Acurus A125x5 Amplifiers

Acurus A125x5 Amplifiers 

DESCRIPTION

5-channel amp

USER REVIEWS

Showing 1-10 of 12  
[Feb 23, 2003]
Gustavo Alvarez
AudioPhile

Strength:

Muy buenos bajos, claridad y limpieza en el canal central, fortaleza en los canales de efectos traseros

Weakness:

El transformador toroidal posee un zumbido molesto en AC 230 v.

Este equipo por ser de 5 canales, posee un sonido interesante, aunque los bajos se confunden con los sonidos medios, escuchandolo en estereo con música, como sistema de home theater con los cinco canales a pleno su rendimiento es estupendo

Similar Products Used:

Multiamplificadores Yamaha, Krell, Adcom y Luxman

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Mar 16, 2002]
mihoajohn
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Runs very cool , looks nice with all the heatshrinks on the side, super quality build and heavy.

Weakness:

No DC trigger or stand-by mode,manual is just like a piece of student paper.

This was a first power amp I purchased, after a long time sticked up with all kind different of receivers. I was glad to go for seperate components, everything changed from low to high, there was a big improvement. And for the sound of the Acurus , at first when I brought it home , the treble was struggling a bit. It was harsh ,bass was muffled and kind of slow but after a few weeks it opened up the sound ,bass was faster and more accurate, treble sounded nicer and smooth.And for the same period of time I upgraded the powercord came with the Acurus, I changed it to the LAT international cord ,it really helped the dynamics level and soundstage of the amp,or might be the break-in time period was reached for the Acurus probably both of them I think! Anyways the Acurus is a very good value amp to have, the sound might not be compared with some top of the line amp as Krell or Mark Levinson( I have listened to them at some of my friends''house) but you will have to spend thousand of dollars more to get them. Just change the powercord of the Acurus to some good quality powercords then you will have a nice looking , beautiful sound power amp to keep for a long time. My system used together with the Acurus : A/V pre-amp Anthem AVM20 (also have a review posted) Boston VRM-60 for front, Boston VR910 center, Mirage OM-R2 surround speakers Two Polk sub-woofers PSW140 Panasonic DVD RP91N, Marantz CC-3000 cd Sony Wega XBR400 TV,Bell Expressvu digital sattelite systems,Sony dual cassette deck.Powercord LAT international & Harmonic Tech AC-11 all hook-up to Panamax 1000 surge protector. Interconnect cables included Wireworld Equinox & Atlantis III, Straightwire Music cable II and Monster M-550i Speaker cables used Monster MCX-1 bi-wired S14-2 and DH Labs super sonic T-14. Room size Lx18'' Wx14'' Hx9''

Similar Products Used:

Denon 2801, Marantz SR-19 & SR-7000, Yamaha RX-800 & RX-1000.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Feb 27, 2002]
Mad Dog
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Dynamics, soundstage, clarity and build. Runs very cool. Quiet.

Weakness:

None other than this nitpicking...Binding posts will only accept 16g max bare wire. you''ll need spade lugs or banana plugs for thicker speaker wire.

This is my first experience with separates and let me tell you that if you are wondering if separates makes a difference, it does! What a huge difference this amp made in my system. This amp gets used 70% for music and 30% for movies but regardless of use, the sound is much more dynamic in every sense of the word. Unbelievable highs and lows compared to my HK AVR70 receiver. I have compared the A125 amp to the Denon AVR4800 amp section and the Acurus blows away the Denon. There''s just no comparison. If you do any critical listening however, you will need to power this thing up at least 30 minutes before listening. Also it does take a few weeks to burn the amp in.

Similar Products Used:

No separates before.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Nov 17, 1999]
chris b
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Very good low end and plenty of power in reserve. Effortlessly drives a complete 4 ohm speaker system

Weakness:

A little bit of a "bright" quality. Not too bad, though.

This amp is conservatively rated at 125x5, but it has plenty of power and headroom. This amp's got very good bass output and can drive low ohm loads rather easily. Even after hours of use at high volumes, it doesn't produce the heat that alot of other amps do. It also has a bright quality to it, but not quite as bright as the Adcom amps did. It is obviously one of many amps in the same price range as many others. Definately right up there with the best in its price range.

Similar Products Used:

Aragon 8008x3. Adcom GFA 555II, 5500, 7000 and 7500.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Feb 17, 2001]
Cliff O
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Nice overall sound. Jazz and Classical are stunning.

