Sound quality is important for audiophiles or enthusiast which is why we are obsessed over a good speaker and expensive setup but, for a standard home entertainment, a good amplifier like Yamaha A-S301BL Vs Onkyo A-9010 should do most of the job. Both of them are highly rated Japanese amplifiers with amazing sound for the price range yet, it depends highly on the listeners as well. If you are eyeing these amps, see which model seems to be the best option, below.
In this article, we are going to give you information about:
- How to Shop for an Amplifier
- What are Yamaha A-S301BL and Onkyo A-9010
- What Yamaha A-S301BL and Onkyo A-9010 Look Like
- How are the Sound Quality of Yamaha A-S301BL and Onkyo A-9010
- What else Yamaha A-S301BL and Onkyo A-9010 can offer
- How are the Connectivity in Yamaha A-S301BL and Onkyo A-9010
- Yamaha A-S301BL Vs Onkyo A-9010
Contents
Matching Amp and Speaker
Building a home entertainment or multimedia room can be as simple and as complicated as you want them to be because there are various items we need to connect to each other and make sure they are properly working at the end while also fulfilling the preferred result. Speaker is a crucial part we need to pay lots of attention to because depending on each users, our taste will vary widely and it is not only about the sound quality but also the specification of each speaker.
For a full home theater system, we need a box to connect all of our equipment with an AV receiver like Marantz SR6012 Vs SR7012 to both handle the video and audio output but if yours only filled with speaker, the only box we need is an amplifier. In fact if your speaker is not a passive ones we don’t even need an amp to power them but if you are here then they must be passive and need amplifier to work.
Amplifier is widely available but the issues we often faced when shopping for one is how to match the amp with your speaker thus they can perform nicely and able to deliver enough volume in your room.
- First thing first is Impedance and we are sure most people are familiar with this term already because it is pretty straightforward in real life despite being actually complicated. In general our speakers have impedance rating such as between 4 and 8 ohms and amp that operate in this range can be connected to the speaker. We can connect higher impedance speakers to an amp but not those rated lower than the amp.
- The next popular metric and term used to determine speaker and amp suitability is power which is rated by watts and to put it simply it is translated into how much power it can deliver to drive your speaker, not the volume. Many huge companies list their speakers with required information on how much watt or a range needed to drive the speaker.
- Last but not least is sensitivity and this is closely related to power because speaker sensitivity is measured by putting one watt of power and measuring how loud the speaker is in a meter of distance in dB. Speaker’s sensitivity varied widely and to put things simply, the higher the dB, the less power needed to reach that volume compared to speaker with low sensitivity because the latter will need more power, means probably more expensive amp to produce the same level of sound.
| Yamaha A-S301BL | Onkyo A-9010 | |
|---|---|---|
| Best Offer | click here | click here |
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| Product Dimensions | 17.1 x 15.2 x 6 inches | 17.1 x 13.1 x 5.1 inches |
| Shipping Weight | 22.6 pounds | 17.72 pounds |
About Yamaha A-S301BL and Onkyo A-9010
If you have already written the specification needed by the speakers, now is the time to see what the market has to offer because not all of us are going to need the same amp and the best option should be the one that fits your system as well as budget range. Depending on how many speakers you will be connecting or drive together, checking the full specification of an amp is also necessary so make sure to read the product description and all of the important requirements.
Among those many amplifier brands, Yamaha and Onkyo are two well-known box when it comes to quality and we are aware that these Japanese companies are always offering the best they can provide with competitive price range. They carry lots of options or models from those with lower watt to higher end models that not only expensive but also reliable if you are driving a few sets of huge speakers. What you may want to pay attention is there might be few versions available based on where the product is marketed.
For those with speakers that require amps delivering 60 watts or 85 watts, Yamaha A-S301BL and Onkyo A-9010 are two amazing amps to try. Both of them are budget version which almost everyone can purchase to drive their speakers at home but notice that the A-9010 amp in our article today is the Japanese version and this model is more expensive than the one sold as US version but in terms of sound quality, it is the same as what you get from the UK version.
Yamaha A-S301BL on the other hand is also a favorite product from this price range and has been a favorite of lots of people since it was gracing the market not long ago. It is among the A-S line with several other amps inside but this model is currently one of the most affordable compared to its big brother A-S801 with power rating at 100 watts.
