I think that aragon amps have good value. I do not own one, but my best friend has one (8008BB). I think it sounds a lot better than Adcom or Rotel, not quite the same level as Classe Audio, but close enough. It has a warm sound (a bit too dark for some), nice detail (sure could use a bit more detail though), and powerful bass. I highly recommend it. If you do not like the way it sounds, try Classe or Mark Levinson, they have the same basics, way much better sound and way more details.

Thunderous Bass, Dynamics and unlimited power reserves

cheap binding posts

A very nice upgrade from my Adcom. Works extremely well with my NHT 3.3's. I never really thought an amp could change the sound of your loudspeakers that dramatically. The bass extension is tightly controlled and deep as a chasm. This amp made my Adcom sound slow, underpowered, and lacking any kind of transparency. I think I'm going to hold onto this amp for quite some time. Definitely give it some time to break-in you'll be rewarded with a sonic powerhouse.

Similar Products Used:

Adcom GFA-5800

This has got to be one of the finest amplifiers out there in the market. It has tons of power and its sound is very clean and dynamic. You will not find many amps that will outperform the Aragon in the bass area. the highs are silky smooth with the right amount of sweatness to it. Mids are acurate with a tiny laid back sound to it. WARNING: for those who buy a new unit. You MUST let this amplifier play for a very long period before it breaks in. The amp will sound harsh in the beggining, but once it breaks in the sound will be totaly different with more extended highs and a very clean solid bass to it. The Mids will be much notacible with accuracy. Dont be upset when you first listen to the amp, just let it play for a couple of days and you will hear the difference. I have compared this amp to bryston, krell, proceed, and many other expencive amps that cost many times more than the aragon. The Aragon will sound allot better than other amplifiers going for allot$$ more. This 200 watt amp will sound as if its a 500 watt amp with leftover power to run any speaker you throw at it.

The Aragon 8008BB is a giant killer. After listening to several amps, it was between this and the Krell FPB200. It was difficult to tell the difference while A/B testing so my wallet made the decision. The amp sounds good out of the box, a lot better after a week and really opened up after about two weeks. Audition this against the big boys and you will be suprised.

I bought the 8008BB after comparing it to Pass, Krell, Levinson, Classe and Bryston -- most at twice the price of the 8008BB. The only one that stood a chance was the Pass. It failed ONLY because of it's low output. Even 100 Wpc is not quite sufficient to drive my fairly inefficient (85db) Magnepan 1.5's. I usually need 150 Wpc for the sound levels I listen to (typically peaks at 95 dB, but several peaks at 105 dB).
Initially, and still, the 8008BB is a little dark. This sounds okay to me because I listen to symphonic music and classic rock (mostly male vocals). However, my wife listens primarily to female vocals and the darkness is not making her happy.

The additional power (went from 200 Wpc into 4 ohms to 400 Wpc) is noticeable in the bass. A better sense of control.

I am currently considering the McCormack DNA-1 Deluxe -- I am auditioning it this weekend. I'll let you know which I prefer!

Considering that the 8008BB beat some $5000 amps (in MY system!), I have to give it four stars.

clean sound, lots of power

HEAVY(hard on my back, but its worth it!), binding posts a bit cheap(plastic)

when i switched from my nad to the accrus pre-amp, arragon amp system i heard music like never before. the logans demand clean sound or they will expose every flaw/weakness in your front end. the aragon has excelled in this regard. i dont plan to ever replace it (unless i hit the lotto!)

Similar Products Used:

accurus, martin logan, marantz

Detail and who needs a sub-woofer with this?

So what if its heavy and strange looking

When I bought some Martin Logan SL-3 in October 1998, I outdated my whole mid 1980's Yamaha separates. The speakers did not sound like they did at the store, something was wrong. Where was the deep bass and fine detail I heard with my friends Martin Logan Arius with Adcom Amp? Both my friend and the dealer told me it was the fault of my 125 watt Yamaha Amp, and to try the Aragon 8008BB. I thought, "What would I do with a 400 watt 4 om Dual Mono Amp in a small apartment? What about the Aragon 8002 or an Adcom at less price? Well, they talked me into it and WOW!!! am I happy. What a deal for just under $3000.00. Lately I have been listening to a lot of fine Amps, but this one plays Martin Logans with such detail and what a Bass. I am not going to buy a Sub woofer, it might tear down my Apartment.

Similar Products Used:

Martin Logan SL-3, Audio Research LS-16, Sony CD-XA7ES, all with Harmonic Tech Balance Silverways

massive amounts of clean power; articulate and fast, but smooth; sleek design

heavy unit with no grab handles

What an amp! This thing has power reserves to spare, and brings a true sense of control and dynamics to the music. It has so much current drive that my system sounded overly warm (ceiling/floor resonance) until I got room acoustics under control and upgraded to more neutral-sounding interconnects (Nordost Solar Wind vs tubby-sounding Monster 400 Mk II). The good thing about this amp is that while it has power to provide punch, it does not do so at the expense of detail and finesse. It's transparent -- we can listen to the system hours on end and not notice any particular artifacts added by the amp. As other reviewers point out, it does take time for this amp to break in; I noticed a change at about 30 hours and again after 150 hours, and now, with perhaps 500-600 hours on the unit, it has a wonderful smooth character, mellow but not laid back, powerful but not edgy. It has outstanding bass drive capability when the program calls for it, but doesn't overwhelm the delicacy of the treble. We enjoy a full range of music from contemporary pop/rock/folk to jazz to blues to classical. The classical and vocal music in particular shows the benefit of break-in.

