Was looking for an amp for quite some time for my B&W 801...bass reaponse is just amazing! Really transparent sound... Take care what preamp to pair with... whith right one, this bad boy is difficult to beat!

No weaknesses... just the “old” design...and maybe 60w of power consumption in idle/pluged in even if amp is off...

A really well considered product.Mature is perhaps the best single word to describe it.
Usher has taken an established design -the Nelson Pass designed Threshold 300 Stasis and updated it.The output stage is apparently identical but there have been some changes to the input stage and biasing.

This amp will probably be bought by people with mid priced speakers.Which is a shame in a way because it is deserving of much higher resolution/high end speakers.It is also likely to be bought with the Usher 307 preamp.Which again is a shame because the preamp is nowhere near the standard of the power amp.The R1.5 is deserving of a very good valve preamp.I am using a Supratek Cabernet but I have also heard it sounding very good with some of the better Chinese valve preamps like the Mystere.

Like a really good valve preamp the Usher has a rare combination of resolution and clarity without ever sounding aggressive or in-your -face.It also has beautiful tone and timbre.
You can sit down,relax and just enjoy the music.
And yet is not too dark or laid back.It still sounds vibrant and lively enough to suit more energetic music.
So yes it really does sound more like a good valve/tube amp.Other SS amps are often described as sounding like a valve amp but this one really does.The only one I have heard that does.None of the hybrids I have heard do.

Some people have commented on the treble not being as good as the bass and midrange.I don't really get this.To me the treble is great.It has a character for sure.A slight sheen perhaps but certainly not bright or sibilant.It reminds me of the sort of treble you get with EL 34 valve amps-a slightly emphasised vibrancy perhaps but I believe this adds to musical enjoyment and manages to avoid the excessively dark and boring sort of sound you can get in minimilist Class A amps like the First Watt F5.

This amp will also drive difficult speakers with ease.My speakers dip to 2.5 ohm and other 150 watt amps I tried are incapable of driving them properly and start clipping.Even a 150 watt Accuphase struggled.The Usher R1.5 obviously can deliver sufficient current to avoid this problem.The measured ability to deliver 500 watts into a 1 ohm load reflects this driving capability.

What's not to like?
Well perhaps the 40 kg bulk.

A great combination with Sonique Encore SE and classic Duntech speakers.

one of the best amplifier ever (value for money)
First off all sound like tube with tight bass, after i try this amplifier with Totem acoustic - Mani 2 and Apogee stage mini grand, i realise that, this amplifier have alot of power and can control speakers with low ohms resistance,
Also quality is excellente with B&W - 802N and also with my Wilson Audio - Duette.

Much better than Jeff Rowland model 10, which I used before.
A perfect match for the new Thiel CS 3.7!

Before buying this amp, I was using an Audio Research LS17 with a VT60 tube amp driving a pair of vintage Klipschorns (Bob Crites tweeters and woofers plus his capacitor kits). WONDERFUL sound!! The only problem is the lack of bass using a tube amp. I found a demo Usher r1.5 amp on Audiogon for half price. The sound of this amp is as good as the tube amp, but with WORLDS of clean, tight, well defined bass.The detail and soundstage coming out of this combination is unbelievable for the price. After listening for a few months, I would have no problem paying full retail price for another one of these amps. I don't think you could buy a better amp for twice the new price of $2500!

Very dynamic
Very controlled
Very detailed
Very very well built (All aluminium, 32x250 watt motorola transistors, weight 37kg)
The best loudspeaker terminals i ever have seen on any amplifier/loudspeakers!

My amplifer has balanced inputs, but they are not connected internally in the amp!
Generates a lot of heat. (200 watt idle power consumption.)
When switched off, the amplifier still draws 85 watt.
I think an amplifier of this class, should have more capacitator capacity than 40.000 microfarads.

Regarding the sound, not much!

I bought this amp to use it with my Martin Logan Aeon I loudspeakers. The R1.5 performs this task very well. The sound is dynamic, clear and controlled over the entire frequeny range, when driven moderatly. At very high power levels, it seems to loose control gradually. My speaker have a minimum impedance of 1 ohm at 20kHz, so I guess with loudspeakers having a more linear impedance, the problem woud be less. I have not tested it with other speakers, and i have only used the unbalanced inputs.

Similar Products Used:

LC Audio, the end