New Onkyo A-9010 stereo integrated amp with build-in Wolfson DAC

Yeah, I did read a number of negative reviews concerning the longevity of this player. I wonder if many of the positive reviews were written when it was fresh out of the box. Electronics is somewhat of a crapshoot anyway. I also wonder if any of the problems with the player were eventually corrected in manufacturing.

 

I was very interested in this player cause of the DAC. If I ever seen it at $100 I would have to buy it.

I have a Pioneer A-35r Amp and it started making static and crackling noises. After testing it turned out to be the amp. I bought some CRC cleaner and lube. seems to have fixed the issue after hitting all the pots.

 

Yess you would connect the turntable to the preamp, then the preamp to one of tge line inputs (do not connect to the phono input!).

I agree that the phono stage is a bit weak on the A9010. If you are going to buy a preamp, I would recommend budgeting at least $150 or more for a respectable one (ie. Cambridge Audio Azur). Ive tried one of the popular $100 preamps (Uturn Pluto) with the A9010 and didnt notice much of an improvement vs. the phono stage. I ended up selling the Pluto after 2 days.

 

Thanks for the recommendations. I am still trying to decide what is more important to upgrade as my turntable is a Pioneer Pl-600 (black). It seems to for the most part sound fine, i believe it is the original needle but very lightly used by the guy who gave it to me. I could upgrade the needle or simply buy a better TT. I have a phono pre amp I purchased for around $50 hooked up to my other system which works wonders with my AT-120 turntable. I guess I could disconnect and test it with the new Onkyo. Either way still thrilled with the 9010, so thnakful I have it!

 

You know the more I listen to Cd's on this thing the more I like it! I think for the timebeing this is going to be mostly for dedicated CD playback until I can upgrade the TT, cartridge, and preamp. I have never heard CD's sound so warm and amazing! Freakin' outstanding!

 

Your turntable is pretty good. If you want to upgrade down the road you can look into a good belt-drive turntable. What cartridge are you using with that table? Depending on what you are using that may be the first place to upgrade.

Totally agree! The A9010 is great with CD's, and the digital inputs are also amazing. I have my PC connected via the optical input and everything from FLAC files to mp3's sound fantastic.

 

The turntable has the original cartridge on it, reported as very lightly used by the previous owner. I was thinking about possibly upgrading to another AT-120 turntable as I have one and have been very happy with it. Do you prefer belt-drive TT's as it seems in this board most prefer direct drive? I did have one old friend who said he strongly prefers belt drive tables for the conveinence of them. I have a m97xe cartridge on my other set up which sounds fantastic. I have also heard great things about the At440 but looking at the price of that thing scares me.

I had not even thought of the convenience of computer playback through the optical. Eventually I am going to have a computer set up in the vicinity to do my own vinyl rips.

 

Remember, a CD player outputs more voltage than a turntable, the CD is always going round hotter

 

True, it just seems as if the digital sources are more detailed with the 9010. My very average TT may have something to do with this though.

 

I am starting to think that some of my sub-par sound on vinyl playback is simply due to the Pioneer Pl-600 table. There just seems to be a semi-hollow sound to it. Not terrible but not "right". Turning it up does seem to improve it a little bit but not really and in comparison with CD playback the CD is the clear winner every time on the Onkyo 9010 (which is almost never the case in a vinyl vs. CD shoot out). Trying to decide which component to upgrade first but the TT seems like a logical choice. For phono amps I have a TCC-TC750 which I felt really sounds great on my other TT set up. Is there really a significant difference between the Azur550 which cost around $140 and the TC750 which is around $50? Also, I might consider a vintage TT but would not want to break the bank on it which is why I am thinking about simply re-ordering the AT-120 as that one has been a work horse for me. I know we are slightly off topic but any feedback or opinions are appreciated!

 

Edited

 

?

