Yamaha DSP-A2070

[rishiguru]

Yamaha DSP-A2070 Digital Sound Field Processing Amplifier

Hi guys, this is RishiGuru. The reason of my post is that, today I bought this Yamaha DSP-A2070 [British Model] amplifier from a person at INR 8K. At last I met an audiophile.

Yamaha DSP-A2070 [7 channel amplifier]


This person bought this amplifier in 1995 when he was in U.K. He was faithfully using this system until 2010 i.e for the last 15 years.

Last year he outsourced both the Marantz SR6003 & PM7004 as an upgrade, but was not so happy with their performance.

According to him the SR6003 have better options like USB so that he can now connect his iPod with it and accepts 7.1 inputs which A2070 lacks. But on the other hand SR6003 lacks out & out power when compared to the Yamaha A2070. Movie effects are better on SR6003 but SQ wise A2070 is better.

The Marantz PM7004 is better for music than SR6003 but still both of them lags behind this YAMAHA MONSTER. The PM7004 just cannot hold a candle to this Yamaha in terms of power output & simply lacks base. Also PM7004 seems to lack the juice required to handle the B&W floor standers. So, he again reverted back to the Yamaha DSP-A2070 for music listening.

Recently he upgrade to ..... wait for it ....... KRELL S300i amp.

I think I am one of the very few extremely lucky persons in India who are able to have a nearly 2 hour audition with all these three systems paired with B&W floor standers.

I cannot express my feelings as of now, since i am in a delusional & euphoric state. I will later try to write the details of my 'THE AUDITION'.

As of now my 15 year old yamaha DSP-A2070 is in pristine condition, not even a scratch, audiophiles take great care of their systems.

This system was yearly serviced by a very well known technician in Kolkata. Yearly internal dusting means the amps is simply shining new both from inside and outside. Not a single repair for the last 15 years. He said this amp is going to last for another 15 years.

The Yamaha DSP-A2070 amp is so powerful, you can literally blast walls with it. And it will do so with a THD of 0.015% only at max volume.

I don't know what to say about the sound quality of A2070, I have never heard or felt anything like this.

This 21 kilo amp is a beast to say the least. And it has a remote control which is designed to be used by aliens(So many buttons) & the instruction manual is as heavy as a dictionary .

Stats of Yamaha DSP-A2070
----------------------------------
Full name : Yamaha DSP-A2070 Digital Sound Field Processing Amplifier

Released : 1993

Price on release : $2000 (INR 1 lakh approx)

Awards : In 1993 won the best Home Theater System award given by European Imaging & Sound Association(EISA)

www.eisa.eu --> Awards

-----------------------------------------------------

Can operate in both true stereo mode & 7 channel. It is a true blue stereo amp since accepts only stereo audio inputs.

Currently using the stereo mode with a pair of bookshelves.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Specification Yamaha DSP-2070 [British Model]

1) Minimum continious power per channel(RMS) :

Main stereo speakers(2 units) : 100 watts @ 6 ohms per channel

Center speaker(1 unit) : 100 watts @ 6 ohms

Effect speakers (4 units) : 26 watts @ 6 ohms
---------------

Total minimum continious power of the system : 100 + 100 + 100 + 26 + 26 + 26 + 26= 404 watts:licklips:

2) Minimum dynamic power per channel:

Main stereo speakers(2 units) : 160 watts @ 6 ohms per channel

Center speaker(1 unit) : 160 watts @ 6 ohms

Effect speakers (4 units) : 42 watts @ 6 ohms
---------------

Total minimum dynamic power of the system : 160 + 160 + 160 + 42 + 42 + 42 + 42 = 648 watts

And also remember that Yamaha is using the word minimum. This was their best amp in 1993 and Yamaha have always traditionally been very conservative with their power output figures.

Take the example of their current top of the line stereo amp the A-S2000. Yamaha stated that it has 90 watts X 2. When the technical LABORATORY REPORT was published it was found that it is capable to produce 180 watts X 2 @ 4 ohms.

As of now it will take me some time to learn how to operate this amp. This has got helluva features. My back also hurts as of now since i have to lift this 21 kilo monster and take a taxi.

I will later post the details of my audition and my amp pics.

 

[aventhu]

Awesome Awesome Awesome Rishiguru!!! Now you would need a pre-pro to use HDMi Equipment and TruHD Audio. Yamahas Rock!!!:yahoo:

 

[rishiguru]

Re: Yamaha DSP-A2070 Digital Sound Field Processing Amplifier

Awesome Awesome Awesome Rishiguru!!! Now you would need a pre-pro to use HDMi Equipment and TruHD Audio. Yamahas Rock!!!:yahoo:

Thanks aventhu.

