The A-9555 is claimed to include several innovations and desirable design features. (To maintain comparability with my previous amplifier reviews, I used a PS Audio xStream AC cord.) The A-9555 has an IEC power connector, and comes supplied with a power cord that's considerably more heavy-duty than is typical with equipment at this price level. The speaker terminals accept banana plugs or bare wire, but, alas, aren't friendly to spade lugs. The phono input jacks come installed with shorting plugs these have the dual function of alerting the user not to plug a high-level source into the phono jacks, and act to prevent RF pickup by the phono section's open input, which could cross-bleed to other inputs. On the rear are the usual RCA input jacks, an IR remote jack, and two sets of speaker terminals. The Mute control is next to Volume Down, right where it belongs.
I particularly liked the fact that the Volume Up and Down controls are right in the middle, and can't be mistaken for any other buttons. The A-9555's remote is a model of what such a device should be: although it has many functions, the buttons have distinctive shapes and are laid out in a logical manner that makes it easy to find specific ones. The A-9555 comes with a remote control via which other Onkyo components can be operated- eg, the DX-7555 CD player (review to come)-and, in combination with an Onkyo Remote Interactive Dock and special cables (not supplied), will enable more complex control of matching associated equipment, including an Apple iPod.
#ONKYO CD PLAYER SET A 9211 MANUAL#
The most important thing to note about these tone controls is that they can be bypassed with a press of the Pure Direct button so that, as the instruction manual states, "you can enjoy a pure sound."
In contrast to integrated amplifiers from the smaller, more strictly audiophile-oriented companies, the A-9555 sports Bass and Treble controls, even a Loudness button, but, curiously, no Balance knob. Another knob deals with speaker selection: A, B, A+B, and Off. The active source is indicated by a small orange panel light. The input knob selects from among seven sources, including phono. There's a large Volume knob with a discreet blue light indicating the level it's set at, which flashes when the sound is muted (there is, naturally, a Mute button), and flashes more rapidly if any of the speakers are disconnected.
The front panel-made of brushed, anodized aluminum-makes a classy impression, and is refreshingly uncluttered for a product with so many features. And while Onkyo claims all kinds of wonderful things for its design and construction, at that price, how good could it be?Īlthough there's no lacquered persimmon to be found anywhere on the A-9555, it's a quite nice-looking piece of equipment. The A-9555 is an 85Wpc integrated amplifier with a suggested list price of $699 and routinely sells for $599. Larry was most impressed with the M-510, describing it as "a very powerful amplifier with outstanding sonics across the board-power with delicacy."īut that was then. To refresh my memory, I looked through my Stereophile archives and found the December 1985 issue (Vol.8 No.8), which included Larry Greenhill's review of the Grand Integra M-510, a 300Wpc power amplifier covered in lacquered persimmon wood, weighing 139 lbs, and costing $4200 (about $8000 in 2007 dollars). Some of us remember the Onkyo Grand Integra amplifiers of the 1980s, which were considered competitive with the big Krells and Mark Levinsons of the day. "Onkyo Returns to its Stereo Roots to Debut New Digital Amplifier Technology." This heading of the press release for Onkyo's A-9555 digital integrated amplifier was surely intended to warm the cockles of the two-channel audiophile's heart.
0 kommentar(er)
