Del monaco
Del Monaco
As you may be aware from a few posts of mine, I am an admirer of the Yamaha sound and looks. Ever since feasting my eyes on the Yamaha CT 7000, I’ve had a fondness for this particular brand. As one contributor recently posted, it is a mass market brand. But does mass market mean reduction in quality or design?
When I had to sell on my original Naim gear, I had little money to purchase a quality system that would tide me over until better times. I chose a Yamaha AS 501 that also included Dac inputs. I got it o a Black Friday so even better value at under £200. It gave me great sound and service for a couple of years and I really enjoyed it. I suppose I’d describe its presentation as clean and detailed with a touch of warmth so it gave me the detail I like and leavened this with a touch of bloom in a sound that was non-fatiguing and suitable to a range of genres.
I now own a Yamaha 803D which adds a good deal more and powers my Maggie LRS speakers which produces the best sound I have ever had. The 803 is a remarkably well featured receiver with a great amp section that is great vfm.Still can’t quite believe they can do this for the money!
My main reason for posting is that I have noticed that there is a reluctance by some reviewers and listeners to recognise the merits of gear like Yamaha due to its mass market identity. It is mass market therefore not serious. I read a Stereophile review of a top end Yamaha amp recently and it felt as though the reviewer was reluctant to sing the praises of the Yamaha in case his colleagues may snigger at his audacity. He sat it in a system where the accompanying gear was way more expensive/high end and it still acquitted itself very well. I wondered how it would do with gear that was more in line with its own value and aspirations. It was clearly impressive but the review was muted. And there was a kind of surprise that this mass market product could do so well? Correct me if I’m wrong but Yamaha has been in the Hi fi game a long time and has produced memorable gear. It’s pedigree exceeds that of many other more local escoteric brands so why would it be treated in this way?
The point I make refers to many other brands as well, like Marantz, Denon etc. I listened to a Marantz 60O6 UK CD player recently. I thought it was great for the money. It bettered my recent Rega Apollo for detail and soundstage and was definitely giving my Rotel 965BX a run for its money, which surprised and disappointed me.
I run a Pi as a server/player. I’d be surprised if anything up to £1000 could better the sound.
Is it just me?Does this audiophile snobbery still exist? I think these products deserve greater respect than they get.
When I had to sell on my original Naim gear, I had little money to purchase a quality system that would tide me over until better times. I chose a Yamaha AS 501 that also included Dac inputs. I got it o a Black Friday so even better value at under £200. It gave me great sound and service for a couple of years and I really enjoyed it. I suppose I’d describe its presentation as clean and detailed with a touch of warmth so it gave me the detail I like and leavened this with a touch of bloom in a sound that was non-fatiguing and suitable to a range of genres.
I now own a Yamaha 803D which adds a good deal more and powers my Maggie LRS speakers which produces the best sound I have ever had. The 803 is a remarkably well featured receiver with a great amp section that is great vfm.Still can’t quite believe they can do this for the money!
My main reason for posting is that I have noticed that there is a reluctance by some reviewers and listeners to recognise the merits of gear like Yamaha due to its mass market identity. It is mass market therefore not serious. I read a Stereophile review of a top end Yamaha amp recently and it felt as though the reviewer was reluctant to sing the praises of the Yamaha in case his colleagues may snigger at his audacity. He sat it in a system where the accompanying gear was way more expensive/high end and it still acquitted itself very well. I wondered how it would do with gear that was more in line with its own value and aspirations. It was clearly impressive but the review was muted. And there was a kind of surprise that this mass market product could do so well? Correct me if I’m wrong but Yamaha has been in the Hi fi game a long time and has produced memorable gear. It’s pedigree exceeds that of many other more local escoteric brands so why would it be treated in this way?
The point I make refers to many other brands as well, like Marantz, Denon etc. I listened to a Marantz 60O6 UK CD player recently. I thought it was great for the money. It bettered my recent Rega Apollo for detail and soundstage and was definitely giving my Rotel 965BX a run for its money, which surprised and disappointed me.
I run a Pi as a server/player. I’d be surprised if anything up to £1000 could better the sound.
Is it just me?Does this audiophile snobbery still exist? I think these products deserve greater respect than they get.