 

Sorry dude - I was going to suggest upgrading your TT if you want to go deep into vinyl, but then thought it might be presumptuous

 

No worries, I am already deep into vinyl. LOL! I began collected only around 3 years ago and have a few thousand records. I love my other set up but for vinyl playback with that system, it is almost entirely with headphones. I recently lucked out into purchasing some really nice Heresy speakers from a friend and decided to set up a dedicated two channel listening system. I think inevitably I am looking at upgrading that TT and probably going with a phono amp as well to get the best possible sound (on my budget). The nice thing about this new 9010 is that it has gotten me back into also playing CD's which for the most part I have neglected the last few years.

 

I think upgrading your turntable would be good just as an overall improvement to your system, but IMO it's not the turntable that is responsible for the subpar sound, it's the phono stage on the Onkyo, it just seems like they didn't dedicate much of their resources to it.

Btw if you like CD playback using the line inputs, you'll love the sound from the digital inputs with high-res files!

 

Just wanted to say thank you for the excellent advice! I did pick up the Cambridge Azur 551 preamp and problem solved. Vinyl playback now sounds fantastic with the 9010. I will hold on to the Pioneer TT for awhile longer. It actually slightly amazes me how great the Pl-600 sounds for being a budget 80's TT!!

 

That's good info Jam757

Can you expand on how the Cambridge Audio preamp improved the sound? I have yet to use the phono stage in my 9010...

 

I would agree, the phono section of the amp is a pretty flat/hollow sound.

I hear much better through my Art.

 

Hollow and without detail is a good way to describe it. Unfortunate really, but because digital sources sound out of this world and the phono stage problem is easily eliminated with a phono pre-amp I still love this stereo. With the Azur 551 it has a nice rich, full and detailed sound again. Basically vinyl sounds as it should...which is incredible! The difference was night and day and even an untrained ear could easily detect which would sound better.

 

Glad I could help! The PL-600 is pretty good, especially compared to the modern entry-level TT that are available. I think it should hold you over for a while until you want to make major upgrades. You'd be amazed the sound you can get out of budget 70s/80s tables, I have a Technics SL-23 I use regularly instead of my Project Debut Carbon.

 

So I have a side question about what would be a nice match for a turntable cartridge for my Klipsch Heresy speakers. I ordered a new Audio Technica AT120 TT to be hooked up to the Onkyo 9010 and will upgrade the cartridge at some point. Because I really like the sound of the Pioneer TT I will also leave that set up! I have a Shure M97xe hooked up to my other system for dedicated headphone listening so I was thinking of something different that the 97xe? Any opinions are welcomed! I have not decided how much I would be willing to spend on a cartridge but most likely $150 or less.

 

For that price range there are several options on the market but I haven't used too many, I've usually stuck with older model cartridges. I currently use an Ortofon 2m Red (~$99) on my Project Debut Carbon and it's pretty good, but I find it a bit harsh on the highs.

I've heard a lot of good things about this one but haven't tried yet -- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002SDU67...UTF8&colid=1U17PSWRFK82I&coliid=ISZNYVEAJIDGF

I'm probably gonna go with that one once the 2m Red wears out

 

Thanks, that does look like a very nice one, I think it is certainly a contender. I must now officially be an audiophile with three turntables hooked up in the same room!

 

Damn. Reading this thread makes me want to get back into LPs.......

I -M-U-S-T-L-O-O-K-A-W-A-Y......

 

After about a year and a half of light use, the optical input on my A-9010 seems to be developing a fault. Sometimes it acts like there's no signal until I power cycle it.

Also noticed the volume change spontaneously a couple of times, and now that there are a good number of Amazon reviews, it seems like this is a known issue. The inability to make fine volume adjustments with the remote was already bad enough. This is the kind of quality I'd come to expect from modern Onkyo receivers, but I had the naive idea that their amps would be better because they're simpler devices (less things to screw up).

Now I have a device with two intermittent issues that I can't reliably replicate, and only half a year of warranty remaining. I can only hope that it deteriorates rapidly, to the point where I have firm grounds for return.