Yamaha A-S3000 review

[Blacksabbath25]

Right currently I’ve run the Yamaha A-S3000 for about 100 hrs and it’s started to open up nicely but some places I’ve read the A-S3000 needs 200 hrs to fully come alive but theses are my impressions so far on the Yamaha A-S3000 .

Build quality is outstanding the casing is made of aluminium with 6mm aluminium top plate and front plate and all of the switches and dials are made of think aluminium no plastic involved and both sides are made out of wood which mine are panio black finish and the rear of the unit I have big thick speaker terminals which are gold plated and array of inputs .

The feet are convertible to spike or useing the magnetic spike shoes

Right the sound quality is very good much better then the Yamaha A-S2100 but I guessed before I got the Yamaha A-S3000 they would both sound pretty much the same but I was wrong as much as I like the Yamaha A-S2100 the Yamaha A-S3000 does things on a much grander scale in a bigger way .

I’ve played no end of music running -in the Yamaha A-S3000 I found stuff I’ve listened to for years and now has got a fresh new lease of life and I am surprised what difference a good amplifier can make to your music and sound .

I am not sure what album to talk about so people understand what I am going on about but I will try using what I noticed in musical instruments

Drums sound amazing I get to hear Drums better then I did with the Yamaha A-S2100 which again surprised me I get to hear the full scale of a drum kit even the after effects of the reverberations on the bass drum or any part of the Drums which I like I noticed it with led zeppelin albums which is extra detail .

Guitars sound excellent again you hear the reverberations of the strings on a classical guitar and the strings sound of steel stings and bass guitar also sounds great with texture

but what I found better then the Yamaha A-S2100 was the Yamaha A-S3000 does it in a way where the instruments sound real like instruments should do like a piano comes across grand and drum kit has different levels of depths on different parts of the kit this is really hard to explain this but anyone who’s listened to the actual instruments your self then you would no what a drum kit sounds like and so on and I’ve been lucky in my lifetime to hear most instruments for real so kind of no what that particular instrument would sound like for real .

Obviously the soundstage is a lot bigger then the Yamaha A-S2100 but again in a different way but how the amplifier works my speakers the Yamaha A-S2100 used to project the sound just in front of my speakers but now with the Yamaha A-S3000 the sounds are projected well into the room it feels my room with sound even the midrange of my speakers has improved and the top end with the treble it feel that the hole of the speaker is being used probably on every driver on the Dali Opticon 8s which I thought I wouldn’t get any more quality out of the Dali’s but again I am totally wrong about that .

i would say now I would have to think long and hard weather to upgrade my Dali’s because the Yamaha A-S3000 is definitely the boss in controlling my speakers the Yamaha A-S3000 is a clear , neutral sounding amplifier with black back grounds but the Yamaha A-S2100 is that but not so noticeable with the black backgrounds I felt .

And one thing that the Yamaha A-S2100 didn’t do was make me jump with some songs it’s like start stop and a sound comes from no where as the instruments are separated in a kind of layered way but your get a hit on a drum kit and that sound would be to my left and then I would get a sound from the right then in the middle it’s like the sound is bouncing all over the place but in a soundstage .

But basically what’s impressing me is the way the Yamaha A-S3000 handles instruments they sound so real you hear instruments on the Yamaha A-S2100 but not quite in the same way

Obviously a vocalist sounds great with the right amount of detail and depth in a singers voice take Jonny cash rusty cage you can hear that dry deep voice he has like he sitting in my living room singing that song to me that’s great that’s what music about .

All in all I am very happy with the amplifier as long as it doesn’t go wrong on me but I’ve had a lot of pleasure so far listening to my music collection since I’ve had the Yamaha A-S3000 and not to say that the Yamaha A-S2100 is a bad amplifier it’s a really good one and still think it’s great value for money amplifier but both amplifiers have a slightly different way of projecting the music and the way they work with my speakers .

Is the Yamaha A-S3000 worth £4000 over the Yamaha A-S2100 yes to me it’s given me a improvement that I was after that little extra bit of detail I was after as there are differences between both amplifiers but both amplifiers do a excellent job but in different ways and now I will have to decide weather I sell the Yamaha A-S2100 or keep it as a backup amplifier I am not sure yet .

