Looks, power, reliability.

Binding post, fake wood sides

I bought my M 504 as a replacement for my Yamaha M-80 that I lost in a tornado. The first thing I liked about it was its awesome looks. When I got it home and hooked it up to my KEF 104.2's I was blown away. I loved the power that it had to push my KEF's to the limit. One of my neighbors wanted to hook up his Cerwin Vega's to it so I agreed. It rocked the house for about 5 minutes before a picture hanging on the wall behind my amp fell and cut the power cord in half. I have only experienced that kind of bass in a few night clubs. Of course I had to go and purchase a pair of the Vega's for my own use. I have had my amp for over 10 years now, ( and the vega's) and have had nothing but pure pleasure. For serious listening I still use the KEF's, but when I feel like being a DJ and cranking it up I haven't heard none better, especially for the price. I simply love it and the quality has been outstanding.

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Yamaha M-80, M-85

Warm and uncompromising sound ...A solid performer.Even the hardcore audiophiles wouldn't complain if they didnt know it was a japaneese mass market piece.(Snobs)

Plastic feet,Binding Posts;a cooling fan would be ince but then again this amp never really gets hot no matter how hard I drive it.

Well,without being long winded ,here goes.For the price, it rocks.I have it in a somewhat vintage hookup.Pre-amp is a Marantz 1200 that was previously used for pre amp and power amp(it is a good old usa made integrated amp that plays both roles very well) speakers are 70's vintage ESS AMT 1C's.I use the system to to spin old fashioned LP's.AS far as i'm concerned , for the price,there is none better.I couldnt get a new one at my local Hi Fi store due to lack of availability so I had to go to e-bay.The price was definatly cheaper than retail,but even at retail it would still be a bargan.The sound is very clear at all levels and quite detailed.The sounstage was all encompasing,very wide and open.I experienced no fatigue listening to this setup even for hours on end.I have a very high sense of expectation from my equipment .Many of my friends have quality equipment(Mcintosh,Klipsch ,etc) and I must say, at least in my listening room it is very similar.The differences are so small and unimportant that at the price, that I dont think many people would be dissatisfied . I'm glad I saved the money i would have spent on a higher end amp.Now I can buy more Vinyl!

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Sony ES, Carver,Marantz,Crown,

Excellent sound quality, especially for its price Robust construction and build quality Dual mono design produces exceptional soundstaging for solid state amp Beautiful looking exterior design

Speaker binding post Lights in meters burn out too quickly

I bought the M504 because I know Onkyo's reputation for outstanding sound quality. My current system consists of: The McIntosh C15 preamp, the Denon1650Ar for the digital source, and JBL loudspeakers. After purchasing the Mac c15 preamp I developed more interest in McIntosh gear. I knew the Onkyo was a great amp, but I wondered how a Mac power amp would sound in my setup in place of the M504. I had the luxury of auditioning the 200 watt McIntosh MC202 which retails for about $3000. I took the Mac amp home just knowing it would blow the Onkyo away sonically, but it didn't. The Mac had very sweet bass response and great detail. I was shocked to find out that both amps had many of the same sonic qualities. This is not to say that the MC202 is a bad amp. It just proves that Onkyo did one hell of a job with the M504. In my system the M504 has great detail, good dynamics, tight bass, exceptional channel separation, and an open and airy quality with both my digital and analog sources. The M504 is not finicky when it comes to speakers as I have used it with 4 and 8 ohm loads with no problems. I have been know to push the volume every now and then and the M504 has never faltered. Many may want to call this a mid-fi or low high end amp because of its price. The performance of this amp does not correlate to its price. This amp competes, sonically, with amps that are much more expensive. Provide it with good front end components and it will surprise you.

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B&K, McIntosh, Adcom, lower level Krell

very smooth sound, well constructed and beautiful finish.

For the price it would be hard to complain.

I was looking for a amplifier to power the mid and high frequency drivers in my front home theater speakers that are biamped. I am using a Yamaha P-2700 to drive the bass modules (please see review) and was using another Yamaha amp. to drive the mids and highs. The Yamaha amp. was much to brite to be used with horn speakers so I picked up the 504 to try and smooth out the sound. The Onkyo was a delightful suprise. It smoothed the horns right out and delivered a very nice soundstage. Combined with a Carver holographic generator the presentation this combination delivers must be heard to be belived. I don't know how this amp. would work in another situation, but in this one it is wonderful. Hope this helps others. Thanks.

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Yamaha, Harmon Kardon and Technics

smoothness

a little low on power

guys, i've had this amp since 1987, I loved it the day i traded it for a pair of 901's (dont ask) this amp has been my mainstayamp since. The reason that It's a little underpowered to me is because I'm running it with a pair of original infinity kappa 8's,(not efficiant) but evan with these it rock and the smooth sound matches very well with the emit k tweeter. The only problem i have ever had is the light on the left finally burned out ( after 12 years!) so be advised if you have purchased one of these.. you chose well.

Looks, power reserve, detail of music, cool power meters

No weaknesses

I don't know how much this amplifier cost in United States, but I had to pay $1100 here in Greece (electronics are expenseve here). The amplifier has good power, and is quite detailed if you have good speakers that brings this out. It has good bass abilities, sounds tubelike, and runs just warm even after hours of high output volume. My system consists of the 504, a tubes preamp from Sound Valves company, and Magneplanar 1.6's and Carver Amazing Silvers. I highly recommend this amplifier because it is a good bargain for most (even at the $1100 price here - too many imports taxes though!). Onkyo has done very good job on the 504... now if I could get my dream amplifier, the Onkyo M-510, which I don't know exists or is made anymore.

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Adcom

Excellent value; very neutral and non fatiguing sound

This is a heavy amp, and should have better quality feet. They look like aluminum or metal, but are cheap plastic.

I found one of these amps used on Ebay, and got a great deal on it (about $410). This amp looks great and sounds great. It honestly does not sound like a Japanese unit, but a bit tubelike in its delivery. The sound is warm and musical paired to the right speakers. It is one of the best amplifiers for those who want good power and high end sound on a budget. Highly, highly recommended!

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NAD, Sony ES

Beautiful looks, awesome green backlit dual power meters, high-end sound

Feet should have been milled brushed aluminum, not plastic made to look like metal

This amp is fantastic! The sound is not harsh or bright, and is actually quite detailed and lush, with ample dynamics. It reminds me more of a high-end American piece, rather than a mass produced cheaper Japanese unit. With the right speakers, this amp can be your ticket to true high-end sound. I am running Joseph Audio RM22's with a Parasound PHP-850 preamp, and the sound is just killer, with great depth and analysis of the musical presentation. This amplifier is a classic (having been in production for over 13 years or so now), and it's too bad more manufacturers are not releasing such gorgeous sounding, metered designs. Easily a 5 star amp based on total value and sonics!

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NAD, Rotel, Proton

Great build quality, power , features

older design, lack of high current capabity

Many years ago I had a choice between Yamaha and Onkyo pre-amp/power amp systems and I bought the Yamaha because I like their pre-amp. Last year I needed to upgrade my system and found the Onkyo power amp on sale at a great price so I bought it.
I found that it is an unbelievably high qualty amp. The build quality is excellent and the sound is great. Rarely do they make amps like this anymore and with such a great price, I bought 2 and bi-amped my system. Since I have a sub woofer I can't discuss the bass, but the mids and highs are very smooth and nice sounding. My old pre-amp has failed so I directly drive my speakers from my CD player and the sound is absolutely clean. What's especially important to me is that the amp is extremely quiet.
To me, there are only 2 minor problems with this amp:
#1
I love the power meters but I can't turn the lights off. I like to listen to music in the dark. (Minor issue)

#2
This is an older design and when driving difficult loads under high power, the amp runs out of reserve. Most new amps have high current designs that help. I solved this problem by bi-amping the speakers. This also is a minor problem because the amp is so powerful in the first place and by the time I'm running out of power I'm getting to concert-level sounds.

Overall, this is a great amp at a great price. There are better amps but they cost more than twice the price I paid.
I may just buy another one so that I'm ready for the future multi-channel audio formats.

My system includes:
Yamaha CDC-775
No pre-amp
2 Onkyo M-504's driving Definitive Technology BP-2002

A Yamaha M-504 power amp driving B&W DM602 Series II.

A Yamaha Tx-950 tuner.

If anyone knows where I can get a Yamaha Cx-2 pre-amp, let me know.

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Yamaha M-4

Good control, neutral, beauty with the dual power meters

None I can muster

I saw this amp on display at a local audio den, and initially thought that Onkyo has to have a distinct lower end Japanese type sound. Boy was I wrong! The prospect of picking up a quality sounding amp for under $700 was very enticing, and when the sales consultant played the 504 through a variety of speakers, it really shone in areas of detail, warmth, bass delivery, openess, etc. I could hardly believe I was listening to a Japanese amp!! The Adcom and Rotel I was considering were a few times more expensive, and I just did not hear a difference! I must have listened for about 3 hours to the 3 amps thru B&W, Phase Tech, Paradigm, and Dynaudio, and had to walk away with the Onkyo, a big smile, and money still in my pocket!!! Great job Onkyo.

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Adcom, Rotel