Yamaha CA-810, Any good?

Easy Runnin

I have a shot at a CA-810. I'm currently have a CR-800. Would the CA-810 be a significant improvement over the CR-800?

pitdogg2

20watts give or take....me I donno it seems to be a wash except on the eyes 810 looks more stylish

http://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/yamaha/ca-810.shtml

http://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/yamaha/ca-800.shtml

Easy Runnin

I have the CR-800 not the CA-800. Receiver verse integrated amp. Slightly different. The CA-810 also has MC and MM on the phono. I don't really needed it but for the asking price of $125 it has my curiosity.

mhardy6647

The CA-810 is a nice piece, sexy meters, good sound... but I'd opine that it is not an improvement per se over the CA-800.

The CA-800 is a tad better built (IMO) and it has the big added advantage of selectable operating Class A output bias. Now, if you don't, or can't, take advantage of this feature (e.g., your speakers aren't sensitive enough for good performance with ca. 15 watts per channel), the playing field will be more level. The CA-810's definitely prettier ;-) and a bit more powerful -- but I still think the CA-800 is a marginally better amplifier.

I have a CA-800 and I like it a lot.

Ooops, the OP's got a CR-800. Yeah, it's probably a minor upgrade over a CR-800, since it's "only" an integrated amplifier and it's a bit more powerful. I wouldn't expect a substantial increase in performance from a sound quality perspective.

You might want to keep your eyes out for a CR-1000 or a CA-1000 (integrated amp) for a deliberate "upgrade" from the CR-800. The former's funky-looking but quite nice. The latter is a very fine if cosmetically understated integrated amplifier.

EDIT:
Other "upgrades", I'd opine, might be a CA-1010, CA-2010 or a CR-1020 or CR-2020.
The CA-810 really is nice, but it's kind of neither fish nor fowl. One nice thing about the CA-810 is the power amp and preamp sections can be used separately (e.g., one could try a different/better preamp or power amp if one were so inclined).

FWIW, photo of a CR-1000 (and a CR-820):

DSC_6691_ by Mark Hardy, on Flickr

mhardy6647

I've gotta say: a CA-810 in good working order for $125 would be an excellent deal, it seems to me.

I'd forgotten that there was a LOMC input on the CA-810 :-P
FWIW, I've never tried the (LO)MC phono inputs on any of the Yamahas here that have one... but I wouldn't set my expectations too high. These are active circuits (multiple amplifier gain stages) with a lot of gain. Might be kind of grainy/noisy/not great sounding. It is safe, methinks, to assume that the performance of the MC section in a mid-price 1970s component (which the CA-810 was) would easily be bested by almost any decent quality modern standalone high-gain phono preamp, or a good SUT feeding a decent MM phono stage (e.g., the one in a CR-800).

All just opinions, of course!

EDIT: Just looked at the CA-810 OM -- actually, the variety of MM phono load options on "Phono 1" plus the MC option for "Phono 2" might be enough to swing the needle in favor of the CA-810! If and only if the OP is interested in/uses a rekkid playa connected to a Yamaha component.

cnh

Those Yammies always look good. I have a CR-800 as well, and with a pair of ADS L-520s you've got one heck of a good sounding low cost starter that can run with some of the bigger boys!

Easy Runnin

Seller has the ca-810, ct-810 and a pair of Kef 304s. He claims they have been in storage since 1987.

Nightfall

Easy Runnin wrote: »

He claims they have been in storage since 1987.

It's not good for capacitors to sit unpowered in a non climate controlled environment for 29 years. Worst case, magic smoke. I wouldn't hook it up to any speakers that I cared about at the least. I'd probably give it straight to a tech.

Easy Runnin

We are going to use his legs. He claim its hooked up and working fine

Easy Runnin

Man, I hate it when a seller on CL says he'll sell you something. Then he sells it to someone else before you get there.

Nightfall

Where are you located? I have a CA-1010 that needs to be looked at by a tech.

Easy Runnin

Philly

Nightfall

That's a bit far. I worry about shipping vintage equipment.

soundfreak1

From my research yamaha put a lot more quality in the power supply and the front end as well in their integrated amps than their recievers (as a design) and we're marketing the integrated amp to a more upscale buyer. ( the more you stuff inside a box the more potential for compromise by the bean counters to reach a price point. ) This is a generality I know but it has a long history of fact behind it. I will say that yamaha made less compromises (in general) than say the mass merchandisers IE pioneer, technics, ect. But never the less this should be factored in when answering your question.

soundfreak1

Nightfall wrote: »

Easy Runnin wrote: »

He claims they have been in storage since 1987.

It's not good for capacitors to sit unpowered in a non climate controlled environment for 29 years. Worst case, magic smoke. I wouldn't hook it up to any speakers that I cared about at the least. I'd probably give it straight to a tech.

A good tech should have a " variac" to slowly power up the unit first as opposed to just slamming the power supply with 110 cold.

cnh

I love the word "variac", sounds like a machine ready to take over the world. Think Colossus the movie and the Guardian! Alpha 60?

soundfreak1

Or the "KRELL"