I just got the A-S501. I'm no audiophile, but I enjoy listening to music at the highest fidelity I can muster. Take that for what you may. To my ears, the sound is very clear, crisp and detailed. I agree with other reviewers who have described the sound signature as relaxed. The machine is powerful, yet what you notice is the music, not anything the amp is doing to it. Without a doubt, it is high quality sound, and anyone who picks one up will likely be very please with it.
It's probably harder to tell the differences after having gone thru the recording equipment, compressed and uploaded to UA-cam. I can't tell the difference. If the experience is the same in person, I would choose the Yamaha at nearly half the cost of the Cambridge. I also like the retro look of the Yamaha.
Good test. Both sound the same for me. Congratulations to the listeners who hear any differences. Optimal test circumstances. Not even the amps have changed their positions.
I've had the 501 for a few years and I'm really happy with it. DAC seems decent too. My previous amp was Cambridge A5 which I also liked a lot. I prefer the Yamaha but it did cost more. I don't think anyone should be put off by the Cambridge/Richer connection. Seems like decent kit to me.
I’ve own the Yamaha for 3 years now and I love it. It might be my crappy phone speakers but I really can’t tell a difference. I really love my Yamaha though and wouldn’t change it unless it is an upgrade for the 701 or 1200 and above.
Great job on level-matching! Both sound great, with very subtle differences between the two. The sonic signatures are very similar. The Yamaha is the better value, especially considering it has tone controls.
Listening again months later, the Cambridge sounds nearly as clean, but is a bit warmer in the midrange and more texturaly smooth there too. The A-S501 has a bit more top end harmonic detail and overall energy, but it's sharper edges sound a bit hard to me with the Meta's. I prefer the CXA-61 with them.
I own A S501 and previously owned a Cambridge cx81 which is one model above the cx61. They both sound amazing and it really comes down to preference between the 2 amps. Yamaha has a more forward sound and the Cambridge is a little more laid back sounding. Things like the type of music you listen to, the recording quality and the speakers will have more of an impact on the perceived quality of sound. I’d recommend the A S501 due to the significant price difference as it’s approx 50% cheaper than the Cambridge where I live. Then put the savings towards buying better speakers and or a solid music streamer or CD player.
To me: Yamaha wins with vocals but it falls a part when there are several instruments at once, it sounds less precise to me. I liked the bass guitar more with the CXA61 (more "compact" and defined). A-S501 has more body which I liked but highs are sharper. Almost forgot: if I had the money I would choose the CXA61 but with my wallet I would pick the Yamaha. They are close, after all the sound can be adjusted with some EQ and with other speakers the Yamaha could sound better to my ears.
I heard what you heard there too. The CXA has a better grip if the bassline (track 2) but the Yamaha came forward with a touch more punch and clarity overall but does lose a little composure with the bassline.
Excellent comparison. I can't hear much of a difference at all between the two with my Shure headphones. I bet pushing the amps harder would reveal more differences. I like the looks of the Yamaha more. I have the A-S801. Very pleased with it.
Hmmm...Sprzęty podłączone Bi-wire,ale wydaje mi się że Yamaha gra troszeczku lepiej.Chciałem zamienić Yamaha r-n 301 na Cambridge CXA61.Ale teraz już sam nie wiem?!🤔
The Yamaha has the classic Japanese hifi bright and lively thing goin' on. The Cambridge is slightly richer in tone and texture, but not cleaner sounding.
Good effort. I streamed it to my Denon amp and Elac speakers. Not perfect but better than my phone. The yamaha sounds slightly fuller, maybe elevated upper bass. The CA sounds a bit shrill to my ears, but they're close. Anyone who would ever describe it as night and day, massive difference and other similar hyperbole is talking nonsense
I'm using HD600 to compare the differences. The CXA61 sounds a bit nasally to my ears in the first track. While the AS501 sounds more balanced and mid forward. On the second track, the CXA61 sounds a lot cleaner in the vocals than the AS501 but both sound pretty similar. On the third track, the CXA61 again sounds nasally and not as well-balanced than the AS501. Overall, I liked the AS501 sound better in this comparison video. Both are great amplifiers, I don't think you'd go wrong with either.
