I had to get a remote-controlled amplifier in place of the old one, which didn’t have that convenience and was already having problems, especially with the volume potentiometer, which made noise and distortion during use (dangerous for the speakers), and sometimes even a hum in one channel, or the sound would almost disappear in it, or only treble would come out, maybe distorted too, so I could give it a good touch-up and make it like new, which was done.
But I’ll stick with the remote-controlled one, of course, because it makes life easier.
I got this budget Yamaha, which has received fairly good reviews and had all the connections I wanted (I bought it a year and a half ago, but I connected it only a few weeks ago because it was a big process and I kept putting it off, but I couldn’t go on with the previous amplifier).
And now my opinion.
Flat or (even worse) with pure direct, it doesn’t sound as good as it should, i.e. it doesn’t convince you (I changed my original wording so as not to be so harsh). It is a somewhat small, narrow, flat-surfaced, and a little empty sound (very clean of course, but that’s not enough; it lacks body, size, and the feeling that what you hear is real, actual), especially at low volumes. Turning the bass knob 75 to 90 degrees (or even quite a bit less) to the right, everything falls into place and it plays JUST FINE. It fills out, gains substance, softens, and pleases you.
I had read in some test that this helps, but it doesn’t just help, it is necessary from what I can see.
If you have huge speakers that dig up bass where there isn’t any and have a huge sound with a three-dimensional, vast soundstage, it will probably play without problems even flat, but that will be due to the speakers.
Its treble is not of the best quality either, but there isn’t any particular problem (it’s better if your speakers are a little gentle in the high frequencies).
So, a budget amplifier with almost all the conveniences and connections, which needs bass support. Yes, for its category, good, but with extra bass. I have no problem with it (my old one was more expensive and clearly on another level, but that doesn’t bother me at all).
It has a freshness in its sound and a good midrange.
One more thing: this loudness is really baffling. In the classic loudness, with just a blessed little button you press, the bass and treble are boosted and ultimately the volume too (since two ranges are boosted). Here, because it is adjustable, the more you turn it up, the more the output power drops, i.e. the sound gets quieter, and if you read what’s written on the amplifier, at the maximum loudness we reach -30 dB. What is this thing? Apart from being incomprehensible, that is, if you set the loudness high and play at a high volume, and then make the mistake of switching it off abruptly, you’ll bring down the apartment building and the whole block, and you’ll also destroy your eardrum and burn out the speakers too; a small matter of course since the whole apartment building will have been destroyed. Unless they have anticipated such a case and have safety systems (and on that Yamaha is very good, don’t ask me why I say that, I’ve confirmed it anyway) or something I don’t know or don’t understand well (at -30 dB the concept of “loud enough” may not exist—high volume—but there will (logically) be, abruptly, the “extremely loud” if you cancel loudness abruptly, e.g. with pure direct; I don’t think anything forbids it), I tried the loudness only a little but I say I won’t risk it.
And I forgot: build quality, remote control, appearance, all seem excellent to me.
Although I don’t like an amplifier not playing flat the way I want, I have no reason not to consider it a good purchase since it plays the way I want well, with bass boost. If some people absolutely want pure direct for the best, unhindered and unaffected transfer of sound to the speakers (which gives a different clarity, that is undeniable), for me they should get another amplifier or bass-heavy speakers and also, if they are a little (or even more) laid back, even better; the amplifier asks for that the way it plays. Unless they accept its sound as it is, which from what I see is what happens. I, however, find it hard to listen to it flat, and I have no issue as long as I hear it well, so that it convinces me, with bass boost (and I’m not even a bass fanatic; the midrange is the critical area for me, so I’ll play a little more with the bass boost, i.e. reduce that increase I’ve made a bit, to help the midrange (the amplifier’s strong point), maybe it will be better, meaning to find the best compromise between body and midrange). Still, flat, whatever we say, the bass is somewhat downgraded and doesn’t fill out the sound so you feel body, substance.
In general, don’t expect miracles in a budget category and be disappointed. It is a truly VERY GOOD effort from YAMAHA (no one disagrees with that), it is worth the money, and yes, I am satisfied. It is an amplifier for 4 stars. Not 5, though; it needs something extra for that.
- 08/08/26
Incredible match with the Kef Q150. It does want the extra bass, of course, but everything changed: timbres, realism, body, soundstage, etc. I’ll try it with other speakers too, but with the Kef it sounds almost like a different amplifier; it is actually the same one, but the Kef make it sound that way because they fit it like a glove, with a little extra bass of course, though that is less necessary. Whatever a device is, in hi-fi the matching is very essential for the final result.
05/09/26
In the end I ended up listening with the Wharfedale Diamond 12.1, bi-wired, which have a very full lower-midrange and help the amplifier a lot; they also provide a lot of tonal color, which helps too, their treble matched well too, as did their open and substantial midrange, and in general they are a very good match for the Yamaha, giving a sound with body and more color and emotion (I tried others too, of course, without much success).
S.D.