My Current activity --> Relieving in the depths of sound.

 

[soundofmusic]

Yes Rishiguru, The Older Yamaha's were built like a tank. They had a very good power supply giving them plenty of power to drive any speakers. Yamaha's are known for giving big and loud sound. Enjoy Dude. WHats the speakers you are using.

 

[rishiguru]

Re: Yamaha DSP-A2070 Digital Sound Field Processing Amplifier

Yes Rishiguru, The Older Yamaha's were built like a tank.

Yep, I admit. You can call it a tank amp.

They had a very good power supply giving them plenty of power to drive any speakers.

Today I opened up the A2070 to see the internal circuitry and was truly truly truly truly impressed.

Man the humongous size of the transformer, I don't no what to call it, may be Thor's hammer is the right way to describe its potential.

The power capacitors are Nichicon's(World's best) and are so big(4 inch tall) that Yamaha had to use clamps to hold them to the chassis. The power supply unit is truly almighty.

Currently got a lil bit of idea of how the power amp module works. The pre-amp module is extremely sophisticated & currently beyond my knowledge. This is a discrete/ solid state amp using Toshiba power transistors. High end amps have always been discrete.

Yamaha's are known for giving big and loud sound. Enjoy Dude.

Thanks soundofmusic.

As of now, after listening to the Krell 300i, Yamaha A2070, Marantz SR6003 & PM7004 with B&W floor standers, if i would have pick one for music the order will be

1) Krell 300i [You ask and it delivers]
2) Yamaha A2070 [Plenty of bass to play with]
3) Marantz PM7004 [Not for bass lovers]
4) Marantz SR6003 [Not for bass lovers]

SQ wise i would say Krell 300i is in a different plane. It is the A2070 & PM7004 which do the tussle in terms of SQ.

Marantz PM7004 -> Ok base, excellent mids, excellent highs & meant to be used with bookshelves.
Yamaha DSP-A2070 -> Breath taking & chest thumping base, great mids, excellent highs & ultimate power king.

WHats the speakers you are using.

I will be truthful. Currently i do not have the moolah to buy a pair of big B&W floorstanders.

I know in order to satisfy my lust for music I need a pair of floor standers with two 8 inchers (bass), one 5 incher(mids) & one tweeter as a minimum requirement per speaker.

Currently paired the A2070 with my Sony SS-GN88D bookshelves which sound quality wise no where near the B&W floorstanders.

 

[hemantwaghe]

Are you going to use it as stereo amp only?
I cannot see any audio processing except Dolby Pro Logic some 25 yaer old tchnology.
Aslo can t used as 7 channel power amp - as it does not have 7 channel inputs , and I cannot see any subwoofer control ,or i think it was not there in Dolby Pro Logic era .

 

[rishiguru]

Re: Yamaha DSP-A2070 Digital Sound Field Processing Amplifier

Are you going to use it as stereo amp only?

As of now, yes. There are very few HT amps that sound really good in stereo mode. Yamaha A2070 is one of them.

I cannot see any audio processing except Dolby Pro Logic some 25 yaer old tchnology.

The DSP-A2070 was Yamaha's TOTL surround sound receiver in the early 90s ($2000 list). Some people say that they are the best Dolby Prologic receiver ever made.

I bought this one and its the only surround sound receiver that I have tried that I am happy listening to as a stereo. It has a very good phono stage and the sound is clean, dynamic and non fatiguing.

Aslo can t used as 7 channel power amp - as it does not have 7 channel inputs

A2070 accepts stereo in & uses its DSP circuit to generate 7 speaker sound. It is not a true 7.1 channel amp since it accepts only two and not eight channels as input.

There is a 'Effect' speaker switch. When this is off, only the main pair of speakers in stereo mode can be used. When in on position all the 7 speakers work.

The A2070 has a front mix switch on the back that enables you to hear the dsp mode effects through the main front L and R. I turned it of to get pure stereo sound.

and I cannot see any subwoofer control ,or i think it was not there in Dolby Pro Logic era .

If one wishes to add a subwoofer this unit provides line level sub output, which contain only frequencies under 200Hz from the main pair & center speakers.

Max of two subwoofers can be added to this unit.

 

[anm]

doesn't it have 5.1 input?

