I love the translucent buttons, Reminds of my old Alpine Car Audio in the 90s. Alpine also used buttons and power lights like those frosted squares... Does it have the same natural/accurate sound that the CA/CR's are known for? Just asking because the Yamaha accurate sound is not for everyone and id love to know if these sound the same, Id assume so.
Yamaha recently brought the C-4 along with 4 other pieces from Japan to a U.S. audio Expo, describing them as Yamaha Audio's best examples of their audio evolution.
I have the M-4, which I have restored and recapped myself. More than enough power to drive most speakers. The only problems I have found with the amplifier is burnt contacts on the relays and transistor insulators going brittle with age, as the manufacturer's spec for biasing is at 15mV, so the amp normally chucks out some heat. I guess why they have gone for the fully perforated top cover. Restoration of these is absolutely essential if you pick up a used one. If you don't, it will blow up or stop working due to the issues mentioned previously.
I have a C80, I like all the features that it has and a pure direct switch. I went through Pioneer SX 1050, Sansui G7500, Yamaha CR 820 but i still kept my pair of M80s and a C80.
After a lot of testing of vintage audio my keeper is a pre bcp or dsp 87 Yamaha AV-34 integrated with 9 inputs 5 ac outlets preamp (acc) loop for the matching EQ-32 that sounds exquisite with plenty of power to spare and my must have- remote control! 😊
@stereoniche Yes and if you plan on keeping this and like listening to FM I can't recommend enough the Yamaha T85 tuner I also have that filters any static or interference with almost cd quality sound but for the 15k hz high frequency limit of FM!
Thanks for bringing us another piece of audio history. I don't remember these so this was fun. Having two pre outs would be nice if you had a power house amp and a low wattage tube amp. Where ever the mood takes you.
So much flexibility with this system, quite amazing how much they squeezed into it, I cannot imagine how big a system it would be to have every source/amp connected. Wow.
Nice review Scott. As always I appreciate your time doing these. I run two systems, one a new AVR system and and older Bi-amp system with all components Yamaha. The Bi-Amp system uses the CX-1000 with two MX-1000 series amplifiers.
I had this same set in the late seventies, early eighties. What I remember the most about them besides the outstanding phono and headphone sections, was me having to pull the cover off and constantly lubing the cheap and noisy mechanical switches on the preamplifier. Never had any issues with the amplifier. Outstanding sound when functioning correctly.
I'm a big fan of Yamaha vintage and even some of their new retro look components. I have the same components. Heavy and solid. The phono section of this preamp is great....in the golden era of records and analog goodness in the home. The sound is strong and detailed without being harsh. Hang onto these.
My office system is a Yamaha C6 preamplifier and a m45 power amplifier. I have a BBE 462 sonic maximizer hooked in between them. Sure does sound gooood.
I got them from my brother when he left the country in the early 80s. The Yamahas were really good and had a lot of power. Later in the 80s I upgraded to an Accuphase E305.
Very nice, i got the M65/C65 set and it sounds amazing everytime i turn it on. Just take care of it and you can you use it for a lifetime, maybe a recap is needed after a while but after that your good to go for another 20 years! My speaker set are the AR Acoustic Research SRT380 Studio Recording Transducer and they are 300watts RMS @ 6ohm and the M65 can let them dance like in a disco if you want, yamaha power amps froms the 80's are really high end with a lot of power to spend!
I have the C-4 paired with the M-2 and the T-7 tuner. Never regretted getting them for a minute. They always performed as well as I could have hoped and I think that combination got the best bang for the buck (within Yamaha, at least). As you mentioned, the C-4 is incredibly flexible. I never had three turntables hooked up but I did have two...a Mitsubishi LT-30 and a Technics SL-1301. One I optimized for audiophile records (half-speed mastered type stuff) and one was more suited to lower-end or well-enjoyed records. My tape connectors were also well used with various cassette and reel-to-reel decks. I did augment the C-4's Tape loop circuit with a dbx control center. But, overall, I've always liked the Yamaha stuff.
I have a C4 I fully restored that I'm currently using as a headphone amp and I love it. I'm surprised it had a much lower MSRP from the C2 since the 4 is loaded with features.
I didn't do a close comparison of specs between the 2 and 4, but the 2 must have some serious specs as I cannot imagine it had much more in the way of functions.
