For all Yamamoto source gear
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Will be curious on your thoughts on the headphone amp @MacDLaw now that itās back in and working
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Work in progress
So far dynamic drivers with low impedance up to focal clears all sound amazing, the grip and control stands out at first, the impact is super boosted but so godly clean, then the soundstage is medium at best on horizontal/vertical but the depth was unheard before for me, its the most 3d experience ive gotten by far compared to burson soloist 3xp, RNHP and bottlehead crack; the tone is also superbly natural aiming for a suave and relaxed sound.
Keep in mind this amp was built with an optimal response for 36 ohm headphones in mind, according to yamamotoās website, also because of the year it was made and its similarities with the Audio Technica w1000 aesthetic I believe it fits that kind of sound best, meaning that it controls the treble spikes with authority, and helps out in the bass without muddy-ing because headphones to my knowledge werent the bass monsters they are today.
For example the focal clears bass impact gets so powerfull it reminds me a lot of the Emu 1 tesla Lawtons I have.
This surpasses my expectations for a not that expensive older amp. Im so satisfied my itch for a LTA mz2 dissapeared, I think I would need to go above for the next amp upgrade for example with an LTA mz3 or a trafomatic head 2, maybe an eddie current or decware taboo. I also need a dac and better cables before that lol.
Dynamics with high impedance sound like they lack a lot of power and the planars I tested completely died here, the treble is 80% gone, so yeah.
I tested the speaker amplifier because why not if I recall correctly its 1/4 watt to 8 ohms, so it should drive my klipsch rp600m at moderate volumes, probably underpowered but its actually quite good and satisfying, the depth perception is an improvement over my current power amp the burson funk, but the colorations can be a miss. The HA02 having speaker terminals is rather a convenience and not its purpouse but its actually way better than I expected, I find it surpruisingly satisfying even tho its providing such little output.
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Sweet glad itās working out well for you 
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So I still have the Pi 2, I figured I might as well keep them around for the preamp comparison, and I remembered I still had a few other amps around. I decided to pull one of the few amps I kept around out of long term storage, the Yamamoto a08s (45, power amp version), since I could actually use it. I donāt think Iāve ever mentioned this amp before, but thatās because I havenāt had a set of speakers I could really use it with until recent, and only remembered I still had it recently lol. Iāll just say that this little amp has really changed my overall perspective of how I feel about these speakers to a significant degree. Enough to where Iām genuinely trying to find a way in my mind to justify keeping them still lol.
This is the most realistic Iāve ever heard these speakers sound, itās just so tonally correct sounding, and so so accurate at portraying the overall time domain in the way itās set up. Itās also extremely quiet in the background, which really adds to the overall space, and itās heavier on the weighting but really gives some needed density and really improves the experience overall. It is NOT sloppy, slow, or warm either. Itās very overall neutral and accurate to me, and very spacious and surprisingly airy and open sounding. I really do want to say direct, but I also donāt know if thatās really a good word here, I donāt know how Iād describe it. Tangible would be a good word here instead. I donāt know how Iād really describe it, the way it presents time domain information is so properly defined in contrast, coloration, and just sharpness and accuracy, it just is extremely pleasing overall.
This all being said, bass is on the lighter side of things, macrodynamics arenāt the best, and itās nowhere near as technical as some of the other amps I was trying with the Pi 2. But the most surprising thing to me, is that I really donāt care. I donāt really care about these downsides when actually listening to it, and Iām somehow starting to justify it in my head to keep these around now lol. Itās doing so well keeping up enough that I really donāt mind. The synergy is too good, the sound is too special, and itās just all I want to listen to with the vox.
I kept this amp for so long because many years ago I heard it with a pair of vintage something horns and was astonished it was only like 2k or so. I then brought it home, hooked it up in my (and later my fatherās) setup, and was disappointed when it fell flat. This is such an incredible amp, yet itās usable on mostly only horns and 100db sensitive speakers. It barely eeks out 2 watts. Thatās it. Thatās all you get. Itās not going to drive 95% of the speakers well out there. But that remaining 5%, itās just a truly incredible amp lol. Glad I was able to finally use it a bit all these years later rather than keeping it sitting in storage. Now Iāll have to find a way to justify a setup I can continue to use it in lol.
Tube wise, Iām actually using new production EML 45 mesh, but I also have a pair of nos Cunningham 45 as well, Iāll have to try those later on. I didnāt touch the 717As (western electric, have a pair of raytheon as backup), and for the rectifier itās currently using a EML 80 mesh, but I have a nos RCA 80 as well. I would like to get the globe 45s, but at that point I might as well try and source an a08s LE, which ships with and is tweaked to get the best out of the vintage globes.
