Yamaha C 4 preamp in comparison with ca 1000II preamp

It has been more than 5 months since my last post. But I love the C4 after the recap. I doubt that the C2A will outperform the C4. Maybe a CX 1000 will, but I doubt that....
I dropped the C2A.....
 
It has been more than 5 months since my last post. But I love the C4 after the recap. I doubt that the C2A will outperform the C4. Maybe a CX 1000 will, but I doubt that....
I dropped the C2A.....
Glad to hear your enjoyment continues. My C-4 makes me happy many hours pretty much every day. To me a C-4 in really good state is something pretty special. Quite apart from the fine sound they are just really nice to work with.
 
I have owned an Avionic built C-4, a recapped C-2, and a recapped and modified C-2x. I still own the C-2x. I have not spent much time with a C-2a but know it only by reputation.

I have also owned recapped C-60, C-80 and C-85 preamps. The C-80 and C-85 are both very good sounding units with some great features, but the controls and case quality are not to my liking.

The C-2 is a solid built little pre but nothing special in the sound department. It gets the job done well enough and has a good feel to it's controls (like most older Yamaha components).

The C-4 was awesome and has some useful features over the C-2 series. I have owned two C-4s over the years and both of them had intermittent problems with switches and controls. Nothing abnormal for their age and typically just in need of cleaning but thought I would mention this only because I have never had this problem with the C-2x.

The C-2x I own was purchased from another Ak'r who had it recapped (blackgates) by Echowars. Like many, many components from the 80s, I have found the RCA terminals are probably not up to the task needed of them. I upgraded them all to modern RCA gold plated copper terminals with OCC connecting wires to the PCB. Not an easy or cheap task but I think well worth it. (I also did this to one of my C-85 preamps to very good effect).

First, I can characterize the C-2x as being extremely clean. Maybe the darkest background of any pre I have owned? A nice feature of the x compared to the other c-2s is that it has a great headphone output. With headphones, no sources connected, and a few of the RCA inputs grounded out, I can crank this pre-amp up and hear little to no background noise. Even with a MC cart connected, background is exceptionally quiet.

I also really like the tone controls on the C-2x. Typically I listen with tone controls bypassed as they take more away than provide any benefit, but I found myself using these on the C-2x more than with other pre-amps. Not that the performance of the pre needed tone adjustments, but rather that they worked so very well without any noticeable negative effects. Not sure what Yamaha did to these tone circuits, but they sound great, and I know the tone attenuators themselves are huge alps units. In fact, all of the controls and switches on the C-2x work flawlessly with no pops, clicks or negative audio effect. They just simply do what they are suppose to.

The build quality and shielding of the the C-2x is impressive. It has separate power supplies for the phono and line stage. Not sure how they got all of this stuffed into such a little box but it's heft is surprising when you lift it. It has substantial capacitance especially considering it's internal volume. It is also probably the hottest running SS preamp I have owned so stacking is a no-no.

I have not been exposed to enough pre-amps to judge how it stacks up against some of the best, but I admire it most because it is a statement piece from Yamaha and was made at a time when such things were important to the company. The job was even more difficult because the designers valued the compactness of the form factor as compared to the giant pre amps of the other manufactures. It is simply a classy, great sounding pre-amp by any measure.
 
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"I have not been exposed to enough pre-amps to judge how it stacks up against some of the best, but I admire it most because it is a statement piece from Yamaha and was made at a time when such things were important to the company. The job was even more difficult because the designers valued the compactness of the form factor as compared to the giant pre amps of the other manufactures. It is simply a classy, great sounding pre-amp by any measure."
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Me too! Satisfaction is so close to serenity.
A nice place to dwell.
 
you have already dled the cap list I posted in a c4 thread in ss. That and the knowledge you have gained by following the threads about this preamp should have you well prepared to take the plunge. Good Luck
 
I will try to find my notes, otherwise I have the order list included the caps for the C2A.
About the C-4 now....It has incredibly improved after the recap. The soundstage is huge and the treble is sooo sweet, I can’t believe my ears :music:. The channel separation is also great, and improved after the recap. Musical pieces sound dead quiet when they supposed to be. I’ve tested with the cd’s “Morning Phase” and “Sea Change” from Beck and several AIR cd’s. The phono section is also very very good, I’ve listened to the Privateering Album from Mark Knopfler and The Last Ship from Sting. I guess that the phono section of the CA 1000II was already great as I did not find the improvement a lot, but your cd will sound analog!!!
Now that I am so enthusiastic I wonder what kind of improvements I can make to make the C4 even better. Fiddlefye suggested to replace certain diodes and solder the boards directly. Not that I will tear the C4 apart again…I have too much fun listening…..:D
How can you solder the boards togheter?do you mean replacing the wires with copper wiring maybe?
 
It has been more than 5 months since my last post. But I love the C4 after the recap. I doubt that the C2A will outperform the C4. Maybe a CX 1000 will, but I doubt that....
I dropped the C2A.....
Please tell what caps did you use a d where.i reccaped my c4 with elna silmics and i think it sounded better with the orig caps..
 
i reccaped my c4 with elna silmics and i think it sounded better with the orig caps..

Use:
Nichicon KZ wherever possible
Nichicon ES for bipolar
Nichicon PW / HE for power supply area / anywhere that gets hot
Nichicon FG if you can't find KZ for a particular value

For the 1uF electrolytics you can use film caps (for both polar and bipolar), eg. Wima, Panasonic.

You can use higher voltage rated versions if physical fit allows, eg. for 1000uF 10V you can use 1000uF 25V as long as it fits (16mm diam).
 
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