Best AMP under $2000?

[Out-Of-Phase]

Just for the heck of it ADTG, here is the latest and greatest Acurus Multi-Channel amp.

I think it sells for around $5100.00

A2007 — Acurus

www.acurusav.com

Cut Sheet_2022_A2007.pdf | Powered by Box

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[AcuDefTechGuy]

Just for the heck of it ADTG, here is the latest and greatest Acurus Multi-Channel amp.

I think it sells for around $5100.00

A2007 — Acurus

www.acurusav.com

Cut Sheet_2022_A2007.pdf | Powered by Box

app.box.com

What a total rip-off.

$5K for an amp that only has RCA inputs, no XLR inputs?

And they can't even make the speaker posts STRAIGHT? Why are they crooked?

When I bought my Acurus 200x3 amps, they were like $1K each. They didn't have XLR inputs either. I guess Acurus doesn't believe in balanced connectors.

I was looking at some of the NEW Aragon amps which are even more rip-off than the Acurus. I didn't see any Balanced inputs either.

 

[Mikado463]

What a total rip-off.

$5K for an amp that only has RCA inputs, no XLR inputs?

And they can't even make the speaker posts STRAIGHT? Why are they crooked?

When I bought my Acurus 200x3 amps, they were like $1K each. They didn't have XLR inputs either. I guess Acurus doesn't believe in balanced connectors.

I was looking at some of the Aragon amps which are even more rip-off than the Acurus. I didn't see any Balanced inputs either.

Not sure why not having XLR inputs is that big of a deal if the topology of the amp is not balanced, except for longer runs of IC's for better noise rejection.

As for the 'original' Aragon amps being a 'ripoff' , ridiculous !

 

[Pogre]

Not sure why not having XLR inputs is that big of a deal if the topology of the amp is not balanced, except for longer runs of IC's for better noise rejection.

As for the 'original' Aragon amps being a 'ripoff' , ridiculous !

How much are we talking about price wise?

 

[Mikado463]

How much are we talking about price wise?

if you're referring to the Aragon 8008 I bought over twenty years ago I can't even remember what I paid for it. In later years the name was sold off (again can't remember to whom) and the product cheapened.

My old 8008 lives on providing excellent service in my sons kit in Colorado.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Not sure why not having XLR inputs is that big of a deal if the topology of the amp is not balanced, except for longer runs of IC's for better noise rejection.

As for the 'original' Aragon amps being a 'ripoff' , ridiculous !

I was referring to the NEW Acurus and NEW Aragon amps, not the OLD amps from 30 YEARS AGO.

XLR inputs/outputs are just a "luxury" feature that many people expect from "high-end" electronics - both amps and preamps/pre-pros.

For example, even the Yamaha RX-A3080 Receiver has XLR L/R Inputs and XLR L/R Outputs.

But for $5K or more, some of us do expect fully balanced amps.

I saw the new $4400 Aragon 8008 200W x 2Ch amp in The Absolute Sound review. It does have XLR inputs.

 

[Pogre]

if you're referring to the Aragon 8008 I bought over twenty years ago I can't even remember what I paid for it. In later years the name was sold off (again can't remember to whom) and the product cheapened.

My old 8008 lives on providing excellent service in my sons kit in Colorado.

Okay, yeah. I interpreted ADTG's comment (which he confirmed above) as referencing the new, ridiculously priced offerings available now. That's why I asked, to see if you guys were talking about the same thing.

 

[Out-Of-Phase]

I owned the old (Mondial Designs) Acurus A250 power amp and R11 preamp.

Later on, I bought the (Mondial Designs) Aragon 4004 MKII power amp and their 18K preamp with the external power supply.

Incidentally it has to said that these separate electrical devices provided no greater sonic improvements over my older Yamaha integrated amplifier.

Also, it has been mentioned by many technicians in various forums that these early Mondial Design devices lacked protection circuitry. I'll vouch for that. All of their amps I owned were completely devoid of any protection to the speakers. I cringe when I think of that now.

