This is my first review on this forum and I want to extend my sincere gratitude to all who have gone before me. I auditioned the original DIA-100 amp in the store's demo room where conditions and components had been optimized. I knew full well that I would not have a very good idea of how it sounded until I took it home and hooked it up to my Snells. Imagine my surprise when I took the unit out of the box and found that all of the letters on the face plate were double stamped! Can you say t-t-tuner? Of course I was too jazzed to stuff it back in the box without trying it out. I hooked it up and was immediately amazed at the detail I heard in the sound. Records sounded rich, full, and luxurious, but CDs sounded harsh and glaring. Since there was some doubt in my neophite mind as to whether this was a desirable state of affairs, I hung onto it for a few weeks. The sound did not change appreciably.
I eventually found the time to exchange the unit, which the store was glad to do. The second unit looked AND sounded significantly different from the first. Gone were the d-double stamped letters, but more importantly the sound was flat. What had happened was that Acurus had introduced the Mark II in the interim so I brought home a free upgrade! At first I was actually disappointed, but I soon came to realize that the previous amp had been too bright and the one I have now is pure and true. I have confirmed this by auditioning it with other speakers including NHT 2.9s which some find to be on the bright side. The 2.9s sounded rather natural and sweet. I will add that the DIA 100 had no trouble driving these notoriously power-hungry speakers to high output levels without apparent effort or excessive heating. I ended up buying a pair of Vandersteen 2Ce Signatures and they seem like a good match for the Acurus.
I will add that a DIA 150 reviewer stated that the amps were assembled by the U.S. military. In my mind that would explain why they are built like tanks, and perhaps also the double-stamped face plate which makes me question their quality control.
This amp has been with me for ten years so far and I have no intention of replacing it any time soon. I have never had any problems with it after exchanging the first defective unit. The guy who owns the 2.9s was running 200 wpc Sunfire Cinema Grand Signature which retailed for $3500. I won't claim that the Acurus sounded as rich but I can honestly say that he was skeptical and that the performance of the Acurus with the 2.9s exceeded both of our expectations by a very significant margin. I can recommend this amp as an outstanding bargain on the used market.
Strengths:
Clever, simple design for excellent value
Heavy duty design
Natural sound (Mark II only)
Drives tough loads with ease
Weaknesses:
Annoyingly bright (prior to Mark II)
No subwoofer out
Assembled by U.S. military(?)
Questionable quality control
Similar Products Used:
Pioneer (ick), Proton (no thanks), Harman Kardon, 1980s NAD 3300PE Power Envelope integrated amp (pretty good)
I eventually found the time to exchange the unit, which the store was glad to do. The second unit looked AND sounded significantly different from the first. Gone were the d-double stamped letters, but more importantly the sound was flat. What had happened was that Acurus had introduced the Mark II in the interim so I brought home a free upgrade! At first I was actually disappointed, but I soon came to realize that the previous amp had been too bright and the one I have now is pure and true. I have confirmed this by auditioning it with other speakers including NHT 2.9s which some find to be on the bright side. The 2.9s sounded rather natural and sweet. I will add that the DIA 100 had no trouble driving these notoriously power-hungry speakers to high output levels without apparent effort or excessive heating. I ended up buying a pair of Vandersteen 2Ce Signatures and they seem like a good match for the Acurus.
I will add that a DIA 150 reviewer stated that the amps were assembled by the U.S. military. In my mind that would explain why they are built like tanks, and perhaps also the double-stamped face plate which makes me question their quality control.
This amp has been with me for ten years so far and I have no intention of replacing it any time soon. I have never had any problems with it after exchanging the first defective unit. The guy who owns the 2.9s was running 200 wpc Sunfire Cinema Grand Signature which retailed for $3500. I won't claim that the Acurus sounded as rich but I can honestly say that he was skeptical and that the performance of the Acurus with the 2.9s exceeded both of our expectations by a very significant margin. I can recommend this amp as an outstanding bargain on the used market.
Strengths:
Clever, simple design for excellent value
Heavy duty design
Natural sound (Mark II only)
Drives tough loads with ease
Weaknesses:
Annoyingly bright (prior to Mark II)
No subwoofer out
Assembled by U.S. military(?)
Questionable quality control
Similar Products Used:
Pioneer (ick), Proton (no thanks), Harman Kardon, 1980s NAD 3300PE Power Envelope integrated amp (pretty good)