Yamaha A-S1000 is a great amp, actually the Yamaha CD-S1000/A-S1000 combo won the famous EISA award for the
Best European 2-Channel System in 2008.
For the price/ performance ratio perspective it is one of the best money can buy. In my recent audition for Yamaha DSP-Z9 it went on hand in hand with the mighty Musical Fidelity A5 & DSP-Z9.
At the end A5 & DSP-Z9 was better but then look A5 cost two times A-S1000 while Z9 cost four times. Comparison between A5 vs A-S2000 vs DSP-Z9 would have been a real treat to see & hear.
Few months back I created a thread of Yamaha's Centennial Series which was released back in 1987 or 1988. As a proud owner of A-S1000 you deserve a look into this:
Does anybody here owns any of these beauties?
If you ever have the opportunity to own one of them, do not even think just grab them!!!
Rishi, thank you much. Really salivating looking at all those yesteryear phenomenons! Really one can see that Yamaha (and for that matter other big corps of those time) made equipment with just one thing in mind, 'sound'...am sure the guys thought of business and profits later then! Unfortunately it's mostly about economics nowadays. I guess nowadays there aren't very many of such cos left? My cousin brother had a Yamaha A-1 that he had got brand new during his school days back in the early 80s. Unfortunately some IC went bad in it (I would think owing to voltage fluctuations) that he sold the amp then without realising the lifetime mistake he was doing then. To this date he keeps cursing himself for having sold it...he has been from that day searching for that A-1 benchmark sound, that all his auditions are done comparing to the A-1 sound. He then got himself an Akai UM-04, that I believe is still in sound working order. He's now settled down with the A-S2000 + Soavo 1, and he's all over his set up now and says it's the closest he's gotten to the A-1 sound since.
I don't know if it was his influence or if my ears were tuned to the Yamaha sound, I've become a major fan of Yamaha nowadays. I also especially like the sound of their 2009 series of AVRs.
I had the Denon 1609+Energy TC 5.1 to start with, the sound was sooper clean but their Bass handling was somewhat messed up. It was too fluffy and the sub used to struggle to produce a decent punch. But the mid and high freq of the Denon was excellent.
I sold it off and then got the RX-V663, one of the best receivers I've ever heard to date. Its a really well put-together unit, hardly gets warm after 8-10hrs of continuous use. I was so darn impressed with it that I went and got the RX-V1900 - a little monster, weighing 17.2kg! it's one mighty receiver, but cleary the sound signature is different to the 663s.
My 2-cents of impressions from the various Yamaha units that I have currently:
HTR-6160/RX-V663
Sound stage is good.
Highs are crystal clear and not fatigue inducing by any scale.
Mids are just right and do not sound recessed.
Lows are good and strong, but when compared with the V1900, the bass is on the weaker/slower side though it's got two sub pre-outs.
Heat: Given the chennai weather the receiver does tend to get warm , but stays that way even after 10hrs of running...
Overall a realy good mix and spread of the frequency spectrum. Good to keep listening for long hours and sounds very good for music.
RX-V1900:
Again highs are rendered superbly well inspite of treble set at 2dB. (on a scale of -6 to +6dB)
Mids are clearly recessed when compared to the 6160
Thhe strongest area of the V1900 is the incredibly strong Bass. Well controlled, fast and tight. It sounds as if it would rip the sub-off , but I'm yet to watch a movie like the Transformers on BD. Think it would make enemies of my neighbours!
There is no hint of boom in the bass and the low frequency is very well controlled by the receiver.
The receiver does become hot, that being said it does not get hot to the extent that u can't put your hand on it or something.
Overall this receiver is more inclined to play movies at almost theatrical levels than reproduce a piece of two channel music true and deep.
A-S500:
Controls position:
Treble & BAss: 2clock position
Loudness: 10clock position.
Two channel music sounds best when played via a stereo amplifier. Though receivers do try and hit above their legions. The frequency and control of sound is always best when played on a stereo amp as demonstrated by the A-S500.
This is not an audiophile amp by any scale, but it's sound is smooth and mellow and all frequencies are up there and played out by the speaker.
However clearly pairing the right speaker AND the right input source is very important as I realised.
The same amp with a Panasonic BDP sounded too forward and mids were too dominant.
Change the player to a Denon and you immediately
notice the difference. The highs and mids are reigned in and well controlled. The lows are a smooth but strong thump emenating from the speakers.
What spoils the show here is, the sub. Invariably there is a phase lag with the lows coming of the sub as compared to the speakers.