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
I have an HK receiver, willing to sell.
I am out of town, and not sure of model number,
but it has 150 watts per channel.

... not on the web yet. Are you interested?
[email protected] 
YBA Integre DT

There is one listed for $1750. Stretching your $1500 budget a little will bring you a whole lot. Mine sounds better than ever after 12 years.
I have a couple Harmon Kardon amp. If you like that sound you probably wont like Yamaha. As I have 1 its much brighter sound. Don't think a good match for monitor IMHO. I myself am looking into the new anthem 225 wont be out till x-mas. Wonderful kit.