expirediconian | Staff posted Dec 08, 2024 12:31 AM
Item 1 of 2
Item 1 of 2
expirediconian | Staff posted Dec 08, 2024 12:31 AM
Yamaha A-S801 2-Channel Integrated Amplifier
+ Free Shipping$599
$900
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I got 90% off!
linky [amazon.com]
of course, I am comparing apples to rocks...
and it's a class D so it must be better than class AB! yeah...right.
I got 90% off!
linky [amazon.com]
of course, I am comparing apples to rocks...
and it's a class D so it must be better than class AB! yeah...right.
Use room EQ if you want to color your sound.
https://www.celsus-sound.com/av-r...-receiver/
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For me the Hypex was nice, but I'd rather have this A-S801 personally. An integrated amplifier is just easier as you don't need to add a pre-amp. And for people like me who just want a 2-channel music system where you can plug in multiple sources like a streamer, CD player, turntable, etc. this is a much simpler solution. This amp puts out enough power for most loudspeakers on the market (measured ~118 Watts into 8 ohms) and also just looks better than those Hypex and Purifi amps, which typically use DIY style cases.
And you would not be able to tell any sonic difference between this and those nice Class D amps. This measured just as well at ASR as Hypex NC252MP based amps from Buckeye and IOM, and this uses higher quality Japanese parts (capacitors from Nichicon, Nippon Chemi-con, etc) versus those Hypex amps so this amp is likely to last longer than those. I've read reports of some failures from Hypex NC-252MP and Fosi V3 amps.
But I suppose if you were just wanting a simple desktop setup for one source (PC), then a small Class D power amp makes sense there. Or if you need power for multi-channel home theater then adding Class D amps off your AVR makes sense. Or if you need balanced input maybe. Those were not important for me so I like this integrated better.
Use room EQ if you want to color your sound.
Here's my understanding, from a general standpoint without looking at corner cases:
The benefit of a class D design is its power efficiency since the output stage is typically driven by MOSFETs in a Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) setup, somewhat similar to a switching power supply. It is widely used in car audio amplification due to its size and power benefits, and since the typical car audio environment is already very noisy, High Fidelity sound quality is not as important as the typical home usage. You can argue that for sound theater usage, sound quality is less important than just pure music listening, well to each its own.
The typical class AB design has a totem-pole setup with push-pull transistors driving the output stage. Power-wise, this design is less power efficient than class D since at least one of the 2 totem-pole configured transistor setup is always on and thus dissipates more power as compared to class D. So a class AB design is less beneficial in car audio due to its larger physical size since big metal heatsinks are needed to keep the unit cool, especially for high power amps that are needed to drive large subwoofers. For sound-quality, although not as good as pure class A design, it is typically considered better than a class D design, that is comparing at the same price range (if you want to compare apples to apples). For the typical home usage where size, heat, and power tradeoffs are not as stringent as the typical 12VDC car environment, the class AB design offers better sound quality at around the same price point as class D.
Here is some more info on comparison of the 2 design:
https://caraudioadvisor.com/class-d-amplifier-vs-class-ab/#:~:text=But%20class%20d%20amplifier%20vs,... [caraudioadvisor.com]
Bruno Putzeys (designer of Hypex, Purifi, Mola Mola) and ICEPower solved those issues years ago and now they sound great. Even cheaper models using the Texas Instruments TI TPA3255 amp chip sound much better than those old Class D amps.
Personally, I like having more traditional integrated amplifier like this Yamaha in my setup, but sound wise I didn't have any issues with the Hypex Class D module power amp that I owned before. If you are looking for an amp to not color the sound in any way then Class D from Hypex and Purifi is a good option these days. Even hifi brands like NAD and Cambridge Audio are using Hypex and Purifi modules in their flagship amplifiers.
Bruno Putzeys (designer of Hypex, Purifi, Mola Mola) and ICEPower solved those issues years ago and now they sound great. Even cheaper models using the Texas Instruments TI TPA3255 amp chip sound much better than those old Class D amps.
Personally, I like having more traditional integrated amplifier like this Yamaha in my setup, but sound wise I didn't have any issues with the Hypex Class D module power amp that I owned before. If you are looking for an amp to not color the sound in any way then Class D from Hypex and Purifi is a good option these days. Even hifi brands like NAD and Cambridge Audio are using Hypex and Purifi modules in their flagship amplifiers.
Personally, I used primarily class AB and A for my main systems. Bought both the A-S701 and A-801 to replace older home theater receivers from Onkyo and Yamaha. The integrate amps were a good upgrade sonically for High Fidelity listening as compared to those receivers. One of the units is driving a pair of Polk LSim 707 tower speaks and the other driving a pair of recently acquired KEF Q750 towers. I am convinced that the discounted price I paid for these integrate amps suits the relatively high power needs for my tower speakers as opposed to class D offerings at similar price range. That is, considering the music genre and listen room requirements for my usage. I only have class D amps to drive 2 miniature desktop speakers and one in a car driving a 4 channel system.
There are different benefits to different design to fit different needs as there are always tradeoffs in different designs. It really comes down to personal preference priority that may be limited by budgetary and listening environment constraints.
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