NeverHappy, I did some quick looking and found this down to earth review (made me smile a couple of times
):
"Reviewed by: leicanut, Audio Enthusiast, from leicanland
Price Paid: $549
Product Model Year:
2001
Summary:
Do you need this amp to replace your receivers power plant? Here's a good test for determining the need, if you are thinking of adding to a DD rig.
Get yourself a Radio Shack digital sound level meter $69. You'll need this anyway to accurately setup all the DD channels on any receiver. Better yet, convince your friend to buy one and mooch his!
Now play the DD test tone setup on your receiver and look at the bar graph meter reading:
IS THE BAR GRAPH/NUMERICAL READOUT SOLID AND UNWAVERING?
If yes, you got yourself a fine receiver power plant. An upgrade will not necessarily improve the amp quality, only the WPC output. So no need to upgrade to a separate amp unless you crave more power, but if its power you seek, don't stop at 125 watts, go for 200wpc.
IS THE BAR GRAPH WAVERING, or the NUMERICAL READOUT FLUCTUATING BETWEEN TWO DIGITS?
If yes to this question, then the Acurus is for you. I always thought that a wavering bar graph/fluctuating digit readout was due to reflected sound waves in the room, it did this with Sony, Sherwood, Kenwood, Technics and Pioneer (non THX certified) receivers, both DD and DPL. But when I hooked this Acurus up to a previously wavering test toned Pioneer D850s, that old sound level meter got as solid as a rock! But surprise? not! I only paid $309 for the Pioneer, and it is a perfect pre-amp.
Now for the weakness addressed above. The Pioneer 850 pumps out six channels of music (plus a sub woofer channel), and this Acurus only has five channels, so I have to use the Pioneer's back channel. Same is true for my primary setup, using two Acurus A200x3's, I still need the seventh channel (center) driven by my Pioneer elite 37, as it pumps out seven discrete channels. Lets hope the industry standardizes so the amp makers can finally make a unit with the right number of channels!
How does the Acurus sound? Like an amp. Flat as a midwestern prairie. It has a line graph measured frequency response at all listenable frequencies that makes a preadolescent girl look like Raquel Welch by comparison. Seriously, if you are hearing coloration in your system, look to the speakers. I've only been reading stereo mags since the seventies, when I bought my first requisite dorm-buster system, but i've yet to see a mag measure a "ski-slope" frequency reponse in any amplifier test. In fact, most don't even show a line graph anymore. Makes it easier to tell the reader how the amp "sounds", without having flat frequency response curves confuse the issue.
So if you need a better quality amp, this Acurus is for you. I love all three of mine!
Strengths:
Rock Solid full metal jacket power
Weaknesses:
not enough channels, need six, or seven to keep up with the joneses ex or es systems
Similar Products Used:
acurus a200x3, kenwood km-x1"
Only thing I have left is the Acurus which I must admit has me a little shocked. Nothing against the other amps I had up for sale but the Acurus is probably the most accurate out of all of them. That and in stereo it's 150per into 8 and goes well over 240 at 4ohms. This thing does 170 X 5 into 4ohms with 45amps of current!
