My Yamaha A1 is not well so......

ANDARIAL

ANDARIAL

ANDARIAL

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Will be taking him to a `specialist` tomorrow to see what can be done
Symptoms
Sound intermittently cuts out for a second or so about every 10 seconds +for about a second,has been getting more prevalent for the past few months and is really getting annoying now
Also the display has a few `missing` pixels,this is due to dry solder joints apparently(according to my google search)

So anyone got any ideas what I should be expecting to be charged?
How much should be considered too much to throw at an old amp(had this amp at least 12 years now)

If i decide it is beyond saving due to cost or unable to source parts Which amp /amps should I be looking at to replace this?

Not looking to spend as much as I did to buy this beast(cost me £1400 when new :eek: )
 
The A1 is a monster powerhouse of an amp. It will be tricky and expensive to get that kind of power delivery and control from a modern integrated for sub-A1 money, especially when you factor in inflation. Modern amps also do loads more. So the manufacturing budget has to stretch much further. There's just not as much money for big transformers and huge high quality capacitors.

Although amps do more now, and digital technology has advanced, there's been no significant advances in the high-end power amp side of things. Transformers are still transformers. Capacitors still capacitors. There's no substitute for quality; and quality costs. So modern amps (post HDMI) that retailed for £1500-£2000 new should be on your radar as secondhand buys.

If you have lived happily without HDMI and HD-Audio, and you think you could continue to do so, then have a look at some of the last generation of pre-HDMI uber amps. Pioneer VSX-AX10ai was arguably the A1 of its day. The Pioneer VSX-AX5 was the smaller sibling based on largely the same chassis. It's an equally impressive performer. Confusingly, the Pioneer VSX-AX4 came out even later. It has HDMI inputs. Some say it is better than the AX5. Denon and Yamaha had equivalent models.
 
my A1 did the same, as it was lacking hdmi i have since regretted it. i replaced it with a denon 2309 which while good the sound was not close to the a1, now i have the marantz 1603 and i miss the a1 more than ever :/

id say get it fixed if you can if not then seek out one of these http://uk.yamaha.com/en/products/audio-visual/av-receivers-amps/dsp-z11_black__r/?mode=model saw one go not longo ago for just over £500 on the bay. its what im gonna get once i sort out my living room
 
Thanks for the replies and suggestions guys :)
Will be taking it into the repair place in an hour or so.Then I expect to have to wait a few days to find out if/how much to repair
I am thinking if it is more than £200 it would be more beneficial to get a new one?As the new amps have hdmi and dts-ex etc it would be a better upgrade than throwing money at a12 year+ amp?
Thoughts on this thinking?
 
Certainly wouldn't spend anywhere near £200 to have it repaired.
Repaired it today, tomorrow something else might go, better to move on.
I rather put the £200 towards the cost of some new kit with hdmi and dts-ex, etc.
 
Just got back from town.Won`t know until Friday if it can be fixed or how much
Yeah £200 is too much but it was an expensive quality bit of kit,worked out the warranty expired in 2000 so it must be about 14 years old
Any way I don`t want to spend that much nowadays so will be looking at cheaper options( it was overkill spec wise back in the day for my needs)
 
ANDARIAL said:
( it was overkill spec wise back in the day for my needs)
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trust me on this, you will notice the differance when you watch your favorite films on a new amp. ic ertainly did when i got the denon, matrix , heat, gladiator sounded better on the a1
 
yup old high end receivers are hard to replace :(

I've been spoilt with a previous Arcam AVR350 and current Pioneer AX10Ai - and I have attempted to replace the AX10Ai 4 times now - to no avail :( all sounded ok on demo - but when I got home just didn't have the SQ of the AX10Ai with my system

Pioneer SC-LX71
Arcam AVR500 (this did admittadly sound better than both the old Arcam and Pioneer but had to be returned as was buggy)
Yamaha 3067
Denon 4311

:( :( apart from the 500 I thought the others didn't sound as good for movies as my current receiver - AND this was with disadvantage of the Pioneer utilising lossy DTS vs lossless DTS-MA on the new receivers

Anthem MRX is one I've not tried yet

the Pioneer AX10Ai doesn't have any fancy functions like Internet Radio (which I don't need), or HDMI - but the SQ and sheer cinematic grunt is hard to beat.
 
And if you listen to music the difference will get even bigger..... One suggestion to help narrow the gap, budget on adding a power amp or few to the reciever and use it as a pre.

My view is the pre amp and processor stages may have gotten better and with more functions, but the power amp stages and the power supplies have been cost cut year on year.
 
^^ thats what I thought - unfortunately never had the budget to try - say a Yamaha 3067 + decent power amp

thing is though - the maths doesn't really add up - I'm running 7.1 speakers, front 3 - 6 ohms - BUT all crossed over at 80hz to my SVS PC-Ultra 13 - therefore stress on power amp stage should not be much at all on the amp

yet the old Pioneer sounds so much more dynamic - strange

that said the newer amps didn't sound that great quiet either :( differences expanded as volume got higher - all the new receivers I tried went loud - with no issue - but somehow they were loud without the dynamics - if that makes sense ? loud but not gripping

wish I had 5k to spend on a new receiver

or 1.5k on a receiver without functionality I DON'T NEED - ie no internet radio, no this that etc - just decent SQ and decent internal PSU
 
Pick up another A1 or similar ? .... The sub doesn't take the stress and strain out of the power amp.... It still covers 80hz to 20Khz !!! Which is much more important range....
What you describe does make sense, heard the same myself....... Currently have my Marantz SR7005 running through my Linn Pre Power..... The refinement, control and power/dynamics even on the TV is noticeable. .... Guess I'll be buying an old Linn power amp for it in the future when the main set-up moves back to the music room.
 
I had a DSP-A1, which I ended up selling and buying a RX-A2010.. Couldn't be happier. I wouldn't spend any money on repairing. Just sell it as is, and invest in an RX-A. You'll be somewhat poorer, but happier !
 
no sound wise z11 and z7 are the pinnacle yammaha are on record for saying they wont release amp that will either match or surpass them till the market picks up again
 
Yaka said:
no sound wise z11 and z7 are the pinnacle yammaha are on record for saying they wont release amp that will either match or surpass them till the market picks up again
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The video processing is better on the RX-A's. If you go 20xx or 30xx its professional studio quality.

Fine go with a Z if you want to listen just to music.. But everything runs through my RX-A2010, so the HQV chipset was important to me.

Also a really good selling point is controlling the Yamaha from any iOS or Android device.. I use it ALL the time... Couldn't live without it now. Not available on the Z
 
Yaka said:
no sound wise z11 and z7 are the pinnacle yammaha are on record for saying they wont release amp that will either match or surpass them till the market picks up again
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Z11 yes

Z7 ? show me one place that shows it to be better than the 3067 :) 3067 has better DACs for start

Z9 classic high end amp, Z11 same, Z7 not same league IMO

marketing :) Z7 is a great amp - but I think you'll find the 3067 and 3010 etc are better
 
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