I have an A-S301, After listening to this comparison, I think for such a small difference, I better keep my yamaha and save money... and yamaha sounds more detailed, it is perfect to use a tube preamp and play with color.
Sometimes I swear I can hear a difference then other times they sound identical. On loud passages they sound the same. On softer passages there seems to be a slight flavor variance.
Everything else being equal, I chose the Yamaha because of the tone controls. The variable "loudness" is effectively a midrange control.... a rarity these days. Long gone are equalizers allowing you to decide the frequency curves, and ven Marantz stopped including a midrange control..... a feature that set them apart from most others. Many amplifiers today have no "bass/treble" controls at all.
What hifi seem to have a vendetta against Yamaha. It's a matter of taste ,Cambridge sound signature has great detail,but Yamaha is just fantastic with full punch.
Not sure about that as they gave the AS-500 5 stars. I think they just expected a little more than what they were given as they said the AS-501 sounds better balanced than the as-500 and still only gave it 4 stars..maybe different reviewer with different ears or just time difference and tech advance since...
This is how comparisons should be done. I wish you had played some audiophile recordings for better comparison. Vocals in the first two songs were already too smudged to pick up any substantive differences.
I have a cxa 60 and I think it sounds better than both these, And that is through demo's at the dealers.If you can still get a cut price 60 I would go for that.
Cambridge sounds punchier, the bass guitar sounds heavier and clearer. Yammy sounds brighter and somewhat more disorted. Update on my comment after coming back to this video and listening with better headphones and DAC: Yamaha does not sound "disorted" nor less punchy (whatever I meant here) but Yammy sounds cleaner as if it adds with better dynamic range! Which is totally on a plus side.
I hate to do this but I have to leave this comment. I watched this twice. The first time I watched the cues switch between the two amps and I could tell you that the CXA sounded better to me but decided to repeat the view but this time did not look at the video and except for when the audio (rarely) cut out to make the switch I could not tell when it made the switch let alone which one was better…
Yamaha sounds “airier “ all over the spectrum. Fatigue in the long run. Cambridge more even, clear natural. Personally am I not a fan of these KEF. Sounds a bit shouted. Like a horn.
Without visuals, and without any audible switching between the two, I don't believe they sound any different, which is no surprise, since the greatest source of perceivable audio differences will almost always be the speakers (unless you're comparing a CD to a very bad tape recording...😉😉).
Always, ALWAYS, leave the impedance switch on the amp at 8 ohms and not 4 ohms, even if your speakers are 4 ohms. This is because that 4 ohm mode on the amp is limiting power to pass a few ridiculous safety standards (UL test certification for example) in a few countries. 4 ohm mode will reduce power drastically in most cases.
I'm listening on Grado SR80e headphones and the difference in the sound is SO, SO slight. Almost imperceptible. I did hear a large difference between the ARX85 and CXA61 on a different video on this channel. So I'm not deaf. Pick the least expensive one and you can't go wrong.
Yamaha is brighter and bassier, Cambridge is more balanced and have tighter control. With these loudspeakers Cambridge sound better, with another speakers it could be Yamaha.
why do you test all this amps with so limited in range speakers? maybe it depends on your mic but they all sound nasal . I think one of the important feature is how amps handle basses. It's impossible to hear thei extensions with such microscopic speakers. I prefer yamaha in this test. This cambridge sounds too much controlled and limited in dynamic in high frequencies.
I think the Cambridge is more neutral lay back and listen to your music sound The Yamaha to bright as sooner or later depending on the speaker the clarity on horn tweeters could make your ears fatigued.
Very very small difference I would say. Tiny bit more clearity in the Yamaha. A bit more punchy bass. Cambridge is a bit more balanced. Allround. But both seems to sound very good.
La sonorité est proche entre les deux. Un essai avec une enceinte trois voies permettrais peut-être d'entendre plus de différences . Par contre pour le design du Yamaha " vintage " et sa hauteur démesuré ne me plaît pas.
The CA is clearly the better amplifier. More refined and much better bass control. The Yammy sounds bloated in the bass, that may not be so obvious with bass shy speakers such as the LS50 but try it with something bigger, bassier and ... . Not surprisingly really, the CA has a better power supply.
