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Luxman/Accuphase/Yamaha - Quality?

A slight niggle with the quality of (a part on) my Yamaha A-S2200.

It sounds really good IMO, no issue there. However the power switch failed the second time I touched it, with the little protruding bit at the front partly snapping off and just flapping down rather than moving the switch.

Ok there was some time between the first time I touched it to move it up it into the on position and the second time I touched it to try to turn it off, as I'd just used the remote in the interim. But it was nonetheless well in warranty, only the second time it had ever been touched, and it must have been cracked/defective when supplied to snap like that.

Unfortunately the dealer refused to accept that it was a warranty issue and Yamaha want over £200 to repair it, and even then apparently it'll take the best part of 6 months. Or I have the option of paying to ship it to Yamaha and back so they can charge £60 to have a look and tell me it's not a warranty issue. I'm not willing to pay through the nose for a simple repair or gamble a hundred quid on someone with a vested interest in rejecting the claim rejecting the claim, so it'll have to stay broken.

All for a £1 plastic switch.

I'm sure no one's breaking any laws or anything like that, and if it was disposable level stuff I wouldn't be bothered. But having paid several thousand quid for an amplifier, it'd have been nice to get a bit more of a supportive response. When my then-new NAD C-340 played up years ago it was fixed on the spot without issue, and that was about £250.

So although it's purely a personal anecdote and I'm sure there are many very happy customers - like it say, it sounds great - next time around for me it'll be a different dealer and not a Yamaha.
 
A slight niggle with the quality of (a part on) my Yamaha A-S2200.

It sounds really good IMO, no issue there. However the power switch failed the second time I touched it, with the little protruding bit at the front partly snapping off and just flapping down rather than moving the switch.

Ok there was some time between the first time I touched it to move it up it into the on position and the second time I touched it to try to turn it off, as I'd just used the remote in the interim. But it was nonetheless well in warranty, only the second time it had ever been touched, and it must have been cracked/defective when supplied to snap like that.

Unfortunately the dealer refused to accept that it was a warranty issue and Yamaha want over £200 to repair it, and even then apparently it'll take the best part of 6 months. Or I have the option of paying to ship it to Yamaha and back so they can charge £60 to have a look and tell me it's not a warranty issue. I'm not willing to pay through the nose for a simple repair or gamble a hundred quid on someone with a vested interest in rejecting the claim rejecting the claim, so it'll have to stay broken.

All for a £1 plastic switch.

I'm sure no one's breaking any laws or anything like that, and if it was disposable level stuff I wouldn't be bothered. But having paid several thousand quid for an amplifier, it'd have been nice to get a bit more of a supportive response. When my then-new NAD C-340 played up years ago it was fixed on the spot without issue, and that was about £250.

So although it's purely a personal anecdote and I'm sure there are many very happy customers - like it say, it sounds great - next time around for me it'll be a different dealer and not a Yamaha.

If Yamaha and the dealer are refusing to repair under warranty, why not buy the part and get someone local to fit it? I'm sure it will cost a lot less than £200 plus shipping two ways. I'd then consider pursuing a claim for your repair costs in the small claims court.
 
If Yamaha and the dealer are refusing to repair under warranty, why not buy the part and get someone local to fit it? I'm sure it will cost a lot less than £200 plus shipping two ways. I'd then consider pursuing a claim for your repair costs in the small claims court.

It’s a thought, certainly. Any idea where one might procure the part?
 
It’s a thought, certainly. Any idea where one might procure the part?

I'd ask your dealer to get in the part for you. I'm sure if you post a new thread on here someone will be able to point you to a reputable repair man within driving distance of your home.
 
I found this article called "Fun with amplifiers: classic Naim versus modern Yamaha integrated" a while back and found it interesting. Clearly Yamaha has some good engineering going into their amplifiers.
Yamaha has used the same basic circuit in its bipolar class AB amplifiers since about 1991 with only refinements since, mostly related to model positioning within ranges. I have an AS-450 from c. 1992. It was the bottom of the range but higher models really only had more power & added features. I prefer it over higher & later models because it’s entirely analogue, has fully discrete components that make for easy servicing, & doesn’t have a motorized volume control. I’ve really happy with it.

I think Yamahas recent ranges have had digital volume control which I’d expect to improve SQ some.
 
Yamaha has used the same basic circuit in its bipolar class AB amplifiers since about 1991 with only refinements since, mostly related to model positioning within ranges. I have an AS-450 from c. 1992. It was the bottom of the range but higher models really only had more power & added features. I prefer it over higher & later models because it’s entirely analogue, has fully discrete components that make for easy servicing, & doesn’t have a motorized volume control. I’ve really happy with it.

I think Yamahas recent ranges have had digital volume control which I’d expect to improve SQ some.
I can’t find the AS-450 online. I see the A-450 but that was from the late 70s? I’m curious because I also like discrete components.
 
A slight niggle with the quality of (a part on) my Yamaha A-S2200.

It sounds really good IMO, no issue there. However the power switch failed the second time I touched it, with the little protruding bit at the front partly snapping off and just flapping down rather than moving the switch.

