I recently auditioned the acurus a200 and BK st3030 (both 200 watt amps). The BK was somewhat sweeter and had more authority and a tighter bass. The BK presented a better, more cohesive sound, although the a200 was no slouch.

What can I say--power, imagaing, timber..... You name it

Very sweet sounding, smooth, transparent and big sound. This amp is hard to beat in its price range (a B&K hallmark). I have tried it driving a pair of B&W 803 Series II speakers and handled them with ease. It will sound its best when matched with a B&K pre-amp.
Highly recommended for those wanting an affordable high end sound. Will give it a five star for the price to performance ratio.

Broad soundstage, wonderfully laid back, yet detailed and transparent. Very, un-colored. Makes Adcom, Rotel and the rest sound like Emerson.

Doesn't drop much in price on the used market. Kind of ugly and VERY heavy.

I've had my ST3030 for several years and have used it to power many speakers. It's easily the best sounding amp I've ever heard in the price range. Those who say you can't tell the difference in sound with amps costing less than a grand should listen to B&K's line.

Bob Carver tried to get his amps to sound more like tubes, but it's pretty controversial if he succeeded or not. The ST3030 is a more conservative approach to the same idea, but it's a much better piece of hardware.