@@aficionadohiend it depends on room size and positioning, I have the LS50 meta in a crowded 20m2 room and they do fine with bass, but I can see how in a larger untreated room they would definately need a sub, you can only get so much bass from such a small driver
Le prix est doublé pour le Cambridge et finalement ce n'est pas le jour et la nuit. La Kef a une sonorité qui n'est pas la plus courante. Le Yamaha l'emporte pour le prix et la sonorité car la puissance est bien présente. Seul le design old school que je n'apprécie pas trop.
Let me understand this: E Project creates a series of audio avalanches chock full of uncontrolled variables and folks are supposed to use that information to make informed purchase decisions ranging from $250 to $5,000? Really? From the time some kind of audio signal is moved from its recorded resting place, passes through a chain of electronic and aural modifications, and eventually lands at an individual's eardrums (tens of thousands of unique electro/audio chains), a rational decision is expected? I tend to be a bit skeptical of self-proclaimed audiophiles, but these comparisons do have one credible function: Anyone who believes these videos are useful can't possibly be an audiophile -- or even a critical thinker.
I'm sorry but I find these comparison's pretty much useless, after the impurities and noise added by recording, uploading, UA-cam, downloading,your own system idiosyncrasies - we've really got no idea how it really sounds. I only listen to these in the hope of finding good music that I haven't discovered yet. I not deliberately being a hater,but that's the truth of it that I see.
They sound the same. Whoever can tell a difference please let me borrow your ears. There’s not even a nuance here or there that can give me a hint of difference.
![[Blind Test Result] R3 with 4 different Amplifiers -Yamaha A-S301/Arcam SA10/Audiolab 6000A/NAD C388](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/3hwBVAHDd7k/mqdefault.jpg)
![[Blind Test Result] R3 with 4 different Amplifiers -Yamaha A-S301/Arcam SA10/Audiolab 6000A/NAD C388](/img/tr.png)
![[SOUND BATTLE] Cambridge Audio CXA81 vs CXA61 "THE MORE POWER, THE BETTER?" [Blind Test] LS50 Meta](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/VpUbT_6eW34/mqdefault.jpg)
What this tells me is that I am constantly reminded how good Yamaha amplifiers are for their cost.
I love my Yamaha A-S501 with my vintage Realistic 12 Band Frequency Eq model 31-2010 IMX Expander, makes sure nothing goes unheard.
I just got the A-S501. I'm no audiophile, but I enjoy listening to music at the highest fidelity I can muster. Take that for what you may. To my ears, the sound is very clear, crisp and detailed. I agree with other reviewers who have described the sound signature as relaxed. The machine is powerful, yet what you notice is the music, not anything the amp is doing to it. Without a doubt, it is high quality sound, and anyone who picks one up will likely be very please with it.
Get a nice input source and the amp opens up.
Yamaha wins....fuller richer sounding....i believe yamaha as 301, 501, 701 are the best amps in their price category among every amp out there
It's probably harder to tell the differences after having gone thru the recording equipment, compressed and uploaded to UA-cam. I can't tell the difference. If the experience is the same in person, I would choose the Yamaha at nearly half the cost of the Cambridge. I also like the retro look of the Yamaha.
Good test. Both sound the same for me. Congratulations to the listeners who hear any differences. Optimal test circumstances. Not even the amps have changed their positions.
Great comparison! I have Yamaha A-S501 and I love it. Really good amplifier with a lot of power - measurement showed 2x 138 W at 4 ohm.
I've had the 501 for a few years and I'm really happy with it. DAC seems decent too. My previous amp was Cambridge A5 which I also liked a lot. I prefer the Yamaha but it did cost more. I don't think anyone should be put off by the Cambridge/Richer connection. Seems like decent kit to me.
What amp are you on now?
@@AbsoluteFidelity still using the 501. Changed my speakers to KEF Q350. Sounding great to me.
I’ve own the Yamaha for 3 years now and I love it. It might be my crappy phone speakers but I really can’t tell a difference. I really love my Yamaha though and wouldn’t change it unless it is an upgrade for the 701 or 1200 and above.
