I have owned the MCA 20 for over 2 years. Stunning with the silver faceplate, makes any speaker I have hooked up sing.
The most difficult speaker I used this amp with was the Acoustat 2200's with 2 passive Velodyne Subs ALL running off just 1 MCA 20, The Acouststs alone are a very power hungry speaker that by themselves draw down to 2 Ohms at times but with a sub on each side!!... I was blown away by the capacity of this amp in every aspect, durable, reliable, build quality (built in Canada by Sonic Frontiers...no assembled in China crap) and Stunning!! to boot.
As far as the detailed and clean sound it produced?? Unreal at this price...One would be hard pressed to get an amp this good at double the price mainly because the brand is fairly obscure and gets lost somewhere between your High Enders like Krells . ML's and "midfy" Adcoms, Rotels and such.
I would recommend this amp to anyone looking for a 2g amp for half the price...Heck!, Get 2.

Price/Performance : Outstanding
Silksmooth and dynamic player.

Size, compared to the latest technology, from Linn i.e.
Lacks some of the musicality of true high-fidelity.

What a surprise! Bought this on the fly, to replace my Linn AV2250 that burnt (Don´t afford a new one at the moment). While it lacks some of the refinement of the Linn (detail, musicality) it provides more air, depth and control. Rocksteady bass and clarity over the whole range. This piece of equipment is a true hidden gem in djungle of hifi. I listen to everything between conciertos to Aphex Twin and rock. Also serves in heavy duty homemovie set.

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Linn AV2250, Krell, Rotel, Mcintosh...

See above

None that I can think of

Great sounding unit. Nice, tight bass and great detail.

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None recently. I upgraded from a Denon receiver that had served me well.

TRULY DYNAMIC IN THE MIDS/TREBLE AND IN THE BASE.

NONE /THIS AMP IS SIMPLY PERFECT.....

I REVIEWED AND LISTENED TO MANY AMPS, MY CONCLUSION.... SOLID BUILD/LOW DISTORTION LOTS OF POWER/GOOD FOR MONEY/VERY DYNAMIC. THE ANTHEM MCA-20 IS A PERFORMER IT BROUGHT MY HOME THEATRE AND STEREO TO A NEW DIMENSION.

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DENON/BRYSTON/ROTEL/ADCOM

Price. In a world of imposters that offer 90% of the character of the original and 25% of the price this baby is the ticket.

Not enough knowledgeable dealers who understand the clear value of this product.

I recently had the opportunity to listen to this product at a local dealer and was impressed for its performance/price ratio. That said, I felt that it sounded very similar to AR's VT100. For those hardcore solid state fans, this product lacks the detail of the PASS,KRELL and LEVINSON. It easily competes with ADCOMS products while adding a touch more swing. This amps top end is slightly rolled off to my ears but pretty much has the extension of CJ.

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Mccormack,CJ, AR,Rogue etc.

Relatively Cheap. lots of power. tight control on bass drivers.

nothing I can think of. though there is no pre amp outputs to do bi amping more easily. The remote control sucks. And looks almost like my digital cable box's remote. except for the better build quality feel. i give it that. Can't complain much for something that only does volume and input changes.

Note: review for MCA 20 I really do not have much experiences with Amplifiers as this is my first. I bought it because : 1. I needed something to feed my power hungry Energy veritaz 2.2s 2. Cheap Price. no audition. no knowledge. ie a totally blind buy. especially about this being paired with Energy Veritaz Speakers. I've only heard the PVA5 power a Paradigm Reference HT setup that had S/100s for the fronts. Compared to the Veritaz 2.2s at the dealership that's being powered by a Yamaha A/V receiver.. i can easily say that my soundstage is much much bigger, wider and deeper than the store's. Not to mention a better control on the bass. Nice and tight. Something i did not expected that my bookshelves to have. My speakers can also play really loud and stay clean thanks to the amps. I also have the 2 ch pre amp + tuner. TLP1. Which does the job well. But have a crappy remote. which is my only gripe for something that only does volume and input changes. It's a universal remote. but i don't use that feature. My opinion is.. i think it definitely is worth the money that I paid for it. give it a try.. you may like them as well. my opinion on them is that they are very warm amplifiers. and that they are more than powerful enough to keep your speakers sounding clean on higher volumes. and at the same time, maintain a tight grip on the low range drivers.

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experience with amps is still very limited

absolutely attractive faceplate, endless power, clean and neutral sound, plenty of transparency and detail

none

This is a review for the MCA 20. I truly believe that this is an awesome amplifier. Below you will see the amps I put it up against. Against all it held its own; with the exception that the MF was smoother, but at a $1K price difference I couldn't afford. I have it paired with the Paradigm Studio/40v2. The combination, for me, is breath-taking. There is air, transparency and detail. Everything is weighted perfectly: not too much bass or mid-range. It is balanced. The true strength I believe is the lush mid-range in this pairing. The vocals and mid-range detail is so astonishing. Hard to believe this happened for under $3K CDN. At 225W, there is plenty of power to spare. The 40s can be driven at high volumes while maintaining all the clarity present at moderate levels.

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amps in the Yamaharxv496, NAD C350, Marantz sr4200. Auditioned v. Bryston 3BST, Classe CA101, Musical Fidelity A3

Very musical.Little on bright side and exciting but never harshness if being hooked up with quality pre-amp and effiency speakers

I believe MC20 is quite better than good if driving a good and efficiency speakers. As any budget amp. It is not designed to drive low impedance speakers such as Martin Logan. Below says 3ohm,it could be confused as some reviewers stated.

When I penned the box, I was kind of want to bring it back for a return. I hate the flimpsy 2 spronge ac power cord and the also flimpsy autopower switch at the back of the unit. Since my budget was almost exhausted after purchasing a new ARC lS12 pre and A new pairs of Grand Piano by Sonus, and I could not afford the new and beautiful Bryston 4b sst.Anyway,after hooking up the XLR hero ( pre to amp) and the PBJ to the Marantz cd player.I cranked the system up. Tell me abt the sweet open soundstage and the almost 3D image. Diana Krall never sounds this good before. The sound is clean with slight hint of brightness but not offensive harshness .Next the Fourplay (heart felt ), I actually can SEE music.Not too bad for under $1,000.00 amp. Well maybe I don't need to upgrade for the Bryston for a long time. I love this sounds better than mine Parasound Hca100a & Hca 2205a and the B&k 7250.The only complaint is the hissing noise is quite loud when no music playing.

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Products asscociated: Parasounds, B&K, ARC,NHT,Paradigm,Martin Logan,Sonus Faber

everything great low end great highs

none at all

I also think this is a GREAT amp for the money. I don`t think there is anything that will beat it al all. Also you might try Focul pods under it makes it sound so much better. With them is sounds like a $2000 amp.

You name it...

Absolutely none...

After listening for two weeks, I have come to this conclusion. There is NOT a better amp under 1000.00 on this planet..period, I know, because I have had them all....My best bud brought his Aragon 8008BB, and the Anthem ate it alive, and he is pissed....

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Far too many too list....