YAMAHA A-S501BL Natural Sound Integrated Stereo Amplifier (Black)

My wife and I have quite a nice collection of records. But had no real proper way to listen to them. A month ago I started the process of trying to build a budget HiFi set-up. I spent the most time researching integrated amps.I don't remember exactly how I stumbled on this amp, but appreciated the simplicity of its features. All I wanted was clear stereo sound. Nothing more nothing less. Oh boy does this thing deliver. Its not often where I drop money in the hundreds of dollars range and feel 100% satisfied with my purchase, but this amp was easily worth every single penny.I am still learning more about what I like from audio. In general, I really enjoy very clear mids. I have this amp paired up with some old Polk Monitor 5 Jr+ (Series 2) speakers and I have never heard audio sound this crisp at this level of volume. This amp really makes my speakers sing and sound beautiful. Unfortunately I do not have any other speakers to test this amp out with, but from my personal set up I find the midrange to be superb.I find the DAC to work great as well. I digest a lot of music via Spotify on the old smart TV and it sounds fantastic. Another strong reason I bought this amp was because it offered direct digital connections. No complaints on that front.I have not tested the Phono stage as my turntable (AT-LP60 yeah yeah I know...) has a built in pre-amp. That being said, I have never heard records sound so clear and full. I found myself nodding with a huge grin on my face listening to the clarity coming out of my new system.I finally feel like I have a proper stereo HiFi system. This amp drives the whole thing and everything sounds wonderful. If you are looking for a budget amp, look no further. You will not regret picking this up.

This unit replaced a three-year-old entry level Marantz integrated amplifier. The unit was very warm sounding but just seemed to lack enough power to drive my 6 ohm Deftech tower speakers. The bass was always a bit thin, even with the loudness control turned on. So, I got online and started looking for an amp that would sound good but also provide more oomph to my speakers. For about a month I went back and forth between the Marantz PM8006 and the Yamaha A-S801. The thing that turned my mind in favor of the Yamaha was the A-S701 at a lower price. My network player has an internal DAC, so the DAC on the more expensive Yamaha really was not necessary. The variable loudness control was also a plus, as most of my music has be played at low level, being in a small apartment.Prime got the unit to me in two days, then the unboxing started. This integrated amp is sharp looking and built like a tank. Hookup of everything was quick and easy, then it was time for the true test, powering the unit on and playing some test tracks. My go-tos are 'The Nightfly' by Donald Fagen (pretty much anything by Steely Dan will work), the Belgian jazz rock group Abraxis, and many more obscure jazz recordings from Europe.The first thing that was noticeable was that the Yamaha was somewhat more neutral than the Marantz, unless you activated the 'CD Direct' or 'Pure Direct' modes. Taking away the internal toine controls gives you a HUGE boost of volume and clarity in the mid and treble ranges. Turning these buttons off lowered the volume significantly but WOW! When you turned the volume back up, the bottom end was full without being boomy or muddy and the mids and highs were defined but not shrill or harsh. I have been running the variable loudness in the 'flat' position which really does all aspects of the music justice.In the end this is a fine product with amazing sound and build quality. This will be in my stereo system for years to come!5 year update: After many different speaker combinations, it appears that the Yamaha was not at fault; the DefTechs were notoriously inefficient. I now have a pair of Polk Es60s and they have never sounded so good.

I wish I could give this *six* stars. I've always liked jazz live, but I never liked it recorded until I got this amp. If you're looking for a classic stereo for MUSIC, this is probably the best bang for the buck deal out there. There are simply more high points to this amp than I am willing to point out, but by far the sound quality is the single best - from any source. The unit is really, really good on 'normal' mode, but truly shines when the 'Pure Direct' mode is on (assuming you have a quality source). The most profound improvements I saw with this amp were in the imaging and soundstage - this thing delivers far beyond its price point. I'm pairing this with Klipsch RP260F Ebony (Ea.) Tower Speaker, AudioQuest Rocket 33 Speaker Cable (15 feet/pair)- Silver BFA Bananas, and streaming or turntable input. Another highpoint is the *superb* DAC. No loss at the highest volume I'm willing to test. Jazz, acoustic, classical chamber music, and other music that is highly dependent on sounding 'live' specifically sounds fantastic. The only two gripes I have with this are 1) You will suddenly feel incredibly annoyed with even mediocre recording quality because the difference with good quality is so apparent. If you're listening to Spotify etc, this is a real issue because really good quality is mixed in with real garbage in terms of recording quality, and 2) Every thing about this unit is so dead-on-exactly what a (relatively) low budget audiophile piece should be that the single sub-woofer out is noticeable and annoying. This thing seriously comps with units costing 2 or 3 times the price... it's hard not to expect everything. Bottom line: If you're putting together a complete system for anything less than $8-10K, get this unit and spend the rest on speakers.Here is the best serious review I've seen on this amp: [...]NOTE: The Yamaha YBA-11 Bluetooth Wireless Audio Receiver for Yamaha AV Products is a separate purchase. It's OK, meaning 3 stars. It will only pair with ONE device at a time and needs to de-pair with that device or all others are blocked. Also, it seriously degrades sound quality. Really, it's noticeable... and not in a good way. The only plus is sheer convenience. Works great form movies. Typically I end-run this problem by plugging my computer or iPad in to the USB jack and controlling spotify remotely on my phone and the volume/mute/other settings with the remote. Really, this isn't an issue... if you're serious about streaming music either drop the money on a Sonos or don't bother spending more than $250 on your whole system because that's the quality you'll be getting anyway.