Customer Reviews

Great Build Quality and Aesthetics

Bought this as an upgrade over my Yamaha AS-801, but ultimately returned it because I didn't feel like the performance was that much better over the 801. Maybe I just don't have the "ears" for it. The build quality and aesthetic is top notch, loved the way the knobs felt and looked great with the VU meters! I feel like it's important to mention my supporting equipment here for others, so they know what I was working with. Linton Wharfdales AT-120 TT WiiM Mini (didn't really use this much on the 1200 since it's in my listening room and primarily used for the TT, but wanted to test it anyway) I'll keep running my 801 for now which I'm very happy with!

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Yamaha A-S1200

Good so far, good power delivery

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Sweet Sounds

Love this Yamaha A-S1200. Sweet, warm, old school stereo sound reminiscent of my old Fisher 500C and, almost as old, Sansui AU 717. Retired my Yamaha Aventage 7.2 receiver to go back to pure stereo music only. Listening to Coltrane Love Supreme right now through my MartinLogans. Like I said, sweet.

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A comparison of the AS801 vs. the AS1200

I recently bought a Yamaha AS1200 and it's just a fantastic integrated amplifier. A few years ago I bought a Yamaha AS801 integrated amplifier and it too has proven to be simply perfect. So let's compare them both, helping you to decide which is the right one for you. The AS801 is what I refer to as an "all arounder". It is both digital and analog(but more analog inherently). It will stand alone in reliability so prepare to upgrade the DAC and bluetooth as the decades roll on. It's plenty powerful with a large IE transformer, a utilitarian piece that may or may not need a powered subwoofer. It's sound is obscurely warm, non fatiguing and incredibly refined. The AS1200 is what I refer to as a "wolf in wolf's clothing". It's gorgeous looking inside and out. It's mostly metal construction, minimal plastic (just the power and mute switches). Very retro with VU meters and shows a quality build that is superior to the competition. It's power supply at this price is 2nd to none. 4 huge caps, and a huge toroidal transformer. With so much headroom that it can drive 95% of speakers on the market. It's actually been tested as 2 ohm stable and weighs nearly 50 pounds. Possibly the greatest 90 watt/channel integrated amp that can be owned in the price range. This puppy is all analog, nothing but oldschool. The sound of this amp is clean and lively, with ultra punchy bass. Just a touch of warmth surrounded by pure frigid energy.

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Yamaha A-S1200

Great amp

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Like The Old School

Nice replacement for my old Denon PMA920. This has many inputs like the Denon plus the MM and MC phono also. Four speaker outs. I like running four speakers. The new Audio Monitor Silver 500 7g's I purchased with this A-S1200 sound great, clean. I like the silver and VU meters. Basically, it's the inputs, four speaker, build quality Inside and outside that that sold me. Simple, old school, solid build, built for sound. Remote is good for volume. I did add a BT receiver to use with the tuner input. So I am not that old, lol.

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Exceeded my expectations

About four months ago I purchased the A-S1200 amplifier, a pair of Klipsch Forte IV speakers and a Tascam CD-400U CD player (still fretting over which turntable to buy). I listen primarily to progressive and hard rock with anything from Count Basie to Ray Wylie Hubbard sprinkled in. Given that this is my first upper end system I can't say how much is attributable to the amp and how much to the speakers. What I can attribute to the amp is that I cannot detect any hum or distortion up to the volume level becoming uncomfortable. The clarity and detail that this combination has is nothing short of astounding to me. Crank it up and the clarity and detail are the same, just louder. The sound is so true I feel like I'm in the studio when it was being recorded or front and center at a concert on live albums. ZZ Top's Fool for your Stockings has a long fade out at the end. You can hear EVERY detail to the end. The Rolling Stones' Miss You is just amazing. Savoy Brown's Looking In the same. When it comes to recording quality the A-S1200 is UNCOMPROMISING. If it's a good recording, you'll experience audio Nirvana. If it's a mediocre recording all its flaws will be revealed. If you want a no frills integrated amplifier that doesn't influence the source and delivers pure sound regardless of the volume this one's for you.

