Yamaha A-S1100BL Power Amplifier (Black)

I was looking for a new Amplifier for about a year and finally pulled the trigger on the A-S1100 and I could not be happier. I had my mind set on a tube amplifier but after reading so many positive reviews of this I went with the integrated option. I'm running this with a Technics SL-1210M5G turntable with a Grado red cart and Monitor Audio Silver towers. I primarily play a wide range of vinyl, from jazz to Indi, and classic rock. The first thing I noticed was how much brighter and clean my albums sounded. I could hear so much more detail in the records without it being too punchy or overly bright. The receiver is built like a tank, and every detail seems well thought out. The back end is set up nicely with plenty of space between each input. Speakers were easily connected with a banna plugs. I'm looking forward to hearing this after breaking in it a little more but so far I'm very impressed.

This Yamaha is the absolute best value per dollar integrated on the market. Gobs of power with a completely flat, neutral presentation. Anyone who thinks this amplifier is harsh needs to look at their upstream sources. Before this amplifier I had been through literally dozens of components searching for that right piece. It's been 5 years with this amp now and I have zero desire to look for anything else. I have tried it with half a dozen different speakers from the likes of Totem, ADS, Vandersteen and Snell. The Yamaha has worked well with each and every one.

I like its natural sound. It is very well matched with Martin Logan Sequel 2 speaker which needs 80 - 200 Watts per channel. This is 2nd review one and half year after the first one. I added some gears to my system. For symphony, this amp is better with Yamaha NS-1000M speakers. Also I purchased Willsenton R8 tube amp and found they are very different. But both are very enjoyable so I am listening them changed weekly. Tube amp is warm and delicate and Yamaha is very powerful and accurate. I tried some vintage amps but they are not reliable. If you cannot fix the broken amp, don’t buy vintages. Their sound is good, but you never know when they make a trouble.

Yamaha deserves high praise for constructing a beautiful machine with such attention to detail and, more importantly, such simplicity. It is also gratifying that there still are discerning customers who will purchase an analog amplifier and pay up for the organic sound quality that it provides. Some may find the absence of modern A/V features a serious fault or cause for criticism. But with this amplifier, Yamaha demonstrates its dedication to the idea that perfection is not the absence of fault or error, but the serious pursuit of performance along certain dimensions with the readiness to subordinate those which are inessential or, perhaps, even trivial. This takes courage, especially from a large corporation (with the tendency of such organizations to blandness and mediocrity) and Yamaha certainly deserves our respect.

I tried the Cambridge Audio 851A Amplifier but it had glitches and quality problem plus the Cambridge Audio has one person for support for the whole of N America.. I worked with them to fix the Glitches but nothing could be solved.. they make excellent Network players not Amplifiers. My God, I am grateful to invest in a Yamaha A-S1100SL 2 Channel Integrated Amplifier. Yes its expensive but my goodness I hooked up all my system to it in less than an hour and this Beast came on with warm crystal clear Jazz music. the quality is unmatched and the binding posts high end and well built product. I am grateful to invest in this product and now I can hear the warm clear sound coming from my Elac Adante AS-61 bookshelf speakers.. there is no doubt that this is a well built Amplifier . I know there are other less expensive Amplifiers out there or some that are more expensive but I doubt they have similar quality attributes like the Yamaha Amplifier. Good product well built product. Ed.

The amp was delivered in a box that showed rough treatment. Sure enough the styrofoam was broken around the corners an the faceplate was dinged. Worked fine but I hope the new model a-s1200 is given better shipping cartons

Wow! Beautifully clean sound at low levels. I can hear the layers of music coming from my speakers now. I upgraded from a solid all in one receiver (the Swiss Army knife approach) to this pure play amp. The music is definitely cleaner now. I am running Spotify through a blue tooth set up right now and it sounds great. I am adding a Yamaha wxc-50 pre-amp tomorrow for wifi. I have two tower speakers hooked up and have two subs running from its pre-amp outs. Its amazing.

This amplifier has neutral sound quality. Control knobs and switches operate very smooth with a solid feel. The sound quality that the Yamaha A-S1100 projects through my JBL 4312SE speakers when playing LP's or CD's is simply amazing to me. One of the best amplifiers out there in this price range.