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Hey guys, I came across a USA 442 and picked it up for a real nice price. Before I did, I wrote to US Amps and asked for some background on the amp. Someone named Jeff Coleman replied and gave me some info on the amp..... some power specs, production run, etc. But, he commented that the 442 had an interesting and complicated crossover and that if I couldn't get an original owner's manual that I should run an outboard crossover with the amp. Anybody got any comments? Advice? Experience with the amp? Thanks in advance.

The A5000+ is the "Sweet Poison" amp, right?? If so, then yes, it was made by ZED back in the late 90's IIRC. Good solid amps, had one myself for a little while. Not my favorite ZED amp, but a good amp nonetheless. Don't know if Steve's ever made a stinker. B)

8053 for tuning flexibility and 8V preouts, close second was my Clarion DXZ745..... easy to use, good feature set and dual 24 bit DACs for outstanding SQ.

Yes, ZED does make the CDT SQ amps. I've never spoken with Steve about these amps, but I expect the specs are very similar to the ZED lineup. Expect good, if not great performance from anything made by Steve Mantz. ZED-made amps provide some of the best value in the industry when looking at a price/performance/reliability standpoint. I choose ZED.

I have a Draconia with the standard chipset. It is outstanding, fantastic output..... clean and detailed. I've spoken to Mr. Mantz on a couple of occassions about the BB chipset. Basically, what I took away from the conversations is that if I'm focusing on SQ, go for the BB upgrade. According to him, it does make quite a noticeable difference in SQ. I am mulling it over for now..... may decide later to send it back for the upgrade. For me, right now, the standard chipset is sufficient and sounds fantastic. My .02

I'm in Hawaii..... no chance of you getting a listen to them way the hell out here. I'm no audiophile, at least I don't claim to be one, but I enjoy great sounding music and these Illusion ND-6's are a damn nice set of components. Great midbass response, nice smooth highs, very impressive build quality on all components. I really haven't had the pleasure of listening to a lot of high-end components, so it's tough for me to make a great comparison. I'm running CDT CL components (entry level) and have listened to MB, Focal, Eclipse, Diamond HEX series, Alpine Type-R. I'd have to say I like the Illusions the best of all those. I found the highs to be smoother and warmer than the MB and Focal sets which I found a bit bright and tinny. And for me, the Illusions sounded more airy and spacious and had a nicer soundstage. My .02. If you are interested and would like to make an offer, just PM me with something. Otherwise, good luck in your search for a component set and thanks for the interest in the Illusions.

Hey, make an offer..... if you're interested, that is. No pressure, I'm flexible.

How about Illusion Audio ND-6 components? I know where you could get a pair...... hehe.....

Website looks good..... hopefully I can shop there one day. Need to deal with some more pressing financial matters first.

Well, if you decide you can spend a bit more, PM with an offer..... I'm needing to move these guys and am willing to negotiate a bit.

Koda comps are supposed to be quite good with great midbass being the outstanding feature, iirc. New, I think they retail for something like $350 or so from Adire. The $175 you're looking at sounds like a good deal. Or, you COULD look at some top-of-the-line Illusion Audio components I'm selling. Great midbass, a smooth sounding chambered silk tweeter and a bi-amp capable passive x-over with tweeter attenuation jumpers. Check the sale section. If you're willing to spend $300 on Rainbows, maybe you could spend a little more for the Illusion Carbon series. Maybe??? Shameless plug!

I got your PM and hit you back. Awwwwwww, somebody remembered me!! I feel so damn special!

Looks like some nice stuff. And the price is really nice, too. I may have to contact that guy and look into getting some stuff. How do those shallow mount NEXT components sound anyway? Good midbass response? Thanks.

I love those amps <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Maybe you want mine? Sadly, I may have to part with these wonderful amps..... some changing circumstances in my life. If you're interested in either the Cadence or US Acoustics amp, just PM me and we'll see what we can work out.

Here's another one..... US Acoustics Series II "USA 2150"

Here's mine..... Cadence A5000+ "Sweet Poison"

Stephen, What do you remember about the Cadence amps you designed in the 90's? Did these amps have anything particular about them (design, technology) that you were trying at the time? Also, did you build the amps or just design them and have Cadence build them? As always, thank you for your time and knowledge.

Thanks for the info, Stephen. Always a pleasure. Well, maybe I'll be looking to upgrade to one of your new amps in the near future..... Draconia, perhaps?

Welcome!

I'm def down for a GB. Hoping to get my first SS sub.

Forgive me..... I heard my Cadence scream when I read Jensen. I had to run to it's defense! I love y'all

Actually, no. It's a Cadence a5000 "Sweet Poison" that Zed did for Cadence back in the 90's. I'm not sure if it was Zed built or Zed designed, but for all intents and purposes it's a Zed amp.

Great guy, very helpful..... will be awesome to have him around. Fantastic customer service on all his products. I'm a huge fan and am happy to have him on board. You'll definitely be seeing more of me around here. Welcome aboard, Stephen and thanks!!!

Just to add some thoughts..... US Amps has fantastic customer service. They were very helpful a year and a half ago when I bought my first amp from them (5600X) and were extremely helpful today when I had questions about an older amp I picked up off eBay (USA-442.) I spoke directly to Jeff Coleman who gave me a lot of info and insight into my amp directly and about the company in general. He was very friendly and forthcoming..... easy guy to talk to and super helpful. To make a long story short, he went out of his way to make sure that I had full knowledge of how to operate the complicated onboard crossover network on the 442. He dug up and faxed me a grid of the 16 switch positions and functions of each and different switch combinations, etc. And then customer service found an original owner's manual for the 442 so they're sending that to me. Awesome!!!

Anyone know anything or had first-hand experience with these amps? I'm looking into buying one based on rep, but haven't had a listen to them. Any info is welcome. Thanks all.