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Yamaha A-S500 ... finally something worth auditioning from Yamaha - Page 2

post #16 of 24
1/13/12 at 3:29pm

480 ohm output impedance iirc.  which is really high.

not the best from what i've heard.

in fact i much prefer my vintage yamies hp jack.

 

if you are looking for a stereo amp in that price range its very nice.  you'll be hard pressed to find anything that bests it for the price.  mainly because its simple, no extra nonsense you'll never use or don't care about.  2 channels and a subwoofer.  nice clarity and detail.  lively souding. 

if you are looking for something to drive headphones that will also occaisionally drive speakers, i'd look elsewhere

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post #17 of 24
1/13/12 at 3:53pm

480 ohms? That does seem strangely high...

Was just curious. I have an old Sansui receiver that I was afraid wasn't in fully working condition, and was considering getting the Yamaha if that was the case. I've been testing the Sansui today with my new speakers though and it seems to be working fine. If the Yamaha had a decent hpo it would have been an additional boon. I might have gotten it anyway, but if not I'll definitely put my money towards a dedicated headphone amp instead.

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post #18 of 24
1/13/12 at 4:00pm

actually its 470 BUT

i could be reading this thing wrong.

maybe someone else could confirm.

take a look:

yammieSA500Spec.jpg

 

what im not sure about is if thats the 430mw with an output impedance of 470 or 430mw into a 470 ohm load


Edited by Rawrbington - 1/13/12 at 4:04pm
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post #19 of 24
1/13/12 at 4:42pm

I prefer to listen to headphones with my A-S500 over my Nuforce Icon-2, I find I gives a bigger soundstage and better clarity.

 

I don't find it very 'bright' unless the music im listening to is mixed fairly bright. I enjoy the bass with my K701's, a somewhat bass light headphone, and find that well recorded music gives plenty of bass.
 

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post #20 of 24
1/13/12 at 7:59pm

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by mouse6nelson View Post

I prefer to listen to headphones with my A-S500 over my Nuforce Icon-2, I find I gives a bigger soundstage and better clarity.

 

I don't find it very 'bright' unless the music im listening to is mixed fairly bright. I enjoy the bass with my K701's, a somewhat bass light headphone, and find that well recorded music gives plenty of bass.


I wish I knew what the Icon sounded like so I could better weigh that statement.

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post #21 of 24
4/5/12 at 3:24am
Thread Starter 

OK, the jury is clearly still out on the quality of the headphone stage in this integrated amp, but ask yourself this - how many products have you seen on Amazon with 16 reviews and nothing below 5 stars ? Even if Yamaha employees posted every single review here (!), you usually see at least one unhappy camper, esp if the amp had a manufacturing defect, Nothing here beyond someone complaining about Amazon's delivery time. 16 people took the time to post their thoughts, and they all seem ecstatic with the amp - try getting that sort of consensus anywhere else in the audio universe. My experience has been that the unhappy campers tend to be the first to vent their spleen on sites like this - kudos to Yamaha for keeping on top of quality control on this entry-level amp - quite a few could take a leaf out of their book, 

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/B004EBUOKC/ref=cm_cr_pr_btm_link_1?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0

 

 

 

 

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post #22 of 24
4/5/12 at 8:02pm

for a new 2 channel amp at its price point its awesome.  but mine's not even plugged in.  pioneer sx 950 and marantz 2245 beat it in sound quality to my ears.  and the marantz puts its headphone jack to shame.

but it really does sound noticeably better than just about anything you can get for under 600$ at best buy.  maybe more.  people think you need a 5.1 or 7.1 a/v receiver. 

give me stereo any day of the week

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post #23 of 24
4/5/12 at 10:17pm
Thread Starter 

Sure, but how many have the knowledge/skills needed to refurbish a vintage receiver ? Yamaha kit is readily available - take it home. hook it up and enjoy. Granted, it wont have the longevity of the older gear, but that applies to virtually everything manufactured today, at least at that price point. I love the aesthetics of many vintage receivers, but 30-40 year old internals are going to need some love. 

 

Personally, I lean more toward the Marantz house sound, but this caught my eye simply because of the price and the fact that Yamaha hadnt done a great deal in 2-channel for quite a while. 

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post #24 of 24
4/12/12 at 3:14pm
Ok so I just broke this thing out and hooked it up to some new speakers I just got. It sounds very good. My buddy was over and we were experimenting. He really liked the sound and when I told him I paid 250$ for the amp he about pooped his pants. Detail for days, especially at its price point.

I still don't really like its HP jack. It's meh. But that's ok, that's not it's day job.

Overall it rivals my marantz in the detail department,but not in the musicality dept.
It bests the pioneer 950 in the details and ties it in musicality.
And it might beat my vintage yam cr 640 everywhere but the HP jack.

Really glad now I didn't sell it when I saw that the price had gone up so much from when I purchased it.
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