Acurus A200 vs Adcom 5800

sonic frontiers......acurus......hmmmmmmmm.... it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that one out. I hate to inform you but some will say ML's are borderline unlistenable too. doens't mean the person have limited hearing or listening experience, depends on taste. there is no way an adcom anything sounds that much better than an acurus. Acurus can sound bright and I imagine combining an electrostat and the acurus could be a sharp combo but the potentially bright acurus sound is no secret, what was your friend thinking combining the 2. sounds like he has the limited experience. I would bet if you didi a double blind test between the 2, most peopel wouldn't be able to tell the difference. One thing that is a 100% fact is that the Acurus has better bass control and dynamic power, possibly all else being equal to the 5800. both have their limitations but are vry good for this price range.

Any planar or ribbon speaker will out perform any dynamic driver when it comes to revealing true downstream character. I ran a series of solid state amps on my Boston acoustics towers, without hearing any significant differences in sonics except for, yes, bass control. As soon as I bought Apogee Stage speakers it was a different story, and the only amp I could find at the time that didn't offend and was within my budget was a used Jolida 1000a. This amp converted several audio friends into going to tubes one way or another. I now own Apogee Duetta Signatures and am using a Pass Labs X150 solid state mated with a Sonic Frontiers Line pre. This combo, even used, is way out of budget for those looking at Acurus of Adcom. I'm just mentioning it because money is need to get a ss amp that rivals tubes. Tubes will still do the job better in the under $2000 range. I just sold my Jolida to a fellow running inefficient Norwegian mini monitors, with titanium tweeters. After trying Adcom unsuccessfully, he is a happy camper now.

I have not heard the Adcom 5800. I own an Acurus A250 (which is basically the same as the A200), powering Totem Model 1 biwires via an Audio Research hybrid preamp. This combination gives a wonderfully musical sound, with great accuracy. Many non-audiophiles and professional musicians have wondered (from around the corner) if the music was live. I use a Rega Planet and Planar 3 as sources, along with an NAD tuner, an HK CD changer with HDCD, and Yamaha KX-500 and cheap JVC double cassette decks. I also use a genesis servo 10 subwooofer with 300 watt amp (the monitors run full range). I have stopped the continual upgrade process for the forseable future. So, in response to the Acurus bashing, my ears tell me otherwise. I suggest you audition the amps at home and trust your ears. Rather than constant A/B switching, try long listening periods (including background listening) and be on the lookout for ear fatigue (I have found that many initially impressive sounds reveal themselves to be harsh, over-etched, whatever your preferred term is, over time).

I purchased a used A200 and am happy with it. I was also looking for a used 5800 at the time also but in the used price I could not bare to spend $200-300 extra on a used 5800. The a200 is the better deal. Period.

I have powered my NHT2.5i speakers with an A200 for two years now and I must say the sound is very pleasing to me. The A200 drives my NHTs to their fullest....very clear highs, clean midrange and powerful tight bass. Everyone has their own sound preference and I would definitely audition whatever combos may interest you and decide based upon what you like.

Regards,
Rick