Yamaha A-S301BL and Onkyo A-9010 Design
In a glance, Yamaha A-S301BL and Onkyo A-9010 are looking like a close brothers because they are very similar to each other and we are sure if you put them side by side and just pass by, they will look like a product made by the same company. These amps are not thin nor looks modern because they are sportinga design in which we already familiar with since probably childhood era. As far as building quality, Onkyo wins here with metal knobs instead of plastic.
For aesthetic purposes, they are equally available in both black and silver version hence the A-S301 has BL in the back of its model while the silver version is SL. There are plenty of controls on the faceplate and both of them are coming with one remote control. They are made from plastic like any remote but we must admit that Onkyo have better remote here not only from the design but also ease of use to minimize confusion.
Yamaha A-S301BL and Onkyo A-9010 Performance
Now let’s hear what these boxes are delivering because the most important part of an amp is their sound quality and starting with Yamaha, this budget amp is not going to disappoint you because it has this nice and bold sound which gives the feeling of full-bodied and somehow mirror the amp design itself which is chunky. The midrange is nice with voice has its warmth nuance and overall should be easy on most people’s ears. Dynamically, there is light and shade to tracks as well as don’t have that alive sense.
Onkyo A-9010 on the other hand is sounding just like what you imagine a warm amp is, especially for the UK and JP version because musically, this amp will give you the expressive sound with lots of energy to offer and also combining the irresistible depth as well as details that makes this amp somehow feels so satisfying to listen to despite the different genre we may be attracted to. A simple note, pressing the Direct button will bypass the tone controls and help the amp sound cleaner and crispier.
Yamaha A-S301BL and Onkyo A-9010 Control Panel
Moving to the feature side, there is not much Yamaha A-S301BL and Onkyo A-9010 can offer since the EQ are mostly basic but starting with the first, Yamaha has knob to master volume, another one to choose the input, and the rest are mainly EQ including balance, treble, and bass as well as one knob for loudness. Onkyo on the other hand only has one master volume, input option, EQ with bass, treble, and balance, direct button, and loudness button.
Yamaha also have this convenient speaker selector at the front panel which show the status of your speaker whether they are currently in the off position, only a pair active, or both of them active at the same time. For those who plan to connect a headphone, both of these amps are also featured with a headphone jack at the front.
Yamaha A-S301BL and Onkyo A-9010 Connectivity
The last but not least is connectivity because it decides what you can connect to these amps. First in Yamaha we have CD input, phono jacks and GND terminal, audio input/output jacks, optical jack, coaxial jack and speaker terminals to send audio to 4 speakers (two sets), as well as subwoofer out to connect powered subwoofer. Onkyo has GND terminal, RI MODE switch, coaxial jack, optical jack, phono jacks, line in for CD players etc., line out jacks, and speaker terminals for two speakers (one set).
Yamaha A-S301BL Vs Onkyo A-9010
| Name | Yamaha A-S301BL | Onkyo A-9010 |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yamaha A-S301BL | Onkyo A-9010 |
| Features | - 60 W + 60 W (20 Hz:20 kHz, 0.019% THD) - Digital coax and TOSLINK optical input - Analog inputs including Phono - Speakers A, B, A+B with subwoofer output | - Rated output: 44W + 44W (8Ω) (1KHz, 0.08% or less THD - Audio input terminal: Analog × 5 (front × 1, rear × 4) / PHONO (MM) × 1 / audio output terminal: headphone jack (φ6.3mm) - Power and voltage: AC100V (50 / 60Hz) / power consumption - Accessories: remote control (RC-902S), for the remote control batteries |
| Ratings | 4.1 out of 5 Star | 4.1 out of 5 Star |
| Price | ||
| Best deal | Save Money Please click here | Save Money Please click here |
Yamaha A-S301BL and Onkyo A-9010 are two nice affordable options to power your speakers and they are actually sounds very nice yet, also different because when you compare the two while Yamaha also has this warm sound, it is lack of presence and not as engaging as how Onkyo deliver its sound especially with this Japanese version. Another prominent difference is Onkyo has nicer built quality but it only has one set of output to power two speakers left and right.
Conclusion
All in all the decision is all yours because not all of us will have the same preferences and it is best to follow what you need from the amp. For those with more than a set of speakers, Yamaha A-S301BL is an ideal choice but if you prefer better sound, we do recommend going with Onkyo A-9010.