Very good comparison! Both sounds great! I like the Yamaha just a hair above the Cambridge.
Yamaha A-S501 sounds great and cheaper 👍
Great job on level-matching! Both sound great, with very subtle differences between the two. The sonic signatures are very similar. The Yamaha is the better value, especially considering it has tone controls.
I like the balanced sound of the CA, more focused on mids. Yamaha sounds like vintage amps with heavy bass and sharper treble.
Listening again months later, the Cambridge sounds nearly as clean, but is a bit warmer in the midrange and more texturaly smooth there too. The A-S501 has a bit more top end harmonic detail and overall energy, but it's sharper edges sound a bit hard to me with the Meta's. I prefer the CXA-61 with them.
You really are doing Gods work! Thank you so much! My vote is for the Yamaha, much beefier, more scale
Their price is almost 2 times different. Let's compare with the Yamaha A-S1200 - it will not leave a stone unturned from an CAM61 ))
I own A S501 and previously owned a Cambridge cx81 which is one model above the cx61. They both sound amazing and it really comes down to preference between the 2 amps. Yamaha has a more forward sound and the Cambridge is a little more laid back sounding. Things like the type of music you listen to, the recording quality and the speakers will have more of an impact on the perceived quality of sound. I’d recommend the A S501 due to the significant price difference as it’s approx 50% cheaper than the Cambridge where I live. Then put the savings towards buying better speakers and or a solid music streamer or CD player.
Yamaha... pure 80w of AB power. Just sounds warmer than the Cambridge.
To me: Yamaha wins with vocals but it falls a part when there are several instruments at once, it sounds less precise to me. I liked the bass guitar more with the CXA61 (more "compact" and defined). A-S501 has more body which I liked but highs are sharper.
Almost forgot: if I had the money I would choose the CXA61 but with my wallet I would pick the Yamaha. They are close, after all the sound can be adjusted with some EQ and with other speakers the Yamaha could sound better to my ears.
I heard what you heard there too. The CXA has a better grip if the bassline (track 2) but the Yamaha came forward with a touch more punch and clarity overall but does lose a little composure with the bassline.
Yamaha gra mocniej średnicą, loudness - to doskonała przyprawa !!!
Thank you very much! What is your personal favourite, if I may ask?
Excellent comparison. I can't hear much of a difference at all between the two with my Shure headphones. I bet pushing the amps harder would reveal more differences. I like the looks of the Yamaha more. I have the A-S801. Very pleased with it.
Yeah sound almost equal and yet price difference is 325 euros. Great video.
Hmmm...Sprzęty podłączone Bi-wire,ale wydaje mi się że Yamaha gra troszeczku lepiej.Chciałem zamienić Yamaha r-n 301 na Cambridge CXA61.Ale teraz już sam nie wiem?!🤔
Yamaha wins hands down.
Cambridge is sounding harsh, yet not detailed.
The Yamaha has the classic Japanese hifi bright and lively thing goin' on.
The Cambridge is slightly richer in tone and texture, but not cleaner sounding.
Good effort. I streamed it to my Denon amp and Elac speakers. Not perfect but better than my phone. The yamaha sounds slightly fuller, maybe elevated upper bass. The CA sounds a bit shrill to my ears, but they're close. Anyone who would ever describe it as night and day, massive difference and other similar hyperbole is talking nonsense
I'm using HD600 to compare the differences. The CXA61 sounds a bit nasally to my ears in the first track. While the AS501 sounds more balanced and mid forward. On the second track, the CXA61 sounds a lot cleaner in the vocals than the AS501 but both sound pretty similar. On the third track, the CXA61 again sounds nasally and not as well-balanced than the AS501.
Overall, I liked the AS501 sound better in this comparison video. Both are great amplifiers, I don't think you'd go wrong with either.
I have an A-S301, After listening to this comparison, I think for such a small difference, I better keep my yamaha and save money... and yamaha sounds more detailed, it is perfect to use a tube preamp and play with color.
Sometimes I swear I can hear a difference then other times they sound identical. On loud passages they sound the same. On softer passages there seems to be a slight flavor variance.
End of the day, it's what you hear . Cambridge for my lug holes .
