Accuphase C-200, X, L, V What is the difference?


Hello,
I have heard those are great preamps especially for phono partI an going to buy one ...
But there are several model  of C -200....Could anybody tell what is the difference and which is best ?
Thank you very much
Serge
serge8

I've been looking at the C-200 lately and here's what I've gleaned:

The C-200 came out in 1973.  The X version came out in 1980.  The L version in 1984 and the V version in 1987.

The cosmetics basically stayed the same, but each version changed the internals.

The X version is DC coupled and added a head amp for MC carts.

The L version changed the layout of the internal cards and power supply to be similar to the 280 and added a balanced output.

The V version changed the internal cards again, added 2 balanced inputs, but dropped the 2nd phono input and the front phono input.

The specs for the 80s versions are very similar, but the measurements they put in the brochures definitely look different.

The C-200 came out in 1973.  The X version came out in 1980.  The L version in 1984 and the V version in 1987.

There also a C-200 S version released in 1977

https://audio-database.com/Accuphase-kensonic/amp/C-200S-e.html

There was also a C-200 II.  Look for History - Ended items, on the .de version of a certain site. Not sure what difference there was, to me it looks exactly like the standard C-200. Talking of which, the service manual to the C-200 has an enormous list of alterations described that went into that preamp over the years of production. Many of them were recommended to be retrofitted in case of a service.