Ok there was some time between the first time I touched it to move it up it into the on position and the second time I touched it to try to turn it off, as I'd just used the remote in the interim. But it was nonetheless well in warranty, only the second time it had ever been touched, and it must have been cracked/defective when supplied to snap like that.

Unfortunately the dealer refused to accept that it was a warranty issue and Yamaha want over £200 to repair it, and even then apparently it'll take the best part of 6 months. Or I have the option of paying to ship it to Yamaha and back so they can charge £60 to have a look and tell me it's not a warranty issue. I'm not willing to pay through the nose for a simple repair or gamble a hundred quid on someone with a vested interest in rejecting the claim rejecting the claim, so it'll have to stay broken.

All for a £1 plastic switch.

I'm sure no one's breaking any laws or anything like that, and if it was disposable level stuff I wouldn't be bothered. But having paid several thousand quid for an amplifier, it'd have been nice to get a bit more of a supportive response. When my then-new NAD C-340 played up years ago it was fixed on the spot without issue, and that was about £250.

So although it's purely a personal anecdote and I'm sure there are many very happy customers - like it say, it sounds great - next time around for me it'll be a different dealer and not a Yamaha.


Have you spoken to Yamaha directly or is this via the dealer ? .

Not sure if you know but these are now covered by a five year warranty , I'd be amazed if you wasn't covered by the manufactuer .

https://uk.yamaha.com/en/support/warranty/high-end-extended-warranty.html
 
You should be able to, when I bought my used A-S3000 a couple of years ago I called them (Cambridgeshire number from memory) to check out any history from its serial number and they answered and were really helpful.
 
No I cannot for the moment since my source is Naim (believe it or not...) so output is either DIN or straight RCA. There is a possibility to buy an RCA to XLR cable but I think that kind of defeats the purpose of balanced connections and the cable would be something of a FrankenCable anyway. So for the time being, I'm enjoying what I have. It's my New Year's resolution for 2023.
Hi Tom,
I use the Naim cd5xs as a transport and have connected it to the Gustard r26, so I can use the xlr connections to the Luxman. The couple Naim Gustard matches very well and sounds really better than the couple cd5xs-ndac. The leads are Nordost Vishnu for the Luxman and Gustard, Kimbercable for the Naim.
 
I have had the opportunity to get hold of an A-S3000 which I have coveted for some time (since I started this thread originally) but have unearthed a number of articles where this particular model seems to have a common fault in that it shorts out and, basically, conks, though equally there seem to be many satisfied owners. Am still toying with whether the Luxman options are better or indeed whether the newer Yamaha A-S3200 is as good.

Really interesting thoughts on here and I keep up to date with new posts to the thread.
 
I have had the opportunity to get hold of an A-S3000 which I have coveted for some time (since I started this thread originally) but have unearthed a number of articles where this particular model seems to have a common fault in that it shorts out and, basically, conks, though equally there seem to be many satisfied owners. Am still toying with whether the Luxman options are better or indeed whether the newer Yamaha A-S3200 is as good.

Really interesting thoughts on here and I keep up to date with new posts to the thread.
What is this "shorting out and cooking" fault that you describe? The only A-S3000 fault I've seen documented on multiple forums is the amp going into protection mode. Some users have apparently been able to coax it out of protection mode through a combination of button presses whilst others haven't. I haven't experienced this issue so cannot comment whether the 'button combination fix' actually works. The other potential issue with these units, which a fellow pfm member alerted me to, is the Class A idling current being set to high which results in the amp running hotter than it should. I'm not sure if this is a QC issue at the factory or whether the trim pots move when the amp is bumped around in transit. If the idling current is set correctly then the top plate of the amp should measure in the mid-30s Celsius provided there is adequate ventilation above it (the manual recommends 300mm so I'd strongly advise against confining it in an enclosed hifi rack!). Again I haven't had any problems with my unit in this regard (I bought mine new in Jan 2016).
 
My A-S3000 has performed flawlessly since day one. I'm confident it will continue to do so for years to come. I believe, from a reliability perspective, that the A-S3000 and 3200 should perform equally well. My impression is that the changes between the two models are relatively minor and were done, in part, to keep the model numbers current with the rest of the line (A-S1200 & A-S2200).
 
@Paulq2 The in-built protection can be somewhat sensitive -area power outages have put mine into protection a couple of times. It's a quick, simple sequence using the tone and power controls to get it back going again. Have had mine since 2019, still operating fine since then.

I think the MM stage in these amps is very underrated - it's not hyper-detail, but rich, refined.
 
@Paulq2 The in-built protection can be somewhat sensitive -area power outages have put mine into protection a couple of times. It's a quick, simple sequence using the tone and power controls to get it back going again. Have had mine since 2019, still operating fine since then.

I think the MM stage in these amps is very underrated - it's not hyper-detail, but rich, refined.

Perhaps that's the issue but I have definitely read a number where the units simply wouldn't get back going again. I guess there will always be the odd problem one here and there.
 


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