Yamaha DSP A1 Integrated Amplifiers

Yamaha DSP A1 Integrated Amplifiers 

USER REVIEWS

Showing 1-10 of 204  
[Sep 21, 2014]
George
Audio Enthusiast

If you find a nice, clean low hours DSP A1 for under $500.00, buy it. You'll have a treasure!

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Nov 09, 2009]
blgupta
Audio Enthusiast

YAMAHA DSP A1 IS UNBELEIVABLE IA MA USING THIS FRQUESNTLY SINCE LAST 10 YEARS UNBELEIVABLE QUALITY WITHOUT SINGLE FAULT . EVEN TODAY THIS IS BEST AMPLIFIER . I AM FULLY SATISFIED WITH PERFORMACE . in my opinion this is best amplifier in the world . bl gupta

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Feb 03, 2008]
Sitrop
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Power, detail. well built and exceptional performance

Weakness:

None, because the most important item on any receiver/integrated amp is sound quality and this one is first rate possibly the best.

This is may be the best Yamaha receiver/integrated amp ever. I have read some previous remarks from ebay owners and others owners who said some of the newer amps are only a little best than this amp or if any. Therefore, when you consider how old this amp is and how inexpensive you can buy one now. It has to be the best receiver/integrated amp ever.

Similar Products Used:

I have heard Yamaha rx v1, rx v9, $38,000 Mcintosh system, Denon top of the line receiver in 2003, one of the best B & K receiver and amp. one of the anthem pre-amp and receiver combo.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jun 28, 2003]
94parkavenue
Audio Enthusiast

I purchased this unit in 1999 as an upgrade from the DSP-A1000 which I purchased in 1993. Having had Yamaha products as my main amplifier for ten years + I am very familar with the line. I particualry like the DSP modes and fine the steering Dolby steering logic to be above average. In short, you get what you pay for and I have not been disappointed yet.

Similar Products Used:

DSP-A1000, Sony and, NEC (way back when)

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
4
[Mar 02, 2002]
DSP-A1
AudioPhile

Strength:

DSP-MODES THERE REAL RECORDED VENUES NOT SIMULATED CRAP LIKE THE REST

Weakness:

none believe me i tried to find one

I have tried a number a recievers onkyo, sony. DENON, just about all of them. all the dsp modes SUCKED ass EXCEPT THE YAMAHA''S SO I bought a DSP-A1 i could not believe the way they sounded i love the roxy theatre mode. also the yamaha is the only one who could run my 4 vega 15'''' cabinets with geting super hot i don''t care what anyone says Yamaha is always rated the best of all recievers.go to audiophile.com they rated the best and home theatre says the best integrated amp they have ever heard don''t waste your time with any other name buy Yamaha

Similar Products Used:

ONKYO. DENON SONY AND A ELIETE PIONEER I THOUGHT A REGULAR PIONEER SOUNDED THE SAME

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jan 13, 2000]
Charles Griffin
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Versitility, power, quality of sound

Weakness:

so far, one led in the display failed.

In 1997 several items in my rudimentary entertainment center started dying after 13 years or so of use. I decided to catch up to date and started out badly because my first purchase was a simple pro-logic receiver and 5.1 had already started to conquer the market. Luckily I was living in San Antonio at the time and had the resources of Bjorn's, several pawn shops,a couple good audio repair shops with some retail sales, and enthusiasts who were shedding equiptment right and left in an effort to keep up with the latest stuff.
I had been through several trades and purchases during the first six months of this journey, enough to be unhappy with what I was hearing, except an older Yamaha. Then I heard a DSP A1 demo at Bjorns and I was blown away. With military BX privileges, I ordered one and began working on replacing and upgrading all my equipment to as close to state of the art as I could afford. Here's where I'm at today:
Technics 110+1 jukebox cdplayer, Gemini XL500 turntable, Panasonic A110 DVD player(DTS output), Pioneer DVL909 player (for laserdiscs),JVC Dish receiver/DVHS recorder, and a Harman Kardon AV10 and JVC TD-V662 tape deck connected via line out, surround out and tuner in creating an independently powered rear sound system. The front speakers are a pair of Klipsch Fortes as mains, Klipsch C-5 center, and a set of Optimus PRO LX-5's as front effect speakers. The rear speaker set contains a set of Klipsch Heresy II's, essentially the same as the Fortes without the bass range and a Optimus PRO CS-5 center. A Cerwin Vega Sub-150 does the subwoofer duty. A second sub is planned for the rear.
This setup allows rear channels of 5.1 to become a fudged 6.1 in Dolby Digital and DTS, a more enveloping sound stage in Prologic/Threelogic, a smasher A/B stereo, and using the Tuner input (feeding from the HK AV 10) on the A1 as a B/A setup for radio and tape play.
So how does it work. I've gone from caring very little about music to playing it nearly all the time. There are some annoyances, but they are mostly my fault because I so little understand how equalization works or how to adjust the room size. The manual is not a great help. But I continue to learn and have gained a lot from reading other reviewers here. My wife, whose ears are far more sensitive than mine (Old Infantrymen often have some hearing loss)says that she can hear individual sounds in music that she didn't know were there before. Some of this may be the Klipsch speakers, but the A1 doesn't hinder the sound coming through. Playing movies is better than going to a theater. The room shakes, dialogue is infinitely adjustible for clarity, but any fault in a DVD or Laser Disc becomes immediately apparent. My copy of Blade on DVD has some problems with where gunshot sound goes. It all seems to go to the center channel, not to the sub or to the mains. I tried every adjustment possible including the speaker size command. Other DVDs play fine.
I plan to go to HDTV when the price becomes reasonable and the lack of component switching will not be an issue (sound goes one way, video goes another, what's the problem). I think the most astonishing change and best recommendation coming from my experiences with the DSP A1 is that I went back to vinyl, buying a turntable and rebuilding my collection of albums. It caused me to care about what I hear musically.

