My recent Yamaha A-S501 purchase and my early assessment....

Up front, I am not an audiophile by any stretch...my assessments are basically just what I hear and that is about it. Not an authority by any means. I think this forum is great for reading about other peoples experiences with equipment so I figured I would chip in for once instead of just asking questions.....

I am in the drawn out process of upgrading pieces of a my vinyl playback setup. I started with:

Audio Technics Lp120 TT (AT440MLb cart/stylus)
Marantz 2220B Receiver
Infinity RS2000 bookshelf speakers....

All the enhancements have been made to the LP120 (pre-amp removed, rubber mat, washers on arm, etc....)

I sort of pieced together the previous setup , speakers for $10 at a garage sale, which I refoamed. Marantz for $200 refurbished, re-capped, completely redone , etc... and the turn table was a gift.


At any rate, I wanted to see what I could do with slight upgrades to the entire system over time. Some of this is subjective as to what you like, so maybe "upgrade" is a bad word to use, maybe just "change" is what I was curious about?

-My first change were the speakers. I purchased a pair of Elac B6 Debut's for $200. These are still under 15 total hours of use but not by much, so breaking in but not there yet.

- My second change was an addition of a Cambridge Audio CP2 Phono Pre-Amp (up until recently passing through the Marantz 2200B

- I added AudioQuest Evergreen interconnects between the Pre-amp and the Marantz. The LP120 has an RCA cable that came with it, so no option to upgrade without going back inside unit...I think. This is connect to pre.

So far my completely untrained, casual listener, non-audiophile assessment:

With the Marantz hooked up and the Phono Pre, I can immediately see why people use or prefer a pre-amp. It brought a little life to the situation. I have never not liked my Marantz integrated Phono, again just trying things to learn about the differences and changes. What I found was a slightly more open sound (I don't know the technical term) with a hint more detail, which when listening to vinyl in my eyes is a big step. I like it. It didn't improve or degrade the warmth or anything, it just provide a boost of sorts.

That said, at first, the Elac's soundeed a bit mismatched for this Marantz 2220B receiver. Or maybe I should say the Infinity RS2000 sound more natural. The Elac's almost sound condensed or under powered? Again, not technical terms. After a few hours I could recognize a slight difference, like they were coming out of their shell, but still condensed a bit, almost muddy. The introduction of the Pre-Amp, as I said above, opened the Elac's up a bit and improved the sound noticeably, or maybe it was just my ears, or the speakers were beginning to break in, who knows really.

Next I swapped out the Marantz for a Yamaha A-S501 2 channel amp. I added some banana clip Blue Jean speaker cables to the mix and popped on Beck's "Sea Change" and braced myself. Bam! what a difference! Very bright in comparison to the Marantz, no more mud at all. Bright and full of oomph! I had the direct sound setting on, which basically bypasses all the tonal control and I guess is suppose to produce a sound close to what was intended on the record? please correct me if I am wrong.

Anyhow, I will say it was almost too bright and I like bright and detailed. In my opinion music can still be warm and bright. Some of the warmth was gone, but there was definitely detail that was not there before.

I decided to pop on something with more vocally driven so I grabbed Ray Charles-Ray Charles (Atlantic 8006) off the rack and played it. Ray's voice felt like it was in the room, which was crazy. The piano sounded the same. Beautiful. Horns were detailed and vibrant but on the border of being a little too bright....base was still there but with more punch and less blurry ...and not as prominent (again, technical terms I am without).

Next was the AP pressing of Miles Davis - Seven Steps to Heaven.....everything was in it's right place. This was a very good feeling as it seemed to jell well with the setup and maybe since the amp has a few hours to warm up and speakers were getting more break in time....also, my ears were adjusting a bit...bit this seemed like a great match for the setup. Sounded great....bright but not too much.

Lastly for this session was a somewhat beat up version yet first pressing of David Bowie - Aladdin Sane. I got it for $4 and this was by far the worst of the bunch from a sound standpoint. the first few tracks were compressed (could be the mastering?) to the point of being annoying.....and bright as all hell with minimal base. Again, this could just be the album or selection as I had never heard this album before on old setup. After about 4 tracks things did calm down a bit and become more listenable.

After some more listening and break in of speakers and amp I will update......

At any rate, the next purchase will be a new TT and so far the brands in site are VPI, Clear Audio, Music Hall and Sota. I have auditioned Rega and while they sound fine (nothing groundbreaking over my AT-Lp120 that has seen every mod possible) the Plinth is so lightweight and feels flimsy and seems to be that way across all models. The build quality just bothers me and seems weak and for the money I need more there.

