Looking for an integrated amp

[Mr Creosote]

I would like to purchase a new integrated amp. The top of my budget is $1000. For years I had mostly vintage amps, Yamaha CR-820, CR-620 and a Marantz 2245. The Marantz has been in use the last 8 years and finally I had to retire it. A future project. At the moment I have a Yamaha RX-397 filling in. This will be mostly for vinyl and CDs. I have no digital or streaming music. My equipment consist of Polk Monitor 10Bs and Technics SL-1210mk2. I been leaning towards a Yamaha A-S501. What are opinions on the 501? How does it compare to the 701 and 801? The 801s USB and DAC might bring me into modern times. And can I use the additional power of the 801? In that series, 301-801, does the 501 fall into the sweet spot? I mean the best bang for the money? Will it have synergy with the Polks? Compared to others like Marantz PM6006, Nad D3020, Rotel, Cambridge etc. What else should I consider? Thanks for any thoughts, opinions, suggestions etc.

 

[Mr Creosote]

I was hoping someone would have given me compelling reasons to get the A-S801. Lol.. I pulled the trigger on the A-S501, black. My wife thought from the pictures that the white letters on the black face was easer to see. It should arrive next week!

 

[ilusndweller]

Nice, I would love to hear some new Yammie! I added to my Yammie collection 13 days ago, an R-V1105 early dolby digital surround receiver(listening to it right now, I really like the natural sound. It sounds just like my RX-950. You live close to my favorite place in the world, The Needles.

 

[Mr Creosote]

Nice, I would love to hear some new Yammie! I added to my Yammie collection 13 days ago, an R-V1105 early dolby digital surround receiver(listening to it right now, I really like the natural sound. It sounds just like my RX-950. You live close to my favorite place in the world, The Needles.

View attachment 1056641

I'm 30 minutes from the entrance to Sequoia NP. I love it. My wife and I are retired now and we moved here from the Bay Area. We have our lifetime senior pass which is wonderful. My new Yammie should be here tomorrow. Excitement and anticipation! I'm researching a new cartridge for SL-1210. Leaning towards a Grado green.

 

[charles 1973]

I did a quick search for the best stereo amp under $1,000 not long ago. And the Yamaha A-S801 made that list. They really liked it. They also really liked the Cambridge CX-A60 and the Rega Brio. So your amp is in very good company.

I have heard the Yamaha A-S500 amp my friend has, and must say, it sounds very good. I recently bought Yamaha's RX-A770 Dolby Atmos AVR. It sounds way better for stereo music than it has any right to considering it does so much more. So I would highly recommend Yamaha Amps, Receivers, and AVR's, Along with the aforementioned Rega and Cambridge amps.

Good luck!

 

[johnda]

You will love the A-S501. I have the A-S500 and the only thing I did to it was to increase visibility of the volume control. I took some white label maker and cut a small white line that put on the face of the volume control. Easy Peasy and I can see the volume setting.

I did a quick search for the best stereo amp under $1,000 not long ago. And the Yamaha A-S801 made that list. They really liked it. They also really liked the Cambridge CX-A60 and the Rega Brio. So your amp is in very good company.

I have heard the Yamaha A-S500 amp my friend has, and must say, it sounds very good. I recently bought Yamaha's RX-A770 Dolby Atmos AVR. It sounds way better for stereo music than it has any right to considering it does so much more. So I would highly recommend Yamaha Amps, Receivers, and AVR's, Along with the aforementioned Rega and Cambridge amps.

Good luck!

 

[plugto]

I own a Yamaha A1000. Been idle for years. I pulled it out to test some speakers I bought on Ebay, still sounds awesome. Need to use some deoxit on a few controls. Very quiet and plenty of power. Waiting to get remodel done to house, then I will create a 2 channel system using left over equipment collecting dust. Mostly use home theater but would love to have a 2 channel system just for music. Have a pair of ADS L1230s, and a Yamaha PX3 collecting dust that I can hook up to the A1000.

 

[plugto]

There is a lot of great vintage gear to be had on Ebay and Craigslist. With a budget of $1000 you could score some seperates and restore them. I have got a 5 channel amp I picked up for half price an Anthem P5 Statement and it is killer for the price. I picked up 4 ADS L1290/2s and had them restored by Rich So and I built a center channel to match and the home theater is really good. I had an old Nikko Alpha 440 and I picked one up on Craigslist and had both restored and am using them to power smaller ADS L300s in a Dolby Atmos system. If you know what to look for and get lucky, you could make a killing with $1000. US Audiomart is another resource. Good luck in your quest, and happy hollidays!!

 

[Mr Creosote]

Thanks for all the suggestions and comments. I been living with the A-S501 for a couple of weeks now. I don't regret getting it at all. Very nice sounding Integrated. It can drive the Monitor 10s with ease. I'm now thinking of getting the accompanying CD player, the CD-S300. I got a Grado green also. I still haven't warmed up to it. I've gone back and forth with the AT120E and I think I prefer the Audio-Technica. Maybe the Grado needs to break in still. I've had a few vintage pieces in the past. Still own my Marantz 2245. The 2245 has to be the sweetest thing I've ever owned. Its developed a hum and is waiting re-capping. Vintage can be a challenge at times. My biggest challenge is my very live sounding living room. Its odd shaped with lots of glass. The Living room is the music room. The family room is the TV room. I got a Denon X3300 AV receiver with Klipsch speakers for the family room. We just bought the house so we have a long way to go.

 

[plugto]

Yes last but not least, the room. Just getting into room treatment. Been studying for almost 2 years now and know what I have to do. Doing the first floor now, using Roxul Safe and Sound in the ceiling and all the inside walls to help quiet my system when all is done and I am living upstairs. Want to be fair to my tenants when I rent the first floor. I am using soundboard on the ceiling as well as a 5/8ths sheet rock. I am going to do the same upstairs and add a very thick rug with a pad. Will put some absorption panels on the walls upstairs for first reflection points and eventually when I can afford it some bass traps in the corners. ASC.
Here is a link to help with your room.
http://www.bostonaudiosociety.org/links3.htm
Have a nice holiday!

 

[RichTassoni]

I would like to purchase a new integrated amp. The top of my budget is $1000. For years I had mostly vintage amps, Yamaha CR-820, CR-620 and a Marantz 2245. The Marantz has been in use the last 8 years and finally I had to retire it. A future project. At the moment I have a Yamaha RX-397 filling in. This will be mostly for vinyl and CDs. I have no digital or streaming music. My equipment consist of Polk Monitor 10Bs and Technics SL-1210mk2. I been leaning towards a Yamaha A-S501. What are opinions on the 501? How does it compare to the 701 and 801? The 801s USB and DAC might bring me into modern times. And can I use the additional power of the 801? In that series, 301-801, does the 501 fall into the sweet spot? I mean the best bang for the money? Will it have synergy with the Polks? Compared to others like Marantz PM6006, Nad D3020, Rotel, Cambridge etc. What else should I consider? Thanks for any thoughts, opinions, suggestions etc.

 

[RichTassoni]

If you're looking for new I had Yamaha A 1060 for 34 years it finally had to go, so I went and bought a new Yamaha AS 1000 integrate amp 90 watts of wonderful music.

