Extremely detailed sound with very good dynamics

Nice if they had used gold plated RCA inputs, but no big deal.

I'd been slobbering over the AX-592 for 2 years, every since I heard one running with my speakers (B&W CDM1) and read a great review by a guy that has heard the best. [copy forwarded upon request] I'd been trying to get a deal on a used one. No luck, nobody I could find was giving theirs up. So I got it new for U$400.

It sounds better as time goes on. I was surprised the other day while playing my Stryke's BassZone test CD that those little 6.5" B&W midwoofers were putting out significant levels at 25Hz. Enough to get my front window rattling at that frequency and my sub was off. And no, my window only rattles at 25Hz; not 50, 75, or 100Hz. My old receiver couldn't ever do that with those 2-ways. Very good bass control and extension. Midrange is its strongest attribute. Diana Krall never sounded better. If you like laid back treble, you should find speakers that are warmer. As for myself, it sounds very crisp and detailed on my titanium domes. Just the way I like it.

It will match or beat amps several times its cost. Don't let audiophile sobbery get in the way of trying out this very fine integrated amp.

My long term goals for this amp will be as the midrange amp in my DIY active 4-way stereo speaker system that I'm currently building.

Best regards,
Steve Hanna

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Yamaha R-300 receiver.

Solid build quality, clean sound, powerful amp

A bit pricey, sound quality deteriorates noticeably when the tone bypass features are turned off, not much bass

The Yamaha AX-592 is a very nice product. It is well constructed, is very powerful, and puts out very clean sound, even at high volume levels. However, I was disappointed at the lack of bass. The bass response is very flat. This may be due to my speakers, Pinnacle AC-650's, but I still believe this unit has something to do with it. On the other hand, the mids and highs sound outstanding. I decided to return this unit primarily because of its high price. If this unit was priced a couple of hundred dollars less, it would be a keeper. I paid $499 for it at The Good Guys. I am going to purchasr an Audiosource Amp Two for $249 at J and R. Heck, this amp has a CD direct input, eliminating the need for a preamp. I don't think that the Yamaha is worth twice the price. If I add the Audiosource PreOne Amp for $169, I'll still have money left over. By the way, if you want to read a review the AX-592, go to www.ecoustics.com and enter AX-592 in the search field. Overall, I think that Yamaha put all of the money into the amp and skimped a bit on the preamp. I give this unit 3.5 stars, simply because of the high price.

---correction to my previous review---
Look under "Weaknesses"!

Correction: I meant that there were a tiny lack of bass when the CD Direct and Pure Direct were OFF.

---correction to my previous review---
Look under "Weaknesses"!

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---correction to my previous review---
Look under "Weaknesses"!

Build quality, effortless power, Pre-out connection

Almost too accurate

My 50w Technics amp finally died after 14 years, and I needed an amp quickly - music is preferred over TV for entertainment. I have a pair of Bose 901 Series 6's, which the previous amp did a passable job of driving but really lacked the 'grunt' needed for really dynamic music - I listen to a lot of R&B and some classical.

The AX 592 does the job pretty well, the 901's (I can feel the flames already) are astonishingly accurate and paired now with a decent amp reveal EXACTLY what was on the original recording (I bought a Yamaha CDX 596 CD player at the same time) I'm inclined to agree that the CD sound does sound slightly 'bright' - whilst the Tuner/tape playback is perfect.

A plus point for me was the AX592's pre-out connection enables the 901's Active Equalizer to be used across all sound sources rather than having to buy extra equalizer's for each sound source - they are expensive in the UK!

I can't comment pn the 'Direct functions' because this disables the Pre-Out connections which are essential in my set up.

Sound quality is excellent, the sound is effortless, deep tight bass, clear/pure midrange and treble. One almost feels that the amp is hardly trying at normal listening volumes.

The AX592 is an old model now, replaced by the near identical AX596 (it has SACD support - big deal!) and a solid state input selector - I bought my AX592 as an end-of-line really, really cheap. For the money its unbeatable.

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Technics, earlier Yamaha amp

Great midrange, tight deep bass

large

I have had this amp for a few weeks but have had it on every day since I bought it. For the first time in years I have been sitting down and listening to music with real enjoyment. I hooked this amplifier up to some Klipsch speakers that I have and they made these previously harsh, boomy speakers sound great. Voices are smooth and real and instrumental pieces are musical and detailed. It isn't as boomy as my NAD amp but the music is much nicer on the Yamaha. The bass is deep and controlled but can be powerful with some cd's. This amp seems to have been made for big speakers. I think a good way to describe this amp would be; smooth, effortless, and very easy to listen to. I've heard better amps but they were in the 2000 dollar plus range. This amplifier cost me 400 dollars.

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NAD 314

Un Amplificatore di buona potenza ma dal suono un po' sporco.Ho sentito l' Onkio 9511 dal prezzo di circa 380$ ( quasi lo stessi prezzo dello Yamaha) che è circa 60Watt , e suonava molto piu' pulito ma anche molto meno potente.Gli alti sono un' po' carenti delle frequenze intorno ai 18.000Hz , i bassi sono abbastanza puliti , i medi invece distorcono a volumi elevati.Consiglio prima di spendere 400$ per questo amplificatore di valutare l' aquisto di un Pioneer ad un prezzo inferiore ma da una qualità non molto differente o di un Onkio di potenza inferiore ma dalla qualità sicuramente superiore

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Onkio , Pioneer