Yamaha A-S501 Integrated Amplifier - Black

Product Information

And, providing you’ve allowed the amp a few days to run in, you’ll be treated to a sound that’s every bit as powerful and authoritative as the original A-S500. However, there’s more of that sound – the A-S501 offering more punch, more power and an obvious headroom increase no doubt thanks to that upgraded power supply. Let’s talk for a moment about that power switch. It’s a hard power switch – shutting off the power supplies completely when the amp is powered off. However, the amp does offer a less than 0.5W standby mode, which you can toggle on and off from the remote. The A-S501 also offers an automatic standby feature which will power off the amplifier after a period of inactivity Any old Bluetooth adapter will be as good as, or better than, the YBA-11 which is getting on a bit now. If you are planning on streaming as one of your primary sources however you may wish to look at the matching NP-S303 streamer. It offers Bluetooth, but also offers Spotify connect so you can stream in full 320K quality without the added loss in quality that comes with a Bluetooth connection. Given that you get AirPlay, internet radio and DLNA into the mix it is quite a bargain and would be the way I would go. However any Bluetooth receiver will do the job, especially if it supports AptX. The amplifier at 120Hz will provide twice the power (240W) cause the impedance at this frequency is 2 times lower than the reference impedance (8 ohms) from the amplifier … The Yamaha A-S501 has the ability to accommodate two separate speaker systems in different rooms and will allow you to either switch between them, or use them both at the same time. Four terminals are included, so the A-S501 can switch the speakers to match the sound source with a simple press of a button.

The amplifier is stereo and doesn’t decode Dolby Digital or DTS of course; the source will need to convert it to PCM before hand. I compared it with my Oppo HA-2 portable headphone dac/amp which is more neutral, more detailed and has a wider soundstage. Now, don’t get me wrong, this Yamaha headphone output is still good, but being used to the Oppo HA-2 the difference was striking and I prefer the latter. It is loaded with visual and cable inputs, which makes it a versatile device. It is possible to obtain the audio from television using the first directional. As well as the second, which comes from the Blu-ray disc player. You will hear the crisp audio of your favorite music coming out of the speaker.It’s got an adjustable loudness control too, which is unusual. People’s hearing shifts in its sensitivity of frequency extremes as volume levels change (and the tonal balance of a typical speaker changes with volume too).

PA20, PA21, PA22, PA23, PA24, PA25, PA26, PA27, PA28, PA29, PA30, PA31, PA32, PA33, PA34, PA35, PA36, PA37, PA38, PA39, PA40, PA41, PA42, PA43, PA44, PA45, PA46, PA47, PA48, PA49, PA50, PA51, PA52, PA53, PA54, PA55, PA56, PA57, PA58, PA59, PA60, PA61, PA62, PA63, PA64, PA65, PA66, PA67, PA68, PA69, PA70, PA71, PA72, PA73, PA74, PA75, PA76, PA77, PA78, PA79, PA80The A-S501 huge, bold, and powerful tone is immediately appealing, and he has the versatility to work well with practically any setup. It is also made to last for many years, and it will bring numerous years of music satisfaction. I’m afraid I haven’t heard the 501 with Zensors (it was used with my Tannoys during the review). It also doesn’t have a passthrough, so who’ll be difficult to integrated properly into a home theatre system. You need an amplifier with a fixed level or bypass input. You’d then connect your Denon to that input using its preamp output (assuming it has one). The stereo amp would then be used to run the front speakers and the sub, and the Denon would be used effectively as a preamp (for volume control etc) and an amplifier for the rear speakers. In addition to having a refined appearance, the device features a hairline finish that compliments the style of the amplifiers. Additionally, you may operate a Yamaha CD player with the included remote control. Please note: TV and larger floorstanding speaker deliveries are not available to Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Isle of Man, Isle of Wight, Scottish Islands, and Channel Islands. Yamaha has come out with a solid lineup of integrated amplifiers geared towards soothing the two-channel audiophile in all of us. If you think that these integrated amplifiers are your father’s or grandfather’s integrated, you’d be sorely mistaken. Yamaha has gone to great pains to outline the company’s rich heritage in the integrated amplifier market and show how today’s integrated amps link tradition to tomorrow.

So curiousity got the better of me and I upgraded the A-S501 to the A-S701. All I can say is my expectations have been exceeded! To be honest I wasn’t expecting much of an improvement at all, just the potential inconvenience of selling the A-S701 on once I realised it wasn’t worth the extra money over the A-S501. But the A-S701 sounds very very smooth with tighter, punchier bass. It feels more balanced, a bit more neutral and my speakers are sounding better at lower volumes which is perfect as I’m in a flat with housemates and downstairs neighbours. The CD direct function is wonderful too. I’m running my external DAC through it and the music sounds really fabulous. I can’t stop listening. I’m very happy! The Yamaha A-S501's auto power standby provides a convenient power management function that will detect when it has not been in operation for up to eight hours when the power is on. It will then automatically switch to standby mode, meaning power consumption is kept to an absolute minimum, even if you forget to switch it off. Sound staging is excellent, the A-S501 managing to convey a decent 3-dimensional stereo image. It’s also very coherent – its ability to separate the layers of a complex mix was a trait of its predecessor that I’m pleased to see the A-S501 has inherited.

