Price, great sound, appearance.

my bannana plugs don't seem to fit well. Some cheaper plugs work just fine....I am afraid to force them having heard that this amp has a weak link in the connections of the posts to the board. Maybe I will switch to spades

I had been helped by the reviews on this site in making my choice of the acurus A150. I wanted to offer a bit of post-purchase feedback for others who might be in a similar situation. I have vandersteen 2ce's and had been driving them with my archaic yamaha dsp A1000. The sound was okay but I found that I wasn't drawn to listen very often and lost interest in prolonged listening. I had heard many audiophiles declare the importance of the amp and pre-amp but was skeptical. The Acurus A150 at less than $400 seemed like a good bet to test whether amps make a difference without breaking the bank. I bought the Acurus A150 from Stereo Trading Outlet www.tsto.com and within two days the amp was delivered. Its condition was better than described by their site. I couldn't be happier with them. Michael was a great help, friendly and very efficient. Listening. What can I say? Why did I wait so long? Geeesh. I connected the amp to the "pre-amp out" of the yamaha (yes, next on the list is a pre-amp!) and started listening. The difference is crystal clear. The old sound could be likened to peanut butter. It was all there but it was a wall of sound that was blended together like a puree'. With the new amp there is clear definition of each instrument. The change is not subtle. It is OBVIOUS. The detail is much more defined. I can hear things I never noticed prior. Perhaps the most impressive shift was the soundstage. It go bigger. You might say like getting the music out of a box and into the open. I'm starting to understand the crazy terms that reviewers have used....OMG I'm getting like them... AAAHHHH!!!!! OK just joking. Granted I have only had two days with this amp but the initial joy is so great I had to make it public in case someone else might be in the same spot. Moral of the story is: Do it now, it's worth it.

Excellent tight bass. Plenty of power to spare.

None.

Just gave away my Harman Kardon receiver and upgraded to separates. Okay, I'm not the type of audiophile who could hear the difference between a $10,000 amp and a $11,000 amp, but one would have to be deaf not to be able to distinguish the difference between this amp and any receiver out there. The Acurus A150 provides a lot more slam in the low frequencies. The mids and highs are crystal clear without excessive brightness and grain. Oh heck, just hear one and you'll be hooked! You could easily find one for about $350-$400 used. How could you go wrong? This amp is also built like a tank. It would probably still work if you dropped it off a building, although I don't recommend it. There are better amps out there BUT you'll have to spend 2 to 3 times the price of this amp.
My other equipment:
Rotel RSP-980 preamp/RDA 980 (highly recommended!)
Vandersteen 2C's (highly recommended!)
Panasonic A110 DVD player (don't laugh, I'll upgrade one day)
Assemblage HDCD DAC-2 (highly recommended!)

I have heard Adcom, B&K, Parasound and Rotel amps...They'll all okay, but Acurus is clearly the best of the group.

Similar Products Used:

Adcom, Rotel, B&K, Parasound

Tight bass, runs extrememly cool so it doesn't require too much space.

none

fine amplifier at the level. For now it runs my stereo mains, and eventually i plan to get a 200x3 for the front and use it to power my rears. Either solution will work wonderfully.

I use it with Definitive BP10s, an ACT1 preamp, NAD 514, Kimber Heros, Audioquest Type 4 speaker cable and a Panasonic a310. Would love to dump the definitives, but have yet to get a buyer...

Similar Products Used:

adcom

Plenty of Power, Smooth sounding, Nice Bass

A little bright!

I have had the Acurus A150 for about two years, and I must say "It is the best bang for the buck you can BUY" I am so happy that I didn't fall into the more expensive amps in the($1,000 to $2,000 Range)I have the Acurus amp powering my Martin Logans and it sounds fantastic!

Excellent Sound.

None So Far.

When I upgraded to Planar speakers, I was concerned about the capability of my Harmon Karden AVR85 receiver to drive the 4 ohm load these speakers have. I came across an A150 at what I felt was a very good price.

From the very first use the amp has performed flawlessly. I leave the amp on all of the time and it never gets even remotely hot. The sound is very clean and not bright at all. This may be due to the magnaplanar speakers.

Based upon my satisfaction with this unit, I will now begin to look for the 200 wpc - 3 channel unit (A200X3), move the A150 to my rear channel, and retire the AVR85 amplifier completely.

Similar Products Used:

H-K, Denon, Sony

nice, tight bass. uncolored midrange. wide open soundstage and good imaging. the highs are excellent with lotsa airs and accuracies.

a little bit on the bright side but not too fatiguing. has to be match and integrate well with other components in order to offset the slight brightness.

definitely one of the best buys especially if you can get it used around $350 or less. a little bright but still tolerable. kudos to mondial for making such a great product with an outstanding value.

Similar Products Used:

marantz MA-500, Rotel RB-956AX, ATI 1505.

Cost, performance

none

I use this little guy to power my surrounds (Paradign). I have its big brother, the 200x3 to run my front three (Vandersteen Audio).

I may upgrade my processor and source material, but I can't conceive of needing to change the amplifiers.

Similar Products Used:

Acurus 200x3

My system:I use the A150 with Magnepan 1.5/QR speakers and Acurus RL-11 preamp (see system list at end of review). The speakers are nominally 4 ohm speakers so the amp is rated at 200 W/ch for them.

In general, I am pleased with the amp. I rate it 3 out of 5. To me, a 3 is a very good value, similar to a Stereophile class C unit. It makes the grade, but is outclassed by much more expensive units.

The bass dynamics are very good and there is minimal amounts of graininess. The amp is electrically quiet, but may mechanically hum after some use (but you have to get within two feet to be able to hear it - big deal).



Denon DCM-460 CD player
Theta Chroma 396 DAC with HDCD
Adcom GFT-555II tuner
Acurus RL-11 preamp
Acurus A150 amp
Magnepan 1.5 / QR speakers
Cardas digital link
MIT Terminator2 interconnects
MIT Terminator2 BiWire speaker cables
Townshend CD Seismic Sinks

LIKE ANYTHING, GOOD COMPARED TO WHAT? I REPLACED IT WITH AN EAGLE 4($1200)IT HAD BETTER HARMONICS, BIGGER BASS AND BETTER TOP END. I REPLACED THEM BOTH WITH A McCORMACK DNA-1 DELUXE($2500) NO GRIT,GRAIN OR HARSHNESS, ALMOST TUBELIKE
WITH SOFT BUT TUNEFUL BASS. HAVING SAID THAT, THE A150 AT IT'S PRICE RANGE
HAD A DIRECTNESS, PALPIBILITY, AIR, BASS QUALITY AND MUSICALLITY THAT BELIED
ITS PRICE. YES, A LITTLE ELECTRONIC SOUNDING, BRIGHT AND ROUGH AROUND THE EDGES
BUT AN EXCELLENT ENTRY LEVEL AMP. OH, DON'T FORGET TO PARTNER IT WITH
AN NON CURRENT LIMITING LINE CONDITIONER SUCH AS CHANG OR TICE TO HANDLE THE BRIGHTNESS; OR A HARMONIC TECH POWER CORD WHICH BECAUSE OF ITS COPPER PURITY TOTALLLY ELIMINATES GRAIN.

I am very pleased with the performance of this overachieving amplifier. At the price it is hard to beat. Great bass and generally smooth in all ranges with good detail. Drives my inefficient Magnaplanar MG .5 speakers with plenty to spare. I use an Acurus LS11 preamp and Cardas cables.