[Ares]

I just purchased this amp. Considering the tag price was much less than the cost of gas to get it home (and it was only a 10 minute drive) it was a complete impulse buy. It looks like it is from the early 90s or later 80s and appears to be a basic power amp. It has 4 channels but i am running it in two channel mode. At low volume levels it is much clearer than my Denon but it outputs much less power than the Denon. It has huge capacitors (12000uF) that look like power caps. Considering the power supply is much larger than my other power amplifers, but it has a lower power output, I assume it is running in a less efficient class.

I am just probing at this point, has anyone heard/seen one of these. What do you know about it? What do you think of them? Any good mods? I wouldn't want the $2 to go to waste...

 

[TheMarchingMule]

lol @ $2.

I'm sure a simple Google search will entertain you for awhile.

 

[NightOwl]

Just curious why you think the Yamaha puts out less power than your Denon. IIRC the Yamaha is rated at 80w per channel x 2 and 40w per channel x 4. Isn't your Denon 45w x 2?

It was the baby of the Natural Sound separates series of the early 80's. It was a stripped down amp compared to the higher up models which included the highly regarded 600 watt M85 and switchable to class "A" M45. All of these amps were bridgeable and stable into 2 ohm loads. The M35 is the least impressive sounding of the series but, that being said, it's still good.

Nice score for $2.

 

[Ares]

I have it switched to 2 channel but I doubt i am getting 80 watts. Full volume on the Yamaha is equal to about 11 o'clock on the Denon with the same speakers - yet it does sound much less boomy and clearer. I am also wondering how I would go about bridging the Yamaha and if it is worth it.

Thanks for the info, this amplifier sounds great. Some people say that it runs in Class A for the first few watts, is this correct?

Again, thanks so much!

 

[NightOwl]

The first 5 watts are class "A".

Bridging gives you double the power. The M35 is internally bridged already, which is how you get 80 watts x2 from 40 watts x 4. I don't think you can bridge it again from 2 channel mode, but I'm not 100% sure. See the following links for how to bridge.

How to Bridge an Amplifier: 5 steps - wikiHow

How to Bridge an Amplifier | eHow.com

What preamp are you using for the Yamaha as the output-input impedance match can sometimes affect the amplifier's volume output. Corroded amp fuses can also reduce volume.

Try switching to 4 channel and connect your speakers to only two of the channels to see if the volume reduces. It's possible that your internal bridging isn't working and you're only getting 40 watts.

 

[Lazarus Short]

The Fezmeister owns one of these, and thinks everyone should do so. $2 was a killer price, BTW.

 

[Ares]

All of the other amplifers there were overpriced but this one was $2 because the people at the church sale had plugged it in and saw a red light - they assumed that the red light was some kind of warning light. Yeah for unconventional power LEDs.

 

[NightOwl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ares /img/forum/go_quote.gif All of the other amplifers there were overpriced but this one was $2 because the people at the church sale had plugged it in and saw a red light - they assumed that the red light was some kind of warning light. Yeah for unconventional power LEDs.

Must be something about vintage components. Except for one amber LED and one green, all the rest of my electronics have red power lights.

 

[Logistics]

I just picked one of these up for $20. That's a good price as far as I'm concerned because I love the simplicity of a basic power amp, without all the additional features of a receiver.

I'm no stranger to upgrading capacitors to improve sound and performance on sound-cards and speakers, whether they be desktop or stereo. Point being that I will surely get around to refreshing this amp, but I wanted to see if anyone has first-hand experience in updating this unit.

-Matthew