More Power and Finesse from the New American Powerhouse

CEPro’s Technical Editor Rob Archer hits the nail squarely on the head in his November 2012 SCREENING ROOM column review of the Acurus 2005 amplifier. Archer gives the Acurus 2005 an A+ for VALUE and affirms the design objectives our engineers set for this multichannel marvel.  (read a shorter online version of the review here)

The Acurus line isn’t just about value. It’s about superior value.

And while Rob’s review was based on extensive listening of the 2005 in both two channel and five channel surround applications, had he connected and controlled the amplifier to his home network via our state of the art onboard Ethernet modem and controlled the it via an iPad for example, there’s no telling how effusive his already glowing review could have been.

Perhaps it’s the nature of a performance reviewer’s time, or how Rob prefers to compare amps largely via listening that prevented him from taking the additional steps to comment on his experience with the networking capabilities of the A2005. Regardless, our dealers and installers know just how differentiating and beneficial our ground breaking IT control is to them. Not only in terms of control, and monitoring of the biggest contributor to heat in their client’s systems system, but for an increasing number of our dealers, this IT control provides the means for recurring revenue monitoring of the AV rack. Much like their monitoring of their client’s home network, computers, HVAC and security systems.

Archer states that he was pleased by the 2005’s “ease of listening and seemingly effortless ability to deliver power on demand.”  He continues by proclaiming that the amp in two channel use “filled the room with sound that was highlighted by lots of bottom end and rich midrange texture, depth and dimension.”  But Archer’s strongest comments for the 2005 revolve around value. “…18 amps peak burst into impedances as low as 2.2 Ohms to conform to the THX Ultra 2 specifications…. and it more than holds it own to the Bryston 9B at 60% of the price, speaks to the value of the Acurus theater amp.”  

Very press worthy comments indeed. 

Archer’s critiques of the 2005 are arguably inconsequential. Terminating his speaker wires with banana plugs rather than spade terminals would have easily overcome his quibbling of the positioning of the amp’s speaker terminals. In fact, our position and angling of the speaker terminals can be seen as a benefit by many installers as it puts less stress on the various means of connecting the wires to the terminals. It’s not clear whether his self discovered “ground loop problem” colored his listening impressions. But perhaps it was responsible for his comments regarding the noise floor. 

Archer concludes by stating “I think the Acurus product could server the dealer well….” Acurus is well positioned to provide installers a with a step up solution that delivers more real world power and finesse than what the AV receiver category provides. He also puts the use of AV receivers in proper perspective by stating “dealers shouldn’t be afraid of using the amps with the pre-outs of a receiver to provide their clients an audio solution that delivers the goods for a short amount of money.” Good advice indeed especially when these AV receivers have Ethernet connections that will work hand in glove with any Acurus networked amplifiers.

This review makes clear the Acurus brand’s outstanding value proposition. But in the final analysis a dealer needs to ask themselves this key question when selecting an amplifier for their systems. “How do I define performance and what is important to my clients now and in the future.” If you define an amplifier by how it sounds and performs, then Acurus clearly has you covered. However if you go to the extra level of defining an amplifier by a how it can integrate with the control interface that your clients are increasingly demanding, then Acurus is amply qualified. By any measure, Acurus delivers abundantly. And that’s what we mean by superior value.

Good listening!

John Caldwell

Vice President US Sales

Indy Audio Labs, LLC