Back in those days if you liked a brighter more spotlit sound, Yamaha was a good choice. If you liked more warmth you'd lead toward Denon. A few of Yamaha's most interesting integrated amps came after the units shown. One was a big heavy integrated amp model that they produced for both the Japanes market and American market. The built for America units had a U suffix after the model number, to distinguish it from the Japanese models. The U standing for United States. To this day it had the biggest transformer I've ever seen inside a vintage solid state integrated amp. About the size of a softball. It had sound about the size of a softball fied. The soundstage was huge as was the instrument size. Big transformers will do that. It revealed all kind of little sub enclosures inside, when you took the top cover off the amp. Their were circuits inside the numerous metal enclosures, which were there because of either shielding or to keep the temperature constant for certain sib circuits. The. Class A/B amp had a nice sound; and it's main forte was it's enormity of soundstage and instrument size. Definitely a cut above. It looked inside like someone at Yamaha just told a certain designer to go crazy and build the best amp you know how to build. I had it at the same time as another powerful Yamaha integrated. The second integrated had a button that you could switch between Class A or the more conventional Class A/B. I found myself wishing I could combine the hugeness of the one amp with the ultra clean sound of the amp with the Class A option. Both were nice amps.
I'v purchase a c4/m4/t2 new in 1980. Still have the kit but tiking to sell it since i don't have the space to use it. It was a major expense in 1980 for an 18-years old boy. 8-)
Would have liked to know your opinion on how it sounds and some comparisons to other pre/amp combos. We basically just have a spec run down for 12.5 minutes.
Just a point in note, the M4 was the export model which all you said included a switchable power voltage on the back. The B4 somewhat the same but was only for the Japan market and probably a better amp. What it didn't have compared to the M4 is no fluro display and no voltage switch at back but was switchable from 120wts rms to 40wts of pure class A, to me that's a big plus. Only 100v for the J market, would need a stepdown transformer in Europe etc.
Scott... great review of great hw. it may be a bit unfair to score separates vs integrated. the separates always get a bonus via the pre-outs. on the other hand, the M4 gets no credit for adjustable gain on the back panel for each channel - a useful feature. (high quality) preamps seemed to diverge into opposing feature sets. loaded or a more "straight wire w/ gain" type. my M4 gets swapped out w/ tube amps (Cary Triode & Audio Research Pentode) depending on... well, how I feel & the season (tubes are great in the winter) & it has nothing to be ashamed about. & that C4 is indeed on the loaded controls side... another reason it may be an unfair comparo... a top shelf (it's Friday) simplistic preamp may be very slightly more transparent... & lots more $$$s too. what's impressive is Yamaha stayed true to their Natural Sound philosophy despite all the preamp features "in-the-way" (ha! "whydaya think I bought it, man?"). that takes very high standards & commitment to successful execution to pull off. the fact their best products hold up so well over the years is another bonus. cheers,
It is a bit of a tradeoff. If I get through a lot of reviews for separates, maybe I will split them out into their own category. The Yammies are certainly scoring high on the gear side of things, fun stuff. Thanks for commenting on your experience!
They have some value. Check eBay SOLD listings to see current values, but don't forget, those are higher than local prices due to the warranty sold on eBay.
Not a word on how it sounds! Pretty useless review of just counting features. Features are not that important if the sound is bad. How does this thing sound?
How does it sound? Well, quite simply, it is hard to put into words exactly how wonderfully lush are the sounds emanating throughout the room when music is played. Bass notes, I never knew what that could be until I heard them on this setup. Midrange and high end frequencies are so mesmerizing, only the sirens of Greek mythology could possibly sound any better. Of course, all of this is only possible if one were to hear them on the same set of speakers I used for reference.
I love the translucent buttons, Reminds of my old Alpine Car Audio in the 90s. Alpine also used buttons and power lights like those frosted squares... Does it have the same natural/accurate sound that the CA/CR's are known for? Just asking because the Yamaha accurate sound is not for everyone and id love to know if these sound the same, Id assume so.
yes... maybe even cleaner, at least the M4.
Yamaha recently brought the C-4 along with 4 other pieces from Japan to a U.S. audio Expo, describing them as Yamaha Audio's best examples of their audio evolution.
I have the M-4, which I have restored and recapped myself. More than enough power to drive most speakers. The only problems I have found with the amplifier is burnt contacts on the relays and transistor insulators going brittle with age, as the manufacturer's spec for biasing is at 15mV, so the amp normally chucks out some heat. I guess why they have gone for the fully perforated top cover. Restoration of these is absolutely essential if you pick up a used one. If you don't, it will blow up or stop working due to the issues mentioned previously.
