Yamaha M-70 vs. M-80

C

centaurus3200

Well-Known Member
has anybody compared the two? I've had both C-70 and the C-80 preamp and liked the C-70 better. seemed like better materials - thicker gauge chassis. cool relay switching and disc direct for the phono.

the C80 was lighter and the variable loudness control seemed to screw up the sound. grainy and veiled compared to the C-70.

i just picked up an M-70 amp (it's at a friend's house - haven't listened to it yet). in this case however, it seems the M-80 is much more advanced. dual power supplies and 330wpc into 4 ohms (compared to 250 for the M-70). the M-80 also weighs like 18lbs more.

wondering what how the sonics compared with the two amps - i know the M-80 will have more brute force.

to clarify the 80 series is NOT a step above the 70 series - the 80 series replaced the 70 series.

Robby
 
The M-70 only has connections for 2 pairs of speakers and can only run one at a time. The M-70 has the worst wire binding of all Yamaha amps with those lame guillotine twist connectors. Not a bad amp mind you, but not on par with an M-80.

The M-80 is a dual mono block, runs three sets of speakers simultaneously (depending on load) although it does have those funky plastic screw binding posts, and is without a doubt much more robust.

I would say they're sonically similar at lower volumes, with the M-70 losing control at higher volumes. I think the M-80 has a tad more warmth and certainly more dynamic headroom. The M-70 starts clipping at 250WPC at 4Ohm, the M-80 runs up to 380WPC at 4Ohm before losing control. The M-70 does have a slightly less damping factor and the lack of dual power supplies to contend with.
 
The M-70 comes from the B-6 and has the X-power power supply; witch makes it quite different from the later M models. The x-power design has a problem with small loads, they don't like loads below 4ohm (not really happy 4ohm either). It makes them to hot, this it seems they tried to do something about it in M-70 by upgrading the heat sinks.

Another big difference is the class A mode of the M-80, the 70 is not capable of this.

Sonically I can't say since my B-6 is not up and running.
 
the-real-mandak said:
No, the ZDR stands for Zero Distortion Rule Amplifier witch also was first seen in the B-6.
Click to expand...

I see that now. However, it looks possible to bypass that X-power supply circuit. What about the other x-power circuit for audio? Or is that the one that gives trouble. Neither are marked clearly on the schematic. But I see the switching B circuit on the audio side. Is that bypass-able too?
 
Damage why would you bypass the ZDR, Yamaha found it good enough to put in there MX-10000?

X-power is the power supply for the audio amplification, you would have to build an entire new one. It would properly be more easy to get a different amp.

Susurus I don't have any 2200/2201's so can't really say, but I do hear good about them and will grab one if I get the chance at a good price. If I remember correckt the 2201 was the studio edition with the big meters.
 
I have the M-4, a little brother to the M-2, M-70/M-80. Clean and beautiful sound within its wattage class, 100-120 wpc/8ohm.

But double or quadruple that... oh Yeah! :thmbsp:

I could afford a Pro series amp for the Maggies, but maybe just wait for a M-70... or wait much longer for an M-1 or the funny 5-digit entries from Luxman or Sansui.

Susurus
 
Damage I am not a wizard in this but is careful about making changes in the power design. You might end up blowing the amp and spear parts are not that easy to come by. If you make some new design planes (or bypass) try to contact Unda Maris, I believe he is looking at the B-6 from a design perspective.

Susurus sorry to correct you, the M-4 only shears the name with the M-70 and 80/85. It is just as different from the 2 of them as the M-70 is from the M-80, it comes from the M-2 as you also mentions. It has a different design from the others, but a good one. Most Hi-Fi fans will favor the M-2 design to the B-6 (and properly also to the M-80), if I am not mistaken the power supply design of the M-2 is what was used in the MX-10000.
 
So to list by desirability, is this vaguely approximate:

MX-x000
M2
P-2200
B6 ?
M70
M80
M4

Susurus
 
It is a matter of taste what design (sound) you like better, they all sound different so you can't really put it up like this.

One thing I do notice is that you only have one TOTL in you're list, the M-2.
 
FWIW, here is my list of preference:
M2 binding posts replaced with pure copper
M70 recapped and binding posts replaced
MX-1000 original

MX-1 monos. the amp is interesting as Yamaha added a thick metal plate at the bottom. otherwise there is little weight to the amp. Did not sound too good in my experience.
 
I had an M-70 and an M-80 at the same time. A buddy and I did a blind (to us) comparison and we both preferred the M-80 over several listens.

I currently have a C-70 paired with an MX-1000 and they look good together. The light on the C-70 has had the color changed to match the lights on the MX-1000.

I also have a stereo MX-1 that I like as well as any amp I've had.
 
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