YAMAHAA-S501SL Natural Sound Integrated Stereo Amplifier (Silver)

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.

First off, I've been using vintage equipment for a while. The problem is the constant breakdown of 40 year old equipment so i decided to go modern. I didn't want another BPC receiver, I've had two, a pioneer and a Sony, neither of which had any any real output, I had to turn them way up to get loud but was never satisfied with the sound quality, but then I found the Yamaha integrated amp with the silver face. Very clean lines, not cluttered with multiple switches.Its paired with a set of Klipsch R26FA speakers. The amp has only an A, B and A+B selection. A is hooked to the front speakers while the B is hooked to the top firing Atmos speakers. It has a subwoofer output which I attached to a Klipsch K100SW powered subwoofer. I have a large listening room and this set up fills the room with sound that you can feel as well as hear.I still use a vintage turntable and tape deck but I have an Echo Link hooked up as well. The sound is awesome, but then I said that already. I also have a top of the line modern Panasonic Blu-ray hooked up, when I watch a concert video it's almost like being there. A vintage Pioneer tuner completes the package however I have ordered the tuner from Yamaha so I can utilize the presets which can be accessed from the remote.With 100WPC at 8 ohms, it's got plenty of room, I barely turn it half way up and thats loud enough especially since i added the subwoofer. I rarely have to move the bass/treble control from neutral to get astonishing sound. Yamaha also has a "pure" CD and all input selector that bypasses all the internal filters if you want to hear exactly what the component signal sounds like. This becomes in handy if you have adjusted the bass/treble controls and want to revert back to the neutral setting without having to adjust the controls afterwards. There are three additional inputs as well as inputs for phono, cd, tuner and optic cable.Another plus of modern equipment is remote control. My Pioneer and Sony receivers had incredibly complicated remotes that usually required reading the instructions whenever i wanted to do anything with it other than powering on/off or adjusting volume. The remote with this model is like the amp, simple clean lines/controls and doesn't require a rocket science degree to comprehend. This amp also has an analog volume control which moves when you access it via the remote.Cons: no outlets on the amp. Not a big deal but I like having my turntable hooked up to an amp switched outlet so it can't turn on unless the amp is turned on.It would also be nice if it had the ability to run 3 channels simultaneously so I could bi-wire the front speakers but honestly my sound is impressive.Also no tape monitor which limits what I can do with my vintage equalizer.Another lack is a low volume bass boost, but since the bass is usually at neutral I've found I can turn it up a smidgen to get improved bass at low volume. By doing this and utilizing the Pure Input it is almost like having the bass boost option.Another improvment Yamaha could have added is a mute function on the amp control face. It does have one on the remote. There is "Loudness" control on the panel. This control can variably lower the volume without adjusting the main volume control. It is useful when I want to change the music selection on Alexa since she can't hear me talking when I have the volume pumped up. Afterwards i can resume at the volume I had previously dialed in.No HDMI input but then this isn't meant for a home theater. On the other hand it does have an optic input. It does have a USB output to power something, i don't use it yet, maybe I can power my echo dot with it or perhaps dress up the rack with an led tape to add a little color...or notThe control and power on indicator lights could be a little bigger or brighter. From across the room I cant see them at allOverall impression...I'm very happy with this amp. Yamaha signature "natural sound". It plays my music clearly and loud enough to piss off the neighborhood if I wanted to. I wouldn't recommend it for a home theater system since it only has two speaker channels but that isn't what I wanted it for. If you want a clean sound and a silver vintage look without breaking the bank you couldn't go wrong with this amp. Just be sure to get a set of speakers with the legs to run the horsepower and you won't be disappointed

This review is for Yamaha A-S801 model.Got it yesterday, and LOVE it. What a difference! This Yamaha is meant to replace my old TEAC AH-300, which was purchased 15 years ago as part of the TEAC mini-system. Came highly recommended by What Hi-Fi magazine at the time, and considered entry-level audiophile quality. I used it with Mission 700 speakers, also highly recommended by What Hi-Fi. Speakers are still the same, but the difference is stunning!Now, TEAC was much less powerful, at 35W per channel at 8Ohms, whereis Yamaha produces 100W at the same level. But if you would assume it got "louder" you would be wrong. The difference is not in loudness, it is in the detail. Yamaha opened a whole new sound-stage, several new dimensions in the music field. Everything sounds different now! Music got volume, and same old speakers produce quality I did not know they were capable of. To say I am "please" is not to say anything. Night and day. Highly recommended for all true music lovers!UPDATE: After a month of use I love this amp even more. In fact, I have updated my entire system, and tried different connections, so there is some new info I wanted to share.First of all, in addition to my good old Mission 700s I got two new floorstanding speakers, Dali Zensor 7, and a sub, B&W ASW610. Missions now serve as a back speakers, Dalis are in the front.Second, I have tried three types of sources for music: CD player (Marantz CD 6005, which has raving reviews), internet stream from Tidal (comes via USB cable from my computer) and playing CD's on the computer drive (also connected via the same USB cable).Here are the results:1) Best sound by FAR comes from using computer drive for CDs via USB cable.2.) Almost as good, but not quite, is streaming from Tidal (FLAC files, lossless quality) using Yamaha Steinberg USB driver and USB cable.3) CD player, when connected via analogue cables, is inferior to the above.Why? Simple answer is - DA conversion. Not only Yamaha has a great DA converter (what they say here is true - SABRE Premier Audio DAC from ESS Technology, Inc is one of the best on the market today), but when you transfer data via USB cable it virtually eliminates jitter. And jitter is the MAJOR source of problems. Simply put, when you send raw data via USB it makes no difference what the source is - as long as data is not compressed, it is all the same. Problems begin when DA begins the conversion from Digital to Analogue. Most cheap CD players to poor job; computers do even worse job. SO when you get analogue out, it carries crappy signal and amp simply amplifies it. Amp itself cannot "clean up" the analogue signal; it can make it worse, but not better. The best it can do is to preserve it.For internal converter situation is different. Yamaha uses internal master clock, which "times" data correctly for the DA, and then DA transfers data from digital to analogue with beauty and clarity which is truly amazing. Can it be done by the CD player? Perhaps, if you spend 10000 dollars on the machine, it will have the same result. Do you want to?Its not that signal coming from a CD player via analogue connection is "bad", its just that it is not as good, not for a true audiophile. For anyone who wants to experience truly amazing sound, I would highly advise to AVOID analogue connections (RCA) at all costs. Simply forget about them. What about digital coax and optical? Well, it is better, but still there is a problem. If you use them, you do take advantage of Yamaha's SABRE DA converter, which is, again, great. BUT, you do not have advantage of using the internal master clock. Digital signal transferred via optical or digital coax has its own timing, which may be jittery. Now here it depends on the source: if you are using high quality CD player, timing may be precise and quality just as good. If not, - you will have problems. Question is - why bother, if your computer can work better and most likely will not cost you extra?In conclusion, I will highly recommend not just any model, but Yamaha A-S 801. This is the only model with built in USB DA converter, and the value of this small addition is ENORMOUS: when connected via USB it truly gives you the quality of 10 000 dollar CD player. I am not even mentioning the advantages of streaming, with its instant access to millions of CDs at a click of a mouse.Good job, Yamaha!