Integrated Amps from Accuphase

mgs: my son is now auditioning avalon symbols in his system. he owns ae-2's.

Cornfedboy,

Thanks for the advice! I think I will give the Electrocompaniet and the Cary CDPs a listen. BTW, what speaker system is your son using w/ the accuphase integrated amp?

Electrcompianet EMC-1 CD player.

mgs: the accuphase cd-75v is, in my opinion and that of many so-called professional reviewers, the best one-box player you can purchase. while its MSRP is $11k, you can find them on a-gon at close to, even under, dealer's cost. an important thing to recognize is that the 75v can be driven directly into an amp. indeed, i beleive it is preferable to use it in such a configuration. the accuphase products do mate well with one another, although they are not as dysfunctionally codependent as your english gear from naim and linn, inter alia. some alternatives to the accuphase 75v ( you ought to consider the e-307, BTW--my older son has one with one of the following) are the cary cd303 @ msrp of $3.0k or the cd-306 @ $5k msrp. even better, IMO, is the single box electrocompienet (sorry, don't recall mod no.). good hunting. and, send me a private email if u desire add'l info. -kelly

Cornfedboy, from your experience, what other digital front-ends do you recommened to use w/ the E-407, other than accuphase's own transport/dac? I fell in love w/ the dp-75v at the dealer's listening room, but it's simply out of my means (for now). As for the ML and Rowland gear, I am not too crazy about ML (but I AM considering making the Proceed CDP my next upgrade), and the Rowland I have yet to hear. Do you recommend a all-accuphase setup? Does the components have that "synery" that some audiophiles (especially the Linn fans) go nuts about?
FYI, I got a copy of a Japanese hi-fi magazine featuring accupahse ads; too bad that accuphase gear only costs half the price in Japan than they do here in the U.S.!

i have listened to most of the accuphase integrateds. the amp sections are very close sonically to their seperate counterparts. the pre sections are also of the high quality expected from this manufacturer. ( FWIW, after listeneing to numerous amps on avalon eidolons over the past 2+ years, i have concluded that a pair of accuphase a-50's are the best power sources available for these speakers. i already own an accuphase pre/dac and cd transport.) i'm also familiar with the jrdg concentras, tho not the ml integrated (never been a big fan of madrigal gear, generally). the accuphase e-306v, e-307 and e-407 easily outperform the concentras in virtually every area. the accuphases are faster, punchier and ultimately more musical. i cannot recommend them too highly.