2. amps-preamps
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Accuphase class A amps - going up the food chain from an A-48 to an A-80 or A-300?

Earlier this year I acquired Accuphase separates (C-2450 pre-amp, A-48 amp) and have been very happy with them.  

We have a decent resale market in Canada for Accuphase products, and I was able to snag a C-2900 pre-amp at a good price this past weekend.   We see mostly integrated amps on the resale market here, and current production separates are much harder to find.

The C-2900 sounds noticeably better than the C-2450, and it got me thinking about moving up from the "entry level" A-48 to either the mid-level A-80 or even the top of the line A-300 monoblocks (though size and expense are almost prohibitive).

Does anyone have any experience or advice about moving up from the A-48 to the A-80 or A-300 monoblocks?

BTW Accuphase pricing in Canada is significantly better than in the US - so much so that Canadian Accuphase dealers are not allowed to post prices online for fear of alerting US customers to how unfair pricing is in the US - and Canadian dealers are not allowed to ship to US customers. 

toronto416

Showing 2 responses by soloaudio

soloaudio
2 posts
 

Dear all, I would love to hear more reviews of the A-300 monoblocks, as I may get a pair one day when I upgrade the speakers. Wondering if they work well with Sonus Faber Amati G5 or Wilson Audio Alexia V.

Off topic discussion - I happened to be in Hong Kong earlier this year for family reasons. I bought the Accuphase E-5000 integrated amp with the DAC-60 board for under US$10k. There was no sales tax. The dealer was willing to change the input voltage from 240V to 120V for free before delivery. The salesperson indicated that it's a jumper setting inside the amp. I also bought a pair of Sonus Faber Olympica Nova III speakers from them for about $7k. I spent about a month listening to the system (with a 500W step-down transformer) before shipping to the U.S. west coast. I did not border checking the price at the local retailers here, as I had bad experience with their product pricing and availability in general.

As for shipping, I paid DHL about $960 including insurance for the amplifier alone. It took several days to arrive. The custom did not charge me any fees.

A few months later, I spent another US$3.6k plus tax for a E-280 integrated amp (120V preset) from a Japanese dealer on eBay. It is a good match with my Harbeth 30.2XD in the home office. The shipping was fast and I was not charged any custom fee. Again, I did not check the price with the local retailer..

Sorry for using this thread, as I think the info may be helpful for potential Accuphase buyers..

soloaudio
2 posts
 

@lanx0003 The dealers typically allow customers to test the new unit at the shop, and provide a 7-day return period. I spent a month listening to it and was confident that it will work fine afterwards, given the reputation of Accuphase products.

Given the price parity, I took a gamble as it would be painful to send the unit back for repair. The warranty period is one year.

By the way, it is a custom that the retailers there quote a price at 15% below the MSRP, even before you negotiate with them. Promotions with further discounts are common. I rarely get that in the U.S., which is a big reason I buy used or order online. Perhaps people in other areas have better experience than me..

@pinwa Thanks for the comments on the A-300 monoblocks. Will audition them along with the C-3900 preamp when I get a chance. Heard the power amps will operate in pure class A at 60 watts or under.

Another end-game option to consider is CH Precision C1.2 + M1.1, at an MSRP of $95k.

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