dougdrake2 Posted September 6, 2001 Share Posted September 6, 2001 Picked up an Acurus A200x3 on Ubid a couple of weeks ago. It arrived double-boxed in perfect condition over the holiday weekend (Saturday Fed Ex!). Just tonight had a few minutes to give it a listen. In a word: luvit! I a/b'd (I'd like to buy a vowel, please) it with my Denon 3300 and Chorus speakers. While the Denon (at 105wpc) sounded good, the Acurus sounded great! Every aspect of the music was more alive. The bass was much stronger/tighter/punchier. The mids and highs just floated effortlessly out of the horns. Overall, the entire sound was just cleaner, crisper, more livelike. After switching back to the Denon, it sounded -- well -- kind of laid back and polite. As others have mentioned, I think it will make a great pre-amp, and it's not bad as an amp either. But I'm definitely impressed with this Acurus, and I don't have an incredibly fine ear. Those of you that do would hear even more improvement, I am sure. (Mondial, do I get my free 200x2 to round out the setup now?) DD2 Oh, one other thing. I'm sure this is no big deal to those of you who have experience with high-power amps. But whilst playing a CD, I turned off the Acurus and it took a good 10-12 seconds before the music quality & volume began to decay. It took a total of 25 seconds for the amp to go completely dead. Seems like some pretty good caps in there! This message has been edited by dougdrake2 on 09-07-2001 at 12:02 AM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T2K Posted September 7, 2001 Share Posted September 7, 2001 PHEW!!! Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake2 Posted September 7, 2001 Author Share Posted September 7, 2001 Keith - Kind of like being a mid-wife, wasn't it, coaching me through the acquisition . You can relax for a while. Already spent my Christmas money! First time I've bought electronics sight & sound unseen/unheard. Not disappointed. DD2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T2K Posted September 8, 2001 Share Posted September 8, 2001 Boy, I'm glad to hear it DD! I beleieve the Acurus amps are hard to beat for the price.Sorta like Klipsch speakers.A good amp is a great place to spend good money.I don't think there is a receiver out there that can supply the power/sound that you'll get with a separate amp.That's why they put pre-outs on em! I know you'll like it more and more as you use the amp. Keith ------------------ KSP-300 FL/R KSP-C6 CENTER SW8II C/SUB KSP-S6 SURR KSP300 SB SW12II SONY KP53XBR35 RP DENON 3801 DENON DVD3300 DVD-AUDIO SONY MDP455 LDP ACURUS 125X5 ACURUS 100X3 MONDIAL M.A.G.I.C. BOX PANAMAX MAX 1000 PANAMAX COAXMAX (2) AQ SLATE AQ COPPERHEAD AQ SIDEWINDER AQ VSD TRIBUTARIES S-VIDEO MONSTER INT.400MKIII Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boa12 Posted September 8, 2001 Share Posted September 8, 2001 glad to hear it doug! i gots an acurus on way though it's been showing "in credit card processing" since mon. not moving as fast as on the C7. hope they didn't run out. going to take a look/listen to the denon 4802 mostly as a preamp next week. thanks again to keith for all the excellent info! oh & for the power mgmt for the new acurus, i ordered a monster hts2500 power center for $175 total that has the time delayed auto switching to a high current outlet off the receiver plug-in. hopefully that works. will keep you posted. This message has been edited by boa12 on 09-08-2001 at 01:28 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RossVTaylor Posted September 8, 2001 Share Posted September 8, 2001 I, too, got a 200X3. Actually, I ordered mine from uBid before Doug, but due to some order-processing changeover at uBid (and my amp's week-long ride on a local FedEx truck) Doug got his first! Doug's right. This thing keeps playing for so long after it's turned off, that I walked over to check and see if I'd really turned it off. I'm quite happy with this amp. It sounds great already! Ross ------------------ "Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T2K Posted September 8, 2001 Share Posted September 8, 2001 Boy if I wasn't so Klipsch poor I'd buy another Acurus before they're all gone!And boa, you can't tell about that "credit card processing" deal.Fed EX delivered a guitar today that still shows in processing.And if y'all think your system sounds good now,just invite me over to sing and play the guitar.You wouldn't believe how much better it'll sound then! Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boa12 Posted September 9, 2001 Share Posted September 9, 2001 thanks keith, though they still haven't charged my amex card yet. let me guess, u got a stratocastor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T2K Posted September 10, 2001 Share Posted September 10, 2001 No boa, that axe is too expensive for me.I bought a guitar made by a new start up company.I bought a Circumschister. :^) Keith ------------------ KSP-300 FL/R KSP-C6 CENTER SW8II C/SUB KSP-S6 SURR KSP300 SB SW12II SONY KP53XBR35 RP DENON 3801 DENON DVD3300 DVD-AUDIO SONY MDP455 LDP ACURUS 125X5 ACURUS 100X3 MONDIAL M.A.G.I.C. BOX PANAMAX MAX 1000 PANAMAX COAXMAX (2) AQ SLATE AQ COPPERHEAD AQ SIDEWINDER AQ VSD TRIBUTARIES S-VIDEO MONSTER INT.400MKIII Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boa12 Posted September 10, 2001 Share Posted September 10, 2001 ok keith just be careful hopefully the A200x5 & all the cables & power unit arrive here by the end of the week. doing a major overhall & itchin' to go (looks like i'll be back down in the crawl space). when phase 1 is complete i'll have a C7 in rear center that needs a 6.1 preamp to hook it to so i'll try to check out the denon 4802 this week Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boa12 Posted September 15, 2001 Share Posted September 15, 2001 sorry to leave u hangin keith, but got the acurus 200X5 hooked up yest. immediately had a very loud buzz which ended when i unhooked the cable tv. used a cheater plug on the acurus 3 prong plug for a temp fix. not that the acurus was the cause. its type of high power amp just exposed the problem. thought i might have a ground loop but wasn't audible enough before. once un-buzzed & after some listening, definitely hear the higher current evident in more & better quality bass from the klf-30 & cornwalls. easy to discern as my sub is still out-o-commission waiting to be replaced by a brand new vel hgs-18 from the factory. & that's saying something on the power as my marantz sr8000 already had a lot of that. so real happy i went w/ the 200W unit. of course plan on moving in another preamp for 6.1, probably the denon 4802. also the hts2500 works fine w/ the acurus for auto on/off switching from the marantz. actually the marantz has a slightly longer delay to switch on so it comes on right after the acurus, but no pop or boom problem. ------------------ Klipsch KLF 30 (front) 2-KLF C7 (front center & rear center) Cornwall I (rear) Velodyne HGS-18 sub woofer Marantz SR-8000 receiver Acurus A200X5 power amp Sony DVP-C650D 5-disk cd/dvd player Sony Trinitron 27" stereo tv Toshiba hi-fi stereo vcr Scientific Atlanta Explorer 2100 digital cable box Monster HTS2500 & HTS1000 powercenters Boa's Listenin Lounge: Klipsch RF-3, RC-3 Sony STR-DE935 a/v receiver Kenwood KR-9600 AM/FM stereo receiver (vintage 1975) Russound AB-2 receiver switch to RF-3 Teac PD-D1200 5-disk cd changer Technics SL-1950 turntable/AT LS500 cartridge Technics dual cassette deck rock on! This message has been edited by boa12 on 09-15-2001 at 09:44 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aab3rd Posted September 15, 2001 Share Posted September 15, 2001 boa12 unless youn are really wanting to upgrade your reciever to a discrete model you might want to check out the Parasound 6.1 CSE which is supposed to decode both DD EX and DTS ES from any 5.1 system. As mentioned on another thread I have one but since I just spoke for some S-6s which I have not picked up yet and have no amp yet I can not tell you how it works. It retails for $400 I think but I got mine from the same dealer as the S-6s for !!!$155!!! A lot cheaper alternative than a new Denon 4802. Others might make such an animal but I do not know of any. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boa12 Posted September 16, 2001 Share Posted September 16, 2001 thanks aab, that looks like a nifty device & is tempting for that $400 price compared to about $2k for a denon 4802. i'm looking though for something w/ all those preamp/processor features of the 4802. maybe if there was some kind of processor that had all those including 6.1 discrete & could utilize the idle amps of my marantz for powering the 6th channel that'd be great. don't know how the marantz could handle that though. maybe through the tape jacks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T2K Posted September 16, 2001 Share Posted September 16, 2001 Glad to hear you like the amp boa.Before I got side-tracked with the speakers I have now the plan was to buy KLF20's to use with my 5.5's and Acurus amp that I have had for years.Really wanted 30's but didn't intend to buy another amp at that time.Would have liked to have what you have now,30's with a 200WPC Acurus.So I'm envious now! As far as the ground loop goes the only thing that I have ever used that worked was the M.A.G.I.C. box.Got improved TV picture too.Added the Panamax at about the same time and hum/noise is history.Do you have everything run thru your HTS2500? Where did you find the best prices on the Monster conditioners/protectors? BTW,what is your honest opinion of the AQ interconnects (PM me if you are afraid of ridicule/threats). I'm sure your system sounds great.Sure would like to hear those pumped-up 30's! Keith ------------------ KSP-300 FL/R KSP-C6 CENTER SW8II C/SUB KSP-S6 SURR KSP300 SB SW12II SONY KP53XBR35 RP DENON 3801 DENON DVD3300 DVD-AUDIO SONY MDP455 LDP ACURUS 125X5 ACURUS 