Yamaha #13
may 2005

C-1
(1975 - 1979)

Probably the busiest front plate of all time and the antithesis of the "straight wire with gain".
But it seems the C-1 wasn't the antithesis of neutral/natural sound -Yamaha oblige- as, like the B-1 V-FET masterpiece, the C-1 is one of the few preamplifiers that became an instant landmark in audio design. The C-1 normally uses small-signal V-FETs in some of its stages.

Existed very briefly and only in select markets in silver - very good-looking if encased in a wood enclosure.