Price Paid:  $348.00 from Audiogon

Summary:
Great amp. Warm sound with a pretty deep noise floor. I have it driving a set of art of sound line array towers. www.artofsound.net Preamp is an outlaw 990. It runs cool to the touch. Built very well. Has a tordial transformer and eight output transisters per side. Simple design. I'm using the A250 as the main amp and an outlaw 755 for the other 5 channels. Both amps sound really good.

Strengths:
Sound, build quality, price.

Weaknesses:
Did not have a 12 volt trigger so I installed one myself. Now this is a perfect amp!

Similar Products Used:
Outlaw, carver, parasound,

Price Paid:  $550.00 from Ebay

Summary:
Wanted an amp that would'nt break the bank and that was dynamic and did'nt add any of that ear fatigue stuff. Had the Amp hooked up to an older pre amp for listening in stereo. out side of the pre amp everything was new and needed break in time including the Acurus 250a; as it had sat for about five years in a closet. It took about 250 hours of break in time when my audio equipment and cables fully bloomed. I have had many opportunity and years of breaking in different equipment and auditioning equipment as I worked in electronics. I found it true what others have said about break in time and matching up equipment. My Paradigm Monitor speakers sound great with this amp and i'm impressed that I did'nt have the problems with highs sounding bright. Excited about upgrading speakers with this amp in the near future and plan on upgrading to Paradigms 100s. I listen to a lot music and in this price range; how can you go wrong when it takes a lot more money to get any great audible difference.

Strengths:
Has great highs and mids that are detailed and involving. The bottom end is extended, with nice deep notes. For the dollar 550.00 cdn a no brainer and "Oh," dos'nt take up a lot of space.

Weaknesses:
Longer than average break in but worth it for the doller if you can call weakness.

Similar Products Used:
Citation,Krell, Sonic frontier, Nad, Bryston, YBA, Adcom, Rotel, Simaudio, Classe, Creek etc...

Price Paid:  $350.00 from friend with upgrade-

Summary:
I really like this amplifier. When I first purchased the unit I was unsure of whether I wanted to go with separates or with a receiver. I am very proud of my decision to go the separate path and this amplifier has a lot to do with my happiness. The unit plays true to the source and in my setup doesn't run hotter than any other amp I've had. The sound is direct, dynamic and with low end weight. I could a lot worse for the money but not better for the money I spent

Strengths:
Amplifier takes total control of the speakers that are connected. Sound. VALUE!

Similar Products Used:
NAD 2400THX, Marantz Monoblocks, Parasound

Price Paid:  $450.00 from local stereo store,

Summary:
I bought this as a SPARE amplifier, and because my main amps, a pair of Krell KMA-160 monoblocks, run HOT enough to add eight degrees to the listening room''s temperature, and there are times when that''s just too much extra heat, like when I have several guests over and we''re all watching a movie. I use the Acurus in such instances where the slight loss of sound quality is offset by the much cooler room temperature.

Strengths:
This is the best amp in the 1000 dollar price range I''ve yet heard. Clean, very powerful, great bass, and not grainy in the treble. For the audiophile with a 1000 dollar budget for amps (I know, this is not a current product) this deserves an audition. Looking for an amp to drive a subwoofer? This is a good choice! I tried it, and it''ll do the job like a real champ.

Weaknesses:
Hey, it''s only a 1000 dollar amp. If my Krell monoblocks are like utterly clear windows on the music, then the A250 is a very SLIGHTLY dirty and SLIGHTLY scratched piece of clear Plexiglas. Music is a bit veiled and lacks the last bit of realism with this amp, and that''s appropriate. You pay extra for the high ''You are there'' factor associated with 8 kilobuck amps. The A250 is a knockout deal, especially if you can get one for less than 500 bucks like I did!

Similar Products Used:
Other amps used: A BUNCH! All price ranges from cheap to really high. Of amps I''ve used that I can clearly recall, the A250 smokes the Pioneer Spec 4, outran the Carver M400T cube amp, lost (

Price Paid:  $550.00

Summary:
I really like this amp, I have owned several SS amps over the years and can honestly say this is one of the better of the bunch, even the wife agrees.

Excellent Value.

Strengths:
Excellent Value

Weaknesses:
None at this price