Im been after one of these for a while, and this is the lowest i have seen it so I have pulled the trigger. Just a good old fashioned 2 channel Amp for Audio - and pretty highly regarded.
Edit:
That didnt last long, back to its old price. I cant wait to listen to mine when i arrives!
CamelCamelCamel.
It's a specialisation thing really. AV receivers do many things (including playing music in stereo) and stereo amplifiers do just one thing. So the bits inside are all designed for one task.
It's aimed at the hifi crowd, not home theatre. A surround at this price point may not have the same sound signature or dyanmics as something dedicated to hifi, so I guess it comes down to personal taste and I know that these sound great for the price.
If a person wanted to eventually move into home theatre then it would make more sense to get some more channels.
The more powerful A-S501 is also the same price for anyone reading the comments!
Bugger - i stuffed up the link. Its the 501 i was meant to post.
I fixed it
These stereo amps are not the typical class-D amplifiers that you purchase off of amazon - trust me, if you have any passion towards audio and Hi-fi this will amplifier will be a perfect match for you….
I have the Yamaha A-S201 and in stereo it sounds much better than my Pioneer 7.2 Amp when playing music.
Stereo amp cost is mostly marketing (not 100% but very much there), running multichannel in 2 channel mode is fine for the "average user." but lets say I am building a specific audio system for music only then i would buy a stereo since its more made for purpose. I guess I could say something like driving a turbo sport SUV vs buying a 2 doors sport convertible for the sport experience, some people would even buy an amp for each channel if they have the money and the snobiness (if that is a word). I do like 2 channels amp for my pc if the price is not crazy, it looks nice not too big and better than those all in one speaker set with built-in amp dac preamp etc.
//edit i do agree with hearing the different, but its all depends on your ears, the setup budget, and the type of music, its like the whisky wine connoisseur, if you dont enjoy it then you wont care enough to feel the different
surround sound power supplies are designed for all channels ….this amp has all that juice for just 2 channels … also less circuitry usually means less noise so not having all the decoders means less coloration …. i have surround amp attached to TV but stereo amp attached to CD player and PC for ripped.
No music cast functionality or airplay
Nope. These are straight Amps just like your parents had in the 70s and 80s.
Easy enough to add something like a Wiim streamer to handle all the modern sources. They are about $100
Can you share a link for a Wiim streamer. Thanks
You can't use google?
The R-Sxxx series are the connected equivalent line. I generally lean towards non-connected versions, just because software becomes outdated a longass time before hardware.
Amen. I've got a 2ch Onkyo from 15 years ago and every single connected feature no longer works as the services are long dead.
I'm guessing you also have a turntable OP?
I have two turntables. And a microphone.
That's Where It's At
Didn't even think it through - the A-S301 costs $550 on a good day… the A-S501 for $519 is quite litirally a steal.
If you have speakers and you're just looking for an amp - I suggest this instead:
https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B07K7NJ4QN
Has bluetooth and less inputs but $100, dedicated sub out and very good sound. I use mine with an aussie made S8 https://voll.com.au/product/s8/ and some bookshelf speakers.
This is a good product, but it isn't built the same way as the Yamaha A-S501…
You litirally can't even compare the two - and the Fosi audio isn't a bad aamp at all.
Hard disagree - they're both class D amplifiers with very similar performance, the Yamaha just comes in a bigger box.
Sure, the Fosi has less buttons and no remote, and it doesn't look as nice under your TV, but from an Electrical (2 channel audio in, speakers out) perspective the Fosi will do everything the Yamaha does :)
It's all about the power supply. An oversized laptop charger for the Fosi is not going to compete with the solid power supply of the Yamaha. Don't get me wrong, I love the Fosi and have one of their amps, but they aren't the same
@sammajohnson: Switch mode power supplies have come a long way in the last 5 years, and despite the "power transformer" of the Yamaha it's still feeding a class D amp so your point is moot.
@zigzagoonmemes: You can't pack big quality caps into a laptop charger, so bring on the noise and interference.
