Yamaha Amps - looking for input

[chilledspode]

I have been pondering purchasing one of these older amps like the M-65 and was wondering if anyone here could comment on them and if they are significantly inferior to the pro P series amps.

This amp would replace my NAD C370 which I would turn into a pre amp.

Cheers

Mark

[SMKSoundPro]

I have the P series in my shop rig and love them.

I have a M-2 in my workshop office rig pushing my L110's and love it!


I have another M-2 that came to me as a freebie with shorted output transistors sitting in a box. Maybe time to get it out and either fix it or break it even further!

Scotty.

[chilledspode]

Do you know the differenace between the M, MX and how the evolution of these amps took place?

I gather the MX is the last evolution of the consumer line but I know nothing about the pro line.

Cheers

Mark

[SMKSoundPro]

No I don't have much experience with the home hifi line of Yamaha. I mainly have experience with the older pro amps, eq, xovers, spx90, and mixing consoles.

Now, I see where I need to learn more about their hifi line.

Scotty.

[Chris Brown]

One thing about the Yamaha amps is that you have a lot of different designs. So you might find that you have a preference for a particular design. You have some models such as the B-2 which are famous for its V-Fet sound and others such as the M-70 which is known for its X-Power design. Models such as the M-2 are one of the few that used toroidal transformers. Models such as the M-80, M-85, MX-1000 are more conventional but powerhouses none the less. Seems like generally the pro amps tend to mimic one or more of the home designs (or vise versa). I’ve seen several pro designs such as the P-2200/P-2201 and the PC2002(M) that look unmistakably similar to the design of my M-2 inside and I’m sure the other pro designs could probably be matched up with the various consumer designs. Excellent amps all around.

[chilledspode]

Thanks for the insight, Chris - I wasn't aware they were using so many different approaches.

I have line on a MX-600 - any strong thoughts on this particular unit one way or the other?

Cheers

Mark

[Chris Brown]

The MX-600 was a lower-end version of the MX-1000, produced around 1988 or so. 135wpc into 8ohms. It used the HCA circuit design whereas the older M-series (such as the M-65, M-80, M-85, etc) had a switch to choose between class AB or “real” Class-A. HCA tries to give you the benefits of Class-A without the heat or other drawbacks. Some love it, some hate it. I’ve yet to hear an HCA amp in person so I can’t comment any further but I believe HCA was Yamaha’s last analog design until it moved to digital so it can’t be too bad ;)

[chilledspode]

The MX-600 was a lower-end version of the MX-1000, produced around 1988 or so. 135wpc into 8ohms. It used the HCA circuit design whereas the older M-series (such as the M-65, M-80, M-85, etc) had a switch to choose between class AB or “real” Class-A. HCA tries to give you the benefits of Class-A without the heat or other drawbacks. Some love it, some hate it. I’ve yet to hear an HCA amp in person so I can’t comment any further but I believe HCA was Yamaha’s last analog design until it moved to digital so it can’t be too bad ;)

Keep the info coming, Chris! :D

Cheers

Mark

[duaneage]

i've had a M-45 with 125/ch for over 20 years and I'm happy with it. I even bought 2 more.

[FRAZIERHORN]

I had 1- m50 & 1 m60 that I got brand new in 1984-6 from J&R music NYC,I had them almost 20 years til they started having having problems. I had both in for service but was told they were not servicable.parts issues-I now have 2 mx 630 and they sound great.the only problem I see is when you need service,yamaha may not have the parts to repair them.

[macaroonie]

On that note Accuphase were able to supply me a full service schedule and a component sent by post from Japan at no cost to me for a 27 YO amp. Cool and that was five years ago and the old dog runs to this day. :)