Weakness:

Sometimes it doesn't sound like a 600+ watt amp. Too easily over-powered at only moderate listening levels with metal.

Puts out decent full range power, but the mids are easily over-powered with heavy metal music, such as material from Pantera (Vulgar Display of Power) or Metallica (And Justice...). Jazz really sounds good and clean when pumped up. Bass is low and tight if the music isn't too demanding. For a theater amp, it really does well. It drives five speakers with ease. Channel seperation does suffer a little with DVDs and Satellite, but this may be partially the fault of my POS Rotel Preamp. I would recommend to anyone who is looking for a nice amp for a good price. As I've said, it does sound very good for it's intended purpose - home theater amp.

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
4
[Dec 15, 2001]
leicanut
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Rock Solid full metal jacket power

Weakness:

not enough channels, need six, or seven to keep up with the joneses ex or es systems

Do you need this amp to replace your receivers power plant? Here's a good test for determining the need, if you are thinking of adding to a DD rig.

Get yourself a Radio Shack digital sound level meter $69. You'll need this anyway to accurately setup all the DD channels on any receiver. Better yet, convince your friend to buy one and mooch his!

Now play the DD test tone setup on your receiver and look at the bar graph meter reading:

IS THE BAR GRAPH/NUMERICAL READOUT SOLID AND UNWAVERING?

If yes, you got yourself a fine receiver power plant. An upgrade will not necessarily improve the amp quality, only the WPC output. So no need to upgrade to a separate amp unless you crave more power, but if its power you seek, don't stop at 125 watts, go for 200wpc.

IS THE BAR GRAPH WAVERING, or the NUMERICAL READOUT FLUCTUATING BETWEEN TWO DIGITS?

If yes to this question, then the Acurus is for you. I always thought that a wavering bar graph/fluctuating digit readout was due to reflected sound waves in the room, it did this with Sony, Sherwood, Kenwood, Technics and Pioneer (non THX certified) receivers, both DD and DPL. But when I hooked this Acurus up to a previously wavering test toned Pioneer D850s, that old sound level meter got as solid as a rock! But surprise? not! I only paid $309 for the Pioneer, and it is a perfect pre-amp.

Now for the weakness addressed above. The Pioneer 850 pumps out six channels of music (plus a sub woofer channel), and this Acurus only has five channels, so I have to use the Pioneer's back channel. Same is true for my primary setup, using two Acurus A200x3's, I still need the seventh channel (center) driven by my Pioneer elite 37, as it pumps out seven discrete channels. Lets hope the industry standardizes so the amp makers can finally make a unit with the right number of channels!

How does the Acurus sound? Like an amp. Flat as a midwestern prairie. It has a line graph measured frequency response at all listenable frequencies that makes a preadolescent girl look like Raquel Welch by comparison. Seriously, if you are hearing coloration in your system, look to the speakers. I've only been reading stereo mags since the seventies, when I bought my first requisite dorm-buster system, but i've yet to see a mag measure a "ski-slope" frequency reponse in any amplifier test. In fact, most don't even show a line graph anymore. Makes it easier to tell the reader how the amp "sounds", without having flat frequency response curves confuse the issue.

So if you need a better quality amp, this Acurus is for you. I love all three of mine!

Similar Products Used:

acurus a200x3, kenwood km-x1

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Dec 07, 2001]
mxy15
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Strong bass and clear mid-range. Always runs cool.

Weakness:

Slightly forward high and sensitive to cable feedbacks and RF interferance.

At the recent blowout price of about $500 to $600 new on ubid.com, the Acurus A125x5 is quite possibly the best deal in hifi right now. And this is a great opportunity for those of us who has been thinking about making the switch from receivers to separates.

This is my first amp and it has not disappoint me. Separates might be more complicated to work with then receivers but it is worth the trouble. The amp is well build and looking from the top you can see its toroidal transformer taking up most of it’s internal space sitting near the center of the amp. Large heat sinks on the left and right side of the amp but I don’t think they are necessary because this thing never gets hot. This is good because with it’s relative short depth at 14” it can fit almost anywhere and you won’t have to worry much about ventilation.

