Identical to A 550 R (1991). Solid workmanship except for the labby housing cover. Servomotors for input selection, volume, detent knob Input Selector. 4x volume potentiometers. 10000er Elkos. Very precise bass reproduction, but not compatible with every source device, which can be expressed by a low-treble reproduction. Powerful and load-stable power amplifier. With honeycomb structure on the housing and heat sink. The input selector switch (ALPS ASD 1017) often has contact problems in old age, but the switch (rear right) can be cleaned by disassembling. This is the only weak point. TIP : via Adaptor IN it always works trouble-free, because this input bypasses the motor selector. By the way, this also applies to many other Pioneer amps. Successors: A 502R to A 504 R. The A 501R was available in Europe only in black, in Japan also in champagne A3R. The A 550R was delivered in black and silver.