YamahaAudio A-S301BL Natural Sound Integrated Stereo Amplifier (Black)

The Yamaha A-S801 is one of three systems I’ve fully optimized, and I can confidently say it’s the cornerstone of my budget-friendly yet seriously capable setup. Getting back into the audio hobby at a deeper level, I wasn’t expecting this level of performance—but the A-S801 has far exceeded all expectations.Its output is clean, powerful, and remarkably neutral, which makes it the perfect foundation for customizing your sound through external DACs, streamers, and other sources. There's no worry about underpowering speakers—this amp can confidently drive 90% of what’s on the market, including many speakers costing far more than the amp itself.I’ve paired it with Cabasse Murano Alto floorstanders, a FiiO R2R K11 DAC, and a WiiM Ultra streamer—an absolutely synergistic combination. While this may not be an “endgame” setup, the musical enjoyment it delivers is undeniable. The A-S801 opens the door to a wide range of speaker pairings and digital source options, making it one of the best sub-$1000 integrated amps out there.Like many others have said: this amp punches way above its price class. Totally impressed.

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 Yamaha A-S501 amplifier replaced an Onkyo AV receiver I’ve had since the mid-90’s. This amp doesn’t “sound” different per se, as sonic differences between properly functioning solid state amps are virtually nonexistent, but it blows the old receiver out of the water with regard to technical performance and aesthetics.Its noise and distortion levels are inaudible, including the noise floor of the phono input. I listen to a lot of records and can attest to the quality of this amp’s phono section. I have to turn the volume up a bit higher on this input even though I use a standard MM cartridge with 5mV output, which leads me to conclude that there’s not a ton of gain in the circuit. That doesn’t bother me, but people with fussy cartridge requirements are likely using standalone phono preamps anyway. If you’re running a “standard” turntable setup, this amp’s phono stage will treat you very well.The digital inputs are a nice touch on a classic-minded amp like this. DAC chips don’t really sound different from each other, so I won’t entertain subjective analysis of these inputs’ “sound,” but the inputs function like they should and let me connect my TV and Airport Express digitally, which is nice. Everything sounds crystal clear and problem-free.There are a host of analog inputs and outputs, as well as a decent headphone output. I say “decent” because it does have high output impedance, which means it will cause some frequency response issues with certain headphones. It gives my Sennheiser 58x headphones a bit of a bass boost as a result, which I don’t mind, but people who fuss over headphones will want to use a standalone headphone amp via the amp’s analog outs. I find it odd that plugging headphones into the port shuts off audio to the speakers, and I wish I could leave my headphones connected to the amp at all times. Oh well.The amp has plenty of power and current, driving my relatively inefficient C-Note bookshelf speakers to very loud levels with ease and without distorting. In a time where many integrated amps are forgoing tone controls in the name of passing an audiophile purity test, Yamaha have gracefully included them here, along with an adjustable loudness contour. This knob is a godsend, allowing the user to compensate for the shortcomings of the human ear’s natural frequency response at lower listening levels by filling out the low and high end, so that even if you’re keeping things quiet, you’ll hear a full, pleasing balance of sound that’s adjustable to your needs. And, should you want to take all of those nasty enjoyment-enhancing impurities out of the signal path, just press the “Pure Direct” button.Aesthetically, the amp is very handsome, especially in the silver finish. It was a major factor in my purchasing decision, as I find so many amps and receivers to be hideous black boxes. The remote is very functional, though I just use my Fire TV remote to control the amp’s power and volume, and select input by hand. The lack of a screen and menus is perfect, as I’d much rather control things with knobs and buttons. The knobs and buttons do feel a tad cheap, which is my only minor gripe with this amp. I wish the tone knobs had a bit more weight behind their movement. Since that has no impact on performance, it doesn’t really bother me.Overall, if 85wpc is enough for your speakers and you like this style of amp, it’s a great buy!