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Yamaha A-S1200

So far, I am loving it!! Connected to wharfedale lintons and sounds beautiful.Love the retro meter look.

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You won't go back to mifi

I've own a Yamaha a-s501 for about seven years. I love the sound of it so after 7 years I felt it was time to see what a higher caliber Yamaha amp could do. Boy was I missing out. To compare these two is to compare a 4 cylinder car to an 8 cylinder one. It can do anything that the 501 (and for that case the 301, 701 and 801) only better. Wider soundstage, ample low end. Refined highs. A slight emphasis on the higher mids. Bass is tight, not boomy. Sound separation is incredible. This amp loves vocals, brass instruments, piano and acoustic guitars. I listened to Nina Simone's "I love you Porgy" on cd and I can hear her breathing in and out between verses. Her vocal chords vibrating come clearly through my Klipsch R-F82II like never before. It's hauntingly good. Ruben Blade's "Pedro Navaja" sounds like you are in concert front row. The piano on that song is absolutely beautiful and the a-s1200 brings it to life like no other stereo in my living room before. My eight year old daughter played her Trolls World Tour soundtrack cd and the bass was making the house shake. I actually enjoyed her music for a change. The phono stage is absolutely top notch. Day and night from the a-s501. I played Steely Dan's Aja and was blown away with the detail brought forward by this amp. I went through the usual suspects of audiophile recordings on vinyl; Miles Davis Kind of Blue, Dire straits Brothers in arms, Stevie Ray Vaughan's Couldn't stand the weather and many more. All sounding better

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Yamaha A-S1200

Received my as 1200 in perfect condition. Hook up was easy. Couldn't believe how great it sounds right out of the box. Big difference between my as 801. It's a keeper for sure.

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Yamaha A-S1200

WELL- BUILT, ALL-ANALOG, POWER FUL, INPUTS GALORE, ALTOGETHER GREAT-SOUNDING INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER! THE YAMAHA AS-1200 is a great bargain, too. Just be prepared To handle this 50 pound beast!

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Yamaha A-S1200

This amplifier is a beauty and a beast. The sound quality exceeded my expectations. The front panel is a work of art, retro yet clean and practical. No regrets.

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Very pleased

I was looking for a 'bare bones' integrated amp with phono stage. My search was narrowed down to this unit and the Musical Fidelity M5Si. I decided to buy this when Crutchfield offered a significant scratch and dent discount. I'm not sure if I would have paid full price. (I couldn't find any evidence of a cosmetic defect.) It replaces a Peachtree Nova 300 and Pro-ject tube Box DS with upgraded tubes. The other components in my system are Revel F208 speakers, Ortofon Quintet Bronze MC cartridge, Rega P6, and Bluesound node. I've been 'underwhelmed' with my system considering how much I'd spent and didn't expect much difference but this amp really did bring life to the music. I was concerned about the 90 wpc rating but not after using it for a while. It doesn't seem to generate much heat even at loud listening levels. For me, this amp is at the 'point of diminishing returns' for sound quality vs price. It's hard to imaging that a $7k Mac or A-S3200 would double my listening quality.)

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BEWARE! AS1200 blew up after 7 months! Bad customer from Yamaha!

I very much wish I had never purchased this amp. I really couldn't afford an amp at this price, but I thought at 65 years old I'd buy it for myself for a retirement present. I was very excited to have a higher quality amp than I was used to. However, this is obviously only an expensive amp not a high-quality one. My $700 Onkyo lasted for 25 years, the Yamaha AS1200 lasted for 7 months. I'm so disappointed and have been without music for 6 weeks now! Really, stay away from Yamaha! Even the repair man told me that they break all the time! What a total drag from a once great company!?

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Crutchfield response on 11/28/2023

Timeo, we're sorry you had issues with your receiver. If you purchased this product from Crutchfield, feel free to contact our Tech Support team. They can help you solve the problem or give you information on the 2-year (5-years with registration) warranty on this receiver. Lifetime tech support comes with every Crutchfield purchase.

