Integrated Amplifiers

We reviewed the first of Yamaha's 'new retro' integrateds over six years ago and, in common with the shared aesthetics, it's also very tricky to determine any significant performance change between the aforementioned A-S3000 [HFN Nov '13] and the latest A-S3200 we have here. Both amplifiers are rated at 100W/8ohm and both come up trumps on the bench at 2x120W and 2x195W into 8 and 4ohm. The dynamic performance of the A-S3200 is very similar too, the amplifier possessing enough headroom to deliver 140W, 260W and 447W into 8, 4 and 2ohm loads and 380W/1ohm before the electronic protection kicks in at the 19.5A current limit [Graph 1, below]. In common with Yamaha's amplifiers past and present, gain is relatively high at +43.5dB (balanced in) but this model also features a 6dB attenuator dropping this to a more useable +37.5dB.

Also like other Yamaha amps, the A-S3200 boasts an extremely wide 96dB A-wtd S/N ratio while its response is both flat and extended at –0.09dB/20kHz to –1.55dB/100kHz into 8ohm loads. Its treble does drop very slightly into tougher impedances to, for example, –0.25dB/20kHz and –0.5dB/20kHz into 2 and 1ohm, respectively, but the A-S3000 behaved similarly. The very controlled trend of distortion versus output, actually falling slightly from ~0.006% at 1-20W/8ohm to 0.0035%/100W, just prior to clipping, was also observed with the A-S3000. Versus frequency, distortion increases at HF, although 0.01%/20kHz over the top 10W of output is not high [see Graph 2, below]. Finally, how accurate are those gorgeous meters? In short, spot on – the 1W, 10W, 50W and 100W positions matching precisely the amplifier's output at 1kHz/8ohm. PM