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Authorized dealers for Yamaha A-S501

  • Absoulute Audio plus Video — in-store — Aiken, South Carolina, United States (website)
  • The Music Room — online and in-store — Erie, Colorado, United States (website)
  • 138 Quaiduson — online and in-store — Lille, Hauts-de-France, France (website)
  • A1 Futureshop — online and in-store — North Rocks, New South Wales, Australia (website)
  • Abt Electronics — online and in-store — Glenview, Illinois, United States (website)
  • Accessories 4 less — online and in-store — Apopka, Florida, United States (website)
  • Acclaim Sound and Light — online and in-store — North Bay, Ontario, Canada (website)
  • Acoustic Sound Design — online and in-store — Las Vegas, Nevada, United States (website)
  • Acoustic Sounds — online and in-store — Salina, Kansas, United States (website)
  • Acton Gate Audio — online and in-store — Cymru, United Kingdom (website)

and 298 more verified dealers

Yamaha A-S501 #1
Yamaha A-S501 variant 1
Yamaha A-S501 variant 2

Yamaha A-S501

United States flag
View at Yamaha
Specifications9 reviews & sources
86/100
Rating for A-S501

Nicely Roasted

Sound Quality

88/100

Build Quality

83/100

Features Connectivity

86/100

Value for Money

85/100

With clean, fatigue-free sound and genuinely confident drive, the Yamaha A-S501 gives traditional hi-fi systems a muscular, inviting centrepiece. Joe N Tell found it engaging across varied speakers, while Pure Direct, MM phono, and optical/coaxial inputs add welcome flexibility. Its 85W-per-channel output and fine volume control make long listening sessions especially satisfying.

Pros

Clean, unfatiguing presentation encourages extended listening across different speaker pairings.

Confident, clean power delivery is reported to handle 4-, 6-, and 8-ohm speakers well.

Useful traditional connectivity includes analogue, optical, coaxial, and moving-magnet phono inputs, plus Pure Direct mode.

Cons

Volume and input-selector knobs are plastic despite initially appearing to be metal.

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What Reviewers Are Saying

"it just made me want to turn it up and listen for longer periods of time"

— Joe N Tell

SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 88/100

The review characterizes the A-S501 as clean-sounding, enjoyable, and free of listening fatigue, with an inviting quality that encouraged longer and louder sessions. Its power delivery is also praised as capable across a wide range of speaker loads, though the supplied review offers limited detail on fine spatial traits.

Transparency Resolution

87/100

Joe N Tell describes the amplifier's power and sound as clean, and notes that it sounded better in certain comparisons. The review does not provide detailed observations about low-level detail, background silence, or ultimate resolution.

Tonal Balance Musicality

90/100

The reviewer found all of the listening combinations enjoyable and specifically reported no listening fatigue. Its presentation made him want to turn the volume up and keep listening, pointing to an easy, musically engaging balance.

Dynamics

90/100

Joe N Tell calls the A-S501's output clean and expects it to drive many speakers successfully, including 4-, 6-, and 8-ohm designs. That agrees with Yamaha's substantial dynamic-power figures and suggests confident control for an amplifier of this type.

Soundstage Imaging

86/100

The review gives an overall positive account of the A-S501's sound and listener engagement, without raising concerns about an unclear or constrained stereo presentation. It does not, however, describe stage width, depth, image specificity, or layering in detail.

Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.

Build Quality

83/100

The reviewer likes the amplifier's appearance and notes an aluminum front panel. He also found that the volume and input-selector knobs, which initially appeared to be metal, are actually plastic; the supplied review says little about internal construction or long-term durability.

Features Connectivity

86/100

The A-S501 provides four analogue inputs, optical and coaxial digital inputs, a moving-magnet phono input, subwoofer output, and bass/treble controls with a Pure Direct bypass mode. This is a flexible traditional integrated-amplifier feature set, although it lacks modern network streaming, USB audio, HDMI-ARC, and built-in wireless playback.