 

[rishiguru]

doesn't it have 5.1 input?

No. Forget about 2.1, 4.1, 5.1, 6.1, 7.1, 8.1, 9.1...................... with this amp.

This is a pure stereo amp. Just pumped up to produce 7 channel output.

After going through the service manual of DSP-A2070, and from a technical point of view, this amp consists of a pair of stereo power amp modules.

While one stereo amp module takes care of the main stereo speakers, the other stereo amp module is broken down into two halves, one half output goes to the center speaker while the other half is further divided into 4 parts and sent to the 4 effect speakers.

Each of these two stereo power-amp modules is capable to deliver at around 200 watts of continuous power.

1) First Stereo power-amp
Output goes to the main stereo speakers: 100(Left) + 100(Right) watts = 200 watts

2) Second Stereo power-amp
Output goes to: Center speaker(Left) + [4 effect speakers](Right): 100(Left) + [26 + 26 + 26 + 26](Right) = 100 + (104) = 204 watts

Total continuous power = 200 +204 = 404 watts

Yamaha's Digital Sound Processor(DSP) then plays with all these seven channels and create ambiance like Concert Hall1, Concert Hall2, Concert Hall3, Church, Rock Concert, Jazz Club, Concert1, Concert2, TV Theater, Movie Theater1, Movie Theater2.

There is also a pure stereo mode when all the above modes goes off and only the main stereo speakers remain active, i.e. the second stereo power amp module switches off & saves your electric bill. :lol:

And you get the Dolby Pro Logic mode too.

So, you end up with three modes in DSP-A2070
1) Pure Stereo
2) Yamaha DSP mode
3) Dolby Pro Logic

 

[anm]

so if you want more power for your stereo, you should connect to second amp downside being the front amp won't be off - but then since no current being drawn, you won't waste much electricity.

 

[rishiguru]

so if you want more power for your stereo, you should connect to second amp downside being the front amp won't be off - but then since no current being drawn, you won't waste much electricity.

Yamaha DSP-A2070 happens to be one of the last dying breed of high current amplifiers. Today's amps generally use high voltages rather than high current to achieve the required power output.

The reasons are very simple:

1) You need a smaller power supply (Saves a lot of money)

2) If you feed high voltage in a power amp module you get higher output figures in watts using a smaller power supply.

But the downside is that, even with high output figures these new breed of amps generally are not capable to properly drive very big floorstanders having big drivers.

DSP-A2070 being a high current amp, uses a substantially bigger power supply unit to achieve the same power output figures in watts and are able to drive any kind of speakers be it bookshelves or floorstanders.

Marantz PM7004 produces 70 watts @ 8 ohms while Yamaha DSP-A2070 produces 80 watts @ 8 ohms per channel from their stereo output, so you will assume that both have near equal capacity to drive speakers in stereo mode.

Ha ha, you will be amazed just to find the difference between the 70 watts of PM7004 & the 80 watts of DSP-A2070.

When connected to huge B&W floorstanders, those drivers of the tower barely moved at 60% volume of PM7004, while the same floorstanders at 40% volume of DSP-A2070 started to work. At 60% volume of DSP-A2070 the floorstanders where in there sweet zone, and it is a incredible sight to watch & feel those near 4 feet towers in full song.

Bowers & Wilkins -> 800_Series_Diamond

The power, the pulse, the depth, the dynamism, the roar, the elegance, the simplicity, the complexity, the coloring, the naturalism ...... every aspect of sound from those towers paired with the beastly Yamaha DSP-A2070 in pure stereo mode......my goodness, in those moments you just forget about everything and enter into a different dimension. After my memorable audition I actually dream of those towers.

As I said before, Yamaha DSP-A2070 is a beast of an amplifier, if you get hold of this amp priced within 15k, grab hold one of them, since they have performance in spades & have detailed sound quality which even surpasses the Marantz PM7004 from my point of view.

 

[rishiguru]

Well at last it seems that I started my surround-career with the Yamaha DSP-A2070. This is a BEAST MASTER of an amplifier and Yamaha's only second surround sound amplifier released in the year 1993 with a list price of $2000.

Yamaha DSP-A2070 [7 channel amplifier]


It has Dolby Pro Logic and all kinds of Yamaha Sound Field Processing (DSP) options. The DSP settings are incredibly complex and you can spend half of your life in those settings. It will take me some time, but anyway back in 1993 with such a sophisticated amplifier, Yamaha was ahead of its time & competition. The sound fields are calculated digitally.

