Alternative to Outlaw RR2160?

[AcuDefTechGuy]

That is a good option!
And for me, the silver is a win!
Crutchfield has it for $750 (but I'm not sure silver is an option in the US)!

You can get either Silver or Black in the USA. Same price.

Edit: my bad, I was thinking of the Silver Integrated Amp, not the Receiver.

I recently got the silver A-S2200 for client. It took a little over 2 weeks to get it, which is really slow.

I am getting a feeling that COVID might be affecting production. The Yamaha rep was saying all the “current models are flying off the shelves and they can’t keep up with demands”.

I noticed that Crutchfield is out of stock on both the A-S801 Integrated Amp and N803 Stereo Receiver.

 

[KEW]

But when you have a pair of good tower speakers with decent low frequency response, and you're not interested in complementing your system by adding a subwoofer, you agree with the fact that it's definitely one amplifier to add to a short list of contenders.

Well the list is not nearly so short once you get rid of the bass management stipulation!
As I said, I own a Yamaha A-S700. I use it to drive my Martin Logan Vistas in the bedroom (I never really crank it in the bedroom so I am not too worried about the weird impedance of the e'stats). So I definitely consider it a nice option (especially with the more powerful amp that is in the A-S700).

 

[Verdinut]

Not only that, but it's also an "Integrated Amp", not a "Receiver".

Some audiophiles will not buy anything with the word "Receiver" in it.

Not only that, it also features a Loudness as well as Bass & Treble controls, for nostalgic audiophiles.

 

[KEW]

Not only that, it also features a Loudness as well as Bass & Treble controls, for nostalgic audiophiles.

I don't know about nostalgic. I think if people better understood Yamaha's Loudness system, they would recognize it as a worthwhile feature. It is very much the analog version of DynamicEQ! The knob is pretty much the equivalent to adjusting the offset in dynamic EQ (the problem with the old loudness switches/buttons is that they had no idea how efficient your speakers were so finding one that worked well was a freak ... that, and at the time when the buttons were being introduced, people were maxing out bass and treble knobs for the novelty of speakers that could actually play low bass and upper treble ... most of the old loudness controls were ridiculously overblown (I suspect the earliest ones attempted to subscribe to the science of loudness contours, but real bass and treble to audio consumers at the time was in high demand)

 

[davidscott]

I'm still rocking a HK 3490 that was favorably reviewed here by Gene in 2010 or so. (I purchased it in 2011) Great performance with no problems so I am partial to HK. That said the Outlaw sure looked cool.

 

[KEW]

The RBH SA-500DSP amp I use for the SVT has HPF (Subsonic filter), LPF and Parametric EQ with more EQ bands than Yamaha.

Speaking of which, I just ordered the SA-500DSP for a client in Edmond.

Obi Wan Kenobi voice on:
"That is not the high-pass filter I am looking for!"
I am wanting to take the bass load off of the mains. That generally eliminates the main woofers from getting close to their max travel (while still trying to provide detail at a wide range of frequencies) and it usually reduces the demands on the amp substantially!

 

[KEW]

I'm still rocking a HK 3490 that was favorably reviewed here by Gene in 2010 or so. (I purchased it in 2011) Great performance with no problems so I am partial to HK. That said the Outlaw sure looked cool.

The HK 990 is from 2011!
They may have used a nicer one on the HK 990, but
How is the feel of the volume knob?
It doesn't offer any sub crossover options does it? (I ask because I see them on Craigslist every now and then)

 

[Out-Of-Phase]

For whatever it's worth, I've heard the Outlaw RR2160 has had some issues with the unit shutting down unexpectedly. And apparently, Outlaw has not been too supportive. It's some kind of a hardware issue. Owners have pointed to a possible defective power supply, but Outlaw disagrees.

 

[TLS Guy]

If you really don't want a receiver, and I can well understand why someone wold not, you have more choices than you think. At the lake in my basement system, I used a Quad 34, a Quad 909 and a Crown VFX 2 for bass management to drive two subs. It worked beautifully and gives you more control than a receiver actually.

So if you get a preamp, and power amp and put a crossover between the job is done. You can get a dbx two channel crossover for $199.00

Actually Quad is a really good bet. There are lots of vintage units. The equipment is reliable and there are multiple services that will offer refurb and repair. You are likely to have far less hassle than buying a new Far Eastern made unit. This is not difficult and the best choice.

If you want a more modern preamp take a look at this.

The trouble is there is no imagination round here. You actually have a lot of good options, that are in fact better then the restricted choices you have.

 

[KEW]

If you really don't want a receiver, and I can well understand why someone wold not, you have more choices than you think. At the lake in my basement system, I used a Quad 34, a Quad 909 and a Crown VFX 2 for bass management to drive two subs. It worked beautifully and gives you more control than a receiver actually.

So if you get a preamp, and power amp and put a crossover between the job is done. You can get a dbx two channel crossover for $199.00

Actually Quad is a really good bet. There are lots of vintage units. The equipment is reliable and there are multiple services that will offer refurb and repair. You are likely to have far less hassle than buying a new Far Eastern made unit. This is not difficult and the best choice.

If you want a more modern preamp take a look at this.

The trouble is there is no imagination round here. You actually have a lot of good options, that are in fact better then the restricted choices you have.

That is funny, I was just asking about pricing on the WXC-50!
Thanks for mentioning the dBx pro-audio crossover. I had not thought of that!

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Obi Wan Kenobi voice on:
"That is not the high-pass filter I am looking for!"
I am wanting to take the bass load off of the mains. That generally eliminates the main woofers from getting close to their max travel (while still trying to provide detail at a wide range of frequencies) and it usually reduces the demands on the amp substantially!

Oh, I miss that one. My mind was think about subwoofers today.

 

[bikdav]

Maybe the Yamaha R-N803? Same amplification as the A-S801, plus YPAO and a whole boatload of other features. As far as crossover points (high pass and low pass) they can be controlled/adjusted via Yamaha's app.
View attachment 38848
$900.

You're right. The amplification looks like a near duplicate. I didn't realize that.

 

[GIEGAR]

...
If I am looking for my 2.1 audio system, I want to remove the lowest bass from my mains and let the subs take it. To me, that has too many audible benefits to ignore!

A couple to consider...

Compact integrated amp/streamer/Roon end point with digital bass management and proprietary auto setup routine:

Discovery Integrated Amplifier with Streaming - DS-A101 - Elac

Looking for more information on Discovery Integrated Amplifier with Streaming - DS-A101? Click to learn more and shop now from ELAC!

www.elac.com

Rated power of 40WPC into 8Ω (@1kHz) is moderate, but it has pre-outs as contingency.

It's predecessor is currently on runout/discount:
ELAC EA Series Integrated Amplifier. (No streaming, Roon or pre-outs.)

 

[davidscott]

The HK 990 is from 2011!
They may have used a nicer one on the HK 990, but
How is the feel of the volume knob?
It doesn't offer any sub crossover options does it? (I ask because I see them on Craigslist every now and then)

I don't know if the HK 3090 was from 2011 exactly but I purchased it somewhere in that timeframe. To answer your questions I never had any issues with the volume knob but I usually use the remote. I don't have a sub with my infinity 363 towers so I'm not sure about sub settings.