 

[CnoEvil]

As somebody that is always banging on about the importance of the amp, everything you describe is very much as I would expect....it is like a speaker upgrade - and why I originally suggested keeping your speakers and upgrading the amp.

Enjoy - you deserve it, at this stage.

 

[newlash09]

You deserve the great sound upgrade.

Improvement in naturalness of tone and timber , and improvement in sound stage are the biggest differences I can infer from your review. But of course, there will be so many subtle improvements that really cannot be explained, but iam sure are there too.

If I were in your place, I would keep the as2100 for backup. And when opportunity, and space in your case permit, I would bi amp the speakers and see if there is an improvement in sound. Only if there is no gain with the above arrangement, would I consider selling the as2100, because the next amp upgrade will be mightily expensive. And considering the above, changing your equipment rack to accommodate both the amps, will be much cheaper in comparison. Enjoy your new sound

 

[Andrewjvt]

Sounds like a very good amp and a beast to look at.
I liked your remark regarding the quiet noise floor.
Imo also what brings out the extra detail.
Enjoy

 

[Blacksabbath25]

Thanks all

yes well happy so far it does make a difference to spend as much as you can afford on a amplifier as well as the speakers as I was quite surprised what effect the amplifier has had on my speakers because I thought the Yamaha A-S2100 was doing a great job of push my Dali speakers but the Yamaha A-S3000 does it even better .

but what I’ve read on both amplifiers the power supply on the Yamaha A-S2100 is actually bigger then the Yamaha A-S3000 power supply but a different kind of power supply and the American version of the Yamaha A-S3000 has a bigger power supply then the uk version that must be be because of the voltage in that country I reckon .

but the sound is amazing I’ve been listening to some blues music and a great album called The Luckiest Man with Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters the sound quality on this album is amazing and the guitar work goes right though you .

 

[QuestForThe13thNote]

Well done on the upgrade and glad you are pleased with it. It seems to have got two bad reviews from mainstream reviewers, but they are often hit and miss with amplifiers.

 

[Electro]

Great review BS !

I absolutely agree that a great amplifier makes a huge difference and improvement to sound quality.

I would suspect that the improvements you are hearing are probably due mostly to a better preamp section built in to the AS -3000 although the extra power and control will definitely improve things as well .

I am really glad you are so happy with the new Yammie. *good*

 

[Blacksabbath25]

Well done on the upgrade and glad you are pleased with it. It seems to have got two bad reviews from mainstream reviewers, but they are often hit and miss with amplifiers.

they are most definitely wrong in there statements

I’ve read every review going on both the Yamaha A-S2100 and the Yamaha A-S3000 and have both to compare with each other and like I’ve said before it depends on what combination of speaker you use with both amplifiers .

what hifi said the Yamaha A-S3000 was lifeless that’s completely crap that may have been the case with what ever speakers they used and the Yamaha A-S3000 takes some running in out of the box 100- 200 hours run-in time .

if you read around the users forums most say the complete opposite to what hifi had said in there review and you can’t take what the what hifi review says I would take that as a pinch of salt as it’s simply not correct as this is a great shame as a 3 Star rating puts people of buying the amplifier .

 

[Blacksabbath25]

Great review BS !

I absolutely agree that a great amplifier makes a huge difference and improvement to sound quality.

I would suspect that the improvements you are hearing are probably due mostly to a better preamp section built in to the AS -3000 although the extra power and control will definitely improve things as well .

I am really glad you are so happy with the new Yammie. *good*

yes and that Yamaha as used short signal paths with the Yamaha A-S3000 nothing is soldered it all screwed down connections and using thicker cables inside which helps with low resistance the amplifier is basically over engineered

 

[jjbomber]

I would take that as a pinch of salt as it’s simply not correct as this is a great shame as a 3 Star rating puts people of buying the amplifier .

The Oppo famously got 3 stars from WhatHiFi while the rest of the world gave it 5 stars and sales figures off the charts. So you are exactly right, though a pinch of salt is more like an entire tablet of salt these days.

The important thing is that you have got exactly what you want. We are all thrilled for you, as was shown on the previous thread when the first one was returned. Keep enjoying the music.

 

[Blacksabbath25]

I would take that as a pinch of salt as it’s simply not correct as this is a great shame as a 3 Star rating puts people of buying the amplifier .

