Alesis RA500 A/V Preamplifier
Alesis RA500 A/V Preamplifier
USER REVIEWS
[Nov 18, 2009]
rockstudio
Audio Enthusiast
Recently I picked up a couple of these workhorses for $169.00! They list for about $459.00.
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[Jul 03, 2006]
John
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Good overal frequency responce
Weakness:
It's heavy with +/- 13 Kg (if you wan't to use it for recording sessions on location)
This amp is worth every €/$! I was looking for a quiet amp to drive my Dynaudio BM6 monitors, and the RA 300 of Alesis was my first choice. As it was not in stock, I decided to purchase the RA 500. More then enough power to drive the
Similar Products Used: Alesis RA100
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[Feb 13, 2004]
sgnewman
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Wide frequency response and excellent midrange and highs. Quiet given the target market for this amp.
Weakness:
Bass is not as solid or tight as with many Crown power amps, but for the money, it's quite good. Got a new, factory sealed RA500 on eBay for $250 plus shipping. Couldn't pass it up. It's currently connected to a nice tube preamp and frankly I can't quite believe how good it sounds. Mid and highs are sweet and transparent. Bass is better than I thought it would be given the low damping factor. Similar Products Used: AMC 2100, Crown D-150A, Crown DC-300A, NADY 2250 power amps |
[Nov 16, 2003]
Ross Lewis
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Clear and transparent and sounds good across all frequencies and across a wide volume range. No fan (big heatsink) so silent operation is granted for such a powerful Amp. The price of £189 was very good value for money too.
Weakness:
None from an audio point of view. Just the annoying 3 Amp fuse blowing. Great looks and the LED display is useful showing power output to each chanel. Construction appears to be rugged. I would question the suitability of the packaging for such a heavy Amplifier and strongly suggest an inspection of the unit in the shop if you can. I am on my second unit as the first one kept blowing fuses when switched on. The unit is fitted with a 3amp fuse in the moulded plug and this is the one which repeatedly blew over the first two weeks of ownership. The second unit has been in occasional use for the past week and so far has only blown one which was earlier today. I am concerned that there may be a short circuit which makes contact or arcs within the Amp when cold. I have not had a fuse blow when the Amp is at normal working temperature. The sound is extremely clear with a transparency hich is undeniably aeal bonus. The build quality appears to be solid. With the exception of the fuse issue I would not hesitste to recommend this Amp. I do not want to return it as a replacement which sounds as good will cost a lot more than I have paid. Alesis may need to consider what might be causing the 3 Amp fuses to blow though. |
[Jul 11, 2003]
feziwhick
AudioPhile
Strength:
Very quiet and well balanced. Good highs lows and clean mids. Great price$$$. Cool design very streamlined.
Weakness:
Only a one year warranty and I've heard horror stories about getting Alesis products serviced (obsolete parts and the like). But like I said if your on a budget it's a good amp. I just got this so my review is based souly as a new purchase. I have yet to find a review on these so I thought I'd post one just to give a rough idea from what I've heard so far. This is a great amp for the price very even, nothing stands out so far and I can't hear any kind of noise as of yet. Considering it is about half the price of any of it's competitors in the same category (power, frequency, etc.) I think it holds up pretty well. If you are on a budget and looking for an inexpensive yet good sounding amp I would recomend this. Specs are as follows Size 18.9"W x 5.63"H x 10.71"D Rack units 3 RU height Weight 28.5lbs = 13.0 kg Rated output per channel 4 ohms @ 1kHz .02% THD+N 250 watts x 2 8 ohms @ 1kHz .05% THD+N 150 watts x 2 8 ohms, bridged mono mode 500 watts RMS Signal to noise ratio 105dB,22Hz-22kHz bandwidth referenced to rated output Frequency responce 10Hz-70kHz+0,-3dB Damping Factor 200 Input sensitivity +4dBu(1.23V) for rated output with input control at maximum. Maximum input level +26 dBu. Crosstalk -85dB, 1kHz |