.
Yamaha has produced the A-S2xxx and A-S3xxx integrated amps for quite a few years now, so prospective end users, reviewers, and existing component owners interested in new models have high expectations. The key to your comment is “...should perform like [competing products] at this and similar price ranges.” But if you consider the Serinus review in its entirety, you’ll not actually find any comparison of the Yamaha A-S3200 to other high quality integrated amps at anything close to a similar price point. Serinus was firmly ensconced in his uber-high-end US$38,000 monoblock amplifiers, US$100,000 worth of speaker/power/interconnect/ethernet/USB cables/component feet, etc., etc., and left me with a reader’s impression that he was not about to allow any words to grace his review that might allow anyone to think that a mere US$7500 integrated amp from Yamaha could possibly reproduce wonderful music that in any way approached the enjoyment he gets from his membership in the US$300,000 two-channel audio system club (or is it the $200,000 club? $250,000?). For a fact, the Yamaha A-S3xxx integrated amps compete successfully with all of the competition in its price class. Whether a particular audiophile prefers Luxman L509 or a Hegel H590 or what-have-you comes down to the sound that best suits the individual, the need for an integrated DAC, the versatility of the built-in phono stage, and so on. But all of these integrated amps are stellar performers that provide superb audio engineering along with excellent build quality, reliability, and above all else tremendous music reproduction. In every comparison ever made between the Yamaha A-S3xxx integrated amps and the competition at the time, some reviewers place them at the top, some near the top, and a few near the bottom of the top ten. I have now had a chance to hear the A-S3200, however briefly. It’s a logical next step for Yamaha’s top-of-the-line integrated amp, that is to say it’s superb. I do not think it’s a worthwhile upgrade from the A-S3000, but it is definitely a significant and very worthwhile upgrade from the A-S1100, and a worthwhile upgrade from the A-S2100. In this price class and quality of integrated amp, I do not know of a bad choice of any kind from any maker. Serinus was out of his element and, I think and as @avanti1960 so succinctly put it possibly also in a bit of a mood.
I’m sure there are exceptions but if you’re pairing them with speakers that aren’t many multiple times more expensive (and obviously require high output monoblocks or something) they’ll handle a great many speaker choices. In no way do they require “extreme care” in pairing.
well, he does have a pretty cool job. and his system is light years beyond yours so perhaps it is YoU who is in the dark.
So to summarize. The OP will pass on a unit reviewed by a reviewer he doesn't like in a magazine he doesn't like and won't like by a follow up reviewer he doesn't like?
I'm sure the Yamaha is a great amp and this hobby is all about having fun and enjoying what you have...at least until you are certain what you are about to get is even better. LOL. There is no guarantee that solid state amps that double up their power from 8 ohms into 4 ohms will sound better...but it is correlated that many better sounding solid state amps do double up from 8 to 4 ohms. Power supplies matter.
This is exactly what I was thinking! In this price range who on earth wouldn't prefer a Luxman integrated?
Well, the 509 is $1500 more than the Yamaha. But my thought was just that it would be a better amp to compare to the Yamaha then what was used. I'm sure there are plenty of people that would choose both in blind tests.. to each his own!
Those things might have been priced in line with what they were. For the price of that Yamaha I don't think I am too crazy to expect a good level satisfaction.
That is an incorrect statement. He compares the Yamaha A-S3200 ($7499) with the well-received Krell K-300i ($7000 w/o DAC). From his review: With the Yamaha, bass lacked a firm core and was unquestionably lighter than with either my Progressions or the Krell K-300i integrated and The A-S3200's amp section produced a wider soundstage, deeper bass, and less gray sound than with the A-S3200 in full integrated mode. The sound, in fact, was the closest I got to that of my reference D'Agostinos or the Krell K-300i.
Except the Lexus is a better vehicle. Anyway, another reason I don't pay any attention to audio reviews in rags like Stereophile.
If you're not impressed with the power output of the 3200 then you have this option: YAMAHA A-S1100 Hmm...weird that the their flagship amp produces lower WPC. I suspect it probably doesn't sound that way in an A/B listen though.
This may be irrelevant or just reveal my ignorance. But are there any Onkyo amps that compare favorably to Yamaha?
You will need to elaborate much more than that. Unless someone here knows the whole line up of Yamaha and Onkyo by heart including historical products, you can't draw a meaningful comparison. I think both brands can have good products in the mid range but these days I don't think that are that well regarded in the higher up products like they used too be.
He sounds like a snotty bastard throughout the review, with phrases like "the level of sound I've come to expect from my components", or some other crap like that. This was a review by someone who thinks he is a demigod with ears made of platinum blessed by Zeus himself, and is meant for similarly-minded shtinkers who are full of themselves. As a mere mortal, I wouldn't worry about this review much. I'm sure it's a fine piece of equipment.
he is just a reviewer i assure you. indeed, he has much better ears then you or i ... but nothing special going on here except the honest opinion of a reviewer. it’s a very basic and average amp, nothing more nothing less. i think he did even say it would appeal to some “audiophiles” but for those that really want to connect to music, it falls short.
You're describing many people on audio forums. The more interesting thing to me is there's 5 pages and going due to one negative review. I guess when you've spotted a unicorn it's gonna get a reaction one way or another.
According to other posters he has reviewed lesser equipment to which he was a lot more positive about. He probably didn't like this one at all and was going around in circles to avoid saying it directly. Working for an audio magazine you wouldn't want to be too critical of a brand that could be your customer.
Agreed. We could just as easily had a 50 page thread on why magazine reviewers refuse to to ever write a negative review because their pockets are being lined by product advertising money. No one is ever happy and there seems to never be a shortage of things to whine about
I've not read beyond this posting yet; apologies if I duplicate something further down the line. An observation, however: once a manufacturer gets the reputation of serving a low-end market, even its best efforts will tend to get little respect. As evidence, I point to the old audio line Sanyo. 'Way back when, Sanyo was firmly bracketed as a purveyor of bottom-fishing budget gear, nothing a "serious" audio aficionado would give a second look, lumped right in there with department store house brand stuff. And then, around 1980, Sanyo made a move to go upscale with its so-called Plus Series components. They were designed and intended to be "in this we offer our best" serious players in a serious audio market, up against the "good" Japanese lines and maybe even some of the NADs of this world. And guess what? Although they were well designed and executed and seem to have developed at least a little bit of a latter day cult following, at the time they sank without a trace. Sanyo? Making serious gear?!?!? Naaah, I don't want that name showing up in my high status equipment stack! What would the neighbors think? If Yamaha, which at that time had a pretty good reputation, has devolved to Sanyo status in more recent years, it will probably have difficulty getting any kind of serious or even fair attention for its products from the "audiophile" type press. Perhaps this review is symptomatic of such a problem. Oh, and for the record, I own a Sanyo Plus Series preamp. It's a nice, solidly built, sharp-looking, well appointed unit of modest size with some unusual features, and it offers built-in provision for both moving magnet and moving coil cartridges. I've hewed exclusively to external phono preamps for years now (specifically, Graham Slee, whose offerings include some models unusually well suited to the needs of the 78 collector), but if I ever get around to trying the sole moving coil cartridge I own, currently unmounted, I'll be hearing it through this Sanyo preamp's phono section, as all my others are strictly for moving magnet. Here's a photo from the Web of one just like mine:
