Yamaha A-S301

An integrated amp we can wholeheartedly recommend – and at a budget price, too

What constitutes an ideal budget stereo amplifier? It’s a tricky question, and one where answers from hi-fi manufacturers and the average customer seeking an entry-level system are likely to differ.

Regardless, the market for sub-£200 integrated amps is thinly populated, and it's been a few years since we last saw a new one. So, we're eager to welcome the Yamaha A-S301 into our testing rooms.

The cheapest such product to which we gave an Award in 2018 was Marantz’s PM6006 UK Edition at £329, and not since Onkyo’s A-9010 (a three-time Award-winner) have we really loved anything for around this price.

Hidden talents

The A-S301 certainly doesn’t look or feel like a budget component. Its thickset dimensions may put off those seeking to hide their system away, but we like the bold, hugely tactile, dials and switches punctuating its face.

At the front, you’ll also find the power switch, headphone output, A/B speaker selection and a button for turning on Yamaha’s Pure Direct mode, which bypasses tone controls and sends the signal via the shortest circuit route.

As well as a range of RCA analogue inputs, the A-S301 has one each of coaxial and optical connections, as well as a phono stage built in for turntables with a moving-magnet cartridge.

These are all found at the back of the unit, as are the amp’s two pairs of speaker terminals and subwoofer output, 5V DC USB power socket and selectors for high or low impedance and for switching the Yamaha’s timed standby mode on or off.

It’s a little lightweight, perhaps, but we can’t complain about the one-size-fits-all remote Yamaha has packaged with its amp; getting anything extra with an amp at this price feels like a steal. Bluetooth costs extra via an add-on – Yamaha suggests its own YBA-11 module (£90) – but that is hardly a criticism.

Besides, filling the A-S301 with much more technology could run the risk of degrading what we like best about it: its sonic performance.

Despite the A-S301’S budget price tag, the character is in line with what we’ve come to expect from Yamaha: it is bold and full-bodied, in many ways echoing the amp’s chunky aesthetic. Midrange performance is a particular forte, with voices having a pleasant warmth that makes this an exceedingly easy listen.

Extra thump

The balance is naturally even, but we'd suggest playing around with the tone controls. There’s no lack of bottom end, but twisting both dials 90 degrees to the right can be fun for bass-heavy tracks, keeping enough top end balance, while increasing our portion of low frequencies. It’s hardly subtle, but sometimes you want a little extra thump, just as long as it doesn’t stray toward being egregious.

Dynamically, the A-S301 is a fine performer for the money. There is light and shade to tracks, with a competent grasp of low-level and large-scale shifts. It isn’t as musical an amplifier as its Onkyo rival, but there is insight enough to keep us interested.

It’s fairly cohesive, too. All parts feel as though they’re in the right place; our only qualm is that they don’t appear particularly excited to be there. It’s not so much a lack of punch, more that the performance is missing the sense of drive and excitement to keep a track moving.

It’s the kind of amp we feel happy talking over, even at relatively high volumes, without having to interrupt ourselves to listen. We’re enjoying listening to our music; we simply aren’t forced to give it our full attention.

While a slight lack in detail and granular insight is excusable, especially at this end of the market, without a true rhythmic sense and musicality, we struggle to be completely enthused.

Though the Onkyo A-9010 betters the Yamaha in that respect, the A-S301 is a worthy rival. Its full-bodied presentation and range of features is a draw, and we’re struggling to imagine anybody being disappointed if they took one home. While it may not be a truly exceptional budget amplifier, the Yamaha A-S301 is well worth considering.