@sammajohnson: It's not even the same thing - not even close.
This is a 'real' amp that used to retail for $1000 when it came out and even now goes for $750 on a good day
Hmm, no - the Yamaha A-S501 is a class A-B amplifier, which is almost the creme de la creme….
I have a fosi audio BT20A-S and it does not compare to the old Cambridge audio azur that I have.
@BargainHunterJohnnyB: Fair, I didn't look it up. Although I can confirm the Class D probably blows A + B out of the water these days.
Nothing beats those old amps!
@zigzagoonmemes: Yeah the A-S501 RRPs for $1000… trust me when I say that for $519 it barely covers the construction and packaging overseas, shipping, and storage down under.
hmmm class D switch mode power supply and associated noise and small capacitors vs the yamaha….uses transformers and large caps ….. need to look at design and where you pickup noise and distortion …..no top end amps use switch mode power supplies for a reason ……
@garage sale: It's not that the class D amps are bad at all - it's just that they are not the same thing as these 'proper' class AB amplifiers..
What bookshelf speakers do you suggest?
I don't have a specific recommendation for passive bookshelves - too many to look at.
I use some old wharfdales which go great with the sub I mentioned as TV speakers.
I have a pair of Cambridge Audio S30's and they are awesome. They aren't available anymore, the replacement SX-50: https://www.radioparts.com.au/product/39815160/sx50-525-2-wa…
These look alright!
Voll make bookshelves too - I haven't tried them, but I have their S8 sub and it's amazing quality and aussie made.
I have a pair of Wharfedale Diamond 225s that I bought off of eBay a while back for only $420ish
have a poke around on marketplace - speakers last for decades and its normally pretty easy to pick up something nice for around $50.
True. I had some big heavy ones from 30 years ago re-coned. Still sound better than anything today.
Oh man this is a can of worms question :) I would make a list of your favourite music and go to a dedicated hifi store and ask to test out their speakers (if they are nice they will use your amp or setup something close to it). I would also ask them to play music that tests the little audio nuances.
Hifi is a never ending rabbit hole for your budget and how far you can go with speaker range. If you are in the Sydney region their is show in a fortnight:
https://www.whathifi.com/news/australian-hi-fi-show-2023-is-…
Looks. Good. Also looks dangerous for my wallet 😂
The Yami won't need a sub and for music you don't want one. The Yami will drive a pair of floor standing speakers all day long.
What?
A sub is for better noise for sounds below 100hz (aka bass).
If you listen to any music with a lot of bass then you do want a sub.
Sigh. I understand how a sub works. But you'll get much smoother frequency response across a larger pair of speakers at (85w RMS in the Yami) than a pair of bookshelves paired with a sub.
@sammajohnson: True enough, although IMO floor standing speakers are a poor choice for the majority of humans as they take up a lot of space, and "audiophiles" like to sell them for thousands of dollars instead of the hundreds they actually cost.
@zigzagoonmemes: It's all about fitness for purpose and the subjectivity of value, agree on that. My hearing isn't amazing these days so can't justify spending too much, and the wife and kids don't let me turn the music up often these days anyway :). This is probably a good sweet spot in the extremely long-tail of audiophile gear prices. This amp running on lower volume with a quality pair of bookshelves will keep you going for years.
@sammajohnson: Couldn't agree more!
Currently chasing the long-tail (and loosing more and more space to speakers in my house…)
@sammajohnson: need the speakers to go with it and music source …..if you listen mainly to ripped mp3 off the internet and have 5” speakers you won’t get value out of the yamaha and it takes up space ……if you have large speakers and play WAV or vinyl you would get value ………
wav vs flac …. is like vinyl vs CD ….
once you get past bluetooth speakers, mp3 it’s a very world …..like mince vs fillet steak …..mince is easy to eat but fillet steak tastes better, has mouth feel, texture, etc …..it’s all about the experience you are willing to pay for …..
There is no relationship between the amplifier and whether or not you need a sub.
