Yamaha quality decreasing?

ledzep1968

Budding Audiophile
I'm huge fan of Yamaha to begin with, I'm not bashing them at all. But has the quality of Yamaha components decreased over the years? I have tons of Yamaha components and the early 80's models sound superior compared to the modern ones. The C-50s are unmatchable when compared to my HTR-5890. The HTR is lacking bass and treble when it powers the same speakers. Even with the settings adjusted to my liking. Even my Yamaha RX (the model number escapes me) sounds a lot better than the HTR, and the RX is 10-15 years older than the HTR.

Am I the only one seeing this? Or have others noticed this as well?
 
That's a pretty tough question to answer but I will say that I sure seem to see my fair share of "My Yamaha such and such doesn't work" threads around AK.
 
The market is changing dramatically and the amount of features they can jam into an HTR nowadays is pretty impressive. Figure something has to give, unit price stays the same and feature count increases.

This isn't true for the higher end units, but I am sure some costs and corners are cut on the more pedestrian models.
 
What was the cost when new of the older units vs the new cost of the units you are comparing now?

I love my Yamaha C-80 preamp, but when I take into account what it cost when new ($740), and factor in inflation, we're now talking about almost $1700...

The C-50 you mention cost $530 when new, which is almost $1300 today.

Of course technology improves over time, but still, to compare it against a $250 Best Buy special (lower-end Yamaha HTR, etc) doesn't really make sense IMO.
 
depends your not comparing top of the line to top of the line components.
The RX is TOTL, the other gear is not going to be as good.
 
There was a time when most Yamaha, and a dozzen other brands of audio components all sounded at least quite good. Those stereo component's where more expensive than many of today's AVR's, so I expect them to sound better. Listen to a higher end Denon, Pioneer Elite, NAD, pehap's Yamaha's AVR and they too can sound darn good, but expect to pay way more than $500 for it.

I still think we generally get what we pay for. My Older Onkyo 575x AVR
sounds quite impressive in stereo with Energy RC-30 towers, bass you can feel, and very good imaging/soundstage. My seperate NAD preamp/Tuner may sound a bit better, maybe not. Certianly the NAD has a better FM Tuner and Phono Stage than the AVR. I have a better stereo system for music though.
 
with a house full of Yamaha stuff i drew the line at a RX1100u receiver that was the last one i bought i believe it was a mid 80's receiver
 
with a house full of Yamaha stuff i drew the line at a RX1100u receiver that was the last one i bought i believe it was a mid 80's receiver

Nice unit that I use for my computer system.
I believe the RX-1100u might be the last large "Made in Japan" stereo receiver.
 
You cannot compare modern gear to the old. In the 80's, quality started decreasing and has kept doing so. Hifi is one of the few fields of technology that has not evolved, but rather the opposite.
 
Hifi is one of the few fields of technology that has not evolved, but rather the opposite.

To quote PWK...

bullshit.jpg
 
You cannot compare modern gear to the old. In the 80's, quality started decreasing and has kept doing so. Hifi is one of the few fields of technology that has not evolved, but rather the opposite.

You and I must define quality differently. I would take a new A-S2000 over pretty well any vintage piece that Yamaha made.
 
At 34 years old my CA-810 amp works just fine... Oh occasionally it gets some scratchy pots, but heck, at my age I have some scratchy pots too. *rimshot*
 
You and I must define quality differently. I would take a new A-S2000 over pretty well any vintage piece that Yamaha made.
Hey, I own and love vintage Yamaha gear. However, what Urizen says I agree with . There is no degradation of build quality in that amp I assure you, nor performance. We're not talking about 250 dollar home video BS here, that A-S series is nobodies joke.
What Chris Brown says is rarely considered either. The numbers he quotes are accurate and if that doesn't mean something I don't know what to say. Doug
 
You see a lot of comparison of prices (1970s/80s) adjusted for the 21st century. Usually the price today is 4-8 times or more what it was originally. But is that "really" fair??

Let's take an example from video. My parents bought their first color TV in '78, a 19" Magnavox with a COMB filter for 399?

Today, you can by an HDTV, 32" that will produce a picture that leaves the '78 Magnavox with the smaller screen in the dust for 399 or less!

Hmmmmmm. Maybe Technology "has" advanced. And pricing is not fixed at ONE point in time!

Think about computers. An old Mac Plus was 1500 dollars. Do you know what you can buy for that TODAY?

One last note on Yamaha. Regarding their HT receivers, there have been complaints about them (mostly the lower models) to which Yamaha has responded with the new AVENTAGE series. Supposedly, with this new series, Yamaha has addressed most of its issues and is back in the game!

cnh2
 
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Think about computers. An old Mac Plus was 1500 dollars. Do you know what you can buy for that TODAY?

Indeed I see many similarities.

You can go to Fry's or another big-box retailer and buy a low-end terrible computer for <$400.

But those of us still on the bleeding edge still pay considerably more than that. A single Geforce GTX680 costs $500 and it's not uncommon to run two or three of those together in a high-end computer.

Just like audio today, the low-end has gotten cheaper, but the high-end is still expensive.

Unlike computers however, "old" audio equipment isn't automatically obsolete.
 
Old computers don't get obsolete either. If you choose to stay with the same software, then you can still keep running the old computer.

We still run old software on our turntables contentedly. But they are also obsolete if we want to run CDs on them.
 
You and I must define quality differently. I would take a new A-S2000 over pretty well any vintage piece that Yamaha made.

Even the A-S500 appeals to the barebones look that I like. I hear lots of raves about the new integrateds (not really that new now; current) and actualy know where I can get an A-S500 for $200 + shipping! I'm so tempted to go for it!!!:banana:
 
Aaah, the computer analogy - I think it falls apart pretty quickly. Spec me up the nastiest gaming machine you can think of - complete with monster custom case, array of bleeding-edge cards, monitors all across the desktop - and an OAK desk to go with it, and you might be in the ballpark for what some are willing to pay for a high-end cartridge. And that cartridge belongs in a system based on technology dating back to the 8086 and earlier - the guts of most amps could be dated back to ENIAC, a room-sized computer that would take a week to process your payroll ....

I find the car analogy to be a lot closer - for all the additional electronics in the modern car, the vast majority are still based on the internal combustion engine and still use centuries-old principles like hydraulics at their core. A vintage Ferrari remains an object of lust and admiration, but the reality is that very few would be prepared to forego their creature comforts for a car that would only be taken out of its climate-controlled garage for concours and other such events. Sure, vintage audio kit is still doing daily 'commuter' duty, and I dont know of anything that fetches vintage Ferrari money (!), but anyone who knows their history will see the writing on the wall. What would you have been willing to pay for that big. 'ugly' musclecar sitting on your uncle's front lawn in 1980 ? How many went to the crusher ?

http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/

Guard your treasures, people - boom inevitably follows bust, and all it will take is for the Chinese middle-class to do what the Japanese did in the 80s and 90s with classic cars.
 
You don't need an analogy to answer the question as first posted.

No, their quality is not decreasing except in instances where the consumer no longer wants to pay for it...

(Picture or it didn't happen)
p437_3_xl.jpg


I had a CA-1010 and CR-2020. Good stuff. I'd have traded them both and some cash for an A-S2000 in a heartbeat.
 
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