Home > Consumer Reviews > Onkyo A-9555S Integrated Digital Stereo Amplifier (Silver)

After years of getting mixed result from multi-function receivers, I have decided to try a dedicated stereo amp to see if the music really sounds better. And it turns out that it does. There are many brands out there but the real choice (testing the equipment) is quite limited. Since my favorite mid price brand (Harman Kardon) does not offer much in the integrated amp area, the focus shifted to another popular and easily available name -Onkyo. The A-9555 got pretty good marks, but there was very little information on its A-5VL successor available in September 2009. Thanks to generous return policy I got both models and tested them with two sets of headphones - Denon AHD 2000 and Sennheiser HD 800.
Staring with the newer A-5VL model, the moment I turned up the volume knob there was the "WOW" factor. I have never before experienced that excellent sound quality from a mid priced amp and instantly felt this is something to hold on to. However, after a while I have noticed that that the sound does have that sharp digital quality different from the "tube-like" softness and warmth I was looking for and found in its predecessor.
Thus, the A-9555 is a real winner here - sonically more realistic, with a wider sound stage and twice the (Watt) power coming at a lower price tag. I can honestly recommend this amp to anyone looking to boost the CD sound without spending thousands of your hard earned dollars.
Both receivers have very good headphone output, but they really lack quality phono input. A Vinyl record played with Technics 1200MK2 sounded no different than a CD.

Apparently Onkyo has limited quality control. The unit arrived DOA (Remote unresponsive, all source selector lights lit up except for the Tuner & MD lights. No other lights would light up).

On a side note, for those planning on using the phono pre-amp, it does not work with Moving Coil cartridges.

***UPDATED***
I packed up the defective unit and sent it back to Amazon. While packing up the defective unit I noticed that something was loose inside. Perhaps the unit was damaged in shipping and it had nothing to do with Onkyo's quality control. I don't know.

What I do know is that my replacement unit works and the sound is absolutely stunning. The Pure Audio button is is a very welcome feature as it allows me to hear the sound from my records the way it was intended. For reference I have this hooked up to a Rega P3-24 turntable with a high output moving coil cartridge. That's right, it does work with my high output moving coil cartridge. Your mileage may vary.

See my full review posted at www.audioasylum.com for the complete descrition. Ths amp in my 20k system really shined. Onkyo is to be commended for building an amplifier of this qualit at this price level. I said it in my review. A new classic iis born.

I've had this unit for about a year now & think this is a great unit. I will not go into all the sonic adjectives that people use but will say without hesitation that it has a great sound. The bass envelops my room & it sells for a very reasonable price. Onkyo knows what it's doing.

I agree that this is a good amplifier. However, it lacks a balance control knob, making it is impossible to adjust the relative loudness of the left and right channels. I consider this to be a major design flaw.