Is it just bad luck, or do Yammies break a lot?

audiomagnate

audiomagnate

Addicted Member
I bought a CR-800 from GW a year or so ago and it just went into protection. I bought a CR-1040 (don't get me started) off of BT and it lasted about six months. I bought an M-60 off of BT and it smoked (literally) yesterday. I go through lots of gear, and this seems to be a definite pattern. I hate to admit it, but I buy Yamaha stuff because I think it has a timeless, classic look (except for the M-60), but I'm starting to think twice now.
 
Old gear is old gear....it all fails at some point. Maybe try some yamaha pro gear before giving up completely....

Jblnut
 
clinic-audio said:
Hello !

Did you connect the same speakers to all these amplifiers ?
Click to expand...

No. Different systems completely. The M-60 was driving two four ohm subs in series when it smoked. The 1040 was driving a pair of JBL SVA2100s when it died, and the 800 was driving a pair of AMT1s.


jblnut said:
Old gear is old gear....it all fails at some point. Maybe try some yamaha pro gear before giving up completely....

Jblnut
Click to expand...

I subbed a pair of JBL 6020s for the dead M-60. I probably shouldn't have been using it for a subwoofer amp anyway. I don't know what it would take to kill one of those old JBL pro amps. On a more positive note, I found a CR-640 literally covered in dirt in a barn last week and it is filling in nicely for the 800.
 
Every Yamaha I've gotten my hands on had problems.

CR-6??, CR-800, CA-1010, CA-2010, CR-1010, CR-2010.
Most were pretty straight forward fixes and they rock on!

Now the old Sansui I've had. Problems galore and most a pain in the ass to straighten out. But, I've known some that were great!


But I find them cheap and abused and neglected and abandoned.

Vintage gear is old and things do let go.

FWIW, the varistors Yamaha like to use seem to be a key failure point I've seen. And, some of the models listed have known weak points and factory service bulletins.
 
yammy fixer

I have done some work on my M-50 but only one was needed or burn. It blew a small cap in the vicinity of the trans. and took the small board with it. Fortunately I was able to duplicate the board easily as the traces were large and easy to hand grind onto a new piece of PCB.
Other than that the cap. replace was the biggest job.
My C-60 is another story. I had the power trans. open on the line side. No replacement for that. I dug the potting stuff until I found good windings. I found out that the trans. has a built in micro fuse that blows making the pre amp a boat anchor.
I have also replaced some relays due to poor contact. Those relays are the worst thing about the C-50. If it wasn't for the relays it would be a fine pre.

Paul
 
My m70 nuked itself just after power on, no clue why, it ran for 2 weeks prior and it had no issues- I re and re'd the entire board from another m70- it's been fine ever since.
 
I've had to fix a couple of my Yammie amps but they just keep on running, even after all this time.

They must not like you..... ;)
 
No there are three Sherwoods, a Nakamichi CDP, and a series-string Hallicrafters general-coverage radio on the rack, too - and a pair of EPI 100Vs that need to be refoamed.

... and some of the Yamaha stuff is elsewhere...
 
My personal stuff hasn't broken.The gear I have repaired ,as far as I know, is still working. At least , no complaints.
Now the majority of my stuff was purchased as " parts or repair" and has been completely gone through.
 
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I have Four M4s and one M50 all are going strong, one of the M4s has a slightly high DC offset and the lights do go out but the amps are solid and ready to rock.

I Wish I could say that about my Adcom collection or my often junked and speaker destroying B&K amps. (Your mileage, miracle or manic mondays might vary).

I've never had a Yamaha cap take a pee (what my tech often calls a leaky cap).
I have two C70 and I have lost one of the two relays on each. But they are still work horses. The speaker terminal and RCA jacks tend to be where they cut corners, IMHO.
But I have never lost a speaker with a Yamaha Amp. I love hearing that protection click when I turn my Yamaha amps on. It is music to my ears. Allah Akbar.

I have seen a lot used Yamaha gear look pretty 'beat up' like it was left in an Iraq wind storm. I can't figure that one out, maybe they were a 'Frat House' favorite? Vintage Nakamachi and Quad gear always seems to be well care for. I'm rambling.

Michael
 
30, 40 or more years old.... Try using it without replacing the aging capacitors... Eventually, POOF. After that long, some basic serivce is normal if you want to keep em playing. Its kinda like brake pads on your car..not that bad to replace.. But let em go too long and your rotors get ruined too, and it will cost a LOT more to fix.
 
i've never had an amp that was over 20 years old that did not need some help. With that said, the Yamaha amps needed less help than most.
 
My CA-810 and M60 both perform flawlessly, the 810 only requiring bulbs. Sounds like you've just had a bad run of luck.

It amazes me that my Sony 7065A and the Yamaha CA-810 still perform just fine after what...35-40 years? That is a testament to build quality.
 
I've had many Yamaha units and never had any real issues beyond burned bulbs and dirt switches. Getting to be time to re-cap the lot though, starting with the CA-1010. The one and only piece of vintage gear I've owned there actually didn't need a thing done to it is the Epicure M1 amp and I ended up getting it recapped as I wanted to do some minor mods anyway. Sounded even better as a result. Hey, all of the vintage stuff is getting to an age where they need attention. We may see them as a amazing feats of build etc. but when they were new most were just music-making appliances and who ever expected them to be still doing their job decades later?
 
I'd say age has a lot to do with it, also since they're all 2nd-hand you never know what it was used for before you got it.

Stereo equipment is not like a car where tell-tale signs of abuse/damage/issues can be found/heard/felt easily. I remember Alphasonik, a now somewhat diminished car audio amplifier brand, used to have "hour meters" built into their amplifiers so users can tell how many hours has the amplifier been on for its entire lifespan. They stopped making them years ago.
 
I've had great luck with my Yamaha gear!

I had to locate and repair a circuit board crack and bad ground in my C-4 but other than that, ALL of my Yamaha gear is unrestored and working fine. The recently departed B-2, & C-2a, and the remaining M-2, M-4, A-1, B-6, CA-2010/CT-1010, T-1, T-7 (did fix memory problem) R-9, A-1020/CT-1020/T-1020, CR-2020, PX-3, YP-D8 and at least half a dozen 80's pieces too.

oh wait... my CD-1's need attention..
 
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