I recently acquired an Accuphase A-80 class A amp, which I’m comparing against my long term stablemate Vitus SS-101 as well as Audio Research REF 250 mono blocks. To my ears, in my system, and given my musical preferences, the A-80 checks all the boxes. Accuphase engineers have voiced this amp in a very specific way where they have focused on harmonics and inner details. This is not an amp that craves for your attention in a crowded audio show. If you’re looking for the ’hey-look-at-me-throw-everything-in your-face-to-get-your-attention’ type of sound, then you should cross this brand off of your list. It is not a forward sounding amp.
Having said that, this is the most musical and engaging amplifier I have owned. The way it creates music and engages you is unlike anything I’ve heard before. For the first time, I don’t miss tubes. I get all the tubey goodness -- the glow from within quality, inner details, holographic imaging (maybe not to the level of the best SET amps though), seductive midrange, and slight warmth. But, at the same time, it has all the strengths of a solid state class A amp -- i.e., sparkling details, hefty yet nuanced bass, and complete control over the woofers thanks to a damping factor of over 1000.
