00:31 "single ended push pull outputs"? Say what? It's a gas powered Diesel? I checked the schematic, and the CA-2100 has parallel complementary pairs of npn and pnp output transistors in a push pull configuration. It increases the bias from 25mV to 300 mV across the .47 ohm emitter power resistor from AB to A mode. So, the bias current increase from 53mA to 620mA from AB to A mode. It essentially slides the Q point on the load line a bit to the left to achieve Class A. It however is NOT "single ended" by any stretch (meaning a single output transistor producing Class A and using a capacitor or transformer to eradicate the DC). Just FYI for those who are interested. And, the CA 2010 has a dismal damping factor of 45, while the A-S2100 has a damping factor of over 250. The A-S2100 has way more bass control. The A-S2100 is superior in almost every respect, including the awesome power supply and filtration. Seriously, if you've got the scratch, go with the 2100. I do own an A-S1100 which is the same circuitry, sans the balanced input. It's amazing. Regards ....
I stoped watching the video and went to the comments when I heard single ended push pull topology referred to twice in the space of about 30s. Once could have been a mistake, twice is just demonstrating a lack of understanding. I do think that increasing the bias to essentially operate in class A and eliminate x-over distortion is a neat feature though, I imagine it also doubles as a nice little radiator in the winter too. The amp isn't the only source of damping however, and I imagine in certain configurations the older CA models have their charms when running in high bias. There aren't many truly single ended solid state amps though. I know a lot of companies ended up in hot water after claiming class A for what was essentially a high biased class A/B
Stereopolice im glad to see you here, I follow you and love your reviews. I also love the fact that you know electronics and yet own a Yamaha a s 1100 and love it. I also own one. Take care. Glad your vertigo ended
Great review. I picked up the A-S2100 on a lark. I already had a Rotel pre/pro and amp, but the eBay "Buy It Now" price on the Yamaha was too good to pass. After the A-S2100 arrived, I hooked everything up and was immediately impressed; so much so that I ended up selling the Rotel gear and keeping the Yamaha a few short weeks later. You're right: Yamaha did a remarkable job with the A-S2100.
I had bought a CA-2010 at a yard sale about 15 years ago for $20, perfectly clean and sounding great. The lady selling it said her husband was away and she was getting rid of old junk from the livingroom. Had I another $20 on me at the time, I could have bought the CT-7000 tuner beside it. I have a feeling that couple had an interesting conversation when he got back. ; ) I still have the Yamaha and plan on doing a full capacitor replacement soon enough. Keep on rocking!
Bought my AS2100 based on the information presented in this review. Thank you, I am really enjoying the quality of sound this amplifier produces. Now if only I could find a CA-2010.
There is something that REALLY gives the edge to CA-2010 - You can use the CA-2010 as Pre AND Power at the same time while using the pre to control ANOTHER amp. You can have a Bi-Amp with the same Pre -Amp using the CA-2010 AMP + Another AMP just by splitting the output of the PRE. That feature kicks ass. And I am SO GLAD someone finally reviewed Yamaha high-end gear. Seriously great sounding units, and natural... key is *natural* sounding. I thought I'd eventually upgrade but started Yamaha because it was the most say... affordable and reliable (at the same time) of the bunch. Never mind the upgrade, all the money can safely go into music. I am set and done!
I baught the Yamaha as2100 one year ago. It is amazing. Using the built in phono MC stage for my turntable, someone told me to get at Phono Box for better result. I choose Pro-Ject Tube Box DS2. Well I can tell you, I was dissapointed. The built in phono MC in the Yamaha AS2100 beats the tube Box DS2!! It is much more musical and relaxed. The Yamaha folks sure made the built in phone to fit the Yamaha as2100. I will have to sent the pro-ject tube bo DS2 back.!Not only did the built in phono MC sound better, it is also much more quiet!!
