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

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?

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.

Similar Products Used:

Rega Planet, Linn Genki, Linn Mimick, Arcam

Transport,Build Quality,Smoothe analog yet datiled sound.

Display

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.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer PD65,Rega Planet,Marantz Cd67Se.

musical and well made

remote could be better

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!

Similar Products Used:

denon, yamaha, marantz, rotel, naim, linn, etc.

Solid build and very, very smooth transport

For the money....none.

I bought this Acurus 1 year back and I am still crazy with it. I'm always amazed everytime I feed it a new CD. The sound comes from this player is really outstanding, it can deliver every details that I can hardly find on my previous Adcom. The sound is bright, detailed, large, open and very musical too.

As I still do not have chance to own a SACD player yet I can't compare but I can say this is the best CD player I've ever owned and probably one of the best out there for the money.

I borrowed my friends $2700 Linn, and the difference between these two players on the sound is minimal at best.

My assiociate equipments are:

Jadis JBL pre-amp
Pair of Monoblock Power-Amp Bel Canto Design Orfeo 30 to handle MID and HIGH range.
Pass Aleph 3 to handle LOW range.
Tannoy Canterbury HE Speakers
Audio Note interconnect and Purist Audio speaker Cables.

Similar Products Used:

I have used everything from Sony to Krell and most in between.

Musical and accurate. resolution is wonderful. Wide and dynamic soundstage. Sells for $1000 less than it should!

I am tired of all black components

I felt compelled to write a review after seeing 'KEMO's' negative comments in his review.

I borrowed a friends Acurus ACD-11 when my Linn CD12 player went in for routine check up.

In a nutshell, the Acurus ACD11 is a bargain
at its retail price of $995, outperforming most
of the more expensive competition and pretty much
blowing away any similarly priced unit. This unit
is incredibly musical, particularly in the frequency
extremes; highs that are incredibly natural and bass
performance that one is not accustomed to from a
digital source. Detail is another strong point here;
I've rediscovered so many digital recordings from days
gone by, hearing notes that I never new existed. The soundstage is wide with outstanding defination and balance. The bass is strong and the vocals have the appropiate presence. The upper end while detailed and strong doesn't gleen or seem harsh. It's not Audio Research or Conrad'Johnson butter smooth, but it's very musical and well defined.

To get the most out of this player, one must use
high quality cables (Audioquest, kimber, etc.)
The end result of this is a serious leap forward in
sonic performance.

The Acurus sounds as good as it looks and should be
on any serious audiophile's short list of CD player's
to audition. I have invested over $25,000 in my system, and find this component did not detract from the sound. It's a fine sounding player and a true bargin.

Similar Products Used:

Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista, NAD. Current stsyem is comprised of the following: Hovland HP-100 Preamp, BAT VK-75SE Power Amps, Revel Performa F30 speakers, Linn CD12 CD Player, Harmonic Technology interconnects, Kimber speaker cables, varous tweaks

Beautiful sound, incredible construction, warm and wonderful musical quality.

You have to spend $900 to get this quality of performance!

WOW.
I will skip the unnecessary foreplay. I spent half of my life listening to the music and building stereo. NOTHING, but nothing prepared me for this. My whole system,
in a dedicated listening room, is really very good. But plugging in the Acurus ACD-11 did something that all of us guys only dream about. It left us totally speeachless. My
jaws dropped on my lap. I was hallucinating, I was in heaven. Evcery CD we played proved that Acurus is nothing short of phenomenal. It does every, I mean EVERY aspect of playbak so well - the bass, space, 3-d, treble, beauty factor - everything so fantastic... Consider me impressed.
I am not kidding, but bear in mind he is the greatest lover of music and audio you ever met.
The funny thing was the lack of character of the THING. It did equally fantastic Rock, Alternative, Jazz, Techno, Classical, everything! No prefferences, just honest resolution and infinite musicality. A steal at $1000!

Similar Products Used:

Audio Research, Conrad-Johnson, Arcam, Classe'. This unit is used with a McIntosh C-15 Pre amp, a McIntosh 7270 Power Amp and feeds B&W 805 Speakers.

Build quality. Transport. Detailed sound. Amazing value.

None

After reading the other reviews I am puzzled by a few that don't really get excited about this player! I also own a Rega Jupiter, which is a Stereophile 'A' recommended product, and have had the opportunity to A-B them for days on end. The Acurus is a wonderful, accurate, detailed, and incredibly well designed CD player. The music come through detailed and with a large and beautifully focused soundstage. While not as 'sweet' or 'honey' sounding on the high end as the Rega Jupiter...it is incredible accurate and very detailed. I bought mine used for $600 and couldn't be happier! The ergonomics of the round front panel controls make sense....transport functions grouped in order of importance...and the remote works GREAT!. I think the Rega is slightly better, but you have to listen VERY critically to notice the difference, and then it's only a subtle texture in the upper reaches. The Acurus reproduces music wonderfully, and for the money I don't see how anyone can ask for more. I also own a Linn Genki, and if I had to choose I would take the Acurus. And it's $1000 less!

Similar Products Used:

Rega Jupiter, Musical Fidelity AC3, Linn Genki,

Ihave owned this cd player for over 1 year. Ifind it avery smooth sounding player on several types of loudspeakers. maggies ,proacs dahlquists, am presently using it with tube amps [my own designs ,low feedback types. it seemed abetter match for the proac speakers as they seem to be abrighter speaker than the maggies. if you like a warm smooth not to bright [music lovers] cd player you will love this one. i certainly do.

I have owned the acd-11 for two yrs., It is a very smooth player, has a clear but laid back midrange , good but not overextended highs. good lows,but not the most extended. I use it with both magnaplaner and proac speakers, have also used it with both tube and solid state electronics. If you like vinel you will like this player, It makes a truly wonderful transport. I have compared it with some some very good ones , no audible differences.

I've had the ACD II for about a year now. I upgraded from a NAD 502, and it really was an upgrade. What i hear from the ACD II is a warm, relativly soft sound. It is a GREAT player for well recorded Jazz,blues,and older style rock.Yet, at the same time, i do listen to modern rock (like Nirvana) and it sounds good too. The bottom end is a little WARM, without the best dynamic. The midrange is pretty neutral, the top is closed in a bit, sounding a little DARK, though I get ALL the detail, and when there is treble (like rock cymbals) it gets through the way it's supposed to. It is less dynamic then most good multibit players. I have yet to try it as a transport, but I got the ACD II CHEAP second hand, so I figured it would be great for a DAC upgrade. Still, I like it the way it is now, and if you like Jazz/R&B/Easy Rock, this player is a perfect choice, especially at the price.