The Acurus A100 is a solid state, 100 watt per channel (8 ohms) stereo amplifierthat in my opinion ranks as one of the best buys in amplification! I've had mine since November 1997 and it sounds great with all kinds of music, from rock n' roll to classical. This amp has the power to get quite loud, louder than most 100 watt amps I've heard, but also sounds punchy and dynamic even at low levels. From it's extended, solid bass to it's smooth highs, the A100 delivers a balanced sound that doesn't seem to emphasize (or de-emphasize) any part of the frequency spectrum. Having heard some great solid state amps by Krell, it was surprising how much of that wonderful sound the A100 provides for a fraction of the price! Now, make no mistake about it, the Krell amps are better and worth their price, but if you are like me, an audiophile with mortage and family obligations, it's nice to know there are great amps like the A100 available for a few hundred dollars instead of a few thousand!!! My Dynaco PAS-4 vacuum tube preamplifier works very well with it, it has no problem driving the amp as loud as I want.

Build quality on my A100 is first rate, with good, gold plated RCA inputs and binding posts, as well as a detachable power cord. The a unit isn't as hefty as other amplifiers in it's power range, it lacks big heat sinks, but that doesn't seem to affect it. I've played it at some rather loud volume levels for extended periods of time and it has never gotten very hot at all!

If you are like me, an audiophile with "champaigne taste and a beer budget", the Acurus A100 is one amplifier you should certainly consider. I give 5 stars because of it's combination of affordability and performance.

Okay, the two prior eggheads didn't know what they were talking about. One was comparing an amplifier that costs twice as much and the other didn't provide any reference point whatsoever. For the money, this is a real good amplifier.
A100X3 for Fronts, A100X2 for rears - 2 words: kicks ass. Compared it with some of the Rotel and NAD amps and the Acurus's just sounded fuller in sound. The craftsmanship was also better, more solid. The Rotel Amplifier I had in the past sounded good, but was pretty flimpsy and only had a 2 prong electrical plug.

I drive 600 series B&W's for Home theatre
Definitive Technology Sub
Rotel Preamp
Sony Digital Processor
Sony DVD Player
Pioneer LaserDisc Player

Excellente!!!! Power

only 2 channel

I recieved excellent sound through my Deftechs Promonitors and it provided excellent help/tech support (not that i needid it!)

solid bass control, excellent transients, absence of usual glare at this price point

not the widest soundstage, but great depth of field

Acurus A100 power amplifier, 100W/Ch. into 8ohm / 150W/Ch. into 4 ohms

I've been upgrading a system for my small study, replaced 11 year old Adcom components and I'm very pleased with the overall outcome. The amp was the last piece in the chain. I listened to a LOT of different amps, from all different categories. Arcam, Adcom, Marantz MA-22 monoblocks, even Cary tubes, in-store, which tells one next to nothing when so many variables are different. In home demo's are the only way to judge - so all comparisons were A/B/C. I listened to my Adcom GFA-535, (which is a warm, sweet, amp),Marantz MA-500 monoblocks(150W/Ch), Acurus A-80(80W/Ch.), B&K ST1400 Series II, and a used Aragon 4004 Mark II(200W/Ch.)

I listen to a wide variety of material: jazz, classical, alternative, generally complex, dynamic music. I cannot stand the usual glare and hash that comes with "detail" in this price range. I also hate compromising any bass extension or weight. Of the above amps the Aragon was by far the best: punchy, amazing detail, bass depth, and a so, so wide soundstage, left, right and all around you. Unfortunately, it didn't even fit in the rack, as well as being the most $ (even as used).
Next up was the Acurus A100, which is large improvement over the A80, which it replaced. Most of the Aragon's attributes were retained except the extreme width of the soundstage. The Acurus has a certain clarity and smoothness which I really appreciate. Micro-detail is revealed; a great test for this is dense vocals: with the Acurus is was simply easier to follow each syllable.
Build quality is great, amp runs very cool. Amp improves greatly in warmth and musicality after 200-300 hrs of use to break in, then 1hr of warm-up. When this amp is new it has a rather unappealing flat, clinical sound that disappears with proper break-in.

Of course, systems are about synergy, so make sure you give it a listen with the components you plan to mate it with to judge for yourself. I have heard from others that the Acurus seems to especially go well with B&W speakers, as it did for me.
If you are in the L.A. area, you MUST check out Definition Audio/Video in Redondo Beach. Nope, I don't work for 'em, just very very happy with all the gear they patiently let me demo. Chris Anderson in particular was a wealth of information without bulls**t or "salesmanship".

Associated components:
B&K PT-3 pre-amp / tuner
NAD 512 cd player
Kimber Hero interconnects
Kimber 4TC shotgun biwire w/ Kimber PostMaster compressible spades
B&W DM602's
lots of Blue-Tack and Isopods under components
18" heavily-damped, spiked stands
Monster HTS-1000 power supply

Overall: 4 stars, there's heaps of better stuff out there, it just costs a lot more. This amp shines for it's price.

Similar Products Used:

Adcom, Marantz, B&K, Aragon

Well-designed and built. Not overbuilt, or too heavy.

None

A finely built 2-channel amp, which apparently gets by without a ridiculously oversized transformer or blood-drawing heat sinks. This delivers all the power I need, and has never overheated. A tremendous value.

Similar Products Used:

Classe CA-101, Muse Model 100