Description
Really nice looking, nice sounding 80s Yamaha integrated; very powerful (100w/ch @8oHm)--Class A at the first 5w, with a nice phono stage. Supposedly this was their top of the line model in 1983. Ive enjoyed this piece, but no longer have room to use it in, so Ill pass it on. Thanks for looking!!Specs per the Web:SpecificationsPower output: 100 watts per channel into 8? (stereo)Frequency response: 20Hz to 20kHzTotal harmonic distortion: 0.005%Damping factor: 90Input sensitivity: 0.16mV (MC), 2.5mV (MM), 150mV (line)Signal to noise ratio: 76dB (MC), 92dB (MM), 106dB (line)Channel separation: 70dB (MM), 65dB (line)Output: 150mV (line)Dimensions: 435 x 136 x 401.5mmWeight: 11.2kgYear: 1983 ReviewsReviewed Feb 10th, 2021 by stevezSleeper amp. Quite expensive in its day, but not so on the used market now, probably due its appearance (assuming were talking about the black version, not the rare silver one). This makes it a great deal. At 100 watts per channel of high-current power, the A-700 is perfect for driving power-hungry bookshelf speakers (KEF or B&W for example). Plenty of features, including pure direct, Class A and MM/MC phono. The phono section is excellent. I have owned a restored Yamaha CA-1010 and actually prefer the sonics of the A-700 due to its better bass and (to me) fuller sound. Also, this has the variable loudness control and the CA-1010 does not. The 1010 does win on looks.Reviewed Aug 06th, 2019 by guestThe A700 is a very good amp with a great Phono section. Front switch for MM or MC cartridges. Specs are amazing, but that may be why depending on the speakers it sounds a little sterile or too clean. Id like it to handle 4 ohms speakers, which it will but at what level of power and length of time. Manual says 6 Ohm-120Watts RMS and 8 ohms-100 watts RMS speakers.Reviewed May 23rd, 2019 by guestI bought this at the Goodwill Outlet in Everett Washington in 2017 for like 20 bucks what an amazing amplifier.This thing will make your speakers pound bass and sing ive hooked it to many different speakers and it doesnt matter what I hook it to, they all sound better than they do with anything else. I have several other Yamaha home theater receivers that sound pretty good and Ive owned some Marantz gear and some Harman Kardon gear and I own a really nice Pioneer Elite vsx45tx and I own a Sony da7100es which when it came out was probably $3,000 Sonys top-of-the-line Flagship and it does sound really good but this old Yamaha made in 1985 in Japan smokes them all. I dont think anything else really sounds better except for some of the high powered audio gear made in Japan back in the 70s if you see one of these definitely buy it it is a very very good amplifierIt has the loudness control so you can roll back the volume level but increase the bass you can also use the subsonic filter to cut off the really low lows and it has a true Class A mode or a direct mode and it also has the optional phono MM and MC settings which is pretty rare Commentsre: A-700Submitted by HamGonzo79 on September 15th, 2018.Hi everybody, just got one of these from my grandfather. Was hoping to restore it and return it back to him in much better shape. I cant seem to find the Power button/switch, even from Yamaha.The original one fell off and was lost to time I guess. Anyone know where I can get one of these and I can reglue myself? It really is a great amp, even damn near 30 years after initial release.Thanksre: A-700Submitted by Dogger62160 on August 3rd, 2018.Hi does anyone know the cost of the 1984 Silver faced Yamaha A700 and the T1000when new?re: A-700Submitted by kenwstr on August 21st, 2018.Sorry I didnt read the question properly and cant retract my reply about current market value now. I inherited my A-700 and had it reconditioned as it had some troubles. They are an extremely well-built high-end amp. However, I have read that a product was used to hold components in place during manufacture and this has been found to turn acidic over time and eat away at the circuit boards. This can be cleaned off and the board resealed to prevent further damage. Also, as they are old you will have to factor in the cost of recapping the Amp as caps drift and eventually fail over time. If you want to maintain the performance of these amps, you will need someone who really knows their components well and has a reputation for only using the highest quality components. It needs to be done well for the amp to retain its true high-end performance. They just don’t make amps this well anymore so it is well worth doing it properly. I think I paid around $200 to repair mine which was just under the online recommended market value. However, I have to say that it is hard to find someone willing to sell for the online recommended value which is why I am not sure of the going rate. What I have seen online seems unrealistically low to me and really, once it is brought up to original spec or beyond it would be hard to match this quality in new amps under $5k (perhaps more) IMO. Perhaps value is related to how long the amp can realistically last???re: A-700Submitted by ATLjeffro on February 8th, 2021.Ken, I have a shot at getting an A-700 for about$60 to $70.You recommend going for it?Thanks, Jeffre: A-700Submitted by ATLjeffro on September 3rd, 2021.Did you get the A-700?I’ve got one in the mail on it’s way to me.Then, it is Going straight to Mark (bench tech) atDon Jones Stereo in Greenville, SC for a rehab. I live in Atlanta. That’s how good Mark the bench tech is. :)re: A-700Submitted by Borgetc on September 16th, 2022.I just found one of these at an estate sale in fantastic condition. Still - it will go straight to my tech here in MI before I do anything with it. My experience has shown that the best way to get the most out of vintage equipment is to have them serviced by (the few remaining!) experienced tech who knows these pieces and who can update and replace all appropriate caps etc.I think we all treated 40, and 50 + year-old gear like that, then you can do a true comparison to more modern equipment. What I’ve generally found is, even after paying for the proper restoration/service, with the time cost of money and the golden age of home audio pieces that were mid to high-quality in their day become incredible bargains! In particular because of the build quality and features that were prominent with brands such as Pioneer, Kenwood, Sony, Technics, etc.I like to use my Pioneer SA-8100 as an example. Bought used in fine cosmetic and working condition, and then serviced to be recapped etc. to original specs or better where appropriate, you can have a virtually “like new” brilliant integrated amp with unique tonal controls, dual phono and Aux inputs (one of each whose gain can be adjusted by a knob in the rear) in an iconic wood-encased 70s aesthetic that performs fabulously. As I recall, this thing cost something like $350 new in 1974. If you use a simple inflation calculator that’s about $2100 in today’s $$ - so that’s how I like to look at it. Not apples to apples with a current integrated amp but even with full service my total investment was less than the original market price of $350 for something that’s value goes well beyond dollar value in terms of what I have for my investment.That’s not to say that modern gear doesn’t have great value etc. But this thing is built like a TANK with the type of engineering and hands-on attention that was much different (and better in so many ways) for mainstream components. That’s how I like to look at vintage gear. Same with TTs, Tuners, Receivers, many speaker lines etc.
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