Similar Products Used:

AIWA, JVC, Pioneer, other Yamaha

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Mar 29, 1999]
GDS
an Audiophile

This unit is by far one of the best values in audio today. It is time tested technology that has proven to be bug free in all aspects of operation. Most receivers from other manufacturers cannot make this claim. It still has the most versital DSP processor on the market and 7 channel DSP really does make a difference. The Retail on this amp is $2600.
However; it can now be had for only $1850 making it the best value in an all in one box solution for home theater !!!!
Email me if you have any questions or need tech advice.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
[Mar 30, 1999]
Don
an Audio Enthusiast

I just purchased A Yamaha DSP-A1 as a upgrade to my audio system. After looking at a " Marantz, " and a "denon" I selected the Yamaha! The thing that sold me on the DSP-A1 was not the features, but it was the way it sounded compared to all others that i have heard out on the Av Amplifier market. The only draw back to the DSP-A1 is the huge remote control that it comes with, yet it is great Amplifier. If anyone, who's a serious audio enthusiast like me, is intrested in a great av amplifier, the "Yamaha DSP-A1 " is worth the money and a look at!




OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
[Feb 21, 2000]
Alfredo
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Immaculate processing, two channel music IS equally satisfying.

Weakness:

As everyone else has stated...that DAMN remote!

No need to get into details, about what others have stated regarding it's Pro Logic and DD.D. playback(have not used DTS yet)...simply AWESOME! My review will be geared towards two channel playback.

Around three years ago, I began my quest for the perfect all in one box. I wanted to own a receiver or an integrated that would play movies and more importantly music just as well. I began with a Yamaha RXV 992, which was an outstanding cinema piece but became intolerably bright when playing music at high volumes. At the time I was using my beloved Polk RT 7's as mains, and were connected via 10 ga. Monster cable(I believe this was a huge reason for the bright sound). The DSPA1 kept popping up in publication after publication with rave reviews. I decided to make the jump after taking my reference cd collection and listening to it via different cd, and speaker setups. It sounded way better than my initial receiver which I ended up selling to my brother.

Once I hooked it up at home to my proscan dvd player and to my Yamaha cdc 765, it became a movie and music playing marathon. I was very happy BUT, I still longed for more musicallity, I slowly began an entire upgrade. I purchased the Polk RT 3000's(WOW!), Kimber Kable 8TC and 4TC, Audioquest Ruby interconects, and the icing in the cake was an Adcom gcd 700 5 disc carousel cd player. Man! what a difference all these up grades made. The cd player I believe made the biggest difference. I'ts a foot tapping, transpearent, detailed airy player(but also a very frustrating unit in regards to build quality, I will post a review on it soon). Why has my review shifted to a cd player you ask, because the better your components, the better the experience will be. The Yammy is musically alive with this set up the Kimbers are detailed and neutral the Ruby's are way better than my previous Monster Interlinks in terms of transpearincy, soundstage and top octave air. Overall I'm extremely satisfied, I believe, you, the prospective buyer will be equally thrilled with this fine integrated amp. I must admit I didn't audition the Yammy's equals, the Dennon 5700, and the BK AVR 202(I believe).

One last thing I want to mention is that I went out on a limb, and also purchased seperates as I was doing my upgrades thinking I was going to elevate the bar even more in the musical aspect. I purchased the Adcom GFP 750 and the Marantz MA 500's. I have set up my Polk 3000's and the Adcom cd player in another room with these seperate components, and let me tell you, the Yammy more than held it's own. I'm thinking of saving up enough to purchase Magnepan 12's for these seperate components. Hmm, what to do, maybe if the offer is right I might end up parting with the seperates. VERY highly recommended.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha RXV 992

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jan 12, 2000]
Gregg McKnight
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

DD/DTS DSP modes.
Ease of use and clarity of sound.
Setup menus.
Well written manual.

Weakness:

Lacks component video switching.
Cannot decode digital PCM sound any faster then 48KHz as
new DVD players output 98KHz.
Non-linear current amplifer section

This product is about the best one piece Home Theater integrated amplifier on the market. However, the technology is improving rapidly and the lack of component video switching and higher speed audio decodes will become a significant weakness. I believe there is a newer version coming out in March of 2000. This is why the price of these units has been coming down. I purchased mine at http:\www.ecloseouts.com for just under $1700.00. At that price it is the best value on the market today (IMHO).

If you are looking for a solid home audio/theater integrated amp, this unit is hard to beat. My only regret is that it does not have a linear current amplifier required to drive low impedance speakers like the Martin Logan Electrostatics I had my eye on..

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha AVX-700

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
5
Showing 1-10 of 204  

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