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A little puzzled by my newly acquired Yamaha A-S801

Picked up a Yamaha A S801 integrated, sounds clear and ’light’ if that makes sense. Nothing else in system has changed, same speakers, Epos Elan 10 and refurbished JR149s.

What’s bothering me is two-fold: 1. LOW frequencies seem a little pale (yes I know both speakers have limited extension, but did not hear this same effect on older 60 watt Rotel that is now defunct and irreparable) and,2. interestingly, 9 o’clock on volume control knob gives roughly the same volume level to my ears as the previously mentioned 60 watt only Rotel RA 1060.

Can anyone shed some light on this? Source is CD Onkyo C7030, virtually same whether or not I’m using ’CD DIRECT’ or PURE SOUND’ setting. Thoughts?

(Should mention I tried a Rotel A11 MK2 earlier, did not like at all and bore no resemblance in my system to the Rotel of old)

sifter
joekapahulu
252 posts
 

Had mixed results with low price Yamaha amps. I found them a bit bright. The Belles Aria amp is excellent sounding but there seems to be something going on with the production, as of a few years ago. I was set to buy one about 2 years ago and was "dissuaded" from it by 2 different long time retailers (29-30 years) who referenced inconsistency in build and product needing to be sent back to NY for repairs. The company stood behind its products and addressed the issues but it took time.  Both eventually stopped selling the line, though I cannot say it was due to this situation. It scared me off as I live far away from any repair facility and gear failure was what had put me into the market initially. On the other hand, the Aria is a gem in sound and you do find some for sale online every so often and Dave Belles past gear has been seen as very reliable. You might check in with John Rutan in Verona, NJ @Audio Connection. He sells lots of Belles, is a big supporter and seems to be a real straight shooter. He shows up on this forum every so often and has a great reputation. I would believe that he of anyone knows what is going on with the brand and would answer honestly as he has a good long standing shop and reputation. I was dissuaded because it is a boutique production situation and have moved to buying bigger brand components with large repair networks. It works for me but my situation is unique so I play it conservatively.

avanti1960
1,532 posts
 

@sifter 

Let the amp burn in more before you ditch it.  Give it 200 hrs or so.  

sifter OP
79 posts
 

Well, this weekend I acquired a pre-driven NAD C375BEE, initial listening is very positive. Definitely more immediacy and more satisfying low end. I do, however, plan on doing some comparison listening on a few tracks to see what I think both overall and regarding the upper midrange/top end as well.  NAD heats up a bit more but I have several inches of ventilation space above so hopefully not an issue. 

ghdprentice
7,394 posts
 

yes

I've operated a NAD with a couple inches of ventilation for a decade or more with no problems. 

sifter OP
79 posts
 

So, very very close, yet different. To my ears, the NAD offers more detail retrieval, a bit more oomph, piano sounds more real, and a tad more immediacy. The Yamaha, however, has grown on me. The hand clapping on ’Low spark of high heeled boys’ sounds like its in the room, and the highs are more refined, possibly a bit more airy. In the end, as well all know, it comes down to what trade offs we are willing to live with.    I now believe I’d be happy with either one.    I am still leaning, however, toward the NAD. I understand Yamaha has a better reputation for parts quality if that is correct. But while I’m finding the Yamaha a bit more clear and ephemeral, the NAD sounds more live to me, and that is important to my listening experience. Thanks to all of your for your recommendations and suggestions.

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