Yamaha A-S501 or A-S801

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by revolversoul, Feb 26, 2017.

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  1. George P

    George P Notable Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Another 801 question - did Yamaha drop the "Standby" option from the power switch? :(

    So when you power off from the front, you completely power down the amp, correct?
     
  2. Isaac K.

    Isaac K. Forum Resident

    It goes into standby if you use the remote.
     
  3. George P

    George P Notable Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Sweet! Thanks!
     
  4. George P

    George P Notable Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Many thanks for this comment and all of the other positive comments by others on the 801 on this thread. After reading all of those excellent things about the Yamaha A-S801 amp, I asked a friend if he thought it would be significant change from my AX-497. The 801 is rated at 100 watts and the 497 is rated at 85 watts. My friend thought it would be well worth trying, as he pointed out that the 801 is nearly 10 pounds heavier than my 497, suggesting a larger power supply and more current than my 497. I decided to try the 801, especially because I could buy it nearby at a store that allows a 30 day return/refund.

    I plugged it into my system when I got home and I immediately noticed an improvement, especially in the bass, which was now much more controlled. CDs like Check Your Head by the Beastie Boys and Dummy by Portishead now were playable on my 704s and sounded great. The bass was so much tighter. I checked other CDs, like The Wall by Pink Floyd and here the drums were thick and lifelike. The highs seem a bit more tamed and the overall clarity is definitely improved. The overall sound is at least a big step above what it was before. And I only have 14 hours on the 801.
     
    Carlox, johnny q, irender and 4 others like this.
  5. The Pinhead

    The Pinhead KING OF BOOM AND SIZZLE IN HELL

    My front-ported speakers are located 16cms away from the rear wall. No boom at all.
     
    johnny q likes this.
  6. bhazen

    bhazen I Am The Walrus

    Location:
    Deepest suburbia
    Slightly ironic this, if true; I read recently that Alan Shaw (Harbeth owner/designer) has used the 801 to demo speakers at shows. He's a noted amp agnostic (i.e. he maintains that there should be no audible difference between competently-designed amps).
     
  7. toddfan

    toddfan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Overland Park, KS
    I bought an 801 a few months ago...my only regret is that I got the black one instead of silver. (I got a good deal at an online store, and my only option was black. :yikes: )
     
    lonelysea likes this.
  8. Helom

    Helom Forum member

    Location:
    U.S.
    I have to wonder if he really believes that claim. To my ears, of all SS amps I've owned/heard, Yamahas produce the most convincing piano and string tones, so I can't say I'm surprised he picked an 801. OTOH, I also think Yamahas sound colored as opposed to something like Parasound Halo or Exposure.
     
    Sneaky Pete, bhazen and George P like this.
  9. F1nut

    F1nut Forum Resident

    Location:
    The Mars Hotel
    With ears like his I'd have to look for a different brand of speakers.
     
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  10. bhazen

    bhazen I Am The Walrus

    Location:
    Deepest suburbia
    Coloured in what way? (I haven't compared ...) BTW I find Exposure integrateds sound 'sweeter' than, say Naim ones ...
     
  11. bhazen

    bhazen I Am The Walrus

    Location:
    Deepest suburbia
    ? Not sure I understand you.
     
  12. F1nut

    F1nut Forum Resident

    Location:
    The Mars Hotel
    If he can't hear the differences between amplifiers it gives pause to his hearing capabilities. I wouldn't feel comfortable buying speakers from someone with questionable hearing.
     
    George P likes this.
  13. Helom

    Helom Forum member

    Location:
    U.S.
    Not colored as in distorted, but a warmer, sweeter balance than I find in many amps. They sound to me as though they have a slight recess in the 2 to 4kHz range and a slight boost around 8kHz. I think they mate well with a wide variety of speakers.
     
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  14. bhazen

    bhazen I Am The Walrus

    Location:
    Deepest suburbia
    Well, I just ordered a set of Harbeth P3ESR's, and if those were designed by accident, let's have more such! Stunning speakers ... :)

    I think he's got great hearing, but hangs onto his objectivist views to be contrary.
     
  15. Robert C

    Robert C Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, UK
    Sorry guys, the 801 is as flat as a pancake:

    Frequency Response
    All measurements of the A-S801 were done in pure-direct mode bypassing the tone and balance controls unless otherwise noted.

