Following on the 100 series’ ardent consumer praise and universal high acclaim from the audio press around the world, Yamaha now announces the new upgraded 200 series.
The new 200 series launches with a trio of integrated amplifiers and a supporting standmount loudspeaker, all with evident DNA from the superb 5000 series flagship products. The new amplifiers start with the entry-point A-S1200, through the mid-level A-S2200 and culminate with the high-end A-S3200 while the new NS-3000 standmount (with dedicated SPS-3000 stand) serves as the companion transducer, at this stage.
Aside from their superb performance, Yamaha’s high-end products have also been desirable due to their extremely attractive industrial design. The new electronics retain the remarkable aesthetic styling – including the retro switching and gorgeous meters – while also upping the previous products’ performance aspects. For starters, important circuitry and engineering design elements from the flagship 5000 series have now trickled down into various areas of the new 200 topologies (read our review of the extraordinary C-5000 and M-5000 preamplifier and power amplifier combo here). The toroidal transformers used in the new integrated amplifiers are directly derived from the massively engineered units used in the 5000 series while further refinements such as energy loss reduction through “drawn-out” wiring, mechanical grounding for vibrational distortion control and low impedance large gauge PC-Triple C internal ground wiring have all been incorporated in the new amplifiers.
Across the board, the new amplifiers feature a plethora of input options while each also includes a high quality Moving Magnet (MM) and Moving Coil (MC) phono stage and headphone amplifier. Fully balanced circuit design has been implemented in the A-S2200 and A-S3200 while the headphone amplifiers mentioned above are now fully discrete designs for these two models. The A-S3200 ups the ante with extensive copper chassis components, higher grade internal electronic components and the bespoke feet and high quality speaker binding posts based on the 5000 series. Power ratings for the A-S1200 and the A-S200 are identical at 90 watts into 8 ohms and 150 watts into 4 ohms loads while the A-S3200 is rated at 100 watts into 8 ohms with the same 4 ohms figures as its siblings. The new integrated amplifiers are available in silver and black with gloss black side dress panels.
The new NS-3000 is a direct trickle down of the highly-praised and award-winning NS-5000 (see our review here and Editor’s Follow-Up here). The NS-3000 downsizes to a simpler 2-way design in a smaller enclosure using Yamaha’s proprietary ZYLON diaphragm material (Toyobo Co. trademark) for the new 160mm mid-bass driver. The NS-3000 is blessed with the same outstanding tweeter as used in the NS-5000, including that unit’s Resonance Suppression (RS) chamber structure. A new acoustic absorber has been implemented to suit the new design and enclosure dimensions/volume. The highly-engineered crossover design has been optimised for the NS-3000 with high quality components including Mundorf Supreme EVO capacitors from Germany. Preliminary specifications show an efficiency of 87dB (2.83V/1m), a nominal impedance of 6 ohms (4.6 ohms minimum) and a frequency response of 39 Hz to 60 kHz at -10dB.
The SPS-3000 speaker stands make for the perfect partnership with the NS-3000 speakers. The robust design features MDF and rubber construction terminated by a 6mm-thick metal top plate to accommodate the speakers. The SPS-3000’s solid base features vibration-isolation measures and a bespoke spiking system.
General Manager for Yamaha Music Australia’s AV Division Simon Goldsworthy told SoundStage! Australia, “Music lovers deserve a rewarding and authentic reproduction of their favourite tunes. A pure and truly moving listening experience is never the result of just one component. These new amplifiers and speakers combine years of customer feedback, research and development to deliver a reinvented line of amp and speaker technology, with many engineering and patented features directly carried over from our 5000 Series.”
The new A-S3200 flagship integrated amplifier is available now while the A-S1200 and A-S2200 are expected in May 2020 (see below for pricing). The new NS-3000 and SPS-3000 loudspeakers and bespoke stands are due Q4 2020 with their pricing yet to be determined.
Yamaha A-S1200, A-S2200 and A-S3200 Integrated Amplifiers
Yamaha NS-3000 Loudspeakers and SPS-3000 Loudspeaker Stands
Price: A-S1200 AU$3499, A-S2200 AU$4999, A-S3200 AU$9999
Australian Distributor: Yamaha Music Australia
+61 1800 805 413
www.yamaha.com.au