Yamaha A-S1200

Good looking amp Reminds me of my 1972 equipment with a much cleaner sound system

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Yamaha A-S1200

I was extremely skeptical going in on this I am retiring my 1977 Pioneer SX 950 due to a few maintenance issues so far I am impressed power wise and clarity my only issue at this point is the slight delay in the tone dials I'm not certain that this is normal I have reached out and hopefully receive an answer soon.

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Yamaha A-S1200

Beautiful design and sound

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This Yamaha A-S1200 simply amazes me!

I bought this amp to start an additional audio system in a spare room. I connected my Mission PCM II CD player, Rega Planar 3 turntable, and JBL Studio 580's to it and it sounds incredible! I was simply stunned by the Yamaha's performance. I initially thought my main system's amp/preamp duo, an Adcom GFA-555 and an Adcom GTP-500 II preamp, were better components. The Adcom duo provides great, clean sound, but compared to the Yamaha A-S1200, the Adcom sounds cold and sterile. I was very surprised that the Yamaha presented more warmth and spatial presentation. I will never part with my Adcom duo, but the Yamaha may now become part of the main audio system. Now I need to invest in another CD player, turntable, and loud speakers.

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Yamaha A-S1200

Let's start with the obvious. This is an exceptionally well built, beast of a machine weighing in at almost 50 pounds! It's a beautiful piece of equipment from the retro VU meters, old school metal controls and lacquered piano black side panels! So what you say - how does it sound? Like it looks! It is a very revealing amp. If the source was bad, it will sound really bad! It does not smooth out the sound. On the other hand, great recorded music comes to life with this amplifier. I am hearing nuances in music that I have heard all my life get revealed. Little parts that were hidden, now come to life. On Dorothy Ashby's Concerto De Aranjuez cd, you can hear her fingers plucking the harp strings and then hear the note decay into the air as another is plucked. It has a very open soundstage. On Viva Vivaldi by Musical Offering, you can pinpoint the location of each instrument. I have read reviews that say the A-S1200 is lacking in the bass department. I would disagree. Stanley Clarkes' bass on the Clarke/Duke Project II is not only deep but extremely tight. Even though I do must of my listening with compact disc, I found the MM phono to be more than adequate. Once again it provided great sound from my records. It is also MC phono cartridge capable If you are looking for an integrated amplifier minus the frills but delivers fantastic sound this is the amplifier for you and the fact that it has a timeless look to it, is just a bonus!

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Sterling

This sensible unit provides an elegant and functional control layout with plenty of inputs and classic styling. Not overlooked by Yamaha, the remote control has a substantial heft and a matching brushed finish.

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Modern-Retro Perfection

I read as many reviews as I could, notably Andrew Robinson on YouTube, and there's a lot of love for this amplifief. But I wasn't prepared to like it as much as I do. Paired with a set of Sonus Faber Lumina II speakers and a REL Tzero MKIII (using REL's high-level input straight off the speaker A output), it's surreal how good this sounds. The imaging, staging, separation, and tone are spot on. I have not needed to use bass and treble controls at all. It's a bit more amp than the speaker require, which is nice because I can get amazing sound w/o pushing the limits of the amp. Add in the good looks and VU meters, and there's nothing to complain about. I bought this as a scratch 'n' dent from Crutchfield, but I could not find a single cosmetic or functional problem. I only wish I could have gotten the Sonus Fabers and REL sub from Crutchfield, whose customer service and business practices is just superior to the local specialty audio \ video shops.

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Lyford

I've always wanted a 2 channel top of the line (ok topish for me) setup. I have a nice pair of Martin Logan speakers that sounded very clean with my older onkyo avr but I wanted something nicer. The A S1200 is a monster... it is solid great looking with power to spare. I don't even need a sub with this amp. It's true that you can actually hear a difference in your music going from a budget amp to this, the yamaha has made a night and day difference. The people that hear my setup can't believe how great it sounds. Not to mention the vintage meters are super cool.

