Summary: I was frustrated by the combination of my Von Schweikert VR2 and my Prima Luna Prologue Two. The sound was good, but everything else sounded compressed. Afriend told me about this amp and brought it to me to listen to it. Well, after 20 minutes i went with my friend to buy it. I have it just one week and the joy and pleasure it gives me is beyond all my hopes. It exels in large scale music like symphonies, cantatas etc., bring it to almost lifelike experience. I listen to music with an exellent turntable (Pro-Ject RPM10) and phonostage (EAR 834P), and this is the first time that i really understand their abillities. Any way, i have to check the amp more closely in small scale music. I will continue to write my impressions next month.
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Summary: Mad power and an equal amount of sound quality. There was a small amount of buzz about this amp on some Home Audio boards. Some people said such an inexpensive amp just couldn't sound good and had no place in a Home Audio rig. Funny thing is, this was said by people who hadn't heard it. Those who heard it in their systems were amazed at what they heard. Even more impressive is that it delivers sonic performace rivaling that of MUCH more expensive audiophile amps. I'm driving a pair of Magnepans which are VERY revealing speakers and they reveal this amp to be wonderfully powerful and transparent.
The bass is clean, tight and powerfull. The mids are totally transparent. The highs are very detailed, clear and extended. Whatever your source supplies, it will be faithfully passed on to your speakers. I've been an audio enthusiast for over thirty-five years and these ears know good sound when they hear it. Detail, dynamics and headroom. This amp has these by the boat load. Listen for any sonic warts or shortcommings and you won't hear any. Often, high end speakers present difficult loads, have low sensitivity or just plain don't sound good unless driven by a powerfull amp with plenty of headroom. Usually these amps are very expensive. With a EP1500, you can drive these speakers without going broke to do so. If you're going to seperates for a music system or bypassing your HT receiver's onboard amps to get big power, this is your ticket. A big, high quality SS amp just makes speakers play better!
Strengths: Big power, drives low impedance speakers without breaking a sweat. Outstanding sound quality. It gives you a taste of what the Big-Buck audiophile amps give, for a fraction of the cost.
Excellent potential. I've already upgraded my power cord, internal speaker wiring and speaker terminals for a noticeable improvement.
Weaknesses: A noisy fan. It's a pro-sudio amp after all. Just buy a low noise computer fan and reverse the flow (front-to-back). Once the music comes on you won't even notice the fan.
XLR & 1/4" inputs, solved buy adapters, easy.
Similar Products Used: Mid range home audio power amps, 100-230 watts per. The Behringer buried 'em.
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Summary: This amp has really restored my feelings about how much I love music and good sound reproduction. I know most people probably use this amp for pro-audio or live sound reproduction, but I use it in my home "audiophile" system. I just replaced a $2000 hi-end audiophile amp with this ridiculously cheap amp, and it sounds better in every respect: better bass definition, better overall speed and punch, dynamics that seem more like real music, better 3d placement of instruments and voices, and in general, just more musical. Another comment I want to make is that folks who criticize Behringer for being "cheap" or "lo-end" probably have never even heard their products. I know there's a reputation and history, but if you're spending big bucks on name alone, you're probably wasting a lot of money.
I know how to fix the fan noise problem. Email me if you're interested.
Strengths: Detailed, balanced sound.
Runs cool and powerful.
Elegant design.
Ridiculously inexpensive for its quality
Weaknesses: Fan is ridiculously loud, and blows in the wrong direction
Similar Products Used: Aragon 4004 II
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