YBA YA201 Integrated - Known Issues?

[admin_exported]

Hi all,

I have a question about this amp. I'm probably going to buy one tomorrow from a local dealer who has it on sale, demo model for 1/2 off. The only concern I have is that I've seen a whack of used YBAs (this integrated and it's related CD player) on Audiogon for sale. Also, another dealer that sells online had them on sale recently for about 1/3 off.

So reliability concerns come into play. Does anyone know if this is simply just a temporary glut of supply on the market, or if there is something to be genuinely concerned of? I guess I'll have the full warranty, so maybe it doesn't matter...but even with a warranty I don't want problem after problem.

Anyways, I'm pretty excited to be moving up from a Denon mini-system, to an integrated that for regular MSRP is about 10x the price (1000 british pound - I don't know how to type the pound symbol).

I'm also going to be upgrading my speakers from Tannoy Mercury F2 to Quad 12L passive. Buying that one on the used market, I'll probably be paying 300 pounds. To fund the amp and my speakers I'll be selling my Tannoys and my active Quad 12L.

I tested the PMC TB2i speaker a few days ago (in home trial). Now that I see what a truly high end speaker sounds like I have to move up from what I have now. It's just not cutting it anymore.

 

[Anonymous]

1. The YA201 unit on sale lack preamp out. YBA made a couple of modest changes to the current production such as adding preamp out, but did not change the model number. IF this does not matter to you, the ones on sale are a STEAL!

2. I've tried endless solid state integrated amps up to around $4000 U.S. list price, and always found them clinical and/or grainy and/or rolled off in sound. The YBA YA201 is the first one I've found that sounds liquid, musical AND has gobs of detail. I love it. I wonder how they do it.

3. My YBA YA201 is in for repair right now. I think it proved very sensitive to power fluctuations. The distributor plans to fix it under warrentee. He said I have a very early unit. ANYWAY, even if I thought this thing was going to break every year (which I doubt!), I'd want to own it. It fills a niche - lovely sounding highly nuanced integrated amp - which no other solid state amp in my personal experience has accomplished. The U.S. distributor is gracious and very responsible in my experience (two years ago they repaired my Mordaunt Short subwoofer, also under warrentee.).

Art