At a fairly conservative rating of 125 watts at 8 ohm, the A125x5 is powerful and authoritative when it comes to sound reproduction. The sound stage has more of a presence then the receivers I had before. The amp is mostly neutral sounding with some forwardness in the HF. The bass is well controlled and not bloated. The mid-range is very smooth if just a touch cool. It is easier to track where a particular instrument is on good recordings. Instead of just listening to music being reproduced from a CD, with the Acurus, now it feels more like I am part of the audience in a concert hall.

The only problem that I encountered since I got the amp is its tendency to pickup ground loop feedback. I am not sure if other amps are also prone to this type of problem but it was not a problem with the receivers I used in the past. This is by no means the fault of the amp because when you plug in just the amp it doesn’t cause any hum in the speakers. However, hooking it up to your preamp and if you have a cable connection, it seems that a lot of people have experienced ground loop feedback which then makes the speakers hum. You wouldn’t hear the hum once you turn on the music but when it is quiet, it is noticeable. To do more research on this topic, go to www.klipsch.com and look in the forum for Acurus. There are a number of discussion threads on this issue and solutions. And Mondial, the parent company of Acurus, which is now part of Klipsch, has exceptional customer service.

Bottom line, I would recommend this amp to anyone who's looking to buy their first amp. It’s a great value if you can still find it.

Similar Products Used:

Receivers only. Integra 5.1 and Marantz SR-7200.

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
5
[Nov 22, 2001]
Luis
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

crisp clear sound, no harshness, runs very cool

This is one impressive amplifier.

The sound is very clear with no harshness in the
mid-range and tweeter. I can't say much about the
bass, but will explain further below. This
amplifier also doesn't even come close to getting
hot.

I bought this specifically as a second power
source to bi-amp my Wharfedale speakers. The
primary power source is a Sony STR-DA555ES. I had
been bi-amping my front speakers for some time
using the pre-ins of an old Pioneer VSX4400.

When I hooked up the speakers, I was more
concerned with the mids and highs, so I did a
sound comparison between the Sony and Acurus by
listening to music for awhile with power from the
Acurus going to the bass and power from the Sony
going to the mids/highs. THEN, I switched the
speaker cables around and couldn't believe my
ears.

I have been proud of my Sony and thought it
always sounded pretty good after hours and hours
of tweeking with its internal equalizer. But when
I hooked the Acurus up to the mid/highs, it gave
the music a clearer and softer sound. The
harshness that I heard in the Sony went away.

The biggest noticeable difference came when
listening to music through the toslink optical
interconnect. I have a cd/dvd player with the
optical connected to the cd input of the Sony and
digital coaxial interconnect going to the dvd
input. With the mid/highs connected to the Sony,
I could really tell the difference between the
two interconnects. The the sound from the optical
was much harsher. With the mid/highs connected to
the Acurus, I can barely tell the difference. The
harshness of the optical connection is vertually
eliminated.

I am very pleased to have purchased this. If you
are looking for an excellent amplifier, you can't
go wrong, especially if you can get it well below
the MSRP ($1,599).

Similar Products Used:

first experience with an amplifier

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jul 15, 1999]
Mark M
an Audio Enthusiast

I was a little hesitant to dump my GFA-7000 in favor of the A125x5. Although the A125 has lower power specs, it still outpeformed the Adcom in all dynamic areas. The bass seems tighter, and the sound is just more smooth and detailed. I also have the A150 and was concerned with the timbre matching quality of these two amps within the same system. After I called Mondial, they informed that the A125x5 has the exact same components that the highly regarded A150 has in it. They also assured me that the dynamic headroom was in the 3 db area (4 ohm mode) so it has know problem driving my 4 ohm speakers at loud levels, all the way around. This amp barely gets warm. Definately a good product

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
[Aug 07, 2001]
Keith
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

RATED OUTPUT INTO 4 OHMS,BUILT LIKE A TANK,RUNS UNBELIEVABLY COOL

Weakness:

KLIPSCH IS "SHELVING" THE ACURUS NAMEPLATE

Recently purchased 125X5 and in comparison with the first generation Acurus amps the sound is smoother and sweeter. Good low end,although if I had to characterize the sound I would say the tendency is toward the mid/highs.Great sound with my Klipsch powered towers,if that tells you Klipsch owners anything.More clearly defined the sound of my KSP300's.I ran the amp 4 to 5 hours upon initial installation and it was barely warm when a friend stopped by.He didn't believe it was even on.Great amp.I'm proud to own it.

Similar Products Used:

ACURUS 100X3

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
Showing 1-10 of 12  

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