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Power Rating: Onkyo vs Yamaha

Hi, everyone!

I am browsing for an integrated amplifier and I stumbled upon the Onkyo A-9150, that meets all my requirements (budget, good sound, discreet class AB design, internal DAC, pre-out, phono, the whole package), but I am really curious by its power rating.

Looking at the specs, it is rated as 60W/4-ohm and 30W/8-ohm with 0.08% THD from 20 to 20,000Hz. Okay, but the manual also states that it weighs 9.2 Kg, almost the same (even heavier) as the Yamaha A-S301, that weighs 9.0 Kg. Only the Yamaha is rated as 60W/8-ohm and 70W/4-ohm with 0.019 THD from 20 to 20,000Hz. Upon inspection of pictures over the internet, their transformers are pretty much identical, just like their chassis, and 

How come is this difference in power so big? Any ideas?

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PS.: If you look in their service manuals, I guess you will find that their topology is the same and that the Onkyo A-9150 amplifier transistors are even more powerful than the Yamaha A-S301's.
rafapb

Showing 5 responses by rafapb

rafapb OP
5 posts
 
Oh, and the Onkyo has two 10,000 uF capacitors, and the Yamaha two 6,800 uF caps.
rafapb OP
5 posts
 
Sorry, I made a mistake! Actually the Yamaha is not rated for minimum RMS power for 4-ohm, but for 6-ohm (and 0.038% THD).The numbers for 8-ohm are alright.

The lower capacitance reserve in the power supply may be justified if it’s being regulated in some fashion. The significantly lower distortion does suggest a better engineered power suppy. They Yamaha clearly operates higher voltage rails and provides more current.

I am definitely no expert, but for what I have seen in the service manual (very superficially), the power supplies seemed very similar to me. And the voltages indicated in the power amplifier section were 40 V for the Yamaha A-301 and 37.5 V for the Onkyo A-9150. I don't know if that difference is significant to that point.

Is it possible that the Onkyo has some kind of gain adjustment to leave current headroom on purpose?

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PS: I also noticed that the idling current adjustments are different: the Yamaha asks for 1-10mV on the emitter resistor, while the Onkyo asks for 20-30mV. Maybe there's something in that, but I just don't know enough to make something of this.
rafapb OP
5 posts
 
What speakers are you going to pair this integrated with?

I intend to pair them with Tekton Lore References. They should work great, but knowing they can handle so much more power, it is tempting to try and squeeze something more out of this Onkyo unit. I feel it should be able to output more than that, but I don't know why it can't.

rafapb OP
5 posts
 
I have only one problem with the whole Yamaha line: no pre-amp output!
rafapb OP
5 posts
 
Sorry, but I think you’re splitting hairs with the amps. For practical considerations, one is not any more powerful than the other.

I know it is silly to be concerned with such a difference, but I really want to invest my money on the best possible piece of equipment, one that could be useful to me, and that I could enjoy, and even be proud of, for decades to come. This, along with my natural curiosity, makes for a hell of a treasure hunt.

At the Onkyo’s retail price of $499, Yamaha’s contender is the A-S501, not the 301.

It seemed to me that, as fas as power is concerned, the A-S301 would be the most fair contender. If we compare the Onkyo A-9150 to the A-S501, then the power difference is even bigger, but for the price it seems a very nice amp.

The A-S501 has the stronger power supply

By the way, I think the transformer of the A-S301 is rated for 6A, and the A-S501’s is rated for 8A. I couldn’t find anything on the Onkyo A-9150, but it is really similar to the 301’s. As for topology and regulation and other more technical stuff, they also seem similar to me, but I am no expert.



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