Yamaha or Onkyo Amp?

Madbugger

Member
Hello all,
I have a couple of vintage receivers and while they have their own sound they do have their quirks and definitely own color to the sound. I have decided to bite the bullet and buy either an integrated amp with separate tuner or new receiver and am looking at Yamaha AS-301 and Onkyo A-9010. It will be used for Radio, Vinyl and CD and line out from computer. Is there a big difference between separates and receivers of the same model line? I do not need all kinds of bells and whistles(streaming media, bluetooth etc..) and am leaning towards the Onkyo as I own a few Onkyo receivers and like the sound. I have never owned Yamaha gear but do like the fit and finish(aluminum faceplate, knobs) and I can get a matching tuner with Yamaha. Onkyo does not offer a new tuner. Any help or advice is much appreciated!
 
Hi
I have the Yamaha as500 and it's a really nice amp. Well made and sounds great it has enough inputs for most systems and a decent phono stage.
I think you'll be hard pressed to find a better value for money amplifier at present.
 
I too would go with the Yamaha. I know their "natural sound" vintage receivers were known for their sound, but so much the newer ones (unless you go for their top tier models). Onkyo isn't making a name for "stereo" only amps today. Again, unless you go super high in the chain. I have an Onkyo receiver and it's amazing for surround sound. When it comes to plain stereo, even with EQ's and faux 2.1 DSP's, it still doesn't have a soundstage like my old Pioneer receivers. I would be surprised if you'll get better performance out of stereo entry/mid Onkyo receiver than a mid Onkyo multi-channel like mine. I don't hate my Onkyo (I love it for surround), but plain jane stereo it is not.

I'd only consider the Onkyo because it does have a silver color offering. That's something I wish more companies would do.
 
Thanks for the replies! At this point I may go for the Yamaha RS-500. The specs are pretty much the same or better on the phono input as the integrated and it does have the tuner and I do still listen to terrestrial radio. Any thoughts?
 
I would check to see if the receivers by Yamaha are built the same way as the integrated amps and are not a compromise. I think though I would buy a Yamaha integrated like the like the A-S501 and then look for a vintage tuner. I have a vintage Yamaha tuner from the late 70's and it has a great sound, plus I prefer a real tuning bar over the digital type, but that is just me.
 
Thanks for the replies! At this point I may go for the Yamaha RS-500. The specs are pretty much the same or better on the phono input as the integrated and it does have the tuner and I do still listen to terrestrial radio. Any thoughts?
Stay with the A-S500 or A-S501. The Yamaha integrated amps are much better than the stereo receiver counterpart. It's amp section is far better and will drive difficult loads better. It also features dual heat sinks and caps that are almost twice the size.
 
Yamaha; A-S501 or A-S500. Fantastic sound. Top notch construction and parts (although the knobs are plastic and not aluminum). I would purchase a separate tuner. I'm sure the R-S500 is very nice but the A-S500 is an award winning integrated. It is rated highly by users and critics alike. I personally use both the 500 and 501 as well as some wonderful vintage Yamaha integrateds. I love them all.
I am, however, an incurable Yamaha wonk.:thumbsup:
 
Thanks for all the replies, Yamaha seems to be the winner!So I just took the plunge and purchased the Yamaha A-S301 for a couple of reasons. Cost being # 1, I got it at Amazon with an $80 credit for the credit card offer, I do not need an insane amount of watts as most of my listening is near field and headphones and after much, much research it seems that the 301 supposedly is not as bright as the higher counterparts. Whether or not this is true remains to be seen but I also read about Onkyo's being the same, the lower wattage amps are less bright. It kinda makes sense but I am not a technician so I do not know. I primarily have older vintage speakers(Advent,EPI,KLH) so I am hoping the Yamaha brings out the best in them. Now the nervous waiting begins!
 
Let us know how it sounds! I have had a A-S501 sitting in my Amazon wish list for a while as a spare backup for my vintage Kenwood 700.. May have to pull that trigger.
 
I have sold off all my Yamaha stuff. After going under hood to clean pots and such, I started looking at their topology. Nicely laid out, but LOTs of proprietary chips and some become un-obtainium a few years after the model is released. Have not had that issue with Onkyo :)
 
Thanks for all the replies, Yamaha seems to be the winner!So I just took the plunge and purchased the Yamaha A-S301 for a couple of reasons. Cost being # 1, I got it at Amazon with an $80 credit for the credit card offer, I do not need an insane amount of watts as most of my listening is near field and headphones and after much, much research it seems that the 301 supposedly is not as bright as the higher counterparts. Whether or not this is true remains to be seen but I also read about Onkyo's being the same, the lower wattage amps are less bright. It kinda makes sense but I am not a technician so I do not know. I primarily have older vintage speakers(Advent,EPI,KLH) so I am hoping the Yamaha brings out the best in them. Now the nervous waiting begins!

At 60 wpc you will be happy with the 301; it's plenty of power. It should also pair very well with your vintage speakers. My new Yamaha's pair wonderfully with my vintage speakers and I couldn't be happier; well maybe if I owned a set of NS-1000's.:biggrin:
 
I've had the Yamaha amp for a week. I've paired it with all my speakers, tried numerous CD players, played numerous CD's and after much deliberation I've decided to send it back. Yes it does sound good, very clean, good soundstage but compared to my vintage receivers it doesn't come close. My HK350i which is only 20 watts /channel has way more guts. I'm guessing I'm so used to a big fat analog colored sound that everything else is weak and thin. If it was the only amp I listened to for a month or so I would be used to it and would grow to like it but I tend to switch out receivers and speakers every few months and from my short interaction with it, it would be the least likely one to be used. I like to keep an open mind and figured I would see what the new lower level gear sounds like(it's all I can afford at this time) However I do see why many of you like them, some music sounded really really good while other music not so much. Older Analog gear, for me tends to make most all music sound warm and big...
 
I'm sorry to hear you weren't happy with the 301. When you say some music sounded good and some didn't that makes a lot of sense. Yamaha's natural sound isn't very forgiving of poorly recorded music; especially when paired with Yamaha natural sound speakers!
Many of my favorite albums musically are rather poorly recorded which is incredibly disappointing. Anyway, happy hunting and good luck:thumbsup:
 
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