The disadvantage seems that the front & rear surround channels seems to be weak compared to the main stereo & center channels, in other words the four surround speakers cannot keep up with the left, right & center speakers.

Still, there is something magical in the sound of the DSP-A2070 especially in true stereo mode that spells in my ears that it is staying with me for a long time. I am going to keep this Yamaha beast around. Sometimes I will also need to check whether I am going the right direction with my main setup.

If I want, I can also connect new or guest speakers to it, just to see what would happen. It is just fun to play around with DSP-A2070. It has got so many options. I can also use it as a separate pre-amplifier or power amplifier according to my wish. There is simply something magical to its sound that just makes me sit up and pay attention. It has immense power and drive; really making you part of the music.

Sure, it had mind boggling BASS & SLAM, this comes like a big tidal wave and simply washes you out. Tight, precise and solid with exact timing.

The detailing of mids & highs is also spot on and man it could really rock. The detailing and high frequency smoothness and extension, even in the context of a music setup(stereo mode), I am sure it can slay many well known amplifiers from Marantz, NAD & Bryston. I really like my DSP-A2070.

It is a very powerful sounding amp. When used as a power amplifier (bypassing the internal pre-amplifier) it is amazingly dynamic and spacious and even more brutal in force than a pair of Bryston 7BST's(as auditioned). Ultimately of course it has less power than the 7BST's, but when used within its limits it makes up for a perfect stereo setup or a perfect home cinema amplifier(minus recent 7.1 channel effects) with its thunderous bass and powerful slam. The amplifier is very visceral and entertaining while at the same time maintaining great fluidity and refinement.

As rightly pointed out by its previous owner who happens to be an audiophile, this Yamaha DSP-A2070 simply refuses to die. He said once he ran this amp at full volume at his sisters marriage for the whole evening. He got the new Krell 300i by then and so wanted to test his 15 year old Yamaha DSP-A2070 to its limit. The center speaker blew. Nothing happened to the amp.

It is so incredibly heavy at 21 kgs, you need real muscle to put it in a rack. The internal electronic & mechanical components used are of very high quality & Yamaha seems not to have cut any corners with their top of the range Signature Amplifier of 1993.

You have no idea how big the EI power transformer is, it seems to be a 800VA plus & is simply gigantic. I very closely looked at this transformer, Japanese audiophile companies have this incredible love of EI transformers over toroidal ones, but is seems they have somehow perfected the black art of creating EI transformer which produces no hum.

Now comes the the humongous tower power capacitors. What else other than the worlds best capacitor manufacturer i.e. Nichicon. You have a pair of Nichicon Great Supply Type-I Audiophile Grade, 22000uF, 71WV capacitors for the main stereo and center speakers. This caps are 4 inches tall and 1.5 inch in diameter and very heavy. This is the reason why Yamaha uses clamps to hold this caps to the chassis. And there is another pair of Nichicon Great Supply Type-I Audiophile Grade, 8200uF, 40WV capacitors for the four effect speakers.

So you end up with an almighty power supply consisting of a giant transformer & 60,400uF of pure HiFi grade Nichicon power. Now I know from where all this titanic power comes from. Mind you the above transformer & caps takes care of the power amp module only and are dedicated to power output. There is a separate smaller power supply unit with separate power caps that takes care of the DSP & other modules.

This power supply also allows Yamaha engineers to add an additional bass feature namely Bass Extension. While the bass knob allows you to add +/- 10db (50 Hz) the bass extention adds another +7db (70 Hz). So now you can get +17db over the reference, which is a tremendous achievement from the bass boosting point of view. All of this due to its King Kong power supply.

The power amplifier module of this DSP-A2070 is discrete/solid state as it uses a pair of Toshiba 2SA1302/2SC3281 power transistors in push pull mode for each of its right, left & center channels. Each of these pairs has a rated 150 watts of peak dissipation and can easily pump out 100 watts of continuous power. So a minimum of 300 watts & six power transistors here.

The four effect speaker channels uses a pair of Sanken 2SA1726/2SC4512 power transistors in push pull mode for each of the four surround channels. Each of these pairs has a rated 50 watts of peak dissipation and can easily pump out 35 watts of continuous power. So a minimum of 104 watts & eight power transistors here.

These fourteen power transistors pump out a minimum of 404 watts in total.

