I was recently in a hi end audio shop furthering my quest for replacing my old system when the shop suggested I at least look into having my old Yamaha amp checked to see if it was worth refurbishing.
The amp is a Yamaha A-760 integrated amp from 1980. The electronics expert at the shop said that it was manufactured prior to Yamaha going 'corporate' and that it contained very hi end quality components that may still compete with many quality amps of today. This amp has given me years of quality service so I have no complaints it's just I was intrigued by his suggestion. He was actually proposing that it might be of high enough quality with just a speaker binding post upgrade to power some of today's speakers. Does this sound like a valid idea? Does this sound correct concerning early models of Yamaha amps?
I was kind of shocked by his suggestion because he knew I was there to check out amps, CDP and speakers and I thought it showed honesty on his part because he is willing to check out the amp for free and give me an idea if its worth keeping as is for a secondary system or if its worth an upgrade to function in a new primary system I am going to be purchasing. I guess I'm trying to validate if what he told me is correct as it's not going to cost me anything to at least have him check it out.
He went ahead and demoed for me a Rega Mira 3 integrated amp hooked up to an older Rega Planet CDP and Dynaudio Focus 220s but suggested I hold off purchasing until I have the old Yamaha checked out.
"He was actually proposing that it might be of high enough quality with just a speaker binding post upgrade to power some of today's speakers."
No, the Yamaha has crappy speaker connectors. But binding posts alone will not a giant killer make of this particular Yamaha.
"Does this sound like a valid idea? Does this sound correct concerning early models of Yamaha amps?"
How old was this technician? It sounds as if he either never saw any of the Yamahas that came before this amplifier or is stuck at one point and prefers not to learn about new technology. Your amp is not horrible by any means but could quite easily be bettered by many amplifiers when it was new. It employs fairly heavy use of IC's by today's standards and is not what I considered really good sound when it was new. Your tastes may differ from mine.
I have worked with salespeople/techs who would prefer to always fix old stuff rather than sell new. Explore the tech's motives before making a decision. It may not be a monetary motive, but I suspect there is a motive none the less. Make certain it is in your best interest to investigate the Yamaha idea more thoroughly. If you use the amp only for background music, then possibly this is a good choice. But, if that is the case, ignore the advice to change the speaker connectors. There are large differences between today's better amplifiers and yesterday's mass market amplifiers other than binding posts. What exactly were these new binding posts supposed to provide in the way of sound quality?
" ... it's not going to cost me anything to at least have him check it out."
At no charge to you, it's worth doing. As a secondary system, the Yamaha sounds like a good plan. Keep in mind Yamaha does not support most of these older models with any parts. Mechanical items such as volume, balance, inputs, etc, will be difficult to source if you have problems. The IC's will probably be discontinued, though there might be contemporary substitutes. But as other than a main system, it should do fine if it is working properly right now. Take it in and compare it to the Rega. You might prefer the Yamaha, it definitely should come across as "crisp" compared to the Rega.
For your information, I use forty year old amplifiers and a twenty year old pre amp with thirty five year old speakers and a twenty year old turntable. I am not opposed to old stuff, just old stuff that isn't really great.
Jan -- Thanks for the opinion. I too couldn't understand why he was suggesting the idea. He may have just had his years mixed up for when Yamaha went 'corporate' and ceased manufacturing the same level of hardware (he had to be in his late 20s or early 30s). I did explain to him that I would keep it as is for a secondary system but I wouldn't want to dump too much into it for this purpose as for critical listening I desire better.
The guy seemed quite sincere in all aspects of my visit with him. The Rega/Dynaudio setup he demoed for me sounded very musical (for lack of a better description) to my ears with my only reservation being the 60 watts of power from the Mira 3. I was concerned that it might not be enough power for the Focus 220s (he then suggested I could go to either Rega separates or NAD). There was a definite improvement over my old system, even to these old ears (all of the latest equipment that I have put my ear to has sounded better for that matter). Although not offering home loaners he offered to allow me to bring anything back that I purchase for a full refund if it didn't work out in my own listening environment.