Thanks for the heads up! I do like the look of these and have hoped to find a set for a while.
Thanks very much for the insight. I've not gone past firing it up since I brought it home a few weeks ago.
I have a C80, I like all the features that it has and a pure direct switch. I went through Pioneer SX 1050, Sansui G7500, Yamaha CR 820 but i still kept my pair of M80s and a C80.
After a lot of testing of vintage audio my keeper is a pre bcp or dsp 87 Yamaha AV-34 integrated with 9 inputs 5 ac outlets preamp (acc) loop for the matching EQ-32 that sounds exquisite with plenty of power to spare and my must have- remote control! 😊
Full featured with a remote! :-)
@stereoniche Yes and if you plan on keeping this and like listening to FM I can't recommend enough the Yamaha T85 tuner I also have that filters any static or interference with almost cd quality sound but for the 15k hz high frequency limit of FM!
Thanks for bringing us another piece of audio history. I don't remember these so this was fun. Having two pre outs would be nice if you had a power house amp and a low wattage tube amp. Where ever the mood takes you.
So much flexibility with this system, quite amazing how much they squeezed into it, I cannot imagine how big a system it would be to have every source/amp connected. Wow.
I have the M-4 power amp and it's awesome. Probably one of the best value propositions I could think of for a big power amp
I am also a very happy M-4 owner it's a keeper
Nice review Scott. As always I appreciate your time doing these. I run two systems, one a new AVR system and and older Bi-amp system with all components Yamaha. The Bi-Amp system uses the CX-1000 with two MX-1000 series amplifiers.
Thanks for watching! Yamaha certainly made some great units.
I had this same set in the late seventies, early eighties. What I remember the most about them besides the outstanding phono and headphone sections, was me having to pull the cover off and constantly lubing the cheap and noisy mechanical switches on the preamplifier. Never had any issues with the amplifier. Outstanding sound when functioning correctly.
I'm a big fan of Yamaha vintage and even some of their new retro look components. I have the same components. Heavy and solid. The phono section of this preamp is great....in the golden era of records and analog goodness in the home. The sound is strong and detailed without being harsh. Hang onto these.
My office system is a Yamaha C6 preamplifier and a m45 power amplifier. I have a BBE 462 sonic maximizer hooked in between them. Sure does sound gooood.
I got them from my brother when he left the country in the early 80s. The Yamahas were really good and had a lot of power. Later in the 80s I upgraded to an Accuphase E305.
Very nice, i got the M65/C65 set and it sounds amazing everytime i turn it on. Just take care of it and you can you use it for a lifetime, maybe a recap is needed after a while but after that your good to go for another 20 years! My speaker set are the AR Acoustic Research SRT380 Studio Recording Transducer and they are 300watts RMS @ 6ohm and the M65 can let them dance like in a disco if you want, yamaha power amps froms the 80's are really high end with a lot of power to spend!
I have the C-4 paired with the M-2 and the T-7 tuner. Never regretted getting them for a minute. They always performed as well as I could have hoped and I think that combination got the best bang for the buck (within Yamaha, at least). As you mentioned, the C-4 is incredibly flexible. I never had three turntables hooked up but I did have two...a Mitsubishi LT-30 and a Technics SL-1301. One I optimized for audiophile records (half-speed mastered type stuff) and one was more suited to lower-end or well-enjoyed records. My tape connectors were also well used with various cassette and reel-to-reel decks. I did augment the C-4's Tape loop circuit with a dbx control center. But, overall, I've always liked the Yamaha stuff.
I have a C4 I fully restored that I'm currently using as a headphone amp and I love it. I'm surprised it had a much lower MSRP from the C2 since the 4 is loaded with features.
I didn't do a close comparison of specs between the 2 and 4, but the 2 must have some serious specs as I cannot imagine it had much more in the way of functions.
I have both of these and love them. Running them with a pair of first Gen Heresy's and dual SVS subs. Love the dual pre outs.
The preamp certainly has great flexibility to do just about whatever you want in the configuration.
