Well I have the A-S701 and think is great for it's price. Same as the A-S801 except for the DAC. Not compared it to the R-N803.
Do believe the A-S801 (also 701) to be good buys in that price range. |
Anyone have insight on the Yamaha R-N803 vs the A-S801? I know the R-N803 has built in streaming capabilities but how does it sound compared to the A-S801? |
@perkadin
I agree with your comments on the shortcomings, I wish it had variable pre-outs as well. Having space constraints in the system it resides in the one box solution works very well and drives my Meadowlarks effortlessly. However I am curious to try some higher end AIO integrated amps and will probably do so soon. |
Can’t comment of the Marantz unit but I do have the 803 in my living room system paired with Meadowlark Herron I’s and I think its a fantastic bargain. The sound quality is very good for the money. I’ve had more than a few costlier amps in this system and the 803 has more than held it’s own. To name just a few: Kinki EX-M1, Primare I30, Hegel H160, Yamaha AS2100, Wells Audio Majestic, Denon PMA 160one, Vincent SV 226 mk, SimAudio i3.3. For the money you can’t go wrong with the 803. |
There are two big features I wished the Yamaha 803 had, their sound enhancer for compressed files and pre outs (to upgrade the amp section at some point). Although the power amp is optimized for stereo playback and is better then most of their multichannel AV offerings, there are better options out there in the used market. For example the 803 can be found used for around 500-600. With that budget I’d recommend something like the Yamaha WXC-50 streamer / pre instead ($300 or less) and a dedicated 2ch amp like a Linn LK140, ATI1502, Adcom 5400 etc (around $300-400). Or use the WXC-50 as a streamer/DAC and go w an entry level integrated amp (NAD/Rotel/Arcam). The options are endless.
I’m not saying the 803 isn’t a great value, it is one of the best values for a single box solution, but it’s limited from an upgrade standpoint. |
Yamaha is one of the worlds largest firms with some of the world greatest engineers .
Marantz is a name held by a financial firm .
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@sbayne Another Bayne here, I'm debating between Yamaha R-N803 and the Marantz PM7000N. I have the Marantz and it sounds great except for the midrange is a little lacking for my ears but otherwise it is amazing. I have other Yamaha equipment and want to keep the MusicCast ecosystem. One problem with the Marantz is that it gets real loud even at 25% (driving B&W 606 S2) so there is some detail I miss at lower volumes and the next tick is too loud (using the app). How is the Yamaha sound and volume? |
@mike_in_nc - yeah that's probably true. I admit I wasn't very patient with YPAO. Since I've been working from home because of COVID-19 this may a good time delve in to it again. |
@sbayne - My experience is, all those programs (e.g., YPAO, ARC) have a learning curve if you want to get the best from them. Careful measurement, careful listening, careful tweaking. That said, none of that matters if you're doing it all by ear (the final judge).
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@kren0006 - all good points.
@mike_in_nc - I didn't like what the YPAO did. It just doesn’t sound as good as the Pure Direct feature and then tuning by ear. I messed around with ARC on an Anthem integrated at a dealer. The salesperson just kind of stood there and watched. So I didn’t get much from it. |
The biggest thing that tipped me toward the marantz was the superior dac vs the Yamaha. Marantz uses 32 bit AK 4490 dac, while the Yamaha uses a 24 bit ess 9006 dac. To me that alone was more than worth the extra $250, as I much prefer AK sound to ess sound, but that’s personal preference.
I also like the toroidal transformer that the marantz uses in its power supply vs the EI transformer the Yamaha uses (note the brand new Yamaha integrated amps at much higher msrps just went toroidal as well).
But again, no slight of the Yamaha and I agree it’s great deal for $750. Just explaining why the marantz was worth the extra cost to me. |
When in doubt it’s hard to go wrong with Yamaha. |
It seems like a great deal for the price, as you said. And I do like the Yamaha styling in general. It's hard to believe that a better unit with all those features would be available any cheaper.
I'm curious. Have you have used YPAO? If so, what do you think of it? Have you compared it to other similar software (like Dirac or ARC)?
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Kren0006 - yep the Marantz is very similar. Main difference is it only has 60 watts and only one set of binding posts. Also no speaker correction. The retail price is a couple hundred more like you indicate. I assume everything works like it should since it’s Marantz. Lots of value. |
Marantz pm7000n at $999 is a worthy competitor, albeit at a slightly higher msrp. One of the Brit mags reviewed the Marantz and declared it the best all-in-one under a grand, and specifically noted that it bested the Bluesound Powernode 2i. I haven't compared it to the R-N803.
Anyway, this isn't to rain on the Yam's parade. Glad you are enjoying it. Great time to be into all-in-one's with the options available! |
