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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
lloydc's avatar
lloydc
751 posts
 

@Toronto416, thanks for the heads-up!

jfrmusic
266 posts
 

@toronto416 

 

I own an Accuphase P4600 Power Amp and can strongly recommend this component. Plenty of power and runs cool. Beautifully made. Beautiful sound. 

miguelderivero
3 posts
 

I also own an Accuphase P-4600, their entry level power amp and I can say this amplifier produce a beautiful sound. Part solid state and part tubes. Lots of detail. Comparing with my McIntosh MC1502 and MC611, this P-4600 is as good if not better than my Mcintosh. Unfortunately I still don't have experience going higher on the chain but probably I will move to all Accuphase. 

jfrmusic
266 posts
 

@miguelderivero

I’m sure you mean the sound of the P4600 is a combination of sold state and tube and not that it is a hybrid. But I agree it sounded better to me than the MacIntosh SS sound although the M462 which is a fine amp less expensive but more than 50% heavier. Also I would not call the P4600 Entry Level at $14k. Accuphase only offers two A/B amplifiers. The 4600 (150W per channel) and the 7500 (300W per channel). Both of equal quality and performance except per channel watts.

lalitk's avatar
lalitk
5,443 posts
 

Entry Level is a subjective term. IME, every model in a brand lineup has that ‘house’ sound. Generally speaking, when you move up in the line, you get more of everything due to more freedom with implementation and parts selection. I own a Accuphase E-650, Class A - 30wpc which has been a game changer for me. When funds permits, I may move up to E-800 or separates like A-80 and C-2900.

Only you as an end user can decide whether moving up in a line up at a considerable expense is worth your investment. I know when I am ready to move up within Accuphase line up, I would want to audition those components before committing my $$$$.

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