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Found my amp! Give Yamaha a shot

About 2 years ago I started looking for a new Amp/Receiver. Since I stream a lot I went with the Naim Uniti Atom. Paired with B&W 706 bookshelf speakers. The Naim you could adjust the sound (Bass-Treble). They call it the Naim sound. Maybe with different speakers it would sound good. So I helped my friend buy a budget system. He got the Yamaha 301. With nice Tower speakers. For about 1,100 his system sounded great. Had Yamaha in the past. So went with this and I'm NOT disappointed! This amp rules IMO. It didn't have streaming ability so I added a Bluesound Node which is awesome. I now have an amp that will be with me. Maybe a speaker upgrade but I'm enjoying music from all sources. Thanks to Jenny my forever advisor !

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Yamaha A-S1200

Excellent and beautiful amplifier.

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Yamaha A-S1200

I am blown away with the change in audio separation and bass! I was concerned I should add a woofer to my revel speakers. I don't even even have to go to the max bass on the amp! Crutchfield does it again giving me the advice I need!

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It's a "Yes" from me.

Excellent build quality. Lovely vintage-inspired aesthetics. Excellent performance for the money. What's not to like? I replaced an older Jolida tube/mosfet hybrid integrated, looking for something to squeeze a little more performance out of my Wharfedale Diamond floorstanders, which are very nice, but somewhat warm and relaxed in their presentation. The A-S1200 brought better extension on top and in the bass, better and tighter driver control, less bass bloom, more details across the frequency spectrum, better imaging, and is essentially a substantial improvement across the board. I will say that there is a certain leanness in the midrange with these speakers, but not in a way that I find detracts from the music. It is more of a minor quibble, but might be a deal-breaker for those with mid-lean speakers. Also, if you have bright and aggressive speakers or listen to poorly recorded music, this might not be for you. As you may have read elsewhere, this is not a neutral sounding amp. It has a distinct sound - energetic and muscular, and with my rather polite speakers, large room, and sonic preferences, it's a winner.

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Yamaha A-S1200

Finally put together a system that performs like the elite system I had in the early 80's......absolutely perfect! Yes, you need an external DAC.....whatever......then you can customize exactly the performance you need for digital feeds. Blew two other outstanding units away. Thanks Crutchfield for all your help and advice.

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Well worth the money

This is a fantastic integrated amplifier especially if you like a vintage vibe , i paired this amp with the kef ls50 metas and the kef kc62 sub , the power is spot on for this setup, the sound is detailed and clean the only complaint i have is the bass is a bit lite but using a powered sub allows you to make up for this short coming . The build quality is top end and you have to love the vu meters , great unit well worth the money just buy it !

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Yamaha A-S1200

I'm so pleased with my new yamaha a-s1200 . I connected my Series V 901 speakers to my new Yamaha a-s1200 amp and the music sounds so superior and distinctly clear. The clarity is unmatched. I would highly recommend this product to anyone looking quality and clarity when it comes to the true sound of music. William F.

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awesome amp great value

i just love this intergrated amp awesome controls loudspeakers with hearing more than i ever did before in my bower &wilkins 606 anniversary & 607 anniversary edition speakers great job yamaha and crutchfield your awesome too great service thanks

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Yamaha A-S1200

I have long been a Yamaha fanboy, and this is my first adventure into their higher line of products. The first thing you will notice is how heavy it is. Make sure to bend at the knees when you pick it up, haha, but in all seriousness it is around 50 pounds, so make sure you have a shelf to support it. The build quality is flawless, and you can see all the top-notch electronics through the vent holes in the top of the case. It is quite something to admire. From the milled aluminum controls on the front, to the high gloss piano black wood sides, to the solid brass speaker connections on the back, everything just screams perfection. Now getting into the sound, all I can say is wow. You can hear every little detail and pick out individual instruments and follow along with them. Everything sounds very realistic and open. Cymbal decay is perfect. The bass is powerful, clean, clear, and sustained. It really woke up my speakers to a level that I never realized they could achieve. I honestly like how this integrated amp is purely analog; no dac's, no wifi, no tuner. Its one and only job is to be an amplifier, and it does that one job extremely well. Components will come and go, but I am positive that this amp will be here for the long run.

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