Price Paid:  $900.00 from Audio Excellence, Th

Summary:
I have enjoyed the ACD-11 for many years without significant problems. Only concern is that the transport does not read a CD every now and then. ( 1 time per year) Keep the unit on all the time for best listening. The inboard D/A is quite alright but I upgraded to the Aragon D2A2 and was amazed at the improvement. Use a high quality power cord and ac filter device for best results. Would buy any Acurus or Aragon product new or used based on my very satisfactory experience with the six units of theirs that I own.

Strengths:
Price and performance

Weaknesses:
None based on price paid

Similar Products Used:
Many many many

Price Paid:  $350.00 from Audiogon

Summary:
I have always been a fan of Acurus/Aragon equipment for their build quality, looks, and most of all sound quality. Over the last two years I have moved back from a combined home theater/music system to a separate music only system. It was easy to decide what audio compnents I wanted for amp and preamp (Aragon), but choosing a CD player was more dificult as I really wanted the convienance of a 5 disc changer. My first attempt was with a Harman Kardon 8550 unit. It wasn't bad for the price I paid, but quickly proved to be the weak link in the system. The next attempt was with an Adcom GCD 600 unit. When it worked, it was a great sounding unit. Unfortunately it was in the shop more than it was in my home. I finally decided on a single disc unit and as Aragon didn't make a CD player, I purchased the Acurus. I am sure that there are better units availabe, but at its price point you'd be hard pressed to find a better overall performer. The transport is rock-solid and will play many discs that skip on others. The sound quality is also very good - I have it connected directly to my preamp and also to my Aragon D2A2 DAC. When I A/B the two, there is little difference in the sound quality. Obviously Acurus spent a little money on the audio section of the player and not just the transport. The unit looks very nice and once you get used to the control placement, functions well also. My only complaint about the unit is the display - It's nice that you can turn it off from the remote, but if you're more than a couple of feet away from the unit you can't ready the display anyway. Overall, a great sounding, well built unit that should last you for years. It can perform as a stand alone unit or as a transport equally well. It's a shame that the whole Acurus line appears to be lost with the acquistion of Mondial Designs by Klipsch.

Strengths:
Build Quality, Appearance, Transport, & Sound.

Weaknesses:
Display could have been better.

Similar Products Used:
Harmon Kardon, Yamaha, Adcom, Sony, Nakamichi, etc.

Price Paid:  $300.00 from online

Summary:
Your sound system is only as good as It's weakest Link, Period. Any reviewers that gave poor reviewes of this product are missing something in the sound process. With quality Amplification,Cables,Speakers and even a good Power cord this Acurus Player playes music with terrific warmth and detail.It also has great imaging and seperation. Aside from that it is a great transport if you want to use a DAC with it. For the current used prices this unit is a steal.I am a classical musician with perfect pitch and wicked sensitive ears. I like what I am hearing with this player.I will end up using it as a transport but I can't say enough about it as as a stand alone player.Sound really great with stand mounted monitors. I am using Sonus Faber Concerto's and they really have taken on a nice warmth with this player.The build is industrial too which I appreciate. The display could be a bit more visible but it provides all the needed info.And hey, It's built here in the US and most audiophiles know what country builds the very best stereo equiptment.(US)
If you can grab one of these you won't regret it.Just remember to read the first sentence of this review again before you make your assesment.

Strengths:
Transport,Build Quality,Smoothe analog yet datiled sound.

Weaknesses:
Display

Similar Products Used:
Pioneer PD65,Rega Planet,Marantz Cd67Se.

Price Paid:  $600.00 from on Ebay (used)

Summary:
This Acurus CD player gives a smooth presentation. The timbre is true to the instruments being presented. The mid-range is gorgeous. If you like any kind of acoustic and vocal musics, you will not be disappointed by this CD player. It is fine for small ensemble musics, too, like string quartet, jazz quartet... and so forth. But on rock and jazz...oh MY! This thing really comes to life when there is a lot of complex musical information. I find myself digging out old rock CD's just to hear them in the Acurus. It mates well with my Classe' power source, and QUAD ESL-63.

If you want to have a CD player which gives you excitement then, then no need to look elsewhere. It seems to have a very extended bottom end. It gave me the sense of impact from the bass string with guitar music, and the weight of the bass notes from the left hand of the pianist.

Later on I may try the similar priced ARCAM Alpha 9 or even a NAIM CD-3.5. I want to see how it performs compared to a high-tech "24/96" CD player (ARCAM) and a CD player with very competent and well designed power supply but traditional D/A section (NAIM). If these all happened, I'll post the brief results (like this one) according to their product models.

To sum up, I find this player a very, very good CD player at any price. At the price they are going for (I have seen new units for $850 and used as low as $500) it is impossible to beat. Yes, the top of the line Linn, Musical Fidelity, and Accuphase CD players are better, but then again, they cost $3000 more! To my way of thinking, but this and put the $3000 into a set of B&W speakers and you will be way ahead! Hope someone will share his/her views on this superb CD player soon.

Strengths:
Super transport system. Very quiet and smooth. Opened up and looked inside..it's built to last. Very nice build quality!

Weaknesses:
None really. The remote works well and has a million features, but the lay out is confusing and doesn't make any sense to me. I have to stare at it for a inute to figure out what button to hit. Why no just have stop-pause-play-and track up/back?

Similar Products Used:
Rega Planet, Linn Genki, Linn Mimick, Arcam

Price Paid:  $624.00 from EBAY

Summary:
I have spent about one year with this entry level CD player from acurus.

This unit is not new and was bought used from ebay.

I was not expecting marvels from this quite low-cost player. I have to say that
I have been extremely surprised by its amazing qualities. This little player is
very musical. Music is simply more refined than with most digital products. Is
it an artefact coming from the DAC ? Maybe. And so what ? The
result is that most of the digital "harshness" seems to be "smoothed" by this
player. Is it therefore less accurate ? I really don't think so. Fast transient,
for example, are exemplary in every aspect. This is particularly obvious when
listening to certain music (Crumb, Creed or NIN for example). A
subtle openness seems to be always around. We are closer to the live experience
than ever.

Of course this is not the best CD player on Earth. The most subtle parts of
midrange illuminations that can be heard with the top-level players are a
bit less present here. But the magic remains and the result is outsanding, at
least at this price point.

You want a drawback ? The remote control is typical medium-quality industrial
product...

Sorry, I would have liked to write a better review. But english is not my mother
language and it is far from being obvious to me. As a conclusion, would I
recommend very strongly this exceptional CD player. For under a thousand dollar US, you get one amazing player!

Strengths:
musical and well made

Weaknesses:
remote could be better

Similar Products Used:
denon, yamaha, marantz, rotel, naim, linn, etc.