Take this, Onkyo - Yamaha introduces new under-$400 integrated amp and CD player

Danny Tse

Meet the new 60 watts/channel Yamaha A-S300 integrated amp....



and the Yamaha CD-S300 CD player with Burr Brown 192kHz/24-bit DAC....



And yes, both models are available in silver....just not in the US.

cnh

Quite a while back I bought the older version of the Yamaha A-S 500 from newegg at less than half price, a few days ago I decided to run the LSI-7s on it and the matching Yammie tuner (also at half price new) out of curiosity. I'll be damned if that 497 at 85 watts x 2 can't drive the 7s fairly well, and cleanly! Not as much PUNCH as my set up below and a little less bass weight but surprisingly passable for the money! I don't think the 500, which is one model up from the 300, also at 85w is much different than my 497. It's a little heavier, I believe, due to the idock and the separate power supply for it?

These amps are not quite as warm nor do they have as much headroom as the NADs, but they're pretty "clean" and "neutral" sounding! Worth a look for anyone on a "low" budget. Especially if you can get a "sale" price!

cnh

Clipdat

That CD-S300 sure looks interesting. The front USB port makes it pretty comparable to the Marantz cd6004 except the Yamaha is $200 less on Amazon.

Wonder how the burr-brown PCM1780 DAC compares to the cirrus logic CS4398...

erniejade

Still no sacd!! Onkyo C-S5VL LOL

dkg999

I like the retro look of the controls on the amp. Styling similar to the old silver faced Yamaha gear of the '70's.

Danny Tse

Rick88 wrote: »

I love them both so much that I bought a second amp for my bedroom, and will soon be getting another C-S5VL as well.

Better get that Onkyo C-S5VL SACD player soon....if you can find one now. From all indications, this model is being discontinued. Not any insider information, just an observation.

mhardy6647

FWIW, I think it's amusingly bizarre that Yamaha chose to repurpose their 1970s signature thin-line function control knobs as bass/treble/balalance pot knobs in the Twenty-first Century...

2010s:



1970s:



EDIT: Speaking of new Yamaha stuff... howzabout these?



http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=466724

transmaster

Not to worry;

http://www.onkyousa.com/prod_class.cfm?class=Amplifier&Source=sidemenu

cnh

That's the amp, the SACD is here:

http://www.onkyousa.com/prod_class.cfm?class=Compact%20Disc&Source=sidemenu

Even though it's listed that doesn't mean much. The Onkyo A-9555 was listed for months after production "stopped" and stock began to dwindle. Now it's off the site entirely and the lower powered and not quite as smooth sounding CS-5VL integrated is all that is left of that amplification technology. That was the step down model. But had Burr Brown DACs and a look that was vaguely reminiscent of an entry NAD (sort of--at least I think that's what this model is meant to compete with).

In various reviews the 5VL was described as less warm, less musical, more "digital" than it's bigger brother the A-9555 and the even better overseas, not available in the U.S. A-9755 (at almost 39 lbs.). Why they NEVER marketed this really nice integrated in the U.S., I saw it in Japan and China, I'll never understand! No market??

See internal shot of the larger more powerful A-9755 below! See link for specs:
http://www.uk.onkyo.com/en/products/a-9755-35181.html

cnh

Danny Tse

cnh wrote: »

Why they NEVER marketed this really nice integrated in the U.S., I saw it in Japan and China, I'll never understand! No market??

I see that Denon market their similarly-priced integrated amps and single-disc CD players in Hong Kong. So a city with a population of 7 million people has more demand for integrated amps/CD players than a country with 300 million?

onebadchad

Better Yet http://www.dedicatedaudio.com/inc/sdetail/23601/21926

cnh

That Cambridge is a nice piece but not in the same league as the Onkyo A9755 class D amp, I believe. But that's just my opinion. I should also disclose that I've always preferred the sound of NADs over similarly priced/powered Cambridge pieces. But that's all very "subjective"!

cnh

transmaster

I can have my cake and eat it too. I have a button turns my Onkyo TX-NR709 into stereo integrated amp called Pure Audio Mode. Everything that is not associated with the front right and left channels is shut down, even the display is visible only on demand. The sound reminds me of the Sansui integrated amps I once had, and wish I still had.

mhardy6647

Onkyo made, and still makes, some pretty good consumer-grade gear.