Yamaha brings back the HiFi feeling: The A-S2000 and CD-S2000 combine the traditional values of the analog era with the audiophile technology of today.
Many music friends look back wistfully to the stereo era – when amplifiers had only two channels and listening to records was as much a part of the evening ritual as a glass of red wine and a good book. The A-S2000 amplifier gives you back this experience. Just touching the solid handles brings back memories of the Yamaha legends of the seventies. The aluminium front and wood-finished sides reflect the quality of workmanship that made good HiFi sets the status symbol of a whole generation.
But when it comes down to the interior of this high-quality housing, Yamaha has gone off in a completely new direc-tion: a revolutionary circuitry concept with completely bal-anced alignment from the input until just before the loudspeaker clamps exploits analog amplifier technology to the full. Professional recording studios have long been providing interference-free sound by using balanced trans-mission, the A-S2000 gives it a signal-to-noise ratio of 120 dB. Because conventional volume and tone controls do not function accurately enough in such a finely bal-anced environment, the A-S2000 uses a total of three circuits per channel. The required precision in the signal path can only be achieved in this way. Only components of the highest quality are used, these include powerful trans-formers, extra heavy feet and selected blocking capacitors with 24,000 microfarad each. In addition, the use of independent amplifier units for the right and left channel ensure maximum channel separation.
The same degree of constructive effort has gone into the CD-S2000 player. Its whisper-quite loading drawer mechanism transports CDs and Super Audio CDs smoothly on to the drive screw of the brushless motor. It almost goes without saying that the loading drawer is made of robust aluminium rather than plastic material. Outputs with XLR jacks route the sound signal to the A-S2000 amplifier and simultaneously close the balanced transmis-sion path. Because the player also operates exclusively with balanced signals after the digital-analog conversion. Separate power packs for analog and digital modules eliminate the last possible sources of interference. And anyone who can do without a track display switches off the display and the digital outputs completely with the Pure-Direct switch, already renowned from Yamaha re-ceivers. This leaves nothing to distract from the actual enjoyment of the music. The sound is as fascinating as it always was – just even more beautiful.
A-S2000, 1600,- euros
Available as of November 2007
Housing finish: silver, black
CD-S2000, 1300,- euros
Available as of November 2007
Housing finish: silver, black