Onkyo A9150: Does anyone have experience of this amp?

robdmarsh

Well-known member
I'm interested to know if anyone has heard or owns this amplifier.
There's some Youtube sound clips where a guy plays it against a Schiit Ragnarok using some Dali Rubicon 2 speakers and it holds its own pretty well. In another video he plays against a Roksan Blak and it doesn't disgrace itself there either.
It's only 30wpc (at 8 ohms), 60 at 4 ohmns, but it certainly has enough power to drive the Rubicons.
 

robdmarsh

Well-known member
Maybe you shouldn't believe everything you see on YouTube? Sorry don't mean to sound rude mate.
Er... don't really understand what you mean. I saw and listened (with a pair of good quality headphones) to a quite a well-recorded sound clip of this amplifier being played against the other amplifiers mentioned, and unless the whole thing is faked, then what is not to believe?

If you mean that you can't really judge from a Youtube video because of compression of the audio or the DAC in my computer, then that's another argument. Of course you're never going to hear the exact performance of the equipment in that room on Youtube but you can get a pretty good idea.
 

RoA

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There is no reason not to assume this amplifier will sound good with a complimentary set of speakers.

Not wanting to teach how to suck eggs ...

... where amplifiers with bigger power supplies will excel is control of larger speakers and driving ability into difficult loads (plus ultimate loudness/dynamics).

Not everyone needs this and I'd go as far and say not many do.
 
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robdmarsh

Well-known member
There is no reason not to assume this amplifier will sound good with a complimentary set of speakers.

Not wanting to teach how to suck eggs ...

... where amplifiers with bigger power supplies will excel is control of larger speakers and driving ability into difficult loads (plus ultimate loudness/dynamics).

Not everyone needs this and I'd go as far and say not many do.
The speakers used in the comparison on Youtube are Dali Rubicon 2 with a sensitivity of 86db and a 4 ohm nominal impedance. I think this is not a super easy speaker to drive but the Onkyo drove them fine.
 
I'm interested to know if anyone has heard or owns this amplifier.
There's some Youtube sound clips where a guy plays it against a Schiit Ragnarok using some Dali Rubicon 2 speakers and it holds its own pretty well. In another video he plays against a Roksan Blak and it doesn't disgrace itself there either.
It's only 30wpc (at 8 ohms), 60 at 4 ohmns, but it certainly has enough power to drive the Rubicons.
There's an old saying that there are watts and there are watts.
To me pure nonsense as a watt is exactly that, however the ability of a power supply section to deliver when it comes to driving any speaker can be different. I know quite a few low wpc tube amps that would happily drive those Rubicons. Not in the same price range as these amps I must admit.
 

RoA

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View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ICzARq13Fk&t=2s&ab_channel=mykeldg


Here you go, this is the comparison with the Ragnarok. This guy has quite a lot of sound clips up comparing speakers and DACs, with no talking so opposite to everyone else and annoying the purists. His little daughter is very entertaining!

There is a fair share of possible issues comparing the two, not least if they have been level matched but leaving that aside for a moment, the Schiit for me was better throughout (and so it should). More solid sound, less 'papery'.

How much of a difference? Probably enough to justify the difference in cost to an enthusiast considering its audible in a vlog but likely not so for many not so fussy.

One person's 'warm and full' may also be another's lack of transparency.

Lucky we don't all like the same things.
 
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Gray

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I kin

Yes, but what do you think of the amp?
Can't give you a worthwhile judgement on that. I'm not someone who says YT vids are useless. Level matched, with all else being equal they can be good for comparisons (especially where electronics get fed directly to the recorder to avoid room effects).

But on the vid you posted, the difference between the amps seemed subtle.
(about 90% more subtle than the differences between those speakers, for example).
Way more relevent to you will be how the amp performs with your choice of speaker in your room....and not least with your music .
 

robdmarsh

Well-known member
I take your point. But I think it's fair enough to say that this budget Onkyo amplifier is doing a fair enough job of driving pretty good level of speakers and making a decent sound although some might say that it's the good speakers making the amplifier sound decent.
Anyway, shame is that this amplifier seems to be unavailable in the UK. In fact the one retailer which claimed to have it I actually suspect of being a scam operation. The google reviews are uniformly dreadful and say stay away.
 

Gray

Well-known member
I take your point. But I think it's fair enough to say that this budget Onkyo amplifier is doing a fair enough job of driving pretty good level of speakers and making a decent sound although some might say that it's the good speakers making the amplifier sound decent.
Anyway, shame is that this amplifier seems to be unavailable in the UK. In fact the one retailer which claimed to have it I actually suspect of being a scam operation. The google reviews are uniformly dreadful and say stay away.
Yes, I've seen others saying that Onkyo are scarce. (Think there was some question about the company's current status).
Shame. WHF's cheapest best buy amp was (still is?) an Onkyo.
 
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I take your point. But I think it's fair enough to say that this budget Onkyo amplifier is doing a fair enough job of driving pretty good level of speakers and making a decent sound although some might say that it's the good speakers making the amplifier sound decent.
Anyway, shame is that this amplifier seems to be unavailable in the UK. In fact the one retailer which claimed to have it I actually suspect of being a scam operation. The google reviews are uniformly dreadful and say stay away.
it's over four years old and came out in 2017, that's why it is unavailable
 

robdmarsh

Well-known member
it's over four years old and came out in 2017, that's why it is unavailable
It is a shame. Do you think something like the Denon pma 800ne would be as good? I tried the Marantz pm 6006uk and didn't get on with that, no reason to think that the 6007 would be much different, and I think I said before what I felt about the Audiolab 6000A (no soul).
 
It is a shame. Do you think something like the Denon pma 800ne would be as good? I tried the Marantz pm 6006uk and didn't get on with that, no reason to think that the 6007 would be much different, and I think I said before what I felt about the Audiolab 6000A (no soul).
The Denons I have had have all been excellent and no reason to think this one would be any different. However, for this sort of money, I would be looking at the Rotel A11 Tribute instead.
 

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