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

US pricing did go down last year, but it is still NOT on par with Canada.

For example take the A-80:

US list 26,575

Canadian list 27,999

So if those numbers look on par you have to consider that they are in two different currencies that are NOT on par as 1 CAN $ = 0.72 US $.

So CAN $ 27,999 = US $ 20,251

The A-80 costs US $ 6,324 more in the US than in Canada. That is still a big discrepancy!

Equivalent Accuphase and Luxman products are similarly priced in Canada and they compete with each other, but not in the US. Accuphase could benefit from following Luxman’s example in the US market.

It looks like P-4600 is the class AB 'fraternal twin' of the class A A-48.  They are not really entry level as they build on a whole ladder of integrated amps below them, but they are the 'entry level' separates.

.  In my experience you always get more performance when you move up the food chain with Accuphase as I have experienced with the E-260, E-380, A-48, C-2450, and C-2900.

So I am wondering about the A-80 or A-300...

I think that as you move up from the A-48 to A-80 to A-300 amps you are getting more than just increasing power (45W, 65W, 125W), but also improved performance.  For example increasing damping factor (800, 1000, 1000) and signal-to-noise-ratio (117dB, 123dB, 130dB) impact sound quality.

My A-48 is plugged into an Accuphase PS-530 power supply - similar in concept to a PS Audio power regenerator but without the transformer hum.  Though the Accupase PS has a huge toroidal transformer, it is dead quiet and the whole unit is built to a much higher standard - as you would expect with Accuphase.  The improvement in sound quality beats the PS Audio PP12 and the Puritan Audio PSM156.

If I were to purchase and A-80 amplifier I would plug it into an Accuphase PS-1250 power supply.  I would not buy a 100v unit and put a transformer into the circuit.

The A-300 mono blocks would each require a separate PS-1250 power supply - making that a very expensive proposition - double the price of an A-80 + PS-1250.

As I mentioned earlier, Canadian Accuphase pricing is significantly cheaper than in the US, and so there is less attraction to the 100v option.  Though there was a reduction in US Accuphase pricing last year, it is still excessive and hurting Accuphase sales compared to say Luxman which competes at a similar price point to Accuphase in the domestic Japanes market - but not in the US market.

Converting Japanese spec’d units or importing from Canada are a function of overly inflated Accuphase pricing in the US, but it distracts from the original question.

Anecdotally I have heard several times from people who moved up from the A-48 to the A-80 and are very pleased that they did. The A-48 is a wonderful amp, and the A-80 apparently even more so.

As somebody once said, you always get something more in performance and refinement when you go up the Accuphase food chain.

Glad to hear the A-75 sounded fantastic - thanks for sharing.

The only reason the OP (me) brought up US pricing and the discrepancy with Canadian pricing is that if it were fairer there would be more reviews and a lot more people enjoying and talking about their Accuphase gear in the US and on Audiogon.  The other reason for bringing it up is to preempt recommendations for US brands that are better value in the US but not in Canada.

Apparently two A-300 monoblocks can share one PS-1250 power supply.  You would not need two PS-1250's for a pair of A-300 monoblocks.

There is an Accuphase dealer in France who has most of the Accuphase line up on display and frequently posts YouTube reviews.  Even if you don't speak French, you should see the wall of products in their videos.

Here is a review of the A-300 monoblocks plugged into one PS-1250:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJVU1HaoV5I&t=9s

I emailed the owner Fabrice about whether one PS-1250 power supply can handle two A-300 monoblocks, and here is his reply (with English translation below):

"La PS1250 a été étudié pour supporter aisément deux A300, un C2900 ou C3900 et un lecteur SACD Dp770 voir un combo DP/DC1000.

Vous n'aurez jamais de tassement de dynamique car elle travaille comme une centrale électrique qui fabrique le courant à la demande."

Here is the English translation:

"The PS1250 has been designed to easily support two A300s, a C2900 or C3900 and a Dp770 SACD player or even a DP/DC1000 combo.

You will never have any dynamic compression because it works like a power plant that produces current on demand."

Sorry but I am unable to reply to PMs due to Audiogon wanting too much information from me to do so.

When it comes to Accuphase products, cross-border purchasing, selling or trading don't  always make sense due to the large discrepancy in list prices between Canada and the US.  

If I were to buy new, I would want to support a Canadian Accuphase dealer, and when buying or selling used Accuphase products we have a decent used market in terms of selection and demand.