Yamaha HX-10000 phonostage, any views?


Hi,

Has anyone ever heard this top of the line cost-no-object phonostage by Yamaha? The HX-10000 was released in 1987. It was part of their Centennial edition. Dual mono and all in big well isolated chassis. I love the vintage Yamaha phonostages but this one is rare and expensive so before I put my money down, I would like some inputs from you all. Anyone heard them? Whats your take on this unit?

http://www.thevintageknob.org/yamaha-HX-10000.html

pani

There are more than one GT 2000 owners at AudioKarma who own the HX phono stage. Go to the GT 2000 Social Group thread. Ask the same question in the thread. Get the information from someone who owns the unit rather than someone who has never laid eyes upon it let alone used, let alone owned it.

Hats off to the individuals giving extend life to the GT 2000 and the HX 10000, hopefully the TT is adorned with a Tonearm from a similar Vintage.

Hats off to the others who have adopted other Brand TT's and Supporting Ancillaries from this period of Japanese Production, it takes balls to get on board. Many run for cover, when close to the subject, as the latest offering in the Market and Newer the Upgrade added can only be better. "Can't It" ?

The Circular Economy is steadily becoming the Trend, for those participating both knowingly or unknowingly, selecting the GT 2000 for such a purpose is one to aspire to, if having a readily available access to an analogue Source is the goal. Add to this the purchasing of Vinyl produced from the Hey Day for Vinyl and this will be a wonderful combination, it will keep the joy's of experiencing recorded music alive.

There are also the added bonuses, where Pollution produced is less, from the not  buying into modern production and avoiding the need for managing of Scrap, both being avoided will be keeping the Landfills in a better condition.       

Theophile, can you refer me/us to actual opinions of the HX10000 phono offered by owners of the unit, to be found on Audiokarma? I can only find one thread in which one guy says he owns one which causes some others to drool with envy. Thanks for any help. Meantime I found one comment on WBF to the effect it sounded “dark” to that listener. I unearthed no formal reviews of it. “Dark” fits with my general impression of vintage SS Japanese gear that the sound is “syrupy”. Of course, my experience is limited, and I’ve never heard the HX10000, although I have heard the Yamaha C1 (I think that’s the model designation for their second best ever phono), and it sounded dark. I remember thinking that I would like to get inside that chassis and upgrade some capacitors and maybe resistors and maybe transistors to see what the C1 could actually do. I think certain pieces of Audio gear, both tube and solid state, both Japanese and American in origin, have become "legendary". And that fact alone artificially enhances our opinion of those items in particular that we've never actually seen or heard and causes us to spend large sums of money in the marketplace, to recapture some magic that maybe isn’t there and maybe in some cases never was. I am certainly not immune to that form of audiophilia, as I own four vintage Japanese direct drive turntables. And I own a pair of Beveridge 2SW speakers from 1980-ish. And the list goes on from there. What I’m saying is that there may be great potential to be developed in the HX10000, but a new owner of an original untampered with example should be aware that there may be work to be done to develop that potential or even to bring the unit up to its OEM peak capabilities.

Correction. The vintage Yamaha phono stage I did hear extensively is the C2, not the C1.  Apparently the C1 is an integrated amplifier in their same high end product line.

The Pioneer Exclusive C7 I was thinking could be won for approx' £300 was sold in auction for £1600.  Hey Ho, back to the Nicely Figured Walnut Side Panels with Polished Brass Top Face for the Pre Amp's casing.