FOLLOW-UP
YAMAHA A-S3200 INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER
The Yamaha A-S3200 is a strikingly beautiful, all-analog integrated amplifier. When switched on, it gives off a brilliant, slightly warm light from its dual glassfronted VU/Watt meters. Looking at it makes me feel good but also reminds me how much of a baby boomer I really am.
The A-S3200’s sleek, knob-and-switch–lined silver faceplate triggered clearas- yesterday memories of my youth reading Audio, Stereo Review, and High Fidelity magazines, then going to J&R Music on Park Row here in New York City and staring at the wall of made-in-Japan integrated amps.
My friends all bought Sansui or Pioneer, but to my ears and eyes, Yamaha was the class of the J&R pack.
Sadly, after ridiculous amounts of spec comparisons and deliberation, I bought a midlevel Kenwood integrated and matching tuner. The tuner was world-class; I kept it for 20 years. The amp made my Large Advent loudspeakers sound hard and flat. I
