A-S801BL Natural Sound Integrated Stereo Amplifier (Black)

After many years with surround sound, a move has forced me to simplify to two channels to fit the available space. I chose the Yamaha A-S801 integrated amplifier because it reminds me of the stereo amplifiers I admired in the 1970s, except that it includes optical and coaxial digital inputs and a USB DAC. Yamaha A-S801 provides old school class AB power that sounds smooth, clean, and powerful, and effortlessly drives my speakers to high volume. It is flexible enough to provide all the inputs and outputs I need. It is easy to configure and control. It is not permanently limited to an internal tuner, surround decoders, DSP, center and surround amplifier channels, complex menus and on-screen displays, or streaming device interface and services. I chose an external HD radio tuner. Optical digital input allows connecting my TV for PCM digital audio and my TV provides HDMI switching for Blu-ray player and digital video devices. The internal USB DAC allows me to choose any computer Operating System and streaming services. I connect a turntable and an external Bluetooth receiver. The variable loudness control is useful. A fixed loudness button would be useless. I wish it had tape monitor / signal processor loops and preamplifier outputs. I let my wife pick the color. This will likely be the last amplifier I will ever need.

This unit replaced a three-year-old entry level Marantz integrated amplifier. The unit was very warm sounding but just seemed to lack enough power to drive my 6 ohm Deftech tower speakers. The bass was always a bit thin, even with the loudness control turned on. So, I got online and started looking for an amp that would sound good but also provide more oomph to my speakers. For about a month I went back and forth between the Marantz PM8006 and the Yamaha A-S801. The thing that turned my mind in favor of the Yamaha was the A-S701 at a lower price. My network player has an internal DAC, so the DAC on the more expensive Yamaha really was not necessary. The variable loudness control was also a plus, as most of my music has be played at low level, being in a small apartment. Prime got the unit to me in two days, then the unboxing started. This integrated amp is sharp looking and built like a tank. Hookup of everything was quick and easy, then it was time for the true test, powering the unit on and playing some test tracks. My go-tos are 'The Nightfly' by Donald Fagen (pretty much anything by Steely Dan will work), the Belgian jazz rock group Abraxis, and many more obscure jazz recordings from Europe. The first thing that was noticeable was that the Yamaha was somewhat more neutral than the Marantz, unless you activated the 'CD Direct' or 'Pure Direct' modes. Taking away the internal toine controls gives you a HUGE boost of volume and clarity in the mid and treble ranges. Turning these buttons off lowered the volume significantly but WOW! When you turned the volume back up, the bottom end was full without being boomy or muddy and the mids and highs were defined but not shrill or harsh. I have been running the variable loudness in the 'flat' position which really does all aspects of the music justice. In the end this is a fine product with amazing sound and build quality. This will be in my stereo system for years to come! 5 year update: After many different speaker combinations, it appears that the Yamaha was not at fault; the DefTechs were notoriously inefficient. I now have a pair of Polk Es60s and they have never sounded so good.

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!

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!

I preface this review letting everyone know to give this amplifier a week to open up from a sound perspective. That has been my experience before making an assessment: Aesthetics: 4/5. I like the minimalistic look of this amplifier. However, I dislike Yamaha's decision to make tone controls rectangular. That decision baffles me actually, because many people who are critical of their audio sources tend to have OCD, like myself. Round tone controls would have made more sense. I purchased a black amplifier in order to avoid the asymmetrical look of the tone controls while in use. Build Quality: 5/5. At this price point, considering it is the 21st century, I find the build quality acceptable. It's on par with the Technics sl-100c. This means that even though this Yamaha may not be built as sturdy as in the past, it's still pretty good considering the price point and the century we live in. If one is looking for build quality from the days of yore, one will have to pay many times as much for a new amplifier. Note that if one is expecting an fm radio/tuner, they will have to buy it separately. Sound Quality: 4/5. This portion of a review will always be subjective. Normally, I have always enjoyed an open, lively sound. This amplifier doesn't meet that criteria. However, it has it's own unique sound, which when paired with the right equipment, can become addictive. This amplifier may not present all the sound details that one may be used to, but it manages to accentuate the details that matter. The sound is very clean, and I have heard details on occasion that I haven't noticed before. I must note that I don't use this amplifier for digital music. I only use it for vinyl playback and optical on occasion. The internal phono preamp is not that bad. Vocals sound fantastic. It definitely is not noisy, and records in worse condition can sound better through this unit. Perhaps that is why it may not sound lively at times; in order to produce less static and noise, Yamaha may have done this on purpose. I think Yamaha could have produced this amplifier without a phono preamp, and let folks decide on which one to purchase in order to better suit their tastes. In conclusion, I think this amplifier may appeal to those who are interested in a good, but different sound. I think Yamaha could have hit it out of the park with this product, if for a lower price the tone controls were round, and an internal phono preamp was not included. Still, I am enjoying the different sound that this amplifier produces.

