2. amps-preamps
  3. 142384-2238

Yamaha A-S801 - horrible experience

I've read many good reviews of the Yamaha gear that I thought I'd give the A-S801 a try.  Through Accessories4less.com, it was only $650 and had a return policy, so there was little to lose.  I took the unit out of the box and set it in my rack.  I noticed the that the speaker selector button had come off during shipping.  I hunted through the box and found it under a layer of cardboard.  Not a good start.

I tried to hook up my speaker cables and found out that it wouldn't take spades.  The plastic guide has such a narrow opening that there is no way to fit an average sized spade through it.  I tried to put one end of the spade in it and tighten down, but the weight of the speaker cables made the binding posts sag quite a bit.  They have a very flimsy connection to the chassis, and I was afraid that I would rip them off completely.  I found some old bare wire cables, and hooked them up.  

I put on a Lucinda Williams song and it sounded ok.  A little thin, but it wasn't warmed up.  I wanted to see how piano sounded, so I put on a Thelonious Monk album.  Here's exactly how it sounded:  pop, hiss, crackle, silence.  The amp died on the second song I played.

I know that every company has the occasional defective unit, but there were so many things wrong with this amp that it was comical.  Just a warning that if you have speaker cables with solid spades, the unit will not be usable.  I certainly won't try another Yamaha product after this.  Live and learn.


smrex13

Showing 1 response by xyobgyn

xyobgyn's avatar
xyobgyn
42 posts
 
I’m sure you just had the wrong power cord on it. If the Yamaha has an IEC plug in it, try a different PC, it cures all sorts of problems.

All seriousness aside: It is extremely difficult to fault Yamaha for your situation.

Priced at that point, you can’t assume you will get high end quality binding posts.  Since it’s not brand new and straight off the production line, it is B-stock. Expect it’s been worn and gone through. 

For multi-thousand dollar items, I expect it them to hold up better with some use, and R&R, ie expensively machined knobs with set screws, not push on plastic caps, extensive soft foam packing cushions in sturdy boxes, and of course, a better PC.
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