And I too think that the recent Acurus/Aragon models from Indy Audio Labs are over priced.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I owned the old (Mondial Designs) Acurus A250 power amp and R11 preamp.

Later on, I bought the (Mondial Designs) Aragon 4004 MKII power amp and their 18K preamp with the external power supply.

Incidentally it has to said that these separate electrical devices provided no greater sonic improvements over my older Yamaha integrated amplifier.

Also, it has been mentioned by many technicians in various forums that these early Mondial Design devices lacked protection circuitry. I'll vouch for that. All of their amps I owned were completely devoid of any protection to the speakers. I cringe when I think of that now.

And I too think that the recent Acurus/Aragon models from Indy Audio Labs are over priced.

Yeah when I found out my 4 Acurus 200x3 amps didn’t have any speaker protection circuits from @TLS Guy, I put all my Acurus amps on eBay the next day.

 

[VMPS-TIII]

I looked at the Monolith 5 channel and it's a possibility. What do you guys think of the Beale Street Audio BAV4250 and have you found a good mail order source for it? If the quality is as good as the Monolith it might be a good choice for an old man, as it's about 50 lbs lighter. lol

Beale Street Audio BAV4250 BAV2500 1,000 Watt Amps Have Features You Need

Beale Street Audio has started shipping their highly anticipated BAV4250 and BAV2500 1,000 watt amplifiers. Beale amps offer versatility along with easy setup and control, but how do they measure up?

www.audioholics.com

 

[Auditor55]

OK, so what's the best amp under $2,000?

 

[Pogre]

OK, so what's the best amp under $2,000?

Well, define "best amp" for starters...

 

[Auditor55]

Well, define "best amp" for starters...

True power ratings and reliability.

 

[Pogre]

True power ratings and reliability.

Thanks! That really narrows it down.

 

[VMPS-TIII]

Anyone using the Beale Street Audio BAV4250? How would you compare it to the Monolith? Thanks!

 

[lovinthehd]

Anyone using the Beale Street Audio BAV4250? How would you compare it to the Monolith? Thanks!

The features and connectors reminds me of a Crest pro amp I have.....not sure what would be comparable to the Monolith as they're pretty different! I'd missed this and hadn't even heard of them before https://www.audioholics.com/amplifier-reviews/beale-street-bav4250-bav2500

 

[Pogre]

I think you'd get everything you'd need from Monoprice Monolith. Those amps are legit. Clean, powerful, built by a very solid company (ATI) AND... under $2000. You can get the 7 channel for under 2k!

Don't get too wrapped up in a bunch of subjective reviews from people who like to use dessert flavors to describe the sound. I think a lot of it is in their heads.

 

[CajunLB]

I think you'd get everything you'd need from Monoprice Monolith. Those amps are legit. Clean, powerful, built by a very solid company (ATI) AND... under $2000. You can get the 7 channel for under 2k!

Don't get too wrapped up in a bunch of subjective reviews from people who like to use dessert flavors to describe the sound. I think a lot of it is in their heads.

But what about that Chocolately midrange we all love so much?

 

[Kleinst]

I agree it is better to do it just in case and definitely do it if the amp is used close to it's limit (like 50% during peaks) and/or there is visible deterioration to the caps. In reality a lot of people probably should not expect an audible difference as it depends. In my experience, I hear no difference, and measured no difference before and after recapping my over 35 years old (at the time of recap) Marantz SM-7, and those are big caps too.

How do you know when your AMP needs to be recapped? you Say you can’t tell after so was it just preventative maintenance?

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

OK, so what's the best amp under $2,000?

Best amp for everyone is different.

For some, probably a few year old pre-owned ATI amp.

I sold a few of my ATI amps I’ve used in my system for way under $2K.

Next best thing would be an ATI-made amp from Outlaw and Monoprice.

Personally for my speaker systems, assuming Yamaha is extremely reliable, I think the Yamaha MX-A5000/5200 is the best under $2K.

But there is a “best” amp for everyone.