Preamp wise, well Iāve been putting it through itās paces lol, but I think so far my favorites have either been the Allnic L-7000 CI or Backert Labs Rhythm 1.3. I feel as though those properly meshed in the sense they kept the overall tonality and presentation alive, correct, and balanced. I also feel they best strengthened the positive aspects of the amp, rather than trying to have it accomplish things it wasnāt set out to do. Some of the preamps tried just didnāt sound ārightā per se, either sounding forced, sounding overly dulled/relaxed, or injecting aspects that I felt didnāt really mesh with the pairing. The allnic added a bit more sweetness, grandness, and really helped add to that sense of air and liveliness the amp has, improving on overall tactility and lower level information retrieval and portrayal. It also helped add a bit more macrodynamics as well as more dense and commanding lower end which was appreciated, and honestly made it a bit more forgiving as well. I do think that tonally itās not as perfect of a balance and it could be, and bass while now more intense also feels a bit more strained, theyāre tradeoffs Iām definitely willing to make with how it improved the overall technicalities of the amp compared to others. The backert is kinda sorta on a similar vein, but I think itās a bit more reserved approach. I donāt think itās as technically capable as the allnic, but, itās imo a more balanced overall experience that feels a bit more pure in delivery and refined in presentation with this pair up. Iād probably still take the allnic in this case, but the backert was a closer than expected second lol. While I havenāt tried it yet, I have a strong feeling the Koda K15EX is going to be fantastic here, will share more preamp experiences in the preamp āshootoutā when I finish it. Oh, lamm was a miss though which I wasnāt expecting, too forceful, too energetic, just too much is how Iād put it lol. In the past, used a placette passive (or some other passive preamp, I canāt fully recall), and it actually responds well to a good passive, which is unusual for an amp of this type imo, it still is pretty picky though, and youāll still be better off getting a quality active, but with the right cabling I was surprised how it was still decent with a Luminous Axiom II walker mod
This amp was a big outlier to me back then, and now lol. It has some characteristics that Iāve not heard out of any other 45, 300b, or 2a3 amplifier, and itās just truly astonishing what it can do for the price. Itās also astonishing how picky it is to actually get it to do what you want lol. Itās just one of those rarer actually affordable amps that can truly offer something that I havenāt heard in a lot of higher end designs, just takes a lot to get there
Side note, this amp may have been one of the ones to actually push me away from tubes later on lol, it sort of set a standard of āthese things are picky as shitā and made me not want to consider another tube amp for awhile
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@dB_Cooper 
read the above carefully ā¦what was I saying to you the other day reference sweetening things up with a different style amplifier 
I swear those are my words in writing aboveā¦the site has āearsā and was listening to our conversation 
I promise I will get a few amps up to you soon to play with along w/ a decent variety of tubes to roll in them 
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These are on my list to purchase someday, I have heard nothing but good things about them, not that Iām not happy w/ my oldies but I have enjoyed my newer tubes, unlike the majority of old curmudgeons who bad mouth anything that isnāt at least 50yrs - 75yrsold 
Also, I have had the pleasure of at least fondling a nice Yamamoto and some other unique boutique Japanese pieces and I adore them 
Thank you for writing this up.
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For DHT, new production has gotten very good, in some cases better than nos imo. Where new production falls short is with smaller tubes like the 12xx7 or 6sn7 and things of that nature for me still. I can understand why some are very much nos or die, but I also wonder if theyāve heard some of the excellent new production dht lol
I might see if I can grab an audio tekne at some point for the next step lol
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Hilarious, itās the conversation we had last night. lol
@M0N Iām so happy for you and Iām kind of glad that you didnāt giv eup on the Voxativ. Looking forward to having @NickMimi bring over some of his fleawatt amps.
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Iām now faced with a decision lol. I wonder if I should keep the pi, downsize to the Hagen again with the more sensitive driver, or move to a nice pair of field coils (are there any fc bookshelfs lol)
I donāt thing so, those suckers have more driver in the back then they do in the front. Theyād tip over backwards. lol
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I think there was one at t.h.e. show being demoed this year, but it wasnāt in production yet. Think the price point was around 20k, interested in it when it comes out, man on the moon speakers iirc
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I think it has to. The amps needing them will still be designed and built and maintained, but not everyone (read: almost no one) has the time or money to hunt down or buy those expensive old relics. Provide a good option ~$1k and you have a price that seems reasonable compared to a ālesserā $300 set and close enough sounding to the $10k NOS.