Hi from Belgium! I replaced my tube amplifier "Pier audio" KT88 with NOS lamps to the Yamaha a-S2100 and woooowww that Amp is so good! and it's only the beginning. They are plugged to Proac 140 MK2 and they sing like birds!
the older Yam doesn't surprise me , I still listen to the same vintage Luxman gear , would cost 10x the price for new gear to sound as good . Tempted to go 1st watt , again 5-6x the cost
Again, another fantastic review, however, you might want to redo the math a bit, that vintage Yammy is actually 37 years old, not 30 if you did the math from this year. :-) However, I would agree that that the CA 2010 could stand fresh caps etc to keep it reliable and to prevent damage to other less obtainable parts inside the integrated should one fail catastrophically, and it'll probably sound better than it does now in its present state once broken back in and who knows how the two would stack up then. That all said, a good look into the Yamaha, though a Japanese brand, seems to buck the typical Japanese tonal preference for brightish sounding gear, and I hear it in my Japanese based Sherwood receiver from the early 1990's paired with a pair of vintage Sansui's from the early 70's that I recapped in September. I'd be curious to see how the speakers would do with a warmer sounding amp/integrated. I would agree that if you have a good thing going, best not to muck it up and change it, just because you can as I've seen "changes" actually make things worse and in this case, Yamaha saw fit to keep that natural sound thing going and that seems to not have hurt them any.
Good review i worked in hifi retail 40 years ago and Yamaha was our premium brand affordable performance quality equipment, i now own a Yamaha AS1100, its detailed powerful and natural everything an amp should be , it has been a brilliant investment worth every £££££
I purchased my Yamaha CA-1010 and to this day it kicks must equipment to the curb. I purchased in 1997 on sale for $475 from mowing a lot of grass and busing tables. I had 1 service for 150$ and the service tech with 40 years in audio and Av said that he was impressed how well built his was and how conservative the power ratings are in class A and class AB . Is the A-S2100 made in Japan? Nice review.
I don't know, even his videos are good quality and informative these slow pannings of the video and narrative style of the audio through entire footage makes me bored to watch and listen for more than 5 minutes.
I really enjoy your channel. I wouldn't mind actually hearing the equipment you are reviewing as well. I have a Vintage Yamaha CA-1000 MKII and used to have a CR1000 Reciever
Great vid! I just wish the newer units had the aesthetics of the old. Even though radio kinda...really sucks now, those old analog tuner displays are gorgeous.
Great review! Subbed. And I'd have to agree with your findings. I purchased a Yamaha CA-800 when I was in the Army- back around 1977. It was a nice amp along with a Denon t-t and Braun L710 speakers. Afterstarting to read mags like TAS and SP, I got on the upgrade wagon and over the next 35 years had amps the likes of GAS, AudioNote, Quicksilver, Audible Illusions, McIntosh, Luxman (the good ones), Aronov, Art Audio, Wyetech, Audiomat, Naim and a few others, I'm sure. So what do I have now? For the past 5 years, a Yamaha CA800 driving Spendor SP 1/2. Found a mint CA800 on Ebay. IMO, it speaks volumes for the quality and sonics of the Yamaha line.
It would be interesting to see how the older one compared with a good recap-someone who uses as close to original caps and factory asjustments. I suggest finding someone that doesnt use 105 degree caps but stays as close as possible to original.
NRD- Do you remember the 2100 MC phono performance? I am enjoying the MM ps a lot but am hesitant about the fixed MC impedance for a cart like a Cadenza or ART9. Thanks - love your reviews. Very happy that you “fully” back.
What a great video! Thank you for this! Would love to hear what you say about the new super powerful integrateds like the Rotel Ra-1592 compared to the A-S2100. I think I would be ok with sacrificing all the useful features like digital inputs, nice dac etc. of the Rotel for more refined quality of the Yamaha if the latter was the case, but.. is it?
Very good! I enjoyed every second of it. I'm a huge yamaha vintage fan. I own the very rare and exotic cdx-2000 and i discovered that it cand trash new cd players costing up to 2-3000$.
I love my A-1020 Integrated Amp !! I know it's no "Pass Labs Killer" ( haha :) , but it has balls, sounds warm and punchy and has good transparency ( still ) considering it's over 30 years old. I'd honestly rather have this Amp than a modern NAD or Marantz Integrated. I think Yamaha is by far the best Japanese Gear of the 70s & 80s. By the way, as a reference point, I used to own a Pioneer SX-1980 ( very overrated by Vintage Gear hounds... ) , and that Amp is not even CLOSE to the overall fidelity and refinement of the Yamaha.
Some of the vintage circuits were the best. The C-2a and M-2 were just a few of Yamaha’s great products - products that were introduced while many current reviewers were still drinking from sippy cups.
Nice informative review of this sweet sounding amp, i really enjoyed it and agree with you wholeheartedly. It even has some killer retro looks. It found a permanent place in my stable for sure, i paired this up with its compadre the CD 2100 and in that regards has some flexibility in using its DAC for multi purposes. I also ended up going for an entire Yamaha experience with the Soavo Ns f 901 spks, as well. Its the first time i have ever done an all single brand setup, and it is truly something. This is one of my favourite under 10k system i really enjoy.
wow! Great review, thanks so much. I have been a Yamaha owner since the early 70's. My first amp was the CA 800, then I picked up a CA 610 for the office, and now I have a CA 1000 for my main stereo. I would love to have either of those two amps. Thanks again!!!
Great review/comparison. Nice work and descriptions. Subscribed! 3 questions: 1. What TURNTABLE model and make is that? 2. What SPEAKERS are they...make and model? 3. What is the best, highest quality CD player you recommend? Thanks very much for your time in replying. Appreciated.
New Record Day it’s all perspective. I’m hoping you have an agent. This is what is what I would want to see if I’m going to partner you up with sponsors. “The harder you play the luckier you get”
You need to get ahold of a Marantz 22** series from the 70's... It will blow anything under 1.5-2k out of the water 10x over. Thanks for finally getting to some vintage ;)
Have been using the 2100 for a year and a half. Great integrated. Had the A-s2000 before than which was also great. Had the 2010 too, I just dont trust vintage as small parts can die and take out expensive speakers thus the 2100. Love it. Tried almost everything under 10k and it was simply the best unit.
+New Record Day Another great review at the rate your going I'll be dropping my subscription to sound & vision steriophile etc and looking forward to your reviews, thanks.
Brilliant review Ron.......Thank you.......Just 1 question where on earth do all you guys get all the knowledge to pick to pieces and transfer to words what you can hear and separate into description
Love your review of the Yamaha AS2100, but you said this wasn't a very "euphoric" amp, what did you mean by that? And any other euphoric amps you could recommend in that price range? Thanks bro!!!
@@Newrecordday2013 8.45... sorry don't know how to put in the link to the time stamp... thanks for your help! I'm considering this for some Living Voice Auditorium speakers... even though they are very sensitive I hope this amp might make them really come alive... wanting it to sound as euphoric as possible...
I love your videos, and as a proud owner of a CA-1010 I only have one contention, and that is the Yamaha 2010 isn't restored! Old caps can make or break an amplifier in many ways. For starters, I'm generally able to get about 10-15 more watts out of this stuff once the power supply and audio sections are totally recapped. The bigger Yamaha's like my 1010 and 2010 have their power supplies stressed pretty hard, in my humble opinion it's absolutely essential to get that recapped. Not to mention the huge improvement in depth and fidelity with brand new caps in, like Nichicon ES muse caps in the audio sections for example. I'm not saying the 2010 would beat it for this reason, but I am surprised it competed as well with the new AS2100 as it did.
I actually went to a vintage audio professional here who works on these for a living and he doesn't share the same opinion. Nothing is broken and nothing is wrong right now - so all I would be doing is spending a ton of bills to get a marginally audible difference.
+alex martin I think you might be making huge generalizations - Are you a professional yourself? This guy has been around since the 70's, is an authorized McIntosh repair center, gets a 4 star Yelp rating, and is a heck of a nice guy. I explained the amp in detail to him and walked through every aspect of it (since it's mine). He told me I could make this decision but that in his opinion, since there are no apparent issues with any of the caps (they all structurally and aesthetically look fine), it doesn't "need" the replacement work done now. He told me I "could" do it and he would be happy to do it but if it sounds great, operates great, and appears great, and keeps beating the snot out of most modern amps we throw at it; why invest the money in it right now? I'll say this though - that time will most certainly come. Until then - it hung with a great amp in this review. I wish I could have both.
Anyone who uses the "it aint broke don't fix it" line shouldn't be trusted to do electronics. There is no justification you can give me to prove otherwise.
Good Review Ron, it's funny how I found this review, looking for one on my CDS-2100 that I traded in a ton of older equipment to get. I'm glad it's that good, sounds like it's better than the Parasound Halo. When I traded in my older gear (per WIF) the AS-2100 wasn't available, the AS-2000 was at the dealer I used but the SACD CD player with DAC was, so I got it. (I still have my AR equipment) I like having something like a AS2100 as a back up if I needed to get my tubes replaced in my amp or my amp died or in my second room.
+szidon mcnulty The Halo is fantastic for those who need the swiss army knife like flexibility. If serious fire power and muscle is all you want, the Yamaha lays down better foundation and hits like a sledgehammer.
As i am interested in both of them, i read that the halo is a swiss army knife but both -headphone section and DAC- are average. So i guess that everyone will not stay with these for long and buy external units. What about sound quality alone (bass/driving/refinement)? Halo or 2100????
+nick charitakis Like I said - "If serious fire power and muscle is all you want, the Yamaha lays down better foundation and hits like a sledgehammer."
Wow fastest reply ever, tahnks Ron.... Btw i love your shallow DOF videography. What about other than power/slam? Refinement lets say or grain-free sound?
I own the Halo. Every item I have owned by Parasound has had some issue. Including this new Integrated one. Left channel static after only two months of playback... Here we go again. Sending it back.. I think I want to look at this Yamaha amp for it's reliability alone.
Same here. The Halo has a cheap Alps volume pot. Parasound repaired mine (with the same exact part #) and said it would "never happen again," but I moved onto a Yamaha. No regrets. I noticed the new Halo Integrated has a ladder resistance volume control like the Yamahas have.
It looks like the Hint 6 addressed this issue with an electronic volume control. Glad to hear some feedback from actual owners. I'm down to the Hint vs 2100. The extra power plus DAC are tempting, especially with FLAC and streaming as my primary source ATM, but the build quality of the Yamaha seems impressive.
I have a 1979 Realistic STA-2100 (designed to sound warm as well) with the big toroidal transformer and rated at 120wpch into 8 ohms, 225wpch into 4 ohms (though RadioShack never verified the output at 4 ohms). Was 600$ at the time of it's release. Very nice sounding budget receiver from it's time. :P Right now I'm using a Yamaha Natural Sound A-S301 amplifier until it's fixed. Interestingly every detail on my Yamaha even though it's brand new the whole from screams vintage.
HI, I am late into your review but very impressed with your knowledge and presentations....please let me educate me more about the speakers that you used during your ''Yamaha VS Yamaha (A-S2100 review)''.........thanking you in advance
Great review but I did notice you referred to the CA-2010 as a receiver twice in the video, no bigger but I thought i would mention it. Now as for vintage Yamaha you think the CA-2010 sounds good you should try their next 70's generation receivers, the CR-XX40 series . I own both the 2010's little brother the CA-1010 and the CR-2040 and the 2040 hands down blows it away! Using the same speakers JBL L45's and Klipsch KG.4, both very bright speakers the sound thru the 2040 was warmer and smoother especially in the midrange. The bass went deeper with more slam and the highs had more air to them. Also the soundstage of my 2040 was also much wider and deeper than my CA-1010. The CR-2040 did a much better job in taming the brightness in these speakers than the 1010. Now to be fair the 2040 has about thirty more watts a channel and is in better condition than my 1010. It is a little tired and could do with a re cap! I would love to compare a restored CA-1010 or 2010 against the new AS-2100. Either way thank you for the video, I've always been a fan of Yamaha equipment. There TOLT stuff has a sound and build quality second to none and will best even some of the boutique brands out there. The reality of it is Yamaha will still be around (just like Mcintosh) when these boutique brands fade away. Glad Yamaha is still in the game! Oh by the way for the person who commented "even if it's more or less a rehash of vintage circuits" you probably should do a little research before making a statement like that. Back in the 70's Yamaha didn't use MosFets and Floating amp circuits in their integrated amps and receivers! They were big on Darlington output circuits in those days. Totally different circuit topology today!
96db SNR is impossible for a phono. They cheated, because they measured it without a cartridge with 0 at a signal line. Now the best numbers are 86dB in a Cordale's phono pre-amp, and 89dB in some other unique phono pre-amps.
Amazing video and humour just found you again I'm sure I've seen those speakers years ago! Question for you. I really want the AS1100 to run in bypass mode from my RX-A3070 AVR. I want to run line inputs into my subwoofers but as the amp is a floating circuit I don't think I can do this?:(
I’ve been pretty interested in picking up the A-S2100 or the newer A-S2200. I got lucky and found a CA-2010 & matching tuner in great condition at an estate sale for 500 dollar. Caps still in spec too. My take away from your video is I’ve pretty much have all that the A-S2100 has to offer with my CA-2010 I picked up years ago and should not spend the more than 4K on the A-S2200. Am I right?
@@batmandestroys1978the CA2010 pulls more current from the wall, it also puts out 120 wpc where the as2100 puts out 90. Both are good amps. More similar than not in tone.
Hi,hope you can help me with my problem.I have a pair of JBL TL260 and usig them with Rotel rb1552 as power amp and Yamaha A-3070 as pre-amp.One month ago I've go a Harman Kardon HK990 and put it in place of Rotel.The sound was so amazing,that I could not put the Rotel back.problem is that HK had some overheating problems and it's in service.tested only 3 days,but wow,what an amplifier!Now,I'm decided to give up the Rotel,but have no cluw if the HK will be ok and made me think about the future,don't want any repairs,but this is a 2008 machine so I have to choose something elese,like Yamaha a-s2100 (better match with a-3070,I guess) or the Rotel rb 1582 mk II.Have no ideea what go for,Yamaha 2 x 105w or Rotel 2 x 200w,or forget about that,as my current Rotel has 2 x 130w and it's blown away by HK990 with 2 x 150w! Also,input sensitivity of current Rotel is 1.5v, for the rb-1582mk II is 1.9V and Yamaha,I think it's 1V....and yeas,tha HK990 is also 1V.Now can you understand what's in my head???Can you please give me an advice,or at least explain to me what I miss in this equation?Thank you in advance and also for this great review!
Great review! Thanks. I have the opportunity to get a A-S2100 for USD1,500, is it a good price? Does it make send to replace my cambridge CXA80? Thanks for your feedback?
awesome review ! been a yammy fan for ever but I still keep an open mind my reference system in my living room is a Pioneer elite now but my other 2 listing rooms have Yamaha love both in 2 channel that is
CA 2010 !!!! I love mine. Great comparative review. I was thinking of an upgrade. Not now. I'll stay with my vintage. I live in Phoenix. Are you actually in Mesa?
Do you think its build quality has changed since it introduced.I have to choose between an early 2015 or a recently produced in 2016. both are unpacked!
Can you tell me from your recollection how much better you think the Yamaha A-S2100 sounds compared to the Parasound Halo 2.1? What were the sonic differences? Also, how do the two phono stages compare to each other? Lastly, did you notice a power difference between them while driving your Gallo's? I'm thinking about buying one or the other. I don't really need the DAC, however, the extra (on paper) power of the Parasound may (perhaps) give me more versatility for speaker swapping. Thanks!
+Yippie +kaifa76 Sorry guys, not sure how I missed this. In regards to sheer dynamics, I would say they are pretty close. I believe the Yamaha sounded a little more powerful at higher volumes especially with the Gallos which demand high current to wake up the bottom woofers. At the end of the day, I would go for the Yamaha if I didnt need the DAC or other goodies included with the Parasounds versatility.
Hey bro, what kind of transformers were these two amps utilizing, EI Laminate or toroidal??? Also, could you list the brand and model of your loudspeakers.
There was a video on youtube where when headphones were plugged in that if you tapped the headphones with your hand it would make the meters move, the headphones were acting as a microphone and it was being sent back into the amp. Did you notice anything like this? Love all your videos by the way, UK
Had my A-s2100 for years now and its bested everything else I've owned ... at only 1/3rd the price of many "high end" brands. The dealers and snobs always bash but I use my ears and had tons of expensive gear. The 2100 is a fantastic integrated. I also tried phono units because of the lack of loading on the Yamaha. I ditched them all because even without adjustment the Yamaha phono is better.
Yeah I could understand. Yamaha being a big company having money and resources I won't be surprised they are producing something which can rival more expensive so called hifi only brands.
Hello Ron, please help... I baught Yamaha A-S2100 few days ago, and... it sounds bad... there is no bass there... stage is not "natural sounding"... what is happening...??? is it normal to use it with tone control on... i men for the bass...?? Tnx