Everything else being equal, I chose the Yamaha because of the tone controls. The variable "loudness" is effectively a midrange control.... a rarity these days. Long gone are equalizers allowing you to decide the frequency curves, and ven Marantz stopped including a midrange control..... a feature that set them apart from most others. Many amplifiers today have no "bass/treble" controls at all.
Vocals sound more projected on the Cambridge but not too much else different that I can hear.
I will pick up the Yamaha.
What hifi seem to have a vendetta against Yamaha. It's a matter of taste ,Cambridge sound signature has great detail,but Yamaha is just fantastic with full punch.
Not sure about that as they gave the AS-500 5 stars. I think they just expected a little more than what they were given as they said the AS-501 sounds better balanced than the as-500 and still only gave it 4 stars..maybe different reviewer with different ears or just time difference and tech advance since...
This is how comparisons should be done. I wish you had played some audiophile recordings for better comparison. Vocals in the first two songs were already too smudged to pick up any substantive differences.
Yamaha!
I have a cxa 60 and I think it sounds better than both these, And that is through demo's at the dealers.If you can still get a cut price 60 I would go for that.
thanks for sharing
Yamaha 👍
Thank you very much for this cool battle. Here we can see again, there is no difference between the sound of different amps 🤣
Cambridge sounds punchier, the bass guitar sounds heavier and clearer. Yammy sounds brighter and somewhat more disorted.
Update on my comment after coming back to this video and listening with better headphones and DAC: Yamaha does not sound "disorted" nor less punchy (whatever I meant here) but Yammy sounds cleaner as if it adds with better dynamic range! Which is totally on a plus side.
Better tunes to use in comparison,Yes-Roundabout,
Roseanne Cash-The Wheel,
Dire Straits-Brothers in Arms.
I hate to do this but I have to leave this comment. I watched this twice. The first time I watched the cues switch between the two amps and I could tell you that the CXA sounded better to me but decided to repeat the view but this time did not look at the video and except for when the audio (rarely) cut out to make the switch I could not tell when it made the switch let alone which one was better…
I like the Cambridge more. It's sweeter and fuller sounding to me. The Yamaha is a little thinner and edgier, and too bright and shrill in the treble
Yamaha wins, and wins easy.
Blind test both sound good
Yamaha sounds “airier “ all over the spectrum. Fatigue in the long run. Cambridge more even, clear natural. Personally am I not a fan of these KEF. Sounds a bit shouted. Like a horn.
Cambridge detailed 👌
Without visuals, and without any audible switching between the two, I don't believe they sound any different, which is no surprise, since the greatest source of perceivable audio differences will almost always be the speakers (unless you're comparing a CD to a very bad tape recording...😉😉).
I like the Yamaha, just has a good sound going by youtube vids, not real life.
The Cambridge sounds cleaner and fuller. It sounds more natural and i can more easely tell what instruments are playing specialy in the low end.
I wonder if the Yamaha was bi wired to two driver setup they would separate more
Jaką impedancje nalezy wybrać w A-S501 dla kolumn Elac DBR6 6ohmowe ?
Always, ALWAYS, leave the impedance switch on the amp at 8 ohms and not 4 ohms, even if your speakers are 4 ohms. This is because that 4 ohm mode on the amp is limiting power to pass a few ridiculous safety standards (UL test certification for example) in a few countries. 4 ohm mode will reduce power drastically in most cases.
Can I attach an equalizer to the AS 501?
si.....intercalandolo entre la fuente de audio y la entrada del amplificador
Hi using a701 with ls50 meta with external dac (gustard x16) it sound good but top end is somewhat lacking
I'm listening on Grado SR80e headphones and the difference in the sound is SO, SO slight. Almost imperceptible. I did hear a large difference between the ARX85 and CXA61 on a different video on this channel. So I'm not deaf. Pick the least expensive one and you can't go wrong.
Yamaha is brighter and bassier, Cambridge is more balanced and have tighter control. With these loudspeakers Cambridge sound better, with another speakers it could be Yamaha.