In comparison, we auditioned a Bryston 3B, which could be best characterized as a mini-8008BB: many of the same sonic characteristics, but not quite the authority (not surprising, with 100 W/ch and lacking the Aragon's massive dual monoblock power supplies). The CJ-2300A was a surprising disappointment for us, providing a dry, lifeless presentation and constrained soundstaging. (We could hardly believe our ears).

The amp runs hot; I shut it off when not in use. A phone call to Mondial confirmed the owner's manual recommendation to do so, and I find that the amp comes up to temperature in short order. The main difference in sound is that when the amp is warm it has a minutely more open sound.

Note: the input impedance of the amp is relatively low; this means that the sound will benefit through use of ultralow capacitance interconnects and preamp with reasonably good output stage.

Bottom line: this is a great-sounding amp and a great value.

My system:
Nakamichi MB-10 CD player
Aragon D2A2 D/A
McCormack TLC-1 Deluxe preamp (active output)
Aragon 8008 BB
PSB Stratus Gold(i) speakers
Nordost Solar Wind interconnects
Alphacore Goertz MI2 speaker cables.
Helmholtz tube resonators (homebrew room acoustic treatment)

Similar Products Used:

Bryston 3B; Conrad Johnson MF-2300A

Power

Cheapo binding post.

I had a pair of Mission 774s and the B&K 4420. Upgraded my speakers to Hales Revelation 3 and I had no bass. I thought the B&K was powerful but hooked to the Hales it sounded down right wimpy. I called Hales and asked for amplification recommendations and the first thing out of their mouths was Aragon 4004. This was what they called their budget choice (I don't know where they get their idea of budget). Anyway, I skipped the 4004 and went for the 8008BB since I found a used one for just a couple hundred more dollars. My Hales stood right up and I've never looked back. Is it the best amplifier available? I doubt it but I've never gotten upgraditus since owning it. Some have remarked that it is sterile. Compared to tubes I would agree. I have used both solid state pre-amps and tube pre-amps with it. I have a AES AE-3 tube pre matched with it now and it is really just lovely. I think it is the best of both worlds but I certainly havn't tried everything (far from it). I do know, I have no desire to change my system and that has never happened before. What more can I say?

I would recommend this product to people who have difficult speakers to drive. If you have an easier load you have more choices as far as amplifiers go. I've been told, that the Aragon is perfect (yeah right) electrically, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you will like how it sounds. I decided that I would buy as accurate an amp as I could afford and go for the characteristics that I like in music with my other components. A tube pre-amp gives you the ability to play with the sound (tube rolling) and get what you like. I really love my AE-3 tube pre-amp but I respect the Aragon. That probably means the pre is not accurate to the source but I don't care, I'm enjoying my music too much to think about it. :)

Ah Thoeb CD Player (tube)
AES AE-3 Pre-amp (tube) I love this thing!
Aragon 8008BB (ss) cahonies!!!
Hales Revelation 3s smooth

Similar Products Used:

B&K 4420

Looks,Raw Power enveloping sound

HEAVY, almost got a hernia putting it in the rack Can run very hot measured it at 140 with a meat thermometer keep the rugrats away from

After searching for almost a year for my ht system I decided on the BB. I need alot of power due to the room I am building(my wife calls it sitting room I call it a home theatre)which is 24*24 with vaulted ceilings. I absolutely love this amp you can close your eyes and be there. I was sold when I called Mondial and talked to Paul Rosenberg who said he listened to the dead. This meant to me his designs would probrally suit my musical taste.Mondial is also one of the most friendly companies I talked with. There is something about being able to talk to the owner, They Care. Back to the music. On acoustic the guitar sounded as if it floated in front of me with real dynamics and punch when the drums hit.This thing can rock also with the ability to punch out so much clean music that everyone in the room has no choice but to get up and dance. Overall this amp rocks very good for acoustic and classic rock Female vocals are a hair dark but that suits me fine. Have yat to get my room finished and the system below is the one that will go in there.

My System After room is finished all on order or waitind in the basement for their appearance.

Aragon Soundstage (even my wife can figure this one out)
Aragon 8008BB Front
Acurus A125*5 Front and surrounds
California audio labs cl-20
monster cable hts-5000 power conditioner
sony 36 inch HDTV Vega
Monitor Audio 9i front
Monitor audio 7i rear
monitor audio asw210 sub
monitor center

currently using the soundstage 8008 cl-20 in a two channel setup until I can fire up the whole concert in the new room.
I will post a follow up when I can report on ht performance but sound is sound wether its a guitar or a machine gun so I think I will be equally pleased.

Similar Products Used:

NAD, Adcom B&K