Hi-Fi: Yamaha – A-S700 Integrated Amplifier & CD-S700 CD Player – Review – 78
The first thing you notice about Yamaha’s new matched CD player and amplifier twosome is the similarity in styling to last year’s remarkable S1000 duo (which cost twice the price) and the even more acclaimed and higher priced S2000 gear.
The second thing you notice is that, specs-wise, the S700s are lacking a few refinements and bells and whistles, but carry through most of the main selling points of their big brothers, and, most importantly, sound like it.
The third thing you notice is that only one day after switching these units on, they’ve lost that slightly unsettling sonic edge that most hi-fi gear has in its often extended run-in period, and already hum along with all the creamy sonic beauty one hasn’t a right to expect from gear at this price.
As noted in our review of the S1000 series (Tone 73, Nov/Dec 2008), by dint of its huge corporate footprint, Yamaha may lack some of the snob value of the more esoteric brands reviewed in this magazine, but it’s hard to find any reason not to love the company’s recent forays into quality audio products. The S700 amp and CD player are no exception.
The S700s lack the build quality of the S1000s and are featherweight by comparison, and they don’t have the 1970s-style wood veneer down the side, either. But otherwise, the looks, controls and knobs are similar.
Happily, the CD player has the same attractive, practical and utterly noiseless slit-like CD draw with its rubber holder, and its functions and remote are identical.
Unsurprisingly, it doesn’t play SACDs, but it does have Pure Direct mode (which turns off LCD displays for no-interference listening) and something its big brother lacked: a USB input.
The integrated amp has the same power rating as its more expensive older sibling (90 watts), and the only caveat is that some attention should be paid to choosing the right speakers for best power efficiency if you don’t want to be pushing the volume past the 12 o’clock mark.
Like the S1000 it has those curious relics of the past, tone controls for bass and treble, as well as possibly more useful functions like Pure Direct mode. There are two sets of speaker terminals and three line level inputs, and there’s even a dedicated phono input for connecting a turntable – a good move.
It’s a marvellous-sounding unit, with wide, floating soundstage, tight timing on rhythmic elements and the ability to make everything sound ‘just right’ (see ‘Music Box’ below).
Not easily sparked into hyperbolic mode, these magic boxes have done the trick to rid this reviewer of entrenched cynicism at the possibilities inherent in lower priced audio gear. The Yamaha S700 won’t win any awards for looks, but if your main requirement is superb sound at a great price, this almost faultless combo comes with the highest recommendation.
GARY STEEL
TECH SPECS
A-S700 Integrated Amplifier & CD-S700 CD Player
A-S700 Integrated Amplifier
POWER RATING: 90wpc into 8 Ohms
FEATURES:
- ToP-ART (Total Purity Audio Reproduction Technology)
- ART (Anti-Resonance and Tough) base and solid
centre bar
- Pure Direct and CD Direct
- Continuously variable loudness control
DIMENSIONS: 435 x 151 x 383mm (W/H/D)
WEIGHT: 10.9kg
FINISHES: Black, silver
CD-S700 CD Player
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 2Hz-20kHz
SIGNAL-TO-NOISE RATIO: 110dB or more
HARMONIC DISTORTION: 0.002%
SUPPORTED MEDIA: CD-R/RW, MP3, WMA disc playback
FEATURES:
- Differential D/A converter for high conversion precision with low noise
- Independent structure
power unit
- Pure Direct
- Front panel USB port
DIMENSIONS: 435 x 96 x 300mm (W/H/D)
WEIGHT: 6.2kg
FINISHES: Black, silver
PROS
- Creamy gorgeousness in the sound-quality stakes
- Sounds good with any kind/style of music
- Astonishing price value
- Volume on remote is more responsive than previous model
CONS
- Not as pretty as its more expensive siblings
- Not for those who want big globs of overpowering bass
VERDICT
Yamaha has raised the bar by coming up with an entry-point hi-fi duo that sounds way above its price
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