Value for Money

85/100

At roughly $449 to $650, the A-S501 combines 85W per channel with phono and digital connectivity that make it practical for a conventional hi-fi or TV-based system. The supplied review is enthusiastic about the amplifier but does not directly compare its asking price with competing models or make a specific value claim.

Reviews & Sources

Professional reviews and sources for this product's Watt'n Potatoes analysis.

Online Reviews & Mentions

YouTube Reviews

Forum Mentions

No forum mentions found yet

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Specifications

Minimum RMS Output Power (8 ohms, 20 Hz-20 kHz)
85 W + 85 W (0.019% THD)
High Dynamic Power/Channel (8/6/4/2 ohms)
130 / 150 / 185 / 220 W
Frequency Response
10 Hz -100 kHz +/- 1.0 dB
Total Harmonic Distortion (CD to Sp Out, 20 Hz-20 kHz)
0.019% (50 W / 8 ohms)
Signal-to-Noise Ratio (CD)
99 dB (input shorted, 200 mV)
Damping Factor
240
Digital Input
Yes (optical / coaxial)
Audio In / Out
8 / 2
Subwoofer Out
Yes
Pure Direct
Yes
ToP-ART
Yes
DC out
Yes
Standby Power Consumption
0.5 W
Power Management (Auto Power Standby)
Yes
Dimensions (W x H x D)
17-1/8" x 6" x 15-1/4"
Weight
22.7 lbs.
Phono Stage
Headphone Output
Tone Controls
Remote Control
Pre-Out

Manufacturer's Description — Yamaha

A-S501 Integrated Amplifier

Impressive high quality sound with a wide range of features and an elegant appearance. An integrated amplifier with the advantage of digital inputs.


  • 85 W x 2-ch (20 Hz - 20 kHz)
  • Digital audio inputs for TV and Blu-ray Disc™ player
  • Pure Direct mode for greater sound purity
  • ToP-ART (Total Purity Audio Reproduction Technology) and high quality parts
  • I/O (input to output) direct symmetrical design
  • ART (Anti-Resonance and Tough) Base
  • Custom-made power transformer / 12,000 µF block capacitors / extruded aluminum heat sinks
  • Gold-plated speaker terminals and RCA terminals
  • Simple yet sophisticated design (aluminum front panel)
  • Continuously Variable Loudness Control

High sound quality circuit design based on the ToP-ART (Total Purity Audio Reproduction Technology) concept

ToP-ART Design and ART Base Ensure Optimum Sound When processing and transmission of the audio signal is simple and direct there is less chance of it being affected by noise and distortion. Yamaha’s amplifier design technology called ToP-ART features an I/O (input to output) Direct Symmetrical Design, with left and right channels organised in a straight, symmetrical layout for highest signal purity. In addition, the ART (Anti-Resonance and Tough) Base bottom chassis and a solid centre bar provide high-rigidity support and vibration damping. These Yamaha design innovations contribute to this amplifiers’ rich audio reproduction with abundant musicality.


High Quality Parts for Outstanding Audio Performance

Custom-made power transformer, custom-made block capacitors, two direct signal path speaker relays, one-point grounding system, aluminium-extruded heat sinks and other top-quality parts effortlessly handle demanding audio signal conditions. The quality of each individual part, as well as how they work together, basically determines the sound quality of any component. Yamaha uses only very high quality parts, carefully selected and tested.


Created by Yamaha's Rich Experience and Tradition, and High Technological Expertise

Yamaha, with a long history of over 125 years as a musical instrument maker, also has a high reputation for HiFi components. The A-S501 is created by taking advantage of this rich experience and high technological expertise. Based on the concept of “Natural Sound”, for reproducing all music as it really sounds, and built with scrupulous care from circuit design to basic sound production, even though an entry model it reproduces high sound quality and musically rich sound.


Pure Direct Mode for Greater Sound Purity

The Pure Direct mode causes the music signals to travel the shortest possible circuit route, bypassing the buffer amp and the tone, loudness and balance controls to virtually eliminate any signal degradation for the purest sound quality.


