Hey Guys Howz Yamaha AX396 Stereo Amp !!!!

Autor

Beitrag

abhi.pani
Inventar

#1 erstellt: 27. Jun 2005, 08:01

Guys,
This weekend, I came across an Yamaha AX396 Stereo Integrated Amp. Initially I didnt know the price. But after having a couple of listen (with my own CDs). It sounded quite interesting and it really got interesting to me when I came to know that it is priced for 14k in India

. The only negative aspect of the audition was that it was being paired with a pair of Torvin speakers (Phantom 9). The guy is willing to sell me the amp (used one) for 9k odd. Since I am planning to put most of my initial budget into speakers so anyway I was looking for a low budget amp.

Its 60 + 60 wpc at 8 ohms. Was easily handling the Torvins (90 db sensitivity).

It is 1 year old and quite well maintained. I know this guy.

The guy is willing to take care of any flaws for the initial 6 months.

I want to know your experiences and opinion about this deal.
Any suggestions...
How is it as compared to AX596 amp....

benkenobi
Hat sich gelöscht

#2 erstellt: 27. Jun 2005, 08:18

i would recommend the 596 over the 396 anyday..

abhi.pani
Inventar

#3 erstellt: 27. Jun 2005, 08:59

Hey Benks,
Have you auditioned any of them....

I have heard them both....AX596 rated at 100 wpc was more powerful but the sound characteristics of both these siblings were quite similar....

Both are punchy + detailed and a bit on brighter side (but well within acceptable limits). I found these amps to be very suitable for popular genres of music (rock/pop/hip-hop/trance/bollywood) at the entry level.

The AX596 is priced at around 19k (new), I have to see how it fairs in comparision with NAD 320BEE and even the pulz.

But atleast for the present I dont have an offer for an used AX596

, currently I am thinking of AX396.

Somehow I was not able to find a lot of difference between 396 and 596 (may be because the speakers were not suitable for the comparision, again Torvins in both cases).

benkenobi
Hat sich gelöscht

#4 erstellt: 27. Jun 2005, 14:34

i have heard them both and the 596 is a much better amp than the 396...

abhi.pani
Inventar

#5 erstellt: 27. Jun 2005, 14:50

How about comparing it with 320BEE or a Pulz (pre + power) ?

abhi.pani
Inventar

#6 erstellt: 27. Jun 2005, 14:50

I mean comparing the AX596 with 320BEE and Pulz.

benkenobi
Hat sich gelöscht

#7 erstellt: 27. Jun 2005, 14:55

if detail is what u are looking for and imagin is important..theni suggest u go for the Nad..
the yamaha is a very capable amp but lacks the accuarcy especially in the lows..
But it would be able to drive difficult loads with ease, unlike the Nad.

abhi.pani
Inventar

#8 erstellt: 27. Jun 2005, 15:02

hmmm....I got it.
The other way to come to a conclusion is A/B comparision...

square_wave
Inventar

#9 erstellt: 27. Jun 2005, 17:05

Hey Abhi,
If you can swing it, go for the 320bee only. It is in a different league from the yammy. People get put off by the looks of the amp. Nad spends the money where it matters. The Yamaha in question and even the ax 596 are amps which has the typical “hi-fi” artificial sound. They will sound muddy in the lows and shrill in the highs. Good for Britney spears music ! The 320bee is high - current and will drive most speakers with authority and ease. According to some independent tests this 50 watter has been measured to produce more than 80 watts ! All over the world this amp has been compared to amps costing three times its price and it compares very well and sometimes beats most hyped up glossy amps when it comes to drive, musicality and tonal balance.

Manek
Inventar

#10 erstellt: 28. Jun 2005, 07:42

just to add to squarewaves post,

nads are reputed to handle very difficult speaker loads. They usually have a very strong power section. So dont worry about driving difficult loads :-) My gut feel tells me that it will take on any of the two yamaha stereo amps with ease !

Best to test them individually.

Manek.

abhi.pani
Inventar

#11 erstellt: 28. Jun 2005, 08:05

Hmmmm.....

got to go to Benks house soon and get a feel NAD.....

Anyways guys if I can spare 20k then I could easily forget Yamaha....but if at all I have to stick to under 10k budget then would AX396 be a decent decission to start with !!!

Afterall its from you all guys that I learnt that I need to spare most of my budget for the speakers

Now when I am about to lay my hands on stuffs, its getting complicated....

square_wave
Inventar

#12 erstellt: 28. Jun 2005, 08:23

The amp too is important. A revealing speaker and a bad amp is a great recipe for disaster.
Benks has a 86db wharfedale. They are very low sensitivity and pretty hard to drive. I used to own a pair of the same. So forget going driving the speaker to deafening levels with any budget amp. You will need a power amp with lots guts to do that. I have checked the 320bee with mine and found it to drive them very convincingly. Much better than most other Japanese amps rated much higher.

abhi.pani
Inventar

#13 erstellt: 28. Jun 2005, 08:54

Yah, I know that a good amp is very important to do justice to a good speaker.
But with the initial monies I have I may not be able to spend decently on an amp.

If at all I try that, it would mean compromising totally on other components like the CDP. Even then it can be tight...

So I am just digging into possibilities of getting a used one under 10k....

Let me know if any is willing to sell one.....

Inor
Schaut ab und zu mal vorbei

#14 erstellt: 28. Jun 2005, 09:14

Do you think that the Denon PMA2000(Japanese Pre-main Amp) rated at 160W at 4Ohm will be able to drive the Wharfedale 8.4 to the fullest ?

abhi.pani
Inventar

#15 erstellt: 28. Jun 2005, 10:11

Man it is an amp which can even drive a Public adress system with ease..

Just joking, to be serious it can drive very heavy loads with ease, Diamond 8.4 is quite easy to drive in that sense.

Manek
Inventar

#16 erstellt: 28. Jun 2005, 10:22

inor....I would suggest find an amp or amps with which you can live with tonally, and then worry about drivability. Today many decent/entry level stereo amps will drive a 4 ohm load or a speaker with 86db sensitivity under home listening conditions.

Manek.

benkenobi
Hat sich gelöscht

#17 erstellt: 28. Jun 2005, 12:06

What Manek says is true...
the thing is for normal listening sessions the NaD can easily drive the speakers but say u are entertaining ur friends and turn up the volume..then it would be advisable to keep the clipping option turned on...

Manek
Inventar

#18 erstellt: 28. Jun 2005, 13:17

benks , just to give you an idea....my nad I use with my cadence arita speakers(86db)for extended listening sessions, sometimes 8+ hours non stop. My dad and I do like our music a little....ahem....Loud(much to the dislike of mom)! but never has it sputtered once. The speakers on the other hand are extremely amp friendly on the impedance front and my amp just stays luke warm all day, whatever I feed it with. When dad and I have our music sessions the volume is around 12 o'clock mostly. I have never felt the need to employ the clipping switch.

But with a dance party goin on in the house with the volume even louder.......best to have the clipping switch on !

Manek.

benkenobi
Hat sich gelöscht

#19 erstellt: 28. Jun 2005, 14:03

well...mine just heats a bit too much and that concerns me..i listen to hard sessions for 2-3 hours on the trot and i need to let it cool down a bit or keep the fan runing..

Neutral
Stammgast

#20 erstellt: 29. Jun 2005, 11:39

Well that's one good attribute of the Pulz power amp. It never heats up (even in Bombay summer in a non-AC room). Abhi, you will get the Pulz brand new for 9,000. Why not try it out? It's tonally accurate but dynamics are on the lower side.

You can add the Pre later when you have the cash.