All the electronic & mechanical components used in this amp are of GRADE-A variety, and are simply built to last for generations. The DSP-A2070 is supeflous with ultra high quality Nichicons and super high quality Panasonic (Matsushita) capacitors. Even after 15 years of abuse they seem new. Not a single leak from a single cap. Just speak of quality. Same goes for transistors, IC's, diodes, resistors, control pots, PCB's, wires & even the nuts used to mount the power transistor to gigantic heat sinks are of aero space grade.

And the heatsinks, man they are like the gates of a dam, so big & huge. Today I dismantled the DSP module, pre-amplifier module & the system control module of this amp. Seems pretty sophisticated. I will analyze and provide the details later.

Awards : In 1993 won the best Home Theater System award given by European Imaging & Sound Association(EISA)
www.eisa.eu --> Awards

Now let me give you an example of the real strength of this amp:

1)Total Minimum Continuous Power(RMS): 100 + 100 + 100 + 26 +26 + 26 +26 = 404 watts @ 6 ohms @ 0.015% THD

2)Total Minimum Dynamic Power(RMS): 160 + 160 + 160 + 42 + 42 + 42 + 42 = 648 watts @ 6 ohms

3)Signal to Noise ratio : 96db +

4)THD: 0.005%

5)Dynamic Headroom : 2.0db @ 6 ohms

Remember that 2.0db dynamic headroom is when the DSP-A2070 is under full load from the seven speakers. When in stereo mode, only two speakers are active, so dynamic headroom will be over 3.0db.

3.0db dynamic headroom means that while DSP-A2070 is perfectly capable to deliver 100 watts X 2 = 200 watts of continuous power through the main stereo speakers, it can easily handle 200 watts X 2 = 400 watts of transient peaks in power output. This seems to be an incredible achievement. Very few amps have this type of monstrous capability. This amp can simply achieve two times its rated power output without a hint of strain.

Yamaha's current top of the line stereo amp A-S2000($2000) have a dynamic headroom of only 0.67db @ 8 ohms. Marantz PM7004 & SR6003 have no such rating!!!

Change of times, my friend.:lol:

Wondering what is dynamic headroom? Below is a great explanation as found on axiomaudio.com website:

To better understand amplifier dynamic headroom, we need to look at dynamic range, and how we experience it in everyday life. On a hike in the woods, most of us know the soft rustling sound of leaves in a tree produced by a gentle breeze, a sound that measures perhaps 20 dB Sound Pressure Level (SPL) at most. And at one time or another we've experienced the sound of an orchestra or brass band in a concert hall at 100 dB SPL (or more), or of an amplified rock band at 120 dB. Those levels represent the extremes in dynamics that our ears can routinely register. If we were suddenly transported from that idyllic spot in the woods (20 dB SPL) to the rock concert (120 dB SPL), our ears would register a dynamic range of 100 dB ... To give you some perspective on music playback in the home, "quiet" music would fall in the 75dB range, whereas "quite loud" music would measure about 85dB SPL at your favorite spot on the couch.

For purposes of illustration, let's take an example of listening to a recording of a solo concert-grand piano of Chopin Piano Works at average levels of 96 dB, using a pair of loudspeakers at a distance of 12 feet. Lets assume that we need 10 watt per channel of amplifier power to reach 96 db, a modest demand for even the least expensive A/V receiver or small amplifier. If the pianist on the CD was playing Chopin's Grand Polonaise, however, and one of those spectacular chords in the bass octaves of the piano comes along, your amplifier and speakers will suddenly have to produce levels of 106dB SPL without distorting, because Chopin's piano works have sudden and extreme changes in musical dynamics. Since for every 3db increase in SPL we need two times the power, getting from 96 dB to 106 dB will require ten times as much power again (10 x 10) or 100 watts per channel.

But if it were a real-life orchestra playing at full tilt, and you wanted to reproduce the illusion in your living room of standing next to that grand piano, then peaks of 109 dB would be required. The goal, remember, is real-life reproduction of that grand piano, so now we only need 3 dB more (subjectively "somewhat louder") to hit 109 dB in the living room. But twice as much power is required for a 3dB increase (100 watts x 2 = 200 watts) per channel. All of a sudden our A/V receiver or amplifier has run out of power!

Of course, it's just a brief peak, lasting perhaps 200 milliseconds (one-fifth of a second), but the amplifier must have sufficient reserves of power to properly reproduce that momentary peak without distorting. If the amplifier has 3 dB of dynamic headroom, it will make it, and output the required 200 watts per channel for a fraction of a second, with no clipping and no distortion. But the truth is that most A/V receiver amplifiers have little or no dynamic headroom, so the receiver runs out of power, the distortion rises, and audible distortion intrudes, ever-so-briefly. The piano then "sounds too loud," to our ears because of the nasty distortion components, so we turn down the volume just short of our goal, because our amp didn't have enough dynamic headroom to handle the instantaneous peak power requirement.