Back in those days if you liked a brighter more spotlit sound, Yamaha was a good choice. If you liked more warmth you'd lead toward Denon. A few of Yamaha's most interesting integrated amps came after the units shown. One was a big heavy integrated amp model that they produced for both the Japanes market and American market. The built for America units had a U suffix after the model number, to distinguish it from the Japanese models. The U standing for United States. To this day it had the biggest transformer I've ever seen inside a vintage solid state integrated amp. About the size of a softball. It had sound about the size of a softball fied. The soundstage was huge as was the instrument size. Big transformers will do that. It revealed all kind of little sub enclosures inside, when you took the top cover off the amp. Their were circuits inside the numerous metal enclosures, which were there because of either shielding or to keep the temperature constant for certain sib circuits. The. Class A/B amp had a nice sound; and it's main forte was it's enormity of soundstage and instrument size. Definitely a cut above. It looked inside like someone at Yamaha just told a certain designer to go crazy and build the best amp you know how to build. I had it at the same time as another powerful Yamaha integrated. The second integrated had a button that you could switch between Class A or the more conventional Class A/B. I found myself wishing I could combine the hugeness of the one amp with the ultra clean sound of the amp with the Class A option. Both were nice amps.
You know, I've not run across much in the way of early Denon gear, but I do keep an eye out for it.
The days of over engineering.
I use a P2200 and PC2002m with my pair of Yamaha NS1000Ms and I can well relate to the review of yours.
I'v purchase a c4/m4/t2 new in 1980. Still have the kit but tiking to sell it since i don't have the space to use it. It was a major expense in 1980 for an 18-years old boy. 8-)
Would have liked to know your opinion on how it sounds and some comparisons to other pre/amp combos.
We basically just have a spec run down for 12.5 minutes.
Just a point in note, the M4 was the export model which all you said included a switchable power voltage on the back. The B4 somewhat the same but was only for the Japan market and probably a better amp. What it didn't have compared to the M4 is no fluro display and no voltage switch at back but was switchable from 120wts rms to 40wts of pure class A, to me that's a big plus. Only 100v for the J market, would need a stepdown transformer in Europe etc.
Thanks for the details.
The B4 has 2x transformers and 2x pair power supply caps vs M4 with 1x transformer and 1x pair power supply caps.
Scott... great review of great hw. it may be a bit unfair to score separates vs integrated. the separates always get a bonus via the pre-outs. on the other hand, the M4 gets no credit for adjustable gain on the back panel for each channel - a useful feature. (high quality) preamps seemed to diverge into opposing feature sets. loaded or a more "straight wire w/ gain" type. my M4 gets swapped out w/ tube amps (Cary Triode & Audio Research Pentode) depending on... well, how I feel & the season (tubes are great in the winter) & it has nothing to be ashamed about. & that C4 is indeed on the loaded controls side... another reason it may be an unfair comparo... a top shelf (it's Friday) simplistic preamp may be very slightly more transparent... & lots more $$$s too. what's impressive is Yamaha stayed true to their Natural Sound philosophy despite all the preamp features "in-the-way" (ha! "whydaya think I bought it, man?"). that takes very high standards & commitment to successful execution to pull off. the fact their best products hold up so well over the years is another bonus. cheers,
It is a bit of a tradeoff. If I get through a lot of reviews for separates, maybe I will split them out into their own category. The Yammies are certainly scoring high on the gear side of things, fun stuff. Thanks for commenting on your experience!
Had the M2/C2, was best amp ever had. Sold it some time ago, regretted it.
i have owned M2 C4 bought them 1981
How have they held up?
Always wanted one when I was in HS but who could afford it?? this stuff was in the many thousands of dollars by today's money.
i have these are they worth much ? ive always heard they were !
They have some value. Check eBay SOLD listings to see current values, but don't forget, those are higher than local prices due to the warranty sold on eBay.
The prices quoted would be average for modern components. Back in the day, certainly expensive, if not high end.
if you like yamaha you should check out rotel
I've had very little Rotel over the years, but I alway keep a lookout for it.
Hate the huge green and orange buttons! Cheapens what would be a classic looking pair.
Not a word on how it sounds! Pretty useless review of just counting features. Features are not that important if the sound is bad. How does this thing sound?
How does it sound? Well, quite simply, it is hard to put into words exactly how wonderfully lush are the sounds emanating throughout the room when music is played. Bass notes, I never knew what that could be until I heard them on this setup. Midrange and high end frequencies are so mesmerizing, only the sirens of Greek mythology could possibly sound any better. Of course, all of this is only possible if one were to hear them on the same set of speakers I used for reference.