The Oppo famously got 3 stars from WhatHiFi while the rest of the world gave it 5 stars and sales figures off the charts. So you are exactly right, though a pinch of salt is more like an entire tablet of salt these days.

The important thing is that you have got exactly what you want. We are all thrilled for you, as was shown on the previous thread when the first one was returned. Keep enjoying the music.

led zeppelin sounds great on it too

 

[ellisdj]

Why do you need a spare amp mate? recoup some money and get the next upgrade

Ask Gazzip I love spending other peoples money and will have loads of ideas for you... *diablo*

 

[CnoEvil]

Why do you need a spare amp mate? recoup some money and get the next upgrade

Ask Gazzip I love spending other peoples money and will have loads of ideas for you... *diablo*

It's what I'd do.

As for ideas, the OP only needs one - A Linn DS. *diablo*

 

[Nemo]

Do let me know when you’re ready to part with the AS-2100, I would be very interested if the price was right. Cash waiting....

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_100004211376004]

Hay Sabbath..well pleased for you mate....nice wee write up also.....I think you should give.....FKA twigs.Lp1 a wee blast through that system of yours....it's maybe not what you'd normally listen to...BUT....it'll show off that improved soundstage and the depth to those dali's.......skip the first track though......wish I was there to see your jaw drop.lol.

 

[Blacksabbath25]

Why do you need a spare amp mate? recoup some money and get the next upgrade

Ask Gazzip I love spending other peoples money and will have loads of ideas for you... *diablo*

amplifiers do go wrong at some point as my Yamaha A-S2100 did And had to be sent to Yamaha for warranty repair which was a couple of weeks listening to my Yamaha 1070 Av and that wasn’t the same quality of sound .

so thought I would keep the Yamaha A-S2100 as backup in case of any problems but now starting to think shall I sell it

 

[ellisdj]

recoup the money and invest in one of these

or these I can go on forever *biggrin*

 

[Macspur]

Right currently I’ve run the Yamaha A-S3000 for about 100 hrs and it’s started to open up nicely but some places I’ve read the A-S3000 needs 200 hrs to fully come alive but theses are my impressions so far on the Yamaha A-S3000 .

Build quality is outstanding the casing is made of aluminium with 6mm aluminium top plate and front plate and all of the switches and dials are made of think aluminium no plastic involved and both sides are made out of wood which mine are panio black finish and the rear of the unit I have big thick speaker terminals which are gold plated and array of inputs .

The feet are convertible to spike or useing the magnetic spike shoes

Right the sound quality is very good much better then the Yamaha A-S2100 but I guessed before I got the Yamaha A-S3000 they would both sound pretty much the same but I was wrong as much as I like the Yamaha A-S2100 the Yamaha A-S3000 does things on a much grander scale in a bigger way .

I’ve played no end of music running -in the Yamaha A-S3000 I found stuff I’ve listened to for years and now has got a fresh new lease of life and I am surprised what difference a good amplifier can make to your music and sound .

I am not sure what album to talk about so people understand what I am going on about but I will try using what I noticed in musical instruments

Drums sound amazing I get to hear Drums better then I did with the Yamaha A-S2100 which again surprised me I get to hear the full scale of a drum kit even the after effects of the reverberations on the bass drum or any part of the Drums which I like I noticed it with led zeppelin albums which is extra detail .

Guitars sound excellent again you hear the reverberations of the strings on a classical guitar and the strings sound of steel stings and bass guitar also sounds great with texture

but what I found better then the Yamaha A-S2100 was the Yamaha A-S3000 does it in a way where the instruments sound real like instruments should do like a piano comes across grand and drum kit has different levels of depths on different parts of the kit this is really hard to explain this but anyone who’s listened to the actual instruments your self then you would no what a drum kit sounds like and so on and I’ve been lucky in my lifetime to hear most instruments for real so kind of no what that particular instrument would sound like for real .

Obviously the soundstage is a lot bigger then the Yamaha A-S2100 but again in a different way but how the amplifier works my speakers the Yamaha A-S2100 used to project the sound just in front of my speakers but now with the Yamaha A-S3000 the sounds are projected well into the room it feels my room with sound even the midrange of my speakers has improved and the top end with the treble it feel that the hole of the speaker is being used probably on every driver on the Dali Opticon 8s which I thought I wouldn’t get any more quality out of the Dali’s but again I am totally wrong about that .

i would say now I would have to think long and hard weather to upgrade my Dali’s because the Yamaha A-S3000 is definitely the boss in controlling my speakers the Yamaha A-S3000 is a clear , neutral sounding amplifier with black back grounds but the Yamaha A-S2100 is that but not so noticeable with the black backgrounds I felt .