Also most dht designs are pricey, so a pricey tube isnt expected but is in-line.
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I have just now run across an A-08S, itās priced closer to $3k than $2k, lovingly used. Itās nearby so i can go touch it and listen to it on some Lowtharās and other various horns. It comes with EML 45ās and i believe it is a Japanese import and NOT one of the DIY kits that are also available.
Not that i look and scour adds regularly but I honestly have not managed to run across another Yamamoto for sale in the wild before.
My question to you @M0N , if you might be willing to share in public or possibly private, is where might an individual like myself look to source a model from the master himself that has been tweaked w/ the old globes for maximum performance of that sweet sultry sound? 
I plan on trying some horse trading and bartering for the piece local to meā¦my appetite for these hand-made, harder to find flea watts is constantly seeking to be satiatedš¬ and your comment on his LE model piqued my interest too.
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Do it for sure lol
I donāt know for sure, but if I were looking my first step would be to find a dealer in japan, and see if you can get ahold of them and hopefully they can route you further
Really looks like you can just get it here without hassle (at least putting in an order since pretty sure they would be bto and not stocked)? Would contact them first though
Hopefully itās something worth the listen for you lol
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Yes copy and thank you, all my searches also have led me to e-mail them directly as the only official option available in the US.
Iām hoping the local fellow might possibly allow me to possibly test his unit at home for a few hours if i can find something that will entice him enough to even let the damned thing out of his hands. He mentioned possibly selling it and i jumped down his throat immediately despite the fact that he was only testing the waters and now heās hemming and hawwing 
Itās all good though, good things come to those who waitā¦
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Yamamoto A-08S, Itās quiet, so very quiet and almost totally noise free which is a true pleasure. The only other pure tube amplifier I have had that is capable of this level of quiet, hiss free operation is the Radu Tarta Shiny Eyes.
With the K-horns I had to have my ear all the way up to the tweeter to hear a very tiny bit of hiss and those are 104 db sensitive. My Spatial Audio speakers are not sensitive enough to produce any hiss, so as you fall into the 96db - 98db mark consider this amplifier noise free. At over 100db the noise on mine is minimal, barely perceptible.
The midrange tone and presentation is to die for, I expected no less. I honestly can see a pair of Omega, Charney Audio, Lii Song Reference, Voxative, Lowthars, Altec, or Zu speakers and a Yamamoto amplifier being a 95% solution to the desires of ā1-WATTā lovers. Hell, even most DIY open baffles would probably sound satisfying w/ this amplifier, its presentation is just so alluring.
The build and quality is not only exceptional but it is also very much aesthetically pleasing to me 
. Pretty much every part is made in-house and the fit and finish exudes precision and luxury well exceeding the cost to purchase, which makes these hidden value gems 
in my opinion.
I want to own all his builds in the various tube configurations he has produced some day, I am a fan of the sound signature and character he is going after, I will require at least one more pair of speakers of about 98-101 db sensitivity that are not horns to appreciate and enjoy some of the finer capabilities of this amplifier.
Now the part that hurts my soul to say out loud, the Yamamoto does NOT beat out the more impactful, weighted performance of the Alan Eaton design, nor does it capture the grand stage and very airy almost dainty upper end character of the Radu Tarta. The Yamamoto has performance characteristics very similar to the Decware SE84UFO25 (maxed out edition) w/ a bit more weight but not the superb weight of the Alan Eaton.
The Alan Eaton design continues to reign supreme IN-MY-HOME, shortcomings and all. Alan Eaton amplifiers are the Luciano Pavarottiās of tube based, flea-watt, 1-WATT designs and the 45 tube in my opinion & home rules them all. (At least for today, thereās so much more out there I have not played w/ yet 
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Absolutely beautiful wood and finish on it as well
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What is your opinion on the Radiotron vs the RCA 45 vs the EML mesh?
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I need more time with each and to take some notes so I can answer your question honestly. Off the very top of my head just fro the past few days;
Radiotron globes have a warm character
EML Mesh plate similar warm character
The RCAās pull away w/ more detail and a crisper presentation.
Again,I need more time but thatās what I managed to āfeelā and note thus far, no idea how much change or in what the rectifier is making but this particular amplifier model was built to take advantage of the type 80 rectifier and what it offered in this build so Iām still working to familiarize myself w/ the character and what changes what.
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