As much as we love the contemporary style, something which continues to surprise us year-on-year, there is something warm and comforting about the vintage style. Not to mention how timeless it is. With a contemporary shell you run the risk of it looking a little dated within the next five or so years, but the tried and tested vintage style will never let you down.
The only problem with the vintage style is it’s usually only featured on the higher-end gear, which means it costs the higher end prices. Although in this context, the word ‘usually’ is pretty important. Let me show you why.
That is the gorgeous Yamaha A670 Integrated Amplifier, a newbie in the Yamaha hi-fi range. You may have already noticed its distinctive classic styling (pretty nice huh?), and I bet you have a price in mind. Well, I’m willing to bet that price is right off the mark. See, you can pick up your very own Yamaha A670 in either black or silver for just £199. That’s it. That’s not a sale price, that’s not an introductory offer, that’s the price.
It calls to mind Yamaha’s A-S2100, a beautiful vintage-styled amp… but at a much higher price point (the kind of price you’d expect from something with that look!). The A670 is a great way of getting into the vintage-style hi-fi at a lower price point. This amp, and its corresponding units boast the same styling as the much higher-end stuff – and it looks great!
Nice, slimline and minimalistic, straightforward bit of kit that can be in integrated into all sorts of systems. The Yamaha MCR-N670D is the matching CD player and streamer which also features MusicCast. It’s twice the price of the amp, but worth it if you want the matching thing. And if you’re buying a beautiful amp like this, it’s very likely you want the matching thing. Both are very compact and slimline and a great desktop solution. Perfect for the Dali Zensor Picos speakers if you have a decent sized desk.
Sure, there are plenty of other amps out there at this price point, and Yamaha themselves do other budget-friendly high-quality amps, but this is the first one to feature this purist styling. Everything in between is far more contemporary. The A670 is a tenth of the price of the usual vintage gear, yet looks just as good as the big and beautiful stuff. It’s also worth noting that it’s not just about looks, this amp is 65w per channel – so pretty powerful for the price!
Of course, you can buy a real (and well used) vintage amp for this price, but sometimes it’s better to pretend. When you pretend, you get a guarantee and the typical smooth and natural Yamaha sound. Natural sound is what Yamaha like to go for, regardless of how much they’re charging.
Like what you see? Read more, including the full specs, by clicking here.