Hermann
Site Donor 2023
One thing that sent me to a Carver amp is that they are very tubey sounding. I believe it. Up to about 50 watts it is a very warm sounding amp. Don't know it's Class. I let my ears decide not a designation.
Home Theater Receiver Power Ratings
- Thread starter grampi
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This is what happened to Emotiva right before I dropped out of the forums there. Too many guys were caught up in the fact they switch from A/B to class H(?) with their then new XPR series. But then you ask them to try a double blind test and suddenly there were all kinds of problems with those studies and how they were inaccurate and they were inconclusive etc etc. Basically they knew they wouldn't pass a real test of hearing the difference, but wanted to hold onto that bias that the A/B was so much better just due to the technical specs.
I suspect this is what is going on with their newer models as well. Perhaps they don't measure as well on a bench vs the original XPA's, but will you notice the difference in a DBT?
OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
Bryston has a 20-year warranty and they support their products indefinitely.
The 4BSST2 was released ~2009:
Bryston 4B SST2 Stereo Power Amplifier - HomeTheaterHifi.com
So that unit would still be under factory warranty. While I generally agree that buying used electronics can be a crapshoot, if buddy has the bill of sale, that 4BSST2 is a pretty safe bet. You could also get the serial # from him and call Bryston to confirm it would be covered before you buy it.
I was considering an AV receiver aswell when I got my latest (used) Yamaha component set. Maybe I'd gone multichannel if I found the right AV reveiver, but they become obsolete so fast so why bother. I had a Sony receiver rated 2x100W (str-de197) I was happy with but it lacked a phono pre-amp which I found a pain.
But the yamaha blows the Sony out of the water in every way. I can now for the first time pick up 30 FM stations without degraded signals, vs 3 before with the seperate tuner for example
I don't want clutter so 2 channel is enough for me. It's more than loud enough for me too. Note that the 1khz vs full range power only differs by 10% and it at least has a 2 ohm rating
But here are the specs for the yamaha AX-596:
Minimum RMS Output Power
8Ω, 20 Hz to 20 kHz, 0.015% THD ................ 100W+100W
Maximum Output Power (EIAJ)
(1 kHz, 10% THD)
8/6Ω ........................................................................ 145/170W
Dynamic Power (IHF)
8/6/4/2Ω ............................................... 140/170/220/290W
DIN Standard Output Power
(4Ω, 1 kHz, 0.7% THD) ................................................ 155W
IEC Output Power (8Ω, 1 kHz, 0.015% THD) .............. 110W
Power Band Width
8Ω, 50W, 0.03% THD ............................... 10 Hz to 50 kHz
Damping Factor
8Ω, 20 Hz to 20 kHz ..................................................... 320
Frequency Response .................... 20 Hz to 20 kHz +/-0.5 dB
20 Hz to 100 kHz +0.5, –3 dB
Total Harmonic Distortion (20 Hz to 20 kHz)
CD/DVD to SP OUT (8Ω, 50W) .............................. 0.008%
Signal-to-Noise Ratio (IHF-A Network)
CD/DVD (Input Shorted, CD/DVD DIRECT AMP: ON)
............................................................................... 110 dB
PHONO (MM)
(Input Shorted) ........................................................ 92 dB
I'd have to spend a whole lot more to get significantly better I believe. This set me back a few hundred and I got an extra tape deck and a cd player too with matching looks... and wade through an ocean of marketing ********.
But the yamaha blows the Sony out of the water in every way. I can now for the first time pick up 30 FM stations without degraded signals, vs 3 before with the seperate tuner for example
I don't want clutter so 2 channel is enough for me. It's more than loud enough for me too. Note that the 1khz vs full range power only differs by 10% and it at least has a 2 ohm rating
But here are the specs for the yamaha AX-596:
Minimum RMS Output Power
8Ω, 20 Hz to 20 kHz, 0.015% THD ................ 100W+100W
Maximum Output Power (EIAJ)
(1 kHz, 10% THD)
8/6Ω ........................................................................ 145/170W
Dynamic Power (IHF)
8/6/4/2Ω ............................................... 140/170/220/290W
DIN Standard Output Power
(4Ω, 1 kHz, 0.7% THD) ................................................ 155W
IEC Output Power (8Ω, 1 kHz, 0.015% THD) .............. 110W
Power Band Width
8Ω, 50W, 0.03% THD ............................... 10 Hz to 50 kHz
Damping Factor
8Ω, 20 Hz to 20 kHz ..................................................... 320
Frequency Response .................... 20 Hz to 20 kHz +/-0.5 dB
20 Hz to 100 kHz +0.5, –3 dB
Total Harmonic Distortion (20 Hz to 20 kHz)
CD/DVD to SP OUT (8Ω, 50W) .............................. 0.008%
Signal-to-Noise Ratio (IHF-A Network)
CD/DVD (Input Shorted, CD/DVD DIRECT AMP: ON)
............................................................................... 110 dB
PHONO (MM)
(Input Shorted) ........................................................ 92 dB
I'd have to spend a whole lot more to get significantly better I believe. This set me back a few hundred and I got an extra tape deck and a cd player too with matching looks... and wade through an ocean of marketing ********.