 

[fredgarvin]

This Elac unit looks interesting

https://hometheaterhifi.com/reviews...series-ea101eq-g-integrated-amplifier-review/

 

[plugto]

Hey Rich did the A1060 have class A amplification? The A1000 had the first 25 watts class A and after that it went into AB mode. Back in those days I had much better hearing than now and I never heard a difference. Maybe speakers not good enough or headphones either. I had Boston Acoustics A400s at the time and Sony MDR ? headphones and AKG 240s. Did hear a vast improvement in sound when I got my first Monster Cable CD interconnects. Nothing noticeable Class A to AB just tremendous heat coming out the top. Also now that I remember the amp used to oscillate when I ran log sweeps up to 20000hz

 

[RichTassoni]

Hey Rich did the A1060 have class A amplification? The A1000 had the first 25 watts class A and after that it went into AB mode. Back in those days I had much better hearing than now and I never heard a difference. Maybe speakers not good enough or headphones either. I had Boston Acoustics A400s at the time and Sony MDR ? headphones and AKG 240s. Did hear a vast improvement in sound when I got my first Monster Cable CD interconnects. Nothing noticeable Class A to AB just tremendous heat coming out the top. Also now that I remember the amp used to oscillate when I ran log sweeps up to 20000hz

I'm not sure I have 4 klipsh m 160 book shelf speakers hooked up to my Yamaha there very easy to drive and great sounding.

 

[plugto]

Are they horn loaded? My speakers are super inefficient. I have an amp that is stable all the way down to a short circuit. Super high current. Class A just means non switching on the alternating current wave form negative one set of transistors and positive different set of transistors. Supposedly you can hear the distortion switching between wave forms. I couldn't hear it in my amp. May be my gear was not resolute enough.

 

[RichTassoni]

I have a Yamaha AS 1000 bought new a little over a year ago from Amazon. It broke 5 months later, had to send it to New York for warranty repair they said the front panel went and the whole power source went out. 5 weeks later I revived it back and it's working just fine ever since. But now I've decided get the bigger Yamaha AS 2100 It will be my last high end amp I'll buy in life, so I'm going to buy it from a very reptible HIFI store in town that I also bought 4 klipsh m 160 book shelf speakers that I have had no problems with. At 3500.00 for the Yamaha 2100 amp I'm not going to mess with any on line purchase, IF something we're to go wrong I want an authorised Yamaha dealer to deal with. I hate talking to automated phone messeges before getting a human to talk to. I'll be paying the same at the store AS I would on line anyway. For me I want to meet and talk with someone when spending this much money.

 

[soundmig]

Music Hall A30.3 is under $1K and sounds very very good. I heard it at RMAF driving a pair of Aurum Cantus speakers and I was stunned that equipment in this price range (under $5K for the whole system) could sound so good. It even has a great sounding DAC built in and a MM phono stage to boot.

 

[plugto]

I have a Yamaha AS 1000 bought new a little over a year ago from Amazon. It broke 5 months later, had to send it to New York for warranty repair they said the front panel went and the whole power source went out. 5 weeks later I revived it back and it's working just fine ever since. But now I've decided get the bigger Yamaha AS 2100 It will be my last high end amp I'll buy in life, so I'm going to buy it from a very reptible HIFI store in town that I also bought 4 klipsh m 160 book shelf speakers that I have had no problems with. At 3500.00 for the Yamaha 2100 amp I'm not going to mess with any on line purchase, IF something we're to go wrong I want an authorised Yamaha dealer to deal with. I hate talking to automated phone messeges before getting a human to talk to. I'll be paying the same at the store AS I would on line anyway. For me I want to meet and talk with someone when spending this much money.

I agree with you Rich. You need a relationship with a brick and mortar store to back you up for service if you need it and to hear and play with the equipment at that price point.

 

[Mr Creosote]

So far I'm enjoying the A-S501. I'm very happy with it. I haven't been tempted to upgrade it to the 801 yet. The more I play it the better it's sounding. Maybe it's breaking in, and/or my ears are becoming accustomed to it. I bought the Yamaha on reputation and reviews and having owned vintage Yamahas in the past. I can only aspire to own an A-S2100. I purchased it from Crutchfield. I have 60 days to return it for any reason. Brick and mortar stores are nearly non existent any more. There's a Frys in town and I just loathe that store. Hard to get someone to help and when you do they don't know their products very well. And its hard to audition anything with all the surround sound systems blearing.