Price Paid:  $750.00

Summary:
Bought this amp for several reasons.Due to a purchase of a new furniture grade audio cabinet,the need to "scale down" on equipment I had,meaning to replace multiple amplifiers with a multichannel one.Front channels were being driven by a Krell KAV-150A,others by two Adcoms. Prior to this addition,I had purchased a demo EAD Ovation,which totally changed the my system.Airy,liquid,spacious and dynamic was my first impression.With the Krell,the front soundstage was bigger and more articulate.I was skeptical in making the change.I loved this Krell. Well,there was an immediate change to the sound.Clear and articulate best described my initial impression.Lost a bit in the bass region,but adjustments in the sub compensated for the loss.This is such a wonderfull amp.It obviously mates well with the preamp in sound and in looks.In two channel,it just sounds better than the Krell.In my smallish room,the power is more than adequate.Runs super cool and shuts down via the 12v trigger.About the only shortcoming I can think of,is the lack of balanced inputs,at least for two of the five channels,since the Ovation provide for two outputs for the mains. I'm using Aerials for the three front channels and a pair of Thiels for the rear.The soudstage is huge.This is a remarkable amp for the price.Good sound and looks...

Strengths:
Huge soudstage,airy and articulate.Runs very cool.Smart looks.

Weaknesses:
Lack of balanced inputs.

Similar Products Used:
Krell,Adcom,Sony,Classe

Price Paid:  $700.00 from local dealer

Summary:
Why am I writing this review? Well I have upgraded several times within the years. In doing so I ran across some fine amps. I had owned the PM500 for 8 months before moving up to it''s big brother. I sold the amp and I regret not keeping it for the sae of another system or to sell it to a friend. It''s that good of an amp. It delivers a sweet midrange with descent bass for a 100 watt amp. I don''t know about the dynamic steering technolgy, btu it kepted up with more powerful amps like my old Rotel 990BX. I have since moved up, but felt I should give others out there something to think about when searching for a used 5 channel amp. You wil not find any new ones. If you can find one for $700-900 get it. Don''t mess with Acurus, Smaller Rotels 5 cahnnels. These is truly a rare find for the money and performance. This is a Giant killer for the $$. That''s why I rate it a 5 for value and performance.

Strengths:
Sweet Midrange, sligtly laid back highs, Good bass for the power.Looks great! Great over all performer for the $$.

Weaknesses:
No longer avaialable, speaker binding post are OK.

Similar Products Used:
Audio Research, PM1000, PM2000, Classe CAV150, Rotel 990 and 991.

Price Paid:  $800.00 from ON-LINE

Summary:
Just recently bought this amp and it revived
my stereo system. Enough said.

Strengths:
Great all around sound.

Weaknesses:
none

Similar Products Used:
Rotel 956ax , Aragon 4004 mkII

Price Paid:  $1350.00 from Local Authorized Dealer

Summary:
I have been tweaking with my HT system for several years and have had the opportunity to hear many great amps in my system thanks to my career and a terrific local hifi shop in San Jose. I have had 6 different HT amps in my system during that time, including the PM500's big brother, the PM2000.

I moved to the PM500 with reservation since 100 watts per channel didn't seem like enough to drive my speakers. I was in for a surprise. Despite it's modest rating, my 4ohm speakers were pushed to their limits with this powerhouse - a rating of 200 x 5 @ 4ohms.

Another surprise, with 2 channel music the PM500 actually sounds better than the PM2000, and amp regarded as the holy grail of HT. Music played through the PM500 is livelier. The pace and speed is a bit better, therefore sounding a tad more transparent. This is particularly noticeable when listening to live recordings that were single-mike recorded. The special cues are definitely clearer.

Something else of interest, the PM500 uses the same dynamic steering as the PM2000. In 2 channel mode, I'm actually seeing better than 300 watts per channel. I thought this was a good selling point when I was considering the PM2000 over the PM500.

This is a serious amp. A lot of buyers are gravitating towards the larger EAD amps, but do yourself a favor and listen and compare. In a 5 channel setup, you'll be using a sub to handle the bass so the burden is offloaded from the main amp. In 2 channel mode, the dynamic steering combines the power of all 5 channels to 2 channels thereby increasing the power output 3 fold. When compared back to back, and factoring in price, this amp warrants serious consideration.

I have owned this amp for 6 months now and this amp has continues to surprise me with its transparency, silence, elegance and sheer grunt. I love this amp.

Strengths:
Pure, unveiled sound with a sweet and tranparent quality throught the entire range.

Weaknesses:
Absolute none. This is a first rate product

Similar Products Used:
Sunfire Cinema Grand, Parasound HCA-2205, EAD PM 2000

Price Paid:  $1500.00

Summary:
this is a killer for budger hometheater amp.
I have upgraded this amp to EAD PM1000 recently and this new amp has solved the weak bottom end problem of PM500.

If you want to get more information on ead PM500, PM1000, PM2000 or other ead gear, please check out my little website dedicated to all eadusers at:
EAD Users Community Website

again, you will not be dissapointed if you buy this amp.
better yet, get the bigger brother, Pm1000 or PM2000.
they are not the same. not just more power, but they are also more refine amps.

anyway, if you have no local dealer, I can help you locating a good retailer.