IV1, IV2, IV3, IV4, IV5, IV6, IV7, IV8, IV9, IV10, IV11, IV12, IV13, IV14, IV15, IV16, IV17, IV18, IV19, IV20, IV21, IV22, IV23, IV24, IV25, IV26, IV27, IV28, IV29, IV30, IV31, IV32, IV33, IV34, IV35, IV36, IV37, IV38, IV39, IV40, IV41, IV42, IV43, IV44, IV45, IV46, IV47, IV48, IV49, IV50, IV51, IV52, IV53, IV54, IV55, IV56, IV57, IV58, IV59, IV60, IV61, IV62, IV63, IV64, IV65, IV66, IV67, IV68, IV69, IV70, IV71, IV72, IV73, IV74, IV75, IV76, IV77, IV78, IV79, IV80, IV81, IV82, IV83, IV84, IV85, IV86, IV87, IV88, IV89, IV90, IV91, IV92, IV93, IV94, IV95, IV96, IV97, IV98, IV99 Powering your speakers is about more than just brute force. The Yamaha A-S501 offers an excellent balance of power and agility, so your music sounds dynamic and bold without sounding bloated or distorted. In addition to its ample power output, this integrated amplifier employs a symmetrical circuit layout from inputs to outputs, along with an anti-resonance chassis. This keeps distortion and interference from cluttering the signal, for sound that's clean and clear. Your stereo speakers will come to life, for an engaging, detailed performance. Engage Pure Direct listening mode to bypass tone and loudness controls, for an even purer signal. Fast forward to today and one would think that the future of sound was in multichannel, immersive audio. Although Yamaha stays on the bleeding edge in home theater advancements, they do so while still staying true to their audiophile heritage as evidenced by their new lineup of integrated amplifiers. The A-variable S501’s loudness control restores the low-end strength while enabling you to use a greater portion of the volume range. The A-S501 has also an adjustable volume control, which is unique for a speaker. When the loudness of a sound is changed, the sensitivity of people’s hearing to frequency extremes fluctuates.

Yamaha has produced another awesome product with the A-S501, which is a fine addition to the preceding A-S500. However, while the A-S501 has various improvements over its previous model, including a built-in digital signal processor, updated components, and reworked circuitry, it’s the same amplifier we are all familiar with and adore. Another fantastic effort from Yamaha, the A-S501 is a worthy successor to the previous A-S500. While the A-S501 offers several advantages over its predecessor, including a built-in DAC, upgraded components and revised circuitry, it’s still the same amp we all know and love. It’s big, bold and powerful sound is instantly likeable, it’s flexible enough to integrate well into almost any system, and it’s built well enough to provide many, many years of musical enjoyment. Every detail had to undergo a thorough inspection. As a result, every element has an impact on the character of reproduction. It sends signals from the input to the output in a horizontal line from the input to output. The bottom frame of the ART Base lets you mitigate vibrations and improve the quality of sound reproduction by lowering the frequency response. Exceptionally high-quality components were employed in the construction of the gadget. Direct signal path speaker relays and an optimised circuit layout offers the shortest possible signal paths, while Yamaha’s pure direct mode allows you to bypass the tone, loudness and balance controls and the input buffer amp shortening signal paths even further.

For your consideration

Re the Marantz vs the Onkyo, my suggestion would be to demo both with familiar material and see which you personally like the most. I would have the Marantz because I do think it sounds better, I think it is better engineered and I am confident in the reliability and longevity of Marantz products. I had a 6004 setup for many years and it outlasted a lot of popular hi-fi kit, some of it more than 20 times the price. I now own components from the Marantz reference ranges and they have been trouble-free from day 1. And there was the time I received a smashed CD-63 in the post which was unrecognisable yet played perfectly once I’d made it relatively safe to plug in. The aforementioned impedance selector switch accompanies the large speaker terminals, which can accept bare wire or banana plugs. Of course, no Yamaha would be complete without fiddly end caps pushed into the speaker terminals, which require removal if one wishes to use banana plugs. Unfortunately, our Installation Service excludes all gas appliances. It is the customer’s responsibility to find a gas safe engineer to connect the appliance. Any work conducted by a third part gas safe engineer will be at the customer’s expense and we will not accept any liability for their work. You’ll be rewarded with a sound that’s every bit as strong and commanding as the original A-S500, as long as you give the amp just several days to break it in. However, there’s more of that sound in the A-S501, with more punch, more power, and an apparent improvement in headroom, no doubt due to the enhanced power supply used in the A-S501 design.