2. amps-preamps
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Shopping for an integrated, advice s'il vous plait.

Some time ago I decided to upgrade my stereo and spent virtually my entire budget on speakers (no regrets), tacking on a Harman HK3490 as an afterthought. Well, it recently bit the dust for no apparent reason. It was only $260 and gave me 5 years of almost daily service, so I'm not too mad. Unfortunately there's nothing comparable on the market at that price, adjusted for inflation. The closest thing I could find was the Yamaha A-S801, but it appears to have the same build quality as my previous receiver. I'm not sure I'm comfortable spending close to $1k on something with disposable quality, so I've been assessing my options within my budget ($1500 max). Looking for an analog integrated with quality components and construction that will last me at least 10 years. So far I've narrowed my options down to:

Yamaha a-s1000 (new)
or
Vintage i.e. Yamaha ca-2010, Sansui au-717, Pioneer sa-9500 ii etc. 

My only problem with vintage is that it seems to take many months of waiting before a deal comes up on the model you want. I see a fully recapped and restored au-717 recently went on eBay for less than $700. Probably not gonna find a deal like that in the next year, if ever. 

TL;DR Would like thy esteemed opinions to vet my purchase of a Yamaha a-s1000. 


unknoahble
czarivey
5,676 posts
 
AU-717 if has enough power requirements for your room is great piece of gear and serviceable. It's tough to service and repair, but it's serviceable and often makes much more sense than modern units.
213runnin
914 posts
 
A Yamaha will definitely have a different house sound than the Harman, and will sound brighter.  I'd go with a Marantz or Nad integrated, since they are to the slightly warm side of neutral as is/was the Harman 3490.  The Marantz PM8005 has a phono section, and the Nad C356 or C375BEE can have either a dac or phono section installed.
jond's avatar
jond
5,660 posts
 
I didn't realize this would be a referendum on Yamaha I have no particular issues with the brand nor have I heard the AS-1000.  I just think Marantz makes great high quality amps and that looks like a very good deal a $2100 integrated for $895 and less than the OP's stated budget.
willland's avatar
willland
846 posts
 
No issues with your statement a few posts back.  I was just curious and no doubt $895 for that Marantz is a great deal.  

Bill
paraneer's avatar
paraneer
818 posts
 
How about this Marantz PM-15SI for $895?
As a Marantz PM15S2 owner, the above is an outstanding deal.  There are very few vintage receivers/amps that could compete with this unit - built at Marantz' reference factory in Japan, 80 wpc continuous into 8 ohms/120 wpc continuous into 4 ohms, nealy 40 lbs.  This is not the disposable amplifier that you fear.  It is more of an heirloom amp that will be with you a long time.

Whichever way you go, make sure the amp you buy is 4 ohm continuously rated across the entire frequency spectrum.  You never know what speakers you may end up with and a 4 ohm rated amp will be ready to drive many out there.  4 Ohm ratings across the entire frequency range  is something that most vintage amps were not.   Most speakers back in the day were a more easier 8 ohm load to drive.  Good luck!
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