The Yamaha A-S801SL is a fantastic integrated stereo amplifier. I am not exaggerating when I say that you will need to spend 2-3x more to get something better due to Hi-Fi diminishing returns. Clean, powerful, pretty linear/neutral, excellent sound-stage and separation, with good detail retrieval. Plenty of input options, the silver unit looks great, and has a nice build quality. The real gem here is the USB connection for a PC or streamer. I've read some of the other reviews about low loudness/SPL and lack of bass. I can assure you that the A-S801 has plenty of power (the power ratings are conservative, it's actually about 105 watts/channel into 8-ohms, and 150+ into 4-ohms) and it has tight/punchy bass, so I have a few thoughts... 1. Make sure that your streamer or source device is at 100% output volume. 2. Double-check your speaker wire/connection polarities and subwoofer phase if you're using a sub. 3. Many people are used to compressed music and over-emphasized, bloated bass. Use CD-quality or higher music and then allow some time to get used to how music should sound. Overall, I'm extremely happy that I got this unit for $799 during Black Friday, it's a steal at that price. I'm going back and playing my CD collection as well as streaming hi-res music from Qobuz via my Wiim Ultra, which is a superb combination. Curiously, USPS was chosen for the last mile of delivery, and that was a disaster. The package was dropped off by Amazon on-time with USPS in my city and was to be delivered later that day. But it was not delivered. Three days elapsed and USPS sent it to another city, then they sent it back to Denver (from which it had already transited), at which point it seemed like it was lost, before it found its way back to my city a second time. I cannot say anything positive for USPS. Amazon customer service was great though.

What a great piece of gear this is, I retired a long in the tooth Jolida tube amp in desperate need of a full recap for this. No hum or distortion out of this unit, just puer smooth power. Pushes the Polk XT70s beautifully. Also rear B+W bookshelf speakers and never breaks a sweat. No cooling fan required. Im Running it through a Yamaha EQ70 equalizer. And it just pushes clean quiet power. The amp functions flawlessly, with a soft mute feature. When a LP is done press mute, the volume lowers to a just audable level, push it again when your ready and it slowly ramps up to the previous preset level. There is no blutooth but thats an easy fix for 20 to 30 dollars buy a add on box and plug it in. Overall value is very good on this. You get a lot of head space for your buck. Im Running Polk XT70s and B and W 603s all 8ohms ,the rear swith set to high power, and this amp is 100% clean, powerfull and dosent even flinch or get warm.

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 not The control and power on indicator lights could be a little bigger or brighter. From across the room I cant see them at all Overall 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

Not bad

I just love it I have used it for two weeks so glad I got it in silver. I’ve got a project tube phono box I use for vinyl and my cheap cd player has never sounded this good. I plug my iPad into the usb and I think it has a cleaner sound than my cd player. It shipped the same day I bought it & it came double boxed. Great price and great seller. Thanks

El equipo está muy equilibrado en diseño, calidad y el sonido es excelente, tiene todas la opciones para escuchar música de la manera que más te guste. Mi reseña es de la versión s701 pero me parece aplica para todas. Resaltó la buena construcción del equipo componentes electrónicos duraderos. Emparejarlo con unos buenos altavoces es una parte importante para disfrutar al 100 este equipo, es muy flexible así que existen muchas opciones para adaptarse a gustos musicales distintos.

El precio y la calidad que envía a las bocinas. Obvio, una mala grabación no la va a mejorar pero para Tidal HD magnífico!.. En mi cuarto de aproximadamente 15m2 subiéndo el volumen a la 11 del reloj. Llena completamente de sonido libre de distorsión. Con una "bicinitas" Elac Debut 6.2 Precioso sonido .!

SOY COLECCIONISTA DE EQUIPOS DE AUDIO Y ESTE AMPLIFICADOR LO PROBÉ EN CASA Y NEGOCIO Y ME CONVENCIÓ TANTO QUE COMPRE DOS PARA MI RESTAURANTE SUPERA A MARCAS MÁS RECONOCIDAS EN SONIDO Y VERSATILIDAD DE CONEXIÓN Y USO CONSTANTE LA VERDAD LO RECOMIENDO CALIDAD DE SONIDO MUY AGRADABLE