And one thing that the Yamaha A-S2100 didn’t do was make me jump with some songs it’s like start stop and a sound comes from no where as the instruments are separated in a kind of layered way but your get a hit on a drum kit and that sound would be to my left and then I would get a sound from the right then in the middle it’s like the sound is bouncing all over the place but in a soundstage .

But basically what’s impressing me is the way the Yamaha A-S3000 handles instruments they sound so real you hear instruments on the Yamaha A-S2100 but not quite in the same way

Obviously a vocalist sounds great with the right amount of detail and depth in a singers voice take Jonny cash rusty cage you can hear that dry deep voice he has like he sitting in my living room singing that song to me that’s great that’s what music about .

All in all I am very happy with the amplifier as long as it doesn’t go wrong on me but I’ve had a lot of pleasure so far listening to my music collection since I’ve had the Yamaha A-S3000 and not to say that the Yamaha A-S2100 is a bad amplifier it’s a really good one and still think it’s great value for money amplifier but both amplifiers have a slightly different way of projecting the music and the way they work with my speakers .

Is the Yamaha A-S3000 worth £4000 over the Yamaha A-S2100 yes to me it’s given me a improvement that I was after that little extra bit of detail I was after as there are differences between both amplifiers but both amplifiers do a excellent job but in different ways and now I will have to decide weather I sell the Yamaha A-S2100 or keep it as a backup amplifier I am not sure yet .

Thanks for the write up BS, really good read, love your enthusiasm

Would agree totally re the importance of the amp... as many know I used to own the Sugden Masterclass, a fantastic amp, but in my set up and room it failed to control the base adequatley, with the Accuphase problem solved and overall better amp.

Mac

www.realmusicnet.wordpress.com

 

[drummerman]

Great write up but why keep the 2100?

Why not sell and pay off some of the 3100?

None of my business of course but I was just wondering.

 

[Blacksabbath25]

Great write up but why keep the 2100?

Why not sell and pay off some of the 3100?

None of my business of course but I was just wondering.

no your total right but do not fancy selling it on eBay but who ever has it would have to pick it up as it a very heavy amplifier and not something you can post easily .

 

[Blacksabbath25]

Do let me know when you’re ready to part with the AS-2100, I would be very interested if the price was right. Cash waiting....

I am not allowed to sell on this site as that is the sites rules that’s the trouble but probably sell it for £800- 900 mark and it would be a pick up job and obviously listen to the amplifier before buying .

I would like to sell it to people I speak to on here at least it would be going to a good home but site rules stop me for doing this

 

[insider9]

Great read and so happy it was worth the wait. Not that it was in any doubt but you did have to be patient.

I'm with guys on this I'd move the AS2100 on unless you intend to keep it for a long time. It's one of the amps that can be worth as much in 10-15 years. Oh and your valuation is well below what you should be asking. Even it it's collection.

 

[Blacksabbath25]

Great read and so happy it was worth the wait. Not that it was in any doubt but you did have to be patient.

I'm with guys on this I'd move the AS2100 on unless you intend to keep it for a long time. It's one of the amps that can be worth as much in 10-15 years. Oh and your valuation is well below what you should be asking. Even it it's collection.

they are £1600 £1700 brand new I think ? I will have to have a look

 

[jjbomber]

BS,

Why not add a user review to the website? You could (should!!) win an Audioquest Jitterbug, but it help readers get a hands on review. It will also be a lot more balanced than the 3 star review that Whathifi gave. You already have the pictures.

 

[insider9]

That's why selling it at half of is way too good of a bargain especially for a current model. Unless it is to someone you know which is absolutely fine. However if you advertise it at £800 it will go to a second hand hifi dealer who will sell it at a tidy profit. Nothing wrong with that of course and if you want the cash quickly by all means do it. Otherwise I'd be asking for more. £1,200 asking would be reasonable and then I'd look to make a deal for no less than £1,000.