Accuphase E380 upgrade?

@stereo5 - You bring up an excellent point. I think there are a few reasons. The Accuphase and Luxmans are similar in power output and aesthetics. Also, sadly, after my last round of listening which is now 4 years ago, I have not had the chance to evaluate several popular brands. This is why you never see me contrasting with Hagel or Gryphon or even Yammaha or Technics integrateds. I just haven’t had the chance to hear any of them. Also, quite honestly I’ve never heard or seen an Accuphase in person so I can’t contrast their sound with anything.

Lastly, I was struck by how expensive the "upgrade" the OP talked about was! Ouch.

Another thing I just thought of, given I moved to the deep south I wonder if I will ever even see another high end store in my lifetime. They are a lot harder to find these days and if you aren’t buying it’s less interesting to make the trip.

Maybe I should convince integrated amp makers to send me stuff for free so I can evaluate them here?? 😂

I think you are right though.  I need to change my tune.  From now on I'll only recommend D'Agostino and Vandersteen amplifiers.  I have heard them, they are excellent and I can't even afford the power cords for them. 🤣

PS - The 480 is similar in terms of output stages to the Luxman 507 which you might consider as a price gauge.  I've not heard any Accuphase so I can't really comment on whether you should switch or not. 

The 480 has 1 additional pair of transistors per side, in addition to a beefier power supply. This would imply better control over bass and impedance dips, especially around 100 Hz (based on the single impedance curve I found for your speakers).

On the other hand, if you like the sound, having a stiffer amp may change the tonality. If you listen at low volume most of the time, stay where you are. If you want to turn it up and could use a little more punch, upgrade.