No, it is exactly the opposite.
why do you test all this amps with so limited in range speakers? maybe it depends on your mic but they all sound nasal . I think one of the important feature is how amps handle basses. It's impossible to hear thei extensions with such microscopic speakers. I prefer yamaha in this test. This cambridge sounds too much controlled and limited in dynamic in high frequencies.
Мне показалось, что Yamaha звучит значительно мутнее, чем Cambridge. Cambridge Audio имеет значительно более воздушный, свободный, разборчивый звук.
Это так кажется, так как Ямаха немного по басистей, а так у всех Ямах идеально ровная АЧХ, да и с микродинамикой всё на уровне.
I would not recommend the cambridge one for treble sensitive people.
I think the Cambridge is more neutral lay back and listen to your music sound The Yamaha to bright as sooner or later depending on the speaker the clarity on horn tweeters could make your ears fatigued.
Yamaha > CA for me. Yamaha fuller, smooth and realistic. CA sparkly in the top end and a bit artificial. CA is clearer though because of upper treble.
Yamaha finer detail
Talvez deveria tentar outro microfone que captasse mais detalhes
Very very small difference I would say. Tiny bit more clearity in the Yamaha. A bit more punchy bass. Cambridge is a bit more balanced. Allround. But both seems to sound very good.
La sonorité est proche entre les deux. Un essai avec une enceinte trois voies permettrais peut-être d'entendre plus de différences . Par contre pour le design du Yamaha " vintage " et sa hauteur démesuré ne me plaît pas.
ну Ямаха - не ожидал!
Every thing very similar but Cambridge crisp than Yamaha
To me just trust your ears
Cambridge win first song, Second song Cambridge a little better
Yamaha just has a little fuller than cxa61. Instead, cxa61 has little sparkle on top end and wider sound stage by hairlines😊 that’s all I could hear
The CA is clearly the better amplifier. More refined and much better bass control. The Yammy sounds bloated in the bass, that may not be so obvious with bass shy speakers such as the LS50 but try it with something bigger, bassier and ... . Not surprisingly really, the CA has a better power supply.
LS50 are bass shy speakers? Hahaha Clearly someone here has no idea.
@@aficionadohiend it depends on room size and positioning, I have the LS50 meta in a crowded 20m2 room and they do fine with bass, but I can see how in a larger untreated room they would definately need a sub, you can only get so much bass from such a small driver
Le mie orecchie dicono Cambridge
Le prix est doublé pour le Cambridge et finalement ce n'est pas le jour et la nuit. La Kef a une sonorité qui n'est pas la plus courante. Le Yamaha l'emporte pour le prix et la sonorité car la puissance est bien présente. Seul le design old school que je n'apprécie pas trop.
Hmmm....... 🙄CXA61🇵🇱
yamaha better by a scotch
Yamaha more robust...but what a terrible music samples
thanks for sharing. There are 15 songs of different genre of music mix in recent video. Please, check it out!
Yamaha more separations
Cambridge
Cambridge has more depth. Yamaha is forward and very bright.
Let me understand this: E Project creates a series of audio avalanches chock full of uncontrolled variables and folks are supposed to use that information to make informed purchase decisions ranging from $250 to $5,000? Really?
From the time some kind of audio signal is moved from its recorded resting place, passes through a chain of electronic and aural modifications, and eventually lands at an individual's eardrums (tens of thousands of unique electro/audio chains), a rational decision is expected?
I tend to be a bit skeptical of self-proclaimed audiophiles, but these comparisons do have one credible function: Anyone who believes these videos are useful can't possibly be an audiophile -- or even a critical thinker.
I'm sorry but I find these comparison's pretty much useless, after the impurities and noise added by recording, uploading, UA-cam, downloading,your own system idiosyncrasies - we've really got no idea how it really sounds. I only listen to these in the hope of finding good music that I haven't discovered yet. I not deliberately being a hater,but that's the truth of it that I see.
The Yamaha sounds pale. Anemic.
Яма не роковая
Cambridge Audio are a cheap Richersounds brand.
... really ... 😆
Always the Yamaha compared to that piece of crap CA with breaks in a few years and you can't repair it.
They sound the same. Whoever can tell a difference please let me borrow your ears. There’s not even a nuance here or there that can give me a hint of difference.
Подскажите,as 501 или rs 700?)