My thoughts on Onkyo M80/P80 Combination
- ducurguz
- 20 hours ago
- 5 min read
This isn't a full review, but rather a continuation of my Onkyo A-50 review. I recommend you watch that review first, and the link will be in the description of this video.
Onkyo A-50 review:
Onkyo M80 Overview
I love going to music stores and demoing audio gear. While I was ready to acquire the Onkyo A-50, the store's staff actually set up the M80 for me to listen to. At first sight, the M80 on stands, with its beautiful design and those great VU meters, I thought this was going to be special.
The M80 is 1,700 euros. It's 130W into 8 ohms and 200W into 4 ohms. It's a power amplifier with a three-stage Inverted Darlington design that has very low output impedance and powerfully drives speakers with a large amount of current.
I thought this was insane value, something I had to recommend to everyone. But then a realization hit me: this isn't a 1,700 euro stereo amp, it's a power amp. You still need a preamp and a DAC to actually use it, or it's just a 15kg doorstop.
But also P80
So Onkyo also built the P80 as a companion piece. It's a preamplifier, DAC, and, believe it or not, a streamer too. But it's also an additional 1,800 euros. So now we're at a price of 3,500 euros to actually use the thing.
Okay, so in reality it's a full system, just add speakers. Is it still great value at that point? Not so much. There are now plenty of integrated amps on the market offering similar things, from Cambridge Audio, Primare, Marantz, and others. And Onkyo isn't a brand with that much pedigree, nor is it priced low enough to compensate.
My Concerns
But there's a bigger issue here, at least to me. All the companies I mentioned, Cambridge Audio with its Evo series, Primare with its Prisma series, Marantz with its N series, offer everything in ONE box. Meanwhile, this is two pretty heavy, big boxes stacked on top of each other or placed right next to one another.
And that brings us to a tale as old as time: separates versus all-in-one, and, more recently, modular amps.
I'd like to quickly go through my thoughts on perceived value and practicality for each approach.
Separates
The old-school approach: preamp, power amp (and sometimes phono stage, DAC, etc.) as standalone boxes connected by cables. This is sort of what Onkyo is doing here. I say "sort of" because, in the truly separate sense, you'd have the power amp, preamp, DAC, and streamer all as individual boxes.
The good: each stage gets its own power supply and chassis, so there's less interaction and noise between circuits. You can mix and match brands and philosophies to tune your own sound, and upgrade one piece at a time rather than the whole system.
The bad: more cables, more connections, more potential failure points, and more interference. It's inherently more expensive, and once you factor in cables and other connectors, there are plenty of hidden costs. It takes up more shelf space and often costs more overall. It's also easy to get the synergy wrong and end up with worse sound than an all-in-one. You need to know what you're doing.
All-in-one
Good examples here include the Cambridge Audio Evo series (something in a similar price range to the P80/M80 combo would be the Evo 150), the Hegel H190v, the Arcam SA35, the Marantz Model 40n, and of course the Onkyo A-50. I think Cambridge Audio and Arcam represent the best examples of a fully modern all-in-one, complete with screen, app control, and so on.
Everything is crammed into a single chassis: preamp and power amp sharing one power supply, sometimes with a DAC or streamer thrown in too.
The good: a simpler setup, fewer cables, a smaller footprint, and usually better value since you're not paying for duplicate enclosures and power supplies. The manufacturer has already sorted out the synergy for you. It's a great entry point, or a totally valid endgame, for people who don't want a hobby within the hobby.
The bad: a shared power supply and chassis means more potential for crosstalk between sensitive stages. You can't upgrade a single section without replacing the whole unit, and sometimes you get a weaker power supply and worse cooling due to lack of space.
I think this is a great option for people entering the audiophile hobby, and truly high-quality all-in-ones start to make sense once you're ready to actually invest in this hobby.
Modular
Last but not least: modular, and believe it or not, probably my favorite of the three. A great example is how Primare handles this. The Primare I25 is an analog amp and preamp in one box, which costs less than the M80 and P80 combined, and you can later add a Prisma module inside the box for streaming and DAC duties. That streaming module is genuinely excellent. Or, for a bit more money, you can get the Primare I35 Prisma, with all of that plus a lot more amplification. Primare does a great job here, offering this approach on both their budget amps (I15) and their more expensive ones (I35). I've also seen Advance Paris take a similar route with their Nova lineup, though the Nova is a flagship Advance Paris amp.
This is a newer idea: a single chassis, but internally built from swappable modules (power supply, op-amps, DAC boards, amp boards, streaming boards) that you can update or reconfigure over time.
The good: future-proofing without buying a whole new amp for a firmware-era chip or connectivity update. You get some of the tidiness of an all-in-one with some of the flexibility of separates, and you can scale your spending by buying in gradually and integrating everything into one box.
The bad: it's still a relatively new format, so long-term module availability and manufacturer support is a bit of a gamble. Sometimes modularity can cost more than an all-in-one. And you're still locked into one brand's ecosystem for modules, not the true mix-and-match freedom that separates give you.
So each approach has its pros and cons, and it really depends on what you like and what your priorities are.
Is M80 a great value?
Now, is the M80 great value? It's phenomenal value if you already have a DAC and preamp at home. You'll get robust amplification that's clean and dynamic, capable of driving whatever speakers you have with a clean background and a nicely opened-up soundstage. That much power, those looks, and both XLR and RCA connections, you won't find that combination for this money anywhere else.
But looking at the whole M80 and P80 package tells a bit of a different story. It could still work great as an all-in-one alternative, but at that price point you're opening the door to other options, most notably something like the WiiM Amp Ultra or the Cambridge Audio Evo 150, which can offer more in some regards, maybe not everything, but certainly in some areas. The lack of a screen, the two large boxes that take up a lot of space, and the cables involved might be too cumbersome a trade-off for whatever sonic edge this combo offers over those alternatives.
As I said, it's all about preference, but I'd suggest doing what I did: go to your local dealer, see these beautiful devices in person, and experience the sound for yourself.
It's a great sounding combo, but I wish the P80 were priced a bit lower so that, as a package, it would be an amazing value.
You can read more here
Onkyo M80:
Onkyo P80: