Yamamoto Sound Craft HA-02 - Page 5

Charob,

My experience with the 701's and the Yammy exactly - you've got to goose the volume a bit to get them to open up. The good news is that I have noticed a little more bass depth after about 50+ hours of use. If you can get your hands on one of the ATH's, - W1000 or W5000 (preferably), you are in for a bit of magic

You've gotta love the "pilot lump" silk screening - to me it adds a bit to the charm . My understanding is that Yamamoto San does English through a translation program - so actually he's doing OK.

Tuatara,

No "if's" about it picking up more Yamamoto stuff - just start looking now! Now you know one of the reasons I picked up the Zu Tones (96dB / 1W / 1M) - to accomodate another one of Yamamato San's babies. Uh-oh, I think my wallet just filed for divorce ?!??!?!?

Happy listening.

Cheers,
Garry

I've had my HA-02 for just two days, now, and it hasn't met a Grado headphone that it doesn't like. The Yammy absolutely kills them - just makes beautiful music with all that Grado goodness and a touch of tube fullness and atsmosphere. It's like everything you like about the Grados is all there (slam, prat, sharp transients), but anything the least bit annoying (occaisional sibilance or harsh highs, slight graininess) is vanished. Quite amazing.

Unfortunately, after that teasing, I must confess to not having RS-1s. I've pretty much got them surrounded, though, as I've listened with SR-60, HF-1, and HP-2s. The HP-2's are as good as I've ever heard them with this amp, so I feel quite sure the RS-1 (or RS-2) should also benefit from some Yammy goodness.

Problem is I've just purchased new speakers which are probably not efficent enough to be driven by 1 or 2 watt Yamamotos,which means new speakers as well as a new amp. Better keep buying the Lotto tickets I think.
They are beautiful looking amps though and so different in apperance to almost everything else.

High Impedance Update

I've been avoiding the obvious showdown - using high impedance cans with the Yamamoto HA-02, because I did not want to put my new pride and joy in an unfavorable situation. Even Yamamoto-San in his endeaing Japanese - English computer speak suggests that

"Maximum output :300mW (at the time of 50ohm load) of headphone terminals, much less at high ohm load".

So, I was understandably timid at throwing my beloved HD650s with Equinox cables at my new pretty. Oh, it took all my low impedance cans with ease, hardly breaking a sweat in showing me the absolute best that the K701, W2002, L3000, HP-2, or even the lowly SR-60 could sound. Encouraged by those forays, after which the little beauty just sat there as if to say, "is that all you've got?", I brought out the big guns.

The above is an overview - yes, because of SWMBO's remodeling binge, my listening space has been relegated to the kichen counter. Observe tonight's system - laptop with tons of flac files to Trend Micro UD10 USB digital transport -> Dac Ah -> Yamamoto HA-02. Ah, yes, the glass has the remains of a cheap, but good, Aussie Syrah.

On to the details ...




Bottom line? You with high impedance cans (Senns, Beyers, AKG - you know who you are), be not afraid of this pretty little newcomer from Japan. The Yamamoto HA-02 will drive your beloved headphones far more than "just fine". You may find, as I did tonight, that this pretty little thing will take them to places they have not been before. Do not laugh. I have a bit of experience with Senn HD-6xx, and am here to say that the HA-02 listening experience is a scary combination of the best of single ended and the best of balanced. Here's what I mean. Senn 6xx can be very sweet and seductive with excelent source and amp when driven single ended, but lack a certain punch or edge. When driven balanced from similar high quality source and amp, they are a definite "wow", but, sometimes, over time in that configuration, can become the anti-Senn - too forward, and sometimes grating. (the previous opinions are mine alone, and may not agree with yours).

What I've heard so far tonight, is the best of both worlds - single ended smoothness and balanced power and detail - just wonderful.

For any curious folk, I will have this rig at the National Meet in San Jose, so come see and hear for yourself.

hrm... and i was just going to go to bed... looks like i'll be up for a while

mjb

Just a few observations after a couple of hours use.
Turned on for the first time,no hums,buzzes,strange smells etc.
The volume control is very smooth and absolutely no noise through the headphones all the way round.

Been listening mainly with the RS1s and first thought is if I'd had this amp a few weeks ago I may not have purchased the 701s. The AKGs were added as I sometimes found the Grados a little harsh on some recordings around the higher notes,well with the Yamamoto they've become perfect gentlemen.
The other notable feature is the increase in soundstage/depth with the HA-02.

The music now seems to extend well out to the side of the phones and projects forward and upwards as well. I've always thought of the RS1s as having a quite flat,horizontal image,well not any more.
While wishing to avoid any FOTM raving for myself in the short period of use this is a better amp with the Grados than the Mapletree. Please note I'm not setting this is stone, just my response at this stage.I'm not going to try and anylise the sound piece by piece as I dont have the ability to do that but as a wonderful way to listen to music the Yammy/RS1 combo is now the best I've heard.

The only 2 records listened to so far have been Vic Chesnutts 'Ghetto Bells' and Emmylou Harris 'Wrecking Ball' and with both of these I've noticed an increase is space around instruments and voice, Bill Frissels guitar on the track 'Forthright ' shimering with a bell like tone or the backing voice(N Young?) on 'Sweet Old World' gaining a seperation and depth from E M Harris as though the two singers had moved a couple of paces apart.

I've managed a brief listen with the W1000s and they also sounded very nice but for me didn't gain the depth that I noted with the RS1s,but plenty of time for more auditioning.

One final point,listening levels going by the volume control seem about the same as the Mapletree, around the 8 to 9 o'clock positions for both Grado and AT phones so there would seem to be plenty in reserve and I dont think anyone will have a problem driving any brand headphone with this amp.

