Shopping for an integrated, advice s'il vous plait.


Some time ago I decided to upgrade my stereo and spent virtually my entire budget on speakers (no regrets), tacking on a Harman HK3490 as an afterthought. Well, it recently bit the dust for no apparent reason. It was only $260 and gave me 5 years of almost daily service, so I'm not too mad. Unfortunately there's nothing comparable on the market at that price, adjusted for inflation. The closest thing I could find was the Yamaha A-S801, but it appears to have the same build quality as my previous receiver. I'm not sure I'm comfortable spending close to $1k on something with disposable quality, so I've been assessing my options within my budget ($1500 max). Looking for an analog integrated with quality components and construction that will last me at least 10 years. So far I've narrowed my options down to:

Yamaha a-s1000 (new)
or
Vintage i.e. Yamaha ca-2010, Sansui au-717, Pioneer sa-9500 ii etc. 

My only problem with vintage is that it seems to take many months of waiting before a deal comes up on the model you want. I see a fully recapped and restored au-717 recently went on eBay for less than $700. Probably not gonna find a deal like that in the next year, if ever. 

TL;DR Would like thy esteemed opinions to vet my purchase of a Yamaha a-s1000. 


unknoahble
@helomech
IMO, the hill of diminishing returns becomes very steep beyond the $1200 range.
I agree with you wholeheartedly on that point. My budget isn't tight per se, it's just that I know my speakers aren't going to resolve anything much beyond amps in the 1500 range. 

My hk3490 actually miraculously came back to life, after I paid $40 to have to assessed by a technician of course. It was going into protection mode and turning off every time I flipped the power switch. I confirmed it wasn't an outlet issue or short before taking it in, of course. No idea. Anyway, I'm not sure I trust it anymore so I'm still looking for a replacement, though not being under pressure to buy has given me time to step back and further assess my options.

I was looking at the a-s1000 simply because it seemed like the best bet for 'I need to order an integrated today,' but it's not necessarily an integrated I can see myself never wanting to upgrade from. That would be the a-s1100. I actually saw it on sale at Amazon for $2k when I first started shopping, but now it's back up to 2.5k, sigh. I've seen some a-s2100's go for roughly $1500 on eBay, so maybe if a deal like that comes up again I'd go for it. Now the waiting game begins. 

PS - I have nostalgia for the comforting, hypnotic glow of the vu meters on my grandfather's receiver in his den, where I spent many hours of my childhood. It was a Yamaha, which explains my proclivity. I was willing to go without vu meters if I had to, but now that I can be pickier I don't think I'd consider anything without them. I know this is a purely emotional decision, but that is part of the fun of the hobby for me.
I would second the Anthem 225i.  Powerful, exceptionally low noise floor, very versatile, solid build so it should last a long time, accurate but musical sound for a solid state amp.  The only flaw in the ointment is the remote control of the volume which is not very fine so it makes too large of jumps.  This may not be a problem with inefficient speakers but with the very efficient Spatial Holograms I run it is a pain.  For digital I end up using my DAC for fine volume control.  
Second the NAD 375 BEE. Although you said you're looking for an analog option, I would still research the new digital options.
I'm an an analog solid state guy myself but I would love to get my hands on these two digital integrated:

Nuprime IDA-8
NAD C388

The IDA-8 just received "product of the year" award by Sound Stage Magazine. The reviewer liked the piece so much that he actually bought the demo.

The C388 should be a great option if you like more power on tap. And given NAD great track record producing digital amplifiers should be a top choice as well.

Great luck with the HK! Here hoping it continues to provide service until you find that Yamaha with meters.