    [​IMG]
    Yamaha A-S801 Analog Frequency Response Direct Mode

    Whether I measured the A-S801 via analog input or with a 192kHz/24bit test signal on the COAX digital input, I found ruler flat frequency response from 10Hz to 80kHz - .6db. Via the analog inputs, I measured +-.043dB Ch-Ch Deviation and a vanishingly small +-.008dB when using the digital inputs. This is excellent.

    Yamaha A-S801 Integrated Amplifier Measurements and Analysis
     
    Bananas&blow likes this.
  16. Helom

    Helom Forum member

    Location:
    U.S.
    Many SS amps measure this flat but they certainly don't all sound the same. It is also somewhat dependent on the speaker load. I only mentioned the frequency points as a way to describe how I think Yamahas sound compared to other amps - for those who are familiar with using equalization. Many class D amps measure this flat as well, but to my ears, instead of a dip around 2 to 4kHz, they usually sound as though they boost that region.
     
    bhazen and The Pinhead like this.
  17. LARGERTHAN

    LARGERTHAN Forum Resident

    Location:
    Eire
    To be fair, I don't think this is his stance. He readily acknowledges impedance issues/ load issues and typical higher distortion of tube amplifiers. He also says that in uncontrolled conditions, he too will perceive differences in amplifiers. He does however say that competently designed SS amplifiers, operating within intended parameters, level matched properly etc will sound alike if not indistinguishable. He's offered a pair of his flagship speakers for anybody who cared to disprove his hypotheses under test, controlled conditions. I don't believe he's given any away.
     
    Robert C and basie-fan like this.
  18. George P

    George P Notable Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Owners of the 801, I have some questions for you:

    1. If you noticed any change in the first 100 hours or so, what changed?

    2. Can I play music files from my CD via the internal DAC (instead of my CD player's DACD) if I connect to the amp via an Audio Coaxial cable?
     
  19. swvahokie

    swvahokie Forum Resident

    Everything changed. You decide that maybe you want to keep it.
     
  20. George P

    George P Notable Member

    Location:
    NYC
    I meant changes in the sound during the first 100 hours.
     
  21. George P

    George P Notable Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Owners of the 801, if you noticed any change in the first 100 hours or so, can you please say, specifically, what changed?
     
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  22. George P

    George P Notable Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Thanks for sharing, that, as I was confused about what each does. However, I just read something about this on a review today, which I wanted to share:

    "Whilst the A-S801 sports standard tone, balance and loudness controls, one can bypass them for the shortest signal path. On the CD input, CD Direct bypasses the tone and balance controls. Pure Direct bypasses the buffer amp, tone, loudness and balance controls for the most minimalist path. Remember this switch."

    6moons audioreviews: Yamaha AS-801

    From the above review, it sounds like the shortest path is had by using Pure Direct, regardless of input.

    Additionally, I read this on the Yamaha site:

    CD Direct Amplification and Pure Direct Mode for Greater Sound Purity
    [​IMG]
    With a straight connection to the CD input, CD Direct Amplification maximises CD source S/N ratio. Additionally, engaging the Pure Direct mode causes the music signals to travel the shortest possible circuit route, bypassing the buffer amp and the tone, loudness and balance controls to virtually eliminate any signal degradation for the purest sound quality.

    _____________________

    So, given all that, I am confused. If I am to get the best possible sound from the CD input, should I choose CD Direct, or Pure Direct or both? I can't seem to do the latter, as when I have the CD Direct button engaged, clicking on the Pure Direct button shuts off the indicator light for CD Direct. So I can't seem to engage both for CD playback. I was able to engage both on my Yamaha AX-497, the light stayed on for both.
     
    Last edited: Jun 21, 2018
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  23. Lebowski

    Lebowski Hey, careful man, there's a beverage here!

    Location:
    Greater Boston
    I would surmise that the CD Direct mode actually does the same thing as Pure Direct while also bypassing the input selector circuit. Just a guess.
     
  24. George P

    George P Notable Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Thanks. I put in a call to Yamaha and someone from "Level 2" tech support is supposed to call me later today. I'll report back.
     
    Lebowski likes this.
  25. George P

    George P Notable Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Just out of curiosity, are you able to enable both on your unit? Can you get both lights to light up, at the same time?
     
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