Anyhow, a little light Friday drivel for you to read....sorry for the length.

 

Anyone itching to upgrade and then talking about the sound of their system, vocals in the room, detail, brightness, break-in time, I think you are exactly what audiophile means. You don't have to be trained in the art of sound reproduction, or even well-heeled to be an audiophile, you just have to love making music sound its best, while working within your means. Most of us don't have a ton of expendable income to buy anything and everything we want, so we do exactly as you, slowly move down the upgrade path, and (hopefully) make our music enjoyment better at each step along the way. You're an audiophile, embrace it

 

The A s501 is very good and reliable amp.
I have used one in my secondary system since they were first released. Great integrated for the money.

 

I also enjoy Yamaha integrated amps. I'm on my second one in recent years. I'm currently running the A-s701 and like it a lot.

I hear what you are saying about the Rega's plinth. I have the newest version of the Planar 3. The plinth is very lightweight and seemingly insubstantial. But, I gotta tell ya, I love that turntable. My previous unit was a Thorens TD-316 and I get none of the footfall problems I had with that.

 

I hear that. I owned an RP6 and the flimsy feel got on my nerves after a while.

Because I'm moving soon, most of my gear is packed up, but I've been using an AS801 with the CDS300 and a pair of Harbeth P3ESRs. After not listening for a few weeks because I was busy, I sat down for a listening session and thought, "If I lost everything else, I could easily live with this. It's that good."

Between the Yamaha and the Elacs, you've made great choices with your gear. Enjoy!

 

Sounds to me like those Speakers and new cables just need some time to break in a bit.

 

Congrats on the new amp. There is a very good chance that your 2220B was in need of being recapped. That warm sound can be the result of degraded capacitors. I have a restored 2245, completely recapped and the sound went from muddy and warm to neutral and cleaner after the rebuild. The vintage Marantz had decent onboard phono sections. Mine improved greatly post rebuild. The sound still pailed in comparison to the new Yamaha I replaced it with though. AS801.

As for the brightness give it a few weeks. I'd hook the amp and speakers up to a CD player on repeat while you are gone if possible. Let it run. Those Elacs are very popular for the price range. I bought a pair of the UB5's previously but they weren't for me. There is a whole world of speakers out there. I'd encourage you to experiment as funds allow. If it still feels too bright you can always turn the treble down slightly. Once in a while I spin a record and do this.

You are definitely an audiophile and you are jumping down the rabbit hole with both feet. Congratulations! Hope it's as fun for you as it is for me!

 

My A-S500 (501 without DAC) has been paired with speakers from $300 to $5K, with a wide range of sizes and efficiencies. It is probably the most versatile and balanced amp I've had in my system. I'll even admit that it's slightly better balanced than my A-S1100 on some recordings.

It's not the most transparent or dynamic, nor does it throw the widest soundstage, but it does everything respectably well, and better than some far more expensive amps I've had in house. This is really not surprising considering its design uses tried and true principles. It's definitely the greatest bang for the buck I've experienced in this hobby.

I'm confident that you'll find the brightness eventually subsides.

 

With all spectral irregularities caused at the same time by loudspeaker systems and listening room acoustics, no «sound close to what was intended on the record» can be reached without spectral equalization reasonably possible for the chosen listening place.

Not to mention some parasite reverberation effects of an «ordinary» listening room, not a specially acoustically treated and equalized studio control room.

 

I like the sound of newer Yamaha with vintage speakers.

 

I'm interested in this amp also. I already have a nad c320 bee. Is it worth updating?

 

It shouldn't be difficult to find a turntable better than the AT-LP120 at a reasonable price. It's made of cheap plastic and doesn't have good damping. The platter is light, noisy and rather disappointing.

If you like the features of this kind of direct drive turntables, maybe you could try the Pioneer PLX-1000 or the Denon DJ VL12. I have the previous and have seen great reviews of the former. Both are probably a safe buy. In any case be sure you have warranty. If you can afford it, a Technics SL-1200GR would be better than both and you could probably keep it for many years.

A Rega would be completely different in philosophy and features, possibly more demanding in set up and you should pay attention to where it's gonna sit. But since you're enjoying the game, maybe trying a different approach would be fun. It would broaden your experience. The Planar 3 is well regarded but owners usually upgrade lots of parts until it becomes very close to a Planar 6. This can be expensive and a pain, or can be fun, depending if you like to tweak and upgrade to see the thing slowly changing and improving.

In any case, if you have the chance, try to see the turntables playing in some dealer or in some friends' system. At least try to see and touch them in stores. Read as much as you can, search for videos, and don't be afraid of asking too many questions, people around here love to answer even the questions you didn't ask.