Well, here's some advice that you didn't ask for. I see you're in Illinois but you do not mention where in the state. While the Southern end is bereft of great dealers, the St. Louis area has (or at least did have) a reasonable amount of dealers willing to help someone in your position. Beware, there are some snarks out there. And some tiny shops you might easily bypass. Chicago has a decent selection of audio emporiums and is worth the visit of you are anywhere near the Windy City. I do not want to discourage you from whoever your local dealer is, but I think you might be getting poor advice. Springfield, and particularly Champaign and Bloomington are/used to be unusually well equipped with good dealers due to the Capitol and the colleges. There might be other gear worth your time. Beware of the college student working their way through school. Too many such salespeople sell what they like and not what the client desires. Not all, but some.
I do like the Rega gear. And the Dynaudios. I find Rega equipment appealing - if you don't read the hi-fi magazines. If you are after all the adjectives and superlatives the magazines propose you need just to listen to good music, the Rega might fall short of expectations. If you just listen to music for the enjoyment of the music and read the mags just for entertainment when you are otherwise pre-occupied, you might find the Rega a terrific system. Or, if you can just forget the magazines, you will probably enjoy the Rega amplifier. It is very "musical".
I am concerned about any dealer who would suggest more power as a solution to volume concerns. Was this his point? More power to drive the speakers? Sixty watts of clean power is plenty. It is how those watts are applied that matter. If you think you require more volume than the sixty watts can manage, you probably need to look at other speakers. Speakers are where you will get the volume and they determine what difficulties the amplifier might have in delivering the required "juice". Your salesperson sounds as if he is well intentioned but possibly needs more experience. I assume he started you off listening to new speakers? Possibly he needs some new experiences himself.
Though both the Rega and the Dynaudio are good brands, my personal opinion of the two together is that you might do better by substituting another brand for either of the above. I've not heard the Focus line of speakers, so I might be off base here, but my experience with Dynaudio would indicate they are somewhat forward while the Rega is somewhat laid back. However, depending on what you listen for, this might be a perfect combination. But, I would urge you to listen a bit more before you make your decision. Maybe you don't listen the same way I do and this combination will do exactly what you want. That's for you to decide. I really hate to turn you away from a local dealer. You have a tremendous advantage when the person you buy from is in your neighborhood. But I don't get the feeling you're getting the best advice from this shop. Maybe a casual discussion with the salesperson/tech and the shop owner might resolve some other possibilites for you to try.
Maybe not.
As always, I would suggest before you buy any equipment, you go listen to some live music. If the music you like is amplified, you probably won't find a consumer system that sounds exactly like what you hear in a club. However, there are qualities that live music has which come through a sound system no matter what. Listen for these qualities and find those in your new system. For one thing, I think you'll find this quality is in the Rega gear. It's in the Dynaudios, I just don't know that together they compliment each other to the benefit of each other or the music. Listen to some live music and then decide what you hear. Don't compare what you hear to the sound of another system. Make music what counts.
Thanks once again for the advice, I never mind getting other's point of view. Seems like you know IL pretty good. Unfortunately the only quality hi-fi shop in Springfield closed some years ago (I'm from the central IL area). Lousy big box stores ran him out and it was a sad loss for the city because he had years of experience that went to another more appreciative city.
I have been primarily shopping in Peoria and Champaign. My most recent experience that I started this thread occurred at a Champaign store. I think you may be onto something with the college kid remark. The person who waited on me may in fact have been just that and although well intentioned just doesn't yet have the experience.
I have a wide range of musical interests and have been using the live music comparison when shopping. Currently that has consisted mostly of live orchestral and jazz concerts with a dash of blues thrown in. I did speak yesterday to another staff person at the same shop and he stated that the reason the Rega Mira 3 seemed a little under powered with the Focus 220 speakers was due to the poor acoustics in the shop where they demoed the setup for me (it was a large space where the speakers weren't properly positioned as they should have been for critical listening). This person was there the day I looked at the equipment but was not the primary person waiting on me that day. When I described the room at my house where the equipment would be located he indicated that I would probably need to reduce the volume by 25% over what I had it turned up to in their shop. This person explained that the Rega provided a true 60 watts offering ample headroom for powering the Dynaudios. My ears liked what they heard and the search goes on. Still wanting to listen to a pair of Focal/JM Labs Cobalt 826s connected to the Rega.