Amazingly natural sound! Tight bass

Non

This is an amazing amp. I bought it just to power my passive subs. It has plenty of juice and the bass is very tight which didn't surprise me. What did surprise me was how fluid and natural the midrange is. I hooked the acurus to my main speakers just out of curiosity and I was blown away. Oh my god!!! It is almost as good as my Sonic Frontiers Power 1 tube amp. There's a very slight difference in the overall harmonics, especially in the top end, but I never knew a solid state amp in this price point could be as nearly as good as my tube stuff. It was even better than the Anthem Amp 1 which uses four EL34 tubes. And it certainly blows away all its solid state competition from the likes of adcom, parasound, and rotel. The bass is tight and controlled, the midrange and the vocals are smooth and natural, and the top end just right and not bright like most other solid states. I bought this amp used for $800 and I highly recommend this amp to anyone. Make sure you audition this amp before you consider anything else up to $2000.

Associated equipment:
Sonic Frontiers Power 1 Amplifier
Sonic Frontiers Line 1 Pre-amp
Sonic Frontiers SFD-mkII DAC
Sonic Frontiers SFCD-1
Legacy Whisper
4 NHT SW3 Subwoofers

Similar Products Used:

Sonic Frontiers Power 1, Anthem Amp 1, Adcom GFA 5800, B&K 5000II, Parasound, Rotels

I apologize for posting this in the A200 section. But, I can't seem to post to the A250. If somebody could move this to the appropriated section, I would truly appreciate it.******************************************
Whether this is the first time you've separated your receivers preamp from its amp, or you've decided to upgrade your existing lower price/lower power amplifier, you are going to love the Accurus A250!! Watt for Watt, dollar for dollar, you are not going to find a better amplifier on the market…(Please note that I said dollar for dollar. Levinson, Classe, Krell, etc. all make superior products. But, they are not in this price range!)… Between its virtually unlimited power reserves, and it's solid construction, you are going to be one happy/proud audiophile…(Well, actually this is the starting point for your claim to being an audiophile. And, it isn't a bad start.)

Now that I've got that said, let me give you a few tips on getting the most out of amp.
1) Get A Real Power Cord.
I'm sure you've heard people talk about the benefits of quality power cords, and you've probably thought to your self, "Can a power cord really make a difference?" Well let me tell you, when I added a Cardas Quadlink Power Cord to my A250, the difference was amazing…(Any good Audio Dealer should be willing to lend you a power cable for a couple of day to do your own testing. After all, they know that once you've added the cord to your system, you'll be coming back with the cash to purchase the cord.)…So, do yourself a favor and get rid of the stock A250 power cord as soon as possible.
2) Get A Real Set Of Speaker Cables
No matter what the salesman at Best Buy, Circuit City or Radio Shack told you, Monster type speaker cables are not all you need to improve your sound quality. A good pair of speaker cables can breathe life into what you may have thought was an over-the-hill set of speakers. For this amp, my recommendation is the Cardas 300B-MicroTwin cables…(They are affordable and have exceptional sound/construction quality.)…Or the Tara Labs Bi-Wire.
3) Get A Real Set Of Interconnect Cables.
If you use a cheap interconnect cables to connect your components, you'll never get a sound that is better than those cables. For this amp, try the Tara Labs Prism 55 or the Cardas 300B-MicroTwin. Both are afford able and will add detail to your system.
4) Leave The Power On
Unless there is a thunderstorm, or you're going out of town for a couple of days, leave the amp on.
This amp runs cool, and leaving it on is not going to hurt this amp!…(Mine stayed on for 5 years, and never had a problem.)…My experience has been that cables and electronics reach their peak sound after about 300 hours of burn-in. So, leave this amp on…(It also makes a handsome night light!)

Although there are other little tweaks you can use to improve the sound of this amp, I think I've covered the main points.

So, if you've just purchased the A250, enjoy it!…(Of course, you won't be able to go to your friends housed an listen to their stereo. The noise/distortion and lack of definition will drive you crazy.)…And, if you're thinking about buying this amp, trust your ears…(They are the only thing that really counts when it comes to satisfaction with a sound system.)

Lack of coloration, detail resolution, nice bass, smoothness, and the fact that it's American made.

Runs out of gas at high listening levels and it gets more than a little warm!

My system is:
Aragon Aurum preamp
Adcom GCD 700
Sony MDS JB-920
Kimber .5 meter PBJs
Audioquest Indigo (5')
Paradigm Reference Studio 100 V .2

Music includes classic rock, hard rock, metal, pop, jazz, blues, and some classical.

At reasonable levels, the amp in this system presents and clear, evenly balanced sound. When there is a soundstage, you can sure tell! You can really tell poorly recorded music with this amp.

At unreasonable levels (not abusive to the amp), the highs become strained because the amps' resources are more spent on bass transients and take away from the upper detail--it becomes harsh sounding.

I rate this amp based on the price point that it's designed for. For my ears, system and musical tastes, it's a great choice. This amp is an interim step towards the Aragon 8008BB.

Similar Products Used:

Rotel RB980BX, Onkyo M-504 and 301, Adcom GFA-5800

REAL CLEAN AND POWERFUL. NOT TOO BRIGHT. AMP RUNS SLIGHTLY WARM EVEN AFTER BEING LEFT ON FOR WEEKS. NOTHING TO COMPLAIN ABOUT. SOLID BUILD AND A NICE BUY. I'D RECOMMEND IT TO A FRIEND.

The A200 is a really great amp for Enthusiasts, and a fine entry level amp for audiophiles. It images just fine from about 10% power to 90%, which is enough to get you evicted. It runs cool. It doesn't cost much. It can drive just about any real world speakers out there. For the money, this amp is great. Soundstage could be wider and fuller, but is still better than the parasound amp and the Yamaha amp. Don't go wild buying funky interconnects. A set of the Goertz coppers is all you need. Amp takes about 3 weeks of constant use to burn in; until then it sounds bright. Consider a Tice power conditioner and a quality power cord. I give it a 5 against all other solid state amps in this price range, and a 2 against all other audiophile amps (Krell, C-J, etc.) Some day you will want to replace it with its big brother - the Aragon 8008BB, at 3 times the price. Enjoy this amp in the mean time.

I just upgraded from a 60 watt B&K (model ST120) to the acurus A200. Wow. I cannot believe what I was putting up with before! This amplifier is STABLE! It has a great power potential. I use an acurus preamp and cd player and a pair of canton mini-montors(2-way, 8in woofer, approx$1000). Until now, I was considering the purchase of a subwoofer for music, not home theater. Not any more jack! This amp brought out amazing bass! I demo'd it against the Anthem integrated amp by sonic frontiers. No comparison, the acurus outpreforms it. Of course, now we're talking tubes vs solid state, but that's a different story.
I was particularly amazed by the boost in midrange preformance to my system. Less nasal sounds in the sax and violin and vocals. Did I mention Bass? Oh yesssss, I forgot. Muddy Waters Folk Singer by Mobile Fidelity played so differently on this amp. Previously, the vocals went on violent upswinging transients leaving one struggling to hear the mid ranges and mid volumes. Not any more. The cd is played perfectly balanced. A great buy, a great amp.