I was at the show too and heard the accuphase line as presented by commonwealth Hifi. I will Not say that they sound bad, BUT it did not sound phenomenal. IMO, they sound as same as most of the vendors at the show. YUP, it does have a steep price. I also tend to agree that i also am enamored by the Audio note line. I guess accuphase as a house sound does not capture me by its performance. I heard accuphase electronics at the the Vendors facility early this year as i was auditioning Devore speakers. The Accuphase amps are very very good gear, but in for me, not my liking. I am a Pass Lab guy, owning a couple of their amps today. For me, the best sounding are the Gryphon room and the Audio Note room.
Finally heard Accuphase
I heard it at T.H.E. Show last weekend.
I was pretty shocked at how bad they were. Of course there are many variables at a show, but they were in more than one room. The sound was so wishy-washy and vague and uninvolving I couldn't get past it.
And I was hearing stacks of like $50k ,75k worth. A $3k Sugden sounds about the same, if memory serves. Or even the $8k Yamaha. More or less. But to spend that money on these amps makes no sense. Just build your own tube amp for $1500.
Whats going on with this brand?
To be fair, I also heard a $300k system that sounded more or less like a good PA system at a small concert venue that costs like, IDK $10k or something. This stuff is making no sense anymore.