Also, remember that there are lots of good options besides the well-known Pioneer, Rega, Pro-ject and so. One will surely fit your needs and budget.

 

Great thread. The OP's experience is inspiring! I plan on getting the Yammy S-801 in the next two months - it's good to see this type of feedback on Yamaha's integrated's.

 

Sorry to contradict you : you sir, are an audiophile ! That said do you play CDs or digital files ? Don't miss on that man !

 

I never liked my 501. Wanted to but it was too laid back. Ran it for 6 weeks and it didn’t speak to me. Sent it back.

Someone said months later it takes months to burn in so who knows. Something to consider.

 

That will really depend on your sonic preferences. It might just sound different, not necessarily better. I personally think the class AB NADs have a sleepy sound compared to Yamahas. They're just a bit too polite for my tastes -- non-fatiguing but boring. Yamahas OTOH, are also non-fatiguing, but fun at the same time.

I've pit the A-S500 (501 sans DAC) against a Rogue Pharaoh and the Pharaoh went to the auction block. It was slightly more revealing and had a wider soundstage, but its bass was a joke compared to the A-S500.

The A-S501 is over 8 lbs heavier than the 320bee. Mass is often a good indicator of performance when it comes to traditional class AB amps IME.

 

Well I decided to go with an outlaw audio rr2160 after reading some reviews

 

I have preferred Yamaha to marantz as well.

 

I wonder if by months they meant a few hours a day (120 hours.) If so, I agree. I am at 120 hours or so on my A-S801 and the sound is close to neutral, I'd say. I get nice, revealing sound. Dark masterings are dark, bright ones are bright, but not harsh, unless I really turn the volume up. I get great, full sound at lower volumes too. At all volumes I get nice tight bass and plenty of power for my (reportedly power hungry) B&W 704 S2 towers. Previously, I had a Yamaha AX-497, 85w per channel compared to the 100w of the A-S801. But the A-S801 clearly has more heft, it weighs 6 pounds more and has a nice thick power cord. I was skeptical that the A-S801 would be much different, but it absolutely is. Worth every penny. Yamaha is doing great things with their amps these days.

 

I feel the same way about the AS Yamaha series. My 801 is a fantastic value if you want to spend less than $1,000 on an integrated amp. Natural sound is the marketing slogan they use, and I think it perfectly describes the neutral balanced sound the 801 delivers. Neutral doesn't sound exciting on a forum. It doesn't wow you with an overly bright sound, but that is a good thing. It wows me by just sounding good, and is a perfect match for my midrange B&W bookshelf speakers. The one area that is really impresses me is the tight snappy bass. The damping, the way the amp controls the bass making it clear and impactful, for its price-range, is fantastic. The first thing I noticed when adding this amp to my computer system.

 

If the new Yamaha are anything like my vintage ca820 it will be great. I’m at the stage now where I have to decide on paying for a full recap and rebuild on mine or buy a new one with new features like a remote hah

 

My experience and perusal of measurements elsewhere corroborates the A-S series as true to source, i.e. the input signal is faithfully reproduced at the outputs, and, for better or worse, you'll hear your speakers as they are.

Of course, this is not all to all audiophiles taste, and that's fine too - the market is big and ugly enough to accommodate all comers with varying budgets and predilections. I'll say this much however: if you need an amp with sound build quality, that's reasonably affordable, good features, decent amounts of power to accommodate dynamic peaks, with proven engineering etc, you need look no further than this series of amps. It should at the very least be a contender if the above is your general remit.

 

So, as the OP who posted this nearly 8 months ago, I can tell you there is a break-in period. She came out very high and a bit harsh, which I couldn’t really tell at first, but after playing a few records I bought when I got the amp I realized it has mellowed over time. I was blaming the harsh sound on the mastering of the records, to which a friend had the same pressing and was telling me it was the amp at the time. He came over the other night and asked to play the record that i said was a bit bright....it isn’t anymore.

I have listened to a few other amps (Marantz 6006, and a vintage Marantz 2265 I believe it was) would rather have the Yamaha for what it’s worth.

 

My Marantz 2220 died yesterday and instead of repairing it again and again I ordered myself a Yamaha A-S501. I now have to wait a couple days for it to arrive. I like all of the encouraging statements about this amp and was hesitant after hearing that it is bright. I hear from many it mellows out after some extended break in. I will let others know how it goes.

 

It’s all relative. I sent my 501 back and ended up with a Marantz 6005. It had great sound but was not a good match for my speakers (imp curve).
I have since sold the 6005 and was headed Into separates but now those have been sold and I have nothing.