How do we get that dynamic headroom into our amplifier? To answer that, we need to look at power, and how an amplifier outputs power in watts. Power in watts is the product of voltage, and current, flowing into a resistance (the loudspeaker). Voltage is the driving force, like water pressure in a hose, and it works with current, which is analogous to the rate of water flow. If the hose has greater diameter--or the speaker has less resistance to the flow of electricity, in which case it would be 4 ohms or less, rather than 8 ohms--then the amplifier voltage pushes more current through the output transistors and produces more "power." ....

...Nevertheless, that power has to come from someplace, and in amplifiers it's supplied by the transformer (which connects to your wall outlet) and by capacitors, which store up the reserve electrical energy from the transformer in "joules." According to Axiom electronics R&D engineer Tom Cumberland, the source of good dynamic headroom in an amplifier "comes from having a transformer with a high-flux core -- the higher the flux in the core, the more efficient the transformer is. That will give you lots of sustained current and instantaneous current, which is then dumped into the power-supply capacitors. So the better & bigger the transformer and the better and larger the power-supply capacitors, then the better the dynamic headroom is.

The problem with many amplifiers and A/V receivers designed for economy (the most watts for the dollar) is that they make the transformer just big enough to produce the voltage output they need, and just big enough capacitors to supply the sustained, continuous voltage and current they need for continuous power, and then the amplifiers quit, so those amplifiers have no real headroom.

On top of this, the power may be calculated to be the rated output for one channel at full power and the other five at 1/8 power. So a 100-watt six-channel A/V receiver actually only has 162.5 watts of total power or 27 watts per channel with all channels driven. The better amplifier builders, who design for performance (reproductive accuracy for the dollar) rather than economy, will install these big transformers with huge capacitors, so then they have all these joules of energy in reserve to produce the dynamics necessary for the music.

Another important factor in dynamic headroom is that the output transistors must be very tough, and there have to be enough of them, to handle these instantaneous high-current conditions, because a great deal of heat is generated very quickly. If the transistors aren't of sufficient quality, they'll be pushed outside of the "SOA" (safe operating area) and fail. And that may happen because there isn't enough heat-sinking to keep the output devices cool under these very dynamic conditions.

 

[rishiguru]

A few images of Yamaha DSP-A2070

The mode I like "Effect Off"


Self proclaimed "MONSTER AMPLIFIER" hyeah:


Giant transformer & heatsinks can be seen under the hood :yahoo:


Power capacitors having the size of Red Bull cans be seen on the left side, clamped tightly


I am back breaker at 21 kilos, so BEWARE

 

[cyber_cat]

congrats rishiguru, you seem to be lost like a kid in the candy store with this ampilifer, njoy the amp, superb pricing for the amp,

thank god you laid your hands on the amp, or else some used dealer would have brought it and sold it for 5 times the amount of price

happy listening

 

[acoustics]

hi
yamaha always does a good job in designing power section in their higher end models.I have the rx-v3067 and it has an excellent power section and it performs as good as or may be better than stand alone amps
i did a comparison of 3067 with the upa7 from emotiva and in no way the emotiva could stand near the 3067 in terms of SQ and dynamics even though it being a stand alone amp

 

[rishiguru]

congrats rishiguru, you seem to be lost like a kid in the candy store with this ampilifer, njoy the amp,

Truely speaking, I am astounded by this amp. I had no idea that amps belonging to the 90's era was so robust and understated. I am also bowled over by the quality components used and its sound quality for sure.

I was fortunate to have an audition of this amp with other amps belonging to world famous brands like Krell, Marantz, NAD, Bryston etc, and belive me when it comes down to SQ & power, only Krell can beat this Yamaha beast. And bassheads like me will die for it.

And the A2070 pairs great with this B&W floorstanders.

So you are dead right, I am lost like a kid in the candy store with this ampilifer.

superb pricing for the amp,

thank god you laid your hands on the amp, or else some used dealer would have brought it and sold it for 5 times the amount of price

The audiophile who bought the A2070 paid $2000 (INR 1 lakh) when he was in UK back in 1995. Then he had to pay customs duty.

I got it at INR 8K and that to in pristine condition.