Looking at the Yamaha A6A, it seems I can Bi-Amp the front speakers, using the rear presence outputs for the tweeters. I run a 5.1 setup and won't use more speakers.
The unit is rated at 150WPC 2 channels driven. No idea what the ratings would be with 7 of the 9 channels driven. Of course, the rear surrounds don't use much power. And are not used when listening to music, which is often.
The unit is rated at 150WPC 2 channels driven. No idea what the ratings would be with 7 of the 9 channels driven. Of course, the rear surrounds don't use much power. And are not used when listening to music, which is often.
Picked up a Arcam SA10 on clearance today.
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_410SA10/Arcam-SA10.html
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_410SA10/Arcam-SA10.html
Thank for the heads up #18!
Def a better, price as ARCAM were too many $$$$ for a PRC built unit. at near full list. I do have my heart on a REGA io (made in UK, iirc) but might consider this to up the wife's TV sound game.
ATI is still in business down in SoCal. They OEM for a few other companies as well.
My old B&K AVR507’s preamp section died about a year & a half ago. It was replaced with a new Yamaha AVR. It’s a night & day difference between the two units with the old B&K winning everywhere besides hdmi pass through for 4K.
That’s the reason I’m starting to shop old Class AB 7ch amps. They’re easy to work on & repair if needed. They also tend to last a VERY long time. With a separate processor for tuning & hdmi 4K pass through I can keep my amp & swap out processors as needed. It’s the front end section that time & technology pass up & they have a higher failure rate as well.
If anyone is curious just how robust the old B&K amps are. The only time my amplifier section needed servicing was 100% my dumbass fault. The left front channel played into a dead short for several days before popping an output transistor. I had just finished an in wall 7ch installation in my old house. After testing, I screwed the wall plate back onto the 3 gang in the wall. Couldn’t have landed this better into the speaker wire if I tried. Was in a hurry so used my Milwaukee instead of a screwdriver. Lesson learned.
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I noticed the same thing… and I also found some fine print on my Denon, paraphrased as: “at least 80% of rated power delivered to all channels simultaneously”… IOW, 75x2 becomes roughly 55x7.
I’ve always wondered (and am by no means an amplifier designer or builder), why one wouldn’t transform the power up to maybe 1kV before feeding the circuitry, and then current would be greatly reduced, the amp would run cooler, and there would be more headroom because you could then make say 1000W at 1A, vs roughly 8.5A on 120V.
I’m sure consumer safety is a big factor, but there have to be ways you could protect the circuit from powering up if the guts were exposed. And yes, I know, all of the other components would have to be similarly uprated, which increases cost and complexity.
Everything is a balance of performance and features to hit a given price point, and these days it just seems like so many people are “satisfied” with a portable battery-powered Bluetooth speaker that likely struggles to make a clean 6W, so manufacturers say, “fine! We’ll make a semi-sucky product for about $23 in parts, spend $100k on product placement advertising, and charge you $150 for it!”
As much as I love listening to music my ears and suffering from spouts of tinnitus I just can’t do loud music with sharp highs anymore. I have a few Alexa 1st gen echo’s around the house with the eq set just right they sound surprisingly rich for what they are. I also have a Bose soundlink mini II special edition which has a very nice full bodied sound. If I want a bit more volume I have a Phillips soundbar w/ subwoofer sounds great and fills my house well. But I do miss my dedicated 5.1 surround from years back and onkyo equipment.Everything is a balance of performance and features to hit a given price point, and these days it just seems like so many people are “satisfied” with a portable battery-powered Bluetooth speaker that likely struggles to make a clean 6W, so manufacturers say, “fine! We’ll make a semi-sucky product for about $23 in parts, spend $100k on product placement advertising, and charge you $150 for it!”
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Power tools should be no where near trim out. Shame on you lol.
I know. I also freely admit it was my own stupidity as I was in a rush at the time. Paid the price & learned the lesson
*edited to fix an incorrect quote*
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No idea why it reposted a previous post in this last response.
Yamaha makes nice product and Im sure this amp sounds great and is cost competitive.
I like my Yamaha products - audio included. I'd be happy to own that amp.
These specs are authentic frontier gibberish.
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I am flat out impressed with this unit after a night of listening. impressive build quality from such an affordable unit 5stars I’d give six if I could.
What speakers are you driving with it?
It was brought in my spare room with a tower Infinity speaker with a 6.5 dual woofer 6 ohm. Will now have to try on my Reference Salk Song Encore speaker that are easy to drive them are what I gotta try on this unit I will say it has lots of warmth and what I was looking for and the Salks will enjoy that also.
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