100X3 MONDIAL M.A.G.I.C. BOX PANAMAX MAX 1000 PANAMAX COAXMAX (2) AQ SLATE AQ COPPERHEAD AQ SIDEWINDER AQ VSD TRIBUTARIES S-VIDEO MONSTER INT.400MKIII Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boa12 Posted September 16, 2001 Share Posted September 16, 2001 yes keith very pleased w/ the acurus. even w/o a sub, much stronger bass like when i was watching/hearing band of brothers in DD 5.1 on hbo tonight. can't wait to add that new velodyne hgs-18, hopefully this week. think i'll help the US economy & pounce on that denon 4802 tomorrow. sounded & looked good at the dealer but they didn't have any klipsch left to demo it with. i have my system split between 2 outlets due to space limitations. w/ the hts2500 to a grounded outlet on the side wall i have the dvdp, receiver & power amp. on the front wall i have the tv, digital cable box, vcr & sub (when it arrives) to an hts1000 on an ungrounded outlet. got the hts2500 from avpronet http://search.shopping.yahoo.com/search?P=all&is=1&p=monster+hts2500&did= for around $175 delivered. went real smooth. not the lowest price but many others were in the 200s. msrp was $299. the AQ sidewinders (from audioadvisor w/ free shipping per your tip) are great. of course haven't dbt'd them against anything else. that magic box is from mondial no? was looking at jensen's (per tip from chickey) for $59, but u know where to get a magic deal on the magic? will be curious to see if w/ the GL isolator i can take the cheater plug off the acurus. that was a real nasty buzzzz. This message has been edited by boa12 on 09-16-2001 at 11:11 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake2 Posted September 17, 2001 Author Share Posted September 17, 2001 Boa / Keith - I'm now noticing a ground loop problem also (I posted about it in General Questions) which I hadn't noticed with just the Denon receiver doing the amplification. Also, am now noticing a GL from my sub which was probably there before but I missed it. I'll be curious to see how you resolve your GL problem, Boa, and to hear from Keith about this MAGIC box... DD2 This message has been edited by dougdrake2 on 09-17-2001 at 11:06 AM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boa12 Posted September 17, 2001 Share Posted September 17, 2001 doug, see under your other thread. for 50 cents those cheater plugs are amazing. but i2 would like to cure it in the home electrical system. anyway, please answer over there if the cable tv or dss disconnect stops it. & keith how 'bout that magic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T2K Posted September 17, 2001 Share Posted September 17, 2001 Well,relying on memory(dangerous)I had the same problem in '95.Bought the Mondial MAGIC box from a high end place in Atlanta(?).Paid about $80.I'll look for the receipt and let you know.May get it cheaper on the net now.After a move or two I now have the piece inserted like this: cable TV in to MAGIC box to Panamax Coaxmax to TV.ALL electronics,including amps to Panamax Max 1000(KSP300's at front and rear served by Coaxmax surge protectors).Click Products above and Acurus for info on the MAGIC box.Might be a good idea to post questions to Adam in the Acurus Forum.And Boa,check www.polkaudio.com if you decide to use the Jensen($49.95).I'll look around for a good buy and let you fellas know. Keith ------------------ KSP-300 FL/R KSP-C6 CENTER SW8II C/SUB KSP-S6 SURR KSP300 SB SW12II SONY KP53XBR35 RP DENON 3801 DENON DVD3300 DVD-AUDIO SONY MDP455 LDP ACURUS 125X5 ACURUS 100X3 MONDIAL M.A.G.I.C. BOX PANAMAX MAX 1000 PANAMAX COAXMAX (2) AQ SLATE AQ COPPERHEAD AQ SIDEWINDER AQ VSD TRIBUTARIES S-VIDEO MONSTER INT.400MKIII Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boa12 Posted September 17, 2001 Share Posted September 17, 2001 thanks keith. i've never run the cable tv cable through the surge but now that i have that hts1000 over there i'll try that too. actually talked to adam by phone & he too immediately suspected the cable tv connection. so thanks for that jensen tip & i'll check out that magic. will post here if i find a good deal there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T2K Posted September 17, 2001 Share Posted September 17, 2001 boa and DD.The absolute best info I can give you is that I had this problem years ago and bought the MAGIC box and the Panamax at about the same time and am unable to remember for SURE if the MAGIC box did the trick.Wouldn't want you to buy it and it not fix your problem.But as best as I can recall the M box did it.I use it to this day.Maybe AA has it with their 30 return warranty? Let y'all know anything else I can find. Keith gotta get that sig. outta there. Yeah, AA has it(gulp$). Seems like R Shack sold one at one time? And what was that old trick of wiring two balins? together? This message has been edited by talktoKeith on 09-17-2001 at 01:12 AM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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