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Yamaha B-2 reportedly was a top-flying amp in end of 70s, during it very brief production period. It has in a way cult reputation, so I’ve bitten it.

I was forced to very mildly and temporary modify it, just running the signal directly the entry of the first stage and was a able to listen it.  The amp is fully DC coupled with no signal cap in path. The output stage is made around the high-biased V-FET transistors.  They are very rare, very expensive and since they have high bias they reportedly make the output stage to operate alike a tube in A1 class.

I do not know how accurate it is but the B-2 does not sound like a regular SS amp, in fact it does not sound as any other SS amp I heard. It is different. It is softer but at same time dynamic and elegant. I do not have a speaker that I might use as some kind of reference and I drive with B-2 my MiniMe. Sine I addressed the meager problems I generally like what I hear. The interesting question would be it this 30 years-old amp consumer is compatible with the contemporary high-end amps. I do not know how to answer this question. I generally do not like the contemporary powerful high-end amps. I might say that I do not like in Yamaha B-2.

There are two major aspects that I feel would disqualify B-from being the “great amp”, at least those that I recognized so far with my MiniMe. First is the imaging. The B-2 has very primitive imaging, I have no idea why. If I keep the amp I might look as the crosstalk and rejections but as is (my amps is virtually new) it has very bad imaging, not bad but there VERY bad. Second is bass. The Yamaha B-2 has different bass then it shall be, there is no more hyena bass that I reported before and what I have is the good Yamaha B-2’s bass. It is deep and extended but it is wrong bass. There is something very abnormal in it. I did not look deeper into it and frankly I do not care as if I keep the amp then I will high-pass my MiniMe me with passive radiators. Still, great amps, if B-2 is willing to be, shall have different bass.

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