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
Pourquoi pas Marantz ? I have had yamaha (18 years old still alive), arcam alpha 8 amp + integrated (dead after a few years), adcom (dead after a couple years), NAD (dead after 6 years), and finally marantz pm8004, as good or better than anything else, up and running 24/7 for the past 6 years, bought $750 delivered Therefore, in my view, nothing touches japanese electronics.  Conseil d'ami.
YBA Passion Integre or DT Integre. This old Japanese stuff will not please you.
"The Rogue Audio Sphinx looks intriguing; does anyone know if its tone controls can be bypassed? "

Surely you jest !!!!

"Pourquoi pas Marantz ? I have had yamaha (18 years old still alive), arcam alpha 8 amp + integrated (dead after a few years), adcom (dead after a couple years), NAD (dead after 6 years), and finally marantz pm8004, as good or better than anything else, up and running 24/7 for the past 6 years, bought $750 delivered Therefore, in my view, nothing touches japanese"

Should have bought a Nakamichi in the first place.  :^)  Mine is still lovely after 25 years. Especially the MM phono section.


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