Helluva superb price.

happy listening

Thanks cyber_cat.

As told to me by the audiophile: "The audio amplifier technology have matured for the last 20 years and have remained more or less the same in terms of performance & sound quality. What has improved over the years, are the number of audio input options & looks. But gone are the days when an amplifier was designed & built to last and provide flawless service for decades. A quick glance at the rapid reduction in weight during amp design speaks for it."

 

[avidyarthy]

And who is this audiophile .... if we may ask.

 

[rishiguru]

hi yamaha always does a good job in designing power section in their higher end models.

I have the rx-v3067 and it has an excellent power section and it performs as good as or may be better than stand alone amps
i did a comparison of 3067 with the upa7 from emotiva and in no way the emotiva could stand near the 3067 in terms of SQ and dynamics even though it being a stand alone amp

Yamaha DSP-A2070 [7 channel amplifier]


The thing is I am dealing with an amplifier which was Yamaha's range topping "Signature Amplifier" back in 1993.

Any world renowned "audiophile" company be it Yamaha, NAD, Marantz or who so ever will provide something special in their signature products.

For example Marantz have their "Reference Series", NAD have their "Masters Series" & Yamaha had their range topping DSP-A**** series back in 90's.

This DSP-A2070 had a list price of whooping $2000(INR 1 lakh) back in 1993. It was their most costly & coveted amp back then. The Yamaha sound engineers have put every thing they have learnt for the past 100 years in this product. So, the DSP-A2070 is always going to be something special in terms of SQ & product quality.

It was like their current $2,000 range topping Yamaha RX-A3010 back then.

Yamaha RX-A3010

Of course it looses out to the recent amps in terms of input options, looks, big lcd screens and trendy feel with it understated black facia & tiny dot matrix display.

I went in the room where its previous owner(an audiophile) kept his audio equipment's for auditioning. What first caught my eye was the beautiful looking B&W floorstanders. They simply look stunning. Performance wise they are the best floorstanders I ever heard & probably will.

Then looking at the amplifier rack section the Marantz SR6003 & PM7004 caught my eyes first & looked like super models standing still. Such beautiful looking audio amps which sounds beautiful too!!!

Next came into notice the Krell 300i with a volume knob that seems to be carved out from a single piece of aluminium block. Looking at this amp it just looks "solid" and you get a feeling that it have something under the hood.

The NAD T 755 was ok looking, but the Yamaha DSP-A2070 looked like a black box.

When paired with these B&W floorstanders, the DSP-A2070 slayed all its opponents in terms of sound quality & power. A2070 is pure muscle.

Yamaha DSP-A2070 has this incredibly detailed, non fatiguing, natural sound which encompass all the minute details of music you can ever think off & still provide the raw, unadulterated & powerful feel which at times can be more visceral & brutal than a pair of 1000 watts Bryston power amps.

In my audition only the Krell 300i could stand against it. The audiophile later told me that only after buying the Krell 300i, he thought to sale off his 15 year old A2070. Or else he always preferred the A2070 over the NAD & Marantz while listening music.

He initially gave me a price of INR 14K, but after a lot of talk & bargaining(which I am good at ) the price came down to INR 8K.

 

[rishiguru]

And who is this audiophile .... if we may ask.

Well his name is Rajiv Sulekh. When we met for the first time he introduced himself as a merchant businessman. He belongs to a very affluent background.

Man he is very rich.

He had been very sober, kind & helpful to me. He was kind enough to provide me a two hour audition on his audio equipments costing tens of lakhs of rupees. And that also included full volume tests.

He loves to listen loud like me.

Hope I get future auditions like this.:yahoo:

 

[rishiguru]

Yamaha DSP-A2070 [7 channel amplifier]


Today, I had a talk with the technician who did the yearly service(internal dusting) of this DSP-A2070 for the past ten years.

The good news is he lives very near to my house. Though i am quite capable to do the yearly dusting all by myself, still it is good to know that there is a person who lives nearby & posses the necessary skill & ability to service this amp when something goes out of hand.

This person has so much technical knowledge regarding amps, it was quite a session with him that I really enjoyed. It reminded me of the chat session I had with Mr. Bajaj of Norge Audio.

We had the usual boring technical engineer's talk regarding volt, ampere, VA, watts, THD, SNR, thermal capacity, SOA, heat dissipation, uF, resistance, pot technology, infrared, ...................................... it went on.

Then he congratulated me for getting hold of one of the best amplifiers that Yamaha had ever made.