So, after 2 hours you can put me down as a very satisfied owner. I would give the HA-02 a big Headfi

Just reread this and as per my observations in my brief review, couldn't agree more.

Wow, can my brain be slow sometimes.

I was reading Tuatara’s post where he’s stating the virtues of the Yamamoto, but then for some reason he would mention that the HA-02 was better. Now each time I would be reading HA-02, I thought he was mentioning the Corda HA-02. I just did not understand what he was trying to say.

It's only a few hours later when I went to turn off my Yamamoto that I saw, in big characters, "HA-02", lit up by the Pilot lump, that I then realized that the Yamamoto is ALSO a HA-02.

I am now making more sense of what Tuatara wrote.

time for some sleepy bye byes perhaps

I have to revisit my inital impression re the Yamamoto/W1000 combo.
Left the pair running for several hours over the weekend,came back to try them and wow.
In some previous posts in this thread Garry mentioned how well he thought this combo sounded,echoing the 6 Moons review and I'd have to throw my vote in now also. I have never heard the ATs sound this good. Listening on 2 records, Kate Bush's Ariel and Okonokos by My Morning Jacket.
Two notable improvements, soundstage and what Srajan mentioned in 6 Moons, the weight behind the sound.

Previously I've always found the ATs to have a closed in slightly constricted response that I put down partially to their closed design but on the 2 discs mentioned above the music seems to burst out of the boundaries of the earpieces to give a depth and dimension I hadn't expected.

I thought the RS1 was good with the Yammy but now maybe the W1000 has the edge...wonder how good a W5000 sounds, anyone try one yet?

After 3 days together I know this amp will never leave my ownership, its the best sounding, best finished piece of audio equipment I have ever owned.

Tuatara,

Really glad to hear how much you're enjoying your new "precious".

Yes, I've tried this. After a few hours listening to the W5000 via the Yammy, my initial impressions, aside from the expected similarities to the W1000 sound, were that the W5000's exhibited a bit more extension and depth at the lower end and a slightly better balance tone-wise, top to bottom. Over the next week or so, after more listening, I'll jot down a few more observations on this combo. Just based on my brief experience, I can not help but believe that this has the potential to be a wonderful team and would keep many a listener quite happy for a long time !

Couldn't have said it better and agree 1000% ! The Good Lord willing, my HA-02 will be with me a long long time.

Happy listening.

Cheers,
Garry

Bump for more impressions on this very interesting amp.

tuatara, could you perhaps elaborate a bit on the differences between your Mapletree and the Yamamoto? What kind of tubes are you using in the Ear+?
Thanks.

I'm not very good at critical anylising and dont have the ability to go into deep detail sorry.
What I have noted in an increase in soundstage with both the RS1 and especially the W1000s In the 6Moons review Srajan talked about an increased weight to the music and yes I can hear that on alot of the tracks I've listened too. To me it feels like building up layers and increasing the space between instruments/vocals so that sometimes little details you'd not noticed before come into view.
Again, this isn't something that happens on every recording so it's not a magic wand. Having said that I dont think the Yamamoto is an amp for detail freaks who want to pull very last sound out of a record but for a listener who appreciates a totally musical performance.

I think that for hard rock music the Mapletree maybe the better amp. It does have more or maybe just a deeper, bass response and perhaps a little more 'slam'.(notice all the maybes and perhaps,hedging bets here)
I would not call the Yammy slow or soft as it's not not. What it does do for me is rearrange the positions of the musicians and where the MAD/RS1 combo may push say the vocalist or guitar forward the Yamamoto seems to pull everything back onto a more equal billing.

Most of my listening has been with small combo/acoustic music like Greg Brown,Vic Chesnutt,Emmylou Harris and with either the RS1s or the W1000s the music is the best I've heard. I've listened to the 2nd disc of Kate Bush's Ariel half a dozen times now with the W1000s and at times its quite breath taking. What I do like also is that the frizz that the RS1s can exhibit on some recordings is gone,see Agile-Ones ealier post on that.

I have had a quick listen with the 701s and think they fare much better with the Mapletree but really need more time to make a truely informed decision on that. The one thing I will not qualify is how much improvement the Yammy has brought to the W1000s, at times the music seems huge compared to how they've sounded with other amps,no longer contrained inside the earcups.

No way will I part with the Mapletree and I think that linked with either the RS1s or the 701s they will remain my reference set for blowing out the cobwebs but there's a little magic at work with the right music when I fire up the Japanese combo.

re the valves in the Mapletree, at the moment I'm using 2 NOS RCA 12B4s and a early 50s GE TMBP with the large clips on the support rods.Probably the best combo I've tried with this amp so far.

So the Yamamoto excels with Grado and AT woodies, but has not the same synergy with K701 and Sennheiser? I am not sure but got an impression of this trend in the listening experience from at least some listeners. Is there something special with the Yamamoto treble that balances, or maybe hides, the usual Grado treble peak? And what about the increased soundstage - is it a matter of more clear spatial positioning or more of a reverberation thing?
I am also very interested in a comparison with the Opera and PS Audio amp. Sorry for all my tricky questions!

balances I feel is a good term as the treble certainly isn't missing on the Grados. As I tried to say earlier everything seems to be positioned a bit differently with the Yamamoto with less in your face response. With some tracks there was always a mental gringe as you waited for a certain note or passage where things just got a little out of control, well far less now, in fact almost nil.
Re the soundstage. I think positioning would sum it up, as though all the musicians have moved a little further apart. The echoing that I used to experience sometimes with the ATs seems to have gone, really opened them up.

I'm going to lend the Yamamoto/RS1s/W1000s to a Grado/Mapletree owning friend shortly so I'll be interested in his response re the 2 amps.