Continuously Variable Loudness Control

The A-S501 also feature a new analogue loudness control on the front panel that uses electronic volume for higher sound quality, which lets you adjust the loudness effect as desired. Separate from the overall volume, this controls the balance of the low- and high- frequency sounds, providing full tonal range at any volume level, compensating for the natural loss in the human ear of high and low frequencies at soft levels.


Gold-plated Terminals

Gold-plated terminals ensure a high quality connection that prevents signal loss. The A-S501 have Gold-plated speaker terminals and RCA (CD, Phono) and coaxial terminals.


Digital Audio Input for TV and/or Blu-ray Player

The A-S501 is equipped for digital audio input with both optical and coaxial terminals. The optical is for receiving audio from a TV, and the coaxial for receiving audio from a Blu-ray player. The audio stays in the digital domain, giving you pure, pristine dynamic sound for all your entertainment sources, from sports and other programmes to movies and concerts.


Connection for YBA-11 Bluetooth Wireless Adapter

With the YBA-11, you’ll be able to stream music wirelessly from a Bluetooth capable mobile phone or a PC to the Network receiver. Thanks to the digital connection and aptX® audio coding algorithm, you’ll enjoy wireless music streaming with optimum sound quality. You can also conveniently power the YBA-11 via the DC-out connection on the rear panel of the amplifier.


Speaker A, B or A+B Selection and Speaker Terminals for Two Systems

You can connect two separate speaker systems in different rooms and switch between them, or have them both playing at the same time. There are four terminals, so by just pushing a button, you can switch speakers to match the sound source.


Subwoofer Terminal

A terminal for connecting a subwoofer is provided, allowing you to increase the bass output of your system for a more powerful sound with better overall sound quality.


Phono MM Terminal

You can connect a turntable with an MM phono cartridge to play vinyl records. This lets you enjoy not only CDs, but also analogue record sound from an amp with the latest digital/analogue technology.


Simple yet Sophisticated Design

With a beautifully simple and unique design inherited directly from Yamaha’s HiFi audio components, this amplifier also boast an easy-to-operate button layout. The aluminium front panel has a richly textured silver hairline finish.


Remote Control with Clean, Simple Design

The clean, simple design of the remote control provides easy-to-understand one-hand operation. The easy-to-use design makes it simple to adjust song volume and order. The unit has a sophisticated looking hairline finish that matches the design of the amplifiers. You can also use the remote to control a Yamaha CD player.


Rotary Encoder Input Selector with LEDs

The rotary encoder makes it quick and easy to select input sources. The luxury hairline finish material offers a nice tactile feeling. LEDs clearly show which source is selected, so you can easily switch sources even in a dark room.


Auto Power Standby Function

The amplifier has a power management function that detects when it hasn't been used for a long time (about 8 hours) even though the power is on, and automatically shifts it into standby mode. So even if you forget to turn it off, power consumption will be minimised.


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Authorized dealers for Yamaha A-S501

  • Absoulute Audio plus Video — in-store — Aiken, South Carolina, United States (website)
  • The Music Room — online and in-store — Erie, Colorado, United States (website)
  • 138 Quaiduson — online and in-store — Lille, Hauts-de-France, France (website)
  • A1 Futureshop — online and in-store — North Rocks, New South Wales, Australia (website)
  • Abt Electronics — online and in-store — Glenview, Illinois, United States (website)
  • Accessories 4 less — online and in-store — Apopka, Florida, United States (website)
  • Acclaim Sound and Light — online and in-store — North Bay, Ontario, Canada (website)
  • Acoustic Sound Design — online and in-store — Las Vegas, Nevada, United States (website)
  • Acoustic Sounds — online and in-store — Salina, Kansas, United States (website)
  • Acton Gate Audio — online and in-store — Cymru, United Kingdom (website)

and 298 more verified dealers