He said he had serviced many Yamaha amplifiers, and in the range topping DSP series of Yamaha two models really stood out. They were:

1) Yamaha DSP-A3090 (Realeased in 1996, $2500) Link: DSP-A3090
2) Yamaha DSP-A2070 (Realeased in 1993, $2000)

According to his view, the DSP series amplifiers of Yamaha can be grossly separated into two portions.

1) The DSP Module
2) The Integrated Amplifier module consisting of the power supply, pre-amp & power amp modules.

The DSP module have integrated CPU, RAM & sophisticated IC's that controls the entire amplifier and also process the sound processing algorithms in the 7 audio channels when required.

He said that DSP-A3090 had the most balanced DSP/ integrated amplifier modules in the whole DSP series of amplifiers and was perhaps the best 7 channel amplifier Yamaha had ever made. It used the same power supply module of DSP-A2070 with higher rail voltages in order to produce more power on the rear effect speakers.

Regarding the DSP-A2070 he said that the DSP unit had less processing power than A3090, but on the other hand the integrated amplifier module was simply the best of all of some twenty DSP series amplifiers and also that it had the most uncompromising design for audio performance that Yamaha engineers ever followed for their DSP series.

According to him the power supply unit of A2070 was an over kill & was actually better suited for A3090 with higher power rating. In order to produce the rated power of A2070, Yamaha could have easily used a smaller power supply and still got excellent results with A2070.

But this high current power supply had it blessing on both the above amps, while A3090 was perfectly capable to handle 4 ohm loads even at very high volume levels, with the DSP-A2070 you can attach seven tower speakers at the seven channels all rated at 4 ohms, go to max volume & let it be there for the whole year.

He said with A2070, you will have no audible distortion, no clipping at max volume since it had phenomenal dynamic headroom. I later downloaded the DSP-A3090 manual and found he is dead right

DSP-A2070

Total minimum power(RMS) [20Hz-20kHz @ 0.015% THD, 8 ohms] :
80 (Main Left) + 80 (Main Right) + 80 (Center) + 25(Front Left) + 25(Front Right) + 25(Rear Left) + 25(Rear Right) = 340 watts

Dynamic Headroom : 2.1db @ 8 ohms
Weight : 21 kg

DSP-A3090

Total minimum power(RMS) [20Hz-20kHz @ 0.015% THD, 8 ohms] :
80 (Main Left) + 80 (Main Right) + 80 (Center) + 25(Front Left) + 25(Front Right) + 80(Rear Left) + 80(Rear Right) = 450 watts

Dynamic Headroom : 0.97db @ 8 ohms
Weight : 21 kg

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Looking at the above figures we find that A3090 is capable to pump up 110 watts of more power than A2070, but still weighs the same as A2070 at 21 kg since both are using same power supply. The dynamic headroom had reduced from 2.1 db in case of A2070 to just 0.97db for A3090 since it has to produce more power using the same power supply.

But then also A3090 atleast had some dynamic headroom, now a days amps are tightly designed to produce only that much power as mentioned at the spec sheet with zero dynamic headroom.

So, for sure at max volume there will be slight audible distortion in case of A3090 when playing a song with high dynamic range, though I doubt any body can withstand these 450 watts of power for a sustained period.

As for A2070 with 2.1 db of dynamic headroom there is no such problem at max volume. So, at the end he is right, more is always merrier for amplifier, be it power supply capacity, power output, weight etc.

Here is the power output rating of Yamaha DSP-A2070 under 4 ohms loads

Specification Yamaha DSP-2070 [British Model]

1) Minimum continious power per channel(RMS) [20Hz-20kHz @ 0.015% THD, 4 ohms]:

Main stereo speakers(2 units) : 125 watts @ 4 ohms per channel

Center speaker(1 unit) : 125 watts @ 4 ohms

Effect speakers (4 units) : 33 watts @ 4 ohms per channel
---------------

Total minimum continious power of the system : 125 + 125 + 125 + 33 + 33 + 33 + 33 = 507 watts @ 4 ohms :licklips:

2) Minimum dynamic power per channel:

Main stereo speakers(2 units) : 215 watts @ 4 ohms per channel

Center speaker(1 unit) : 215 watts @ 4 ohms

Effect speakers (4 units) : 57 watts @ 4 ohms per channel
---------------

Total minimum dynamic power of the system : 215 + 215 + 215 + 57 + 57 + 57 + 57 = 873 watts @ 4 ohms hyeah: