Is yamaha AS700 really better than AS500 ?

[electricman]

Hi

Is there a real difference between amps YAMAHA AS700 and AS500 or maybe this last win the technology of its old big brother 4 years later ? The specifications are very near and both seem able to drive hard speakers with theoric powers. Does someone know these amps ?

 

[ID.]

From my understanding they have been engineered to sound quite different. I think the 700 has more of the warm, laid back Yamaha sound, while the 500 (which is not available in Japan and, AFAIK, has been tuned for the UK market) has a more detailed, neutral sound (verging on brightness), so I think it would depend more on what sound you prefer.

 

[electricman]

My kind of music is hard-rock & heavy metal and i like big bass and heavy drums. My speakers got boomers of 32 cm and i really need power. My CD player is a PIONEER PD10 which is clear and precise and i always use LOUDNESS. So my choice will go to the most punchy.

 

[matthewpiano]

I've owned both and the A-S500 is definitely the punchier of the two. The '700 is all about smoothness and doesn't have a huge amount of drive.

 

[ID.]

i always use LOUDNESS.

That's not really what loudness is for, but hey, whatever floats your boat.

 

[electricman]

you're right but my old actual LUXMAN LV111 doesn't give me the sound i enjoy without loudness, that's why i'm looking for a strong amplifier with a real thickness.