Anyone tried biamping with an Accuphase E-560?


Accuphase E-560 owners - have any of you tried adding a power amp and passively biamping?

If yes, do you have to add an amp with the same rated power (in which case, the second amp would have to be the A-35), or can it be done with say the A-46 or even P-6100?

Or would be better to just add a power amp and use the E-560 as a preamp?

Thanks in advance.
classact

Showing 2 responses by nvp

If buying an A-46 or a P-6100 is not a problem, then my advice is to trade in your E-560 for an Accuphase pre-amp (e.g. the recently discontinued C-2410)

I've recently moved from an E-550 integrated to a A-45 & C-2410 combo and it was a solid upgrade, i.e. blacker background, more details and a more stable and focused soundstage.
Classact, I had a look at the Accuphase manuals (E-560, A-46 and also A-
100) and I do not think you will be able to use both the pre-amp and power
amp section of your E-560 at the same time in a bi-amp/bridged
configuration. The only way to use your E-560 in an bi-amp configuration is
to use it as a pre-amp (only!) together with two power amplifiers, e.g. A-46.
IMO that would be a silly set-up.

I assume, though, that you are not interested in buying two amps. You just do
not want to "waste" the power section of your E-560. Nonetheless,
here is why you should not buy two power amps (A-35s or A-46s):

There is not reason to use two dedicated amps with a non-dedicated
preamplfier. An E-560 used as a preamplifier performs below a C-2110
preamp (the Accuphase entry level preamp), and it is certainly less versatile.
Also, how much power do you need? Two A-46 in a brideged or bi-amp
configuration put out a lot of power (180/360/720 watts in 8/4/2 ohms for
each channel!), but it will cost more than an A-65 which will sound better.
(Unless you need a lot of power, sound-wise it is not worth while to use
Accuphase stereo power amps in a biamped/bridged configuration. Most
often it is better to buy the next superior model.)

As mentioned before, my opinion is that it is best to move to a C-2420 & A-
46/P-6100 combo.

Finally, regarding Edwyun's comment, all Accuphase power amps have a gain
selector (i.e. 0, -3, -6, -12 dB). This makes it easier to match the levels of
different amps.

Good luck and keep us posted.
Paul