Yamaha A-S3000 Almost New

Selling a perfect (bought in October) Yamaha AS3000 integrated amplifier.

This was built for Yamaha's 125th anniversary and it oozes quality. I has beaten tube amps, in sound, clarity and power, and is a little underrated for power, it was able to power my power hungry speakers without missing a beat.

It has a huge soundstage, one of the best phono stages I've ever heard on an integrated (and beats many stand alone).

It's build and design beats many units that exceed the 20k price mark, and has beaten the Mcintosh MC7900 in an A/B comparison.

It's midrange is creamy and gorgeous, never bloated or thin, and vocals are amazing. It literally sounds like the band is playing in your living room. The speaker plugs are milled from solid pieces of brass, and the entire unit is dampened well with copper. This is a heavy amp (check the interior pictures provided by yamaha)

This unit also has huge meters (that are very fun to watch).

Some Highlights:

Amp is DEAD silent – jet black backgrounds – no hiss, no noise. Even with ear to speaker..silence.

Build should last a lifetime

Phono Stage, especially the MC stage is very good

Big soundstage width, depth and height, superb detail.

Very rich sound with detail and precise imaging – hard to do and get right

Runs warm, not hot or cool!

Has PLENTY of power – runs my 86db 4 Ohm speakers without even breaking a sweat!

Convert level volume if required though gets a little edgy when played really loud

BASS is AMAZING and BOMBASTIC after 50 hours of burn in – TIGHT and DEEP, never flabby or loose.

I have copied a excerpt from a review of the unit below:

"Ok, I now have put 100 hours on this Yamaha A S-3000 amp and I see even more improvement, ESPECIALLY from day one. What I hear now is a rich, full, clear huge 3D presentation. I mean, HUGE sound that fills the room, a soundstage that extends to the walls on each side and a CLARITY that I have not previously heard in my system..all while remaining full with the bass, mid bass and having a sweet extended treble. The bass fullness that was at the 50 hour mark that seemed to hide or tame the treble is gone and now I have a nicely balanced sound from top to bottom with the biggest but most controlled bass I have experienced in my room, easily surpassing the bass of the Ayon Orion III and the Line Magnetic 219ia.
I bought this amp with a 30 day trial from Amazon (using prime, Amazon return policy is 30 days and no question asked). To be honest, I assumed I would be returning this guy after a week or two because I could not fathom paying such a high cost for a Yamaha SS amp. But this is the real deal my friends. It is quite amazing and is a huge jump up from the Yamaha A S-2000 in sound, build and pride of ownership. It is the best Solid State amp I have ever heard in my life let alone owned. I have owned expensive Mark Levinson gear in the past and this is better in terms of sound. It is musical, pleasing, but without being mushy or bloated. It offers imaging and sound staging that is up with the best, yet is never analytical or harsh.
It may be down to synergy with my speakers but this amp offers it all with no downsides. No tubes to change, no heat to worry about and instant start up and shut down. Add the sweet 3D precise sound, HUGE bombastic bass, big huge meters and build and I have an amp that I can pass down to my son one day. I am not worried about resale value as I am not selling it. Ever. I may buy new amps at some point but if I do this guy will be put into another system or handed down.
It is that good.
I am shocked to be writing this as I have been a tube guy most of my audio life (20 years). I swore I would never go back to Solid State yet here I am LOVING a Solid State integrated.
So there you go. If you are worried about this amp delivering the goods, do not worry. If you think the S2000 is just as good, think again. If you do not feel it has the power for your speakers, it does..and then some. The Yamaha A S-3000 is a masterpiece of design and Yamaha knows audio, they just proved it. In my room, with my speakers, cables and source it is astonishing, and that is about as good as it gets IMO."