So that thing is $135. By the time you take into account the cost of the components needed to do bluetooth/wifi you've got maybe $110 worth of amplifier left. There is simply no way that at that price point you are competing with the Yamaha.
The whole unit is smaller than the transformer inside a serious hi-fi amp and it runs off a piddling 24V laptop charger. If it can actually generate 50wpc of real power then it has zero heat dissipation in its design and should slowly melt itself internally over time.
Looks like a fun toy but nowhere near the quality of the Yamaha in any sense.
There is so much wrong with what you wrote that I won't address specifics but:
Electrically it performs nearly identically. Audio isn't "magic" despite what "Audiophiles" like yourself think.
Mate, I restore mid-70s hifi gear, you couldn't even buy the capacitors for a decent amplifier for $135. But sure, it's all just electrons so it's all the same.
@zigzagoonmemes: I think records have different audio quality and I enjoy them both sonically and in terms of the experience of listening to them. Is that ok? I also listen to CDs and streaming audio.
I tell you what though, I guarantee my records sound better through a decent amplifier than your high-res audio files or whatever do through that dinky $100 box.
@caitsith01: Your guarantee is worthless because you haven't heard the "dinky $100 box", and you haven't provided any reasoning aside from "old == good".
@zigzagoonmemes: The onus of proof is really on you here, not on anyone else.
You're the one making the assertion that there's no difference (which has already been demonstrated to be incorrect from a basic design perspective).
Sure, the Fosi has less buttons and no remote, and it doesn't look as nice under your TV, but from an Electrical (2 channel audio in, speakers out) perspective the Fosi will do everything the Yamaha does :)
@caitsith01: Do you have any recommendations for an amplifier that will be used to drive desktop (computer) speakers
@abadacus: Hi, what kind of speakers are we talking about? And what would you be listening to through them, music or just games and stuff?
I'd expect that a laptop charger would have a higher quality power brick than this Fosi thing.
This or jbl go?
Two channels? My TV gets like 50.
Good for you mate.
For those getting the $883 price, you have to go to compare prices bit at the bottom to go the the Amazon sold one.
Couldn't find it and now missed it : (…
This doesn't come up for me at all?
I always wondered how does a HiFi system sounds different, but I don't have any friends (into it).
Where can I go to experience high fidelity and the highest quality of sound ever?
Find a new friend who is into it :)
Seriously- showrooms are few and far between (and possibly a bit intimidating), often have sub optimal conditions.
An easy way is just to try good headphones- far less expensive than speakers, and the amount of detail you can get with modestly priced headphones is astounding.
You can go to a hifi store and sit in one of their listening rooms, addicted to audio etc etc
try to find an addicted to audio showroom near you
I would start from here - https://www.stereonet.com/forums/ - though i have never tried to go to one myself since my ears sensitivity are below average
What, did they like only have 2? I've been waiting for this to be marked down… Typical…
What did you think? These amplifiers cost $500 used, let alone brand spanking new.
Thanks for sharing the bleedin obvious mate…
There's some still available it seems.
can't see any via my mobile phone? Whereabouts…? cheers
At the reduced price? I can only see the $887
Is this showing as $887 with no 'compare prices' option for everyone now?
Where is this option, in the mobile app? Thanks
yep
Available again.
what link mate?
Sorry, looks to be OOS again. Maybe someone just cancelled an order or something.
Back with Amazon but $715…
I've been enjoying this one for $699 from Digital Cinema…Pioneer NC-50DAB Networked Audio Player with DAB+ Tuner and HD Amplifier
Bragging about a deal you snagged or is dat the regular price?
How's everybody enjoying their A-S501 so far?
![[Prime] Yamaha A-S501 Amplifier $519 Delivered @ Amazon AU](https://files.ozbargain.com.au/n/17/768617.jpg?h=d7fe4079)
Noob question, why is an amp with only stereo so expensive? Why wouldn’t you get one with surround and just run it in two channel mode?