I was an Accuphase dealer for 12 years and I only remember one unit ever coming back for service. They're incredibly well built. If you want more "soul" from Accuphase, I recommend you try one of their Class A amps or integrateds.
@@keplermission4947 Uh, no. While it's true that there is only one factory authorized service center in the US, it's because no more are needed. Their Class A runs hot compared to their Class AB, but not nearly as hot as Pass amps, for example.
@@keplermission4947 I don't know what you mean by H-O-T, if you want some amps that runs hot, Mark Levinson and Pass are the way to go. Accuphase class A amps do run warm but not on that level I should say. Also they don't fail at all.
@@keplermission4947 Apple has even a worse reputation, they produce very poor quality stuff designed to fail in order to sell new, they do not provide any service after the warranty period and older models are not supported with parts. I love their gear anyhow and tolerate it because the competition is worse. Accuphase provides parts and service for even very old models (40 years).... In my country Accuphase is very highly regarded for their quality and service, Macinthosh is regarded as sounding not so well with not the best build quality by most. But I try to have my own opinion based on my exerience and knowledge. Cheers!
Just moved from Yamaha A-S1200 to Accuphase e280. Man, what a jump. This is a piece of jewellery. Better tighter bass, fuller sound, sweeter tone, more clarity, significantly better low volume performance, and better build. Yamaha is great and I thought I was done until I got e280.
Japanese audio production is full of gems, Marantz, Accuphase, Esoteric Audio, Luxman...these brands are still loyal to physical music and maintain a tradition of excellence. For me, this is the way.
@@MichelLinschoten Tell that to all the great Marantz gear designed by legendary master Ken Ishiwata. You're a fool and don't know WTF you're talking about! It's your brain that's gone to shit!
I was living in Osaka and bought a 2nd hand Luxman from DenDen town in Osaka. I subsequently broke it and went shopping for a new one, this time not 2nd hand. I go into the shop and say Luxman, the shop man says do you know Accuphase? No say. I listen to both the Luxman and then the Accuphase. I buy the Accuphase. I've had it ever since. No problems ever and a sound stage and clarity that never fails to make me smile. Accuphase E211 with B and W cdm 1SE, MusicHall Ikura with 2m blue. Oh the joy.
I like that new section called, " So Steve, what did you really think", but maybe you should add another section after that called "seriously though, what did you really think", either way your videos are great, thanks.
The Buena Vista social club is in a class by itself. Not only does it sound great, you get the local color of these Cuban musicians playing in an empty what seems to be a meeting hall. OK, the Cubans call it a studio.
Ah, the beautiful world of big Japanese integrated amps! Accuphase, Luxman, Yamaha, Technics… I bought myself a Luxman L-505uXii a couple of months ago as a result of Steve’s question “Are you ready to buy you last amplifier?” and wow what an amp! I just love that it has everything built in ( headphone amp and phono stage) and that everything is of excellent quality. The reason I chose Luxman is that I’m genetically bound to the brand… my dad had it since the mid seventies and even though I’ve had many different things over the years I’ve always kept an eye on the brand! So for once I really think this could be my last amp… next thing will be to save up for the beautiful Luxman PD-151 turntable 😁
@@audiolover Nah I’m good. This was a very deliberate choice to go for the 505 and my financial position does not allow me to keep on switching between gear.
I remember early 1970’s when I asked what would be a quality receiver for me to buy and someone mentioned Accuphase and I said “I’ve never heard of them”. I bought a Pioneer which was an up and coming brand with a good reputation and I was happy with it for a couple years. Then I sold it and bought another Pioneer and this went in for years until Accuphase was way over my price range. By then I really wanted one. I always remembered them as a quality brand and someday I’ll end up getting one. I’m saving now for the 4000. I will prevail.
It does have a phono stage, but I use an EAR Yoshino Phonobox with it anyway, which is far superior. As Steve says, even with an integrated it's usually better to keep the phono stage and DAC external.
Glad you mentioned The Academy Of Music (before it became the Palladium on 14th Street NYC) In the early 70’s saw Lou Reed there opened by Cheap Trick (tickets $7.50) and another time, Emerson, Lake and Palmer ($9.00) which after that time performed at Madison Square Garden for a few years at Christmas time to much, much larger audiences. Then went across the street to Horn And Hardart automat for space age eats. I bought vinyl after each performance and still have them. They sound great over my Klipsch LaScala’s.
I really like the new segment. Describing a component is one thing, but saying how you really feel about it is totally another, and that was missing from your reviews. About the segment only describing your personal taste, well, that's actually a good thing. As a viewer, the most difficult job I have to undertake every time I watch a review from any reviewer is trying to decipher whether the reviewer likes the component or not. With this new segment, you just made my life that much easier. Thank you!
I remember when the store I was at back early to mid 1970s first got in the c-200, p-300 and t-100 models. We were one of the first in the US to sell them, along with being one of the first Rotel dealers around the same time frame.
You are extremely sympathetic and a kind guy. And yes, you rather prefer sweetness, so isn't an odd surprise you prefer the ayre amp. However, some reviewers point to Accuphase amplification as a kind of golden bit side of the typical Accuphase sound. This said, what I want to mean with that is for the very first time I heard someone talk about some lack of sweetness and mellows from this amp. But as you said before and underlined "for your taste". So everything it's ok
Always enjoy your reviews being that we seem to come from the same place musically and love of that dynamic live sound. And being of the same age group and knowing how live music performances can get a bit blurry over time, I must mention that while the same building, you didn't see The Pixies at The Academy Of Music, it was The Palladium by that time.
As a Japanese hi-fi shop owner in Sapporo once put it to me: "The Accuphase sound is very controversial [among Japanese audiophiles]. Some love the sound and listen to nothing but Accuphase equipment; others really don't like it and complain that the sound is too dry, too cold."
My observation is that the A/B line is very honest, so if your room has problems or you don't like the tonality of your speaker, you will know. But that's kind of the reason I like Accuphase. It lets me hear what my other components are doing more so than other brands I've tried.
@Chen Ma Yes, I have tried both, and I find the Class A is more suited to my tastes. The bass is more ample but does not lose any definition. Also the mids are more dense, and there's a sense of ease that I did not feel the A/B units have. The preamp section is upgraded too, so you have a blacker background and bigger sense of space, almost holographic. But the A/B units are more transparent... I notice more subtle detail in the music vs. the Class A. And if your speaker demands watts (e.g. ATC, Dynaudio) A/B will certainly work better.
Interesting review as Accuohase products have often being accused of being overly warm so perhaps they have revamped the tonal balance. I am fortunate enough to own a C2150 preamp and A48 power amp that I purchased earlier this year and they have cured my upgrade addiction. They do, however, take in excess of two months to sound at their best.
That does seem to be the case, although I have seen some fairly recent posts and reviews suggesting that there is a warm bias. Such a comment was made about the A48. At the end of the day, all that matters is whether people are happy with their systems.
Since you own an accuphase preamp, can I ask what think about it? Is the sound fast, slow? I have heard that they can sound ‘slow’ for pop music and is more suited to vocal slow music.
@@jamesfarrow6752 great. When you said that the sound needed ‘burn in’ to sound the best, was it more the accuphase preamp or the power amp that needed the burn in? And how did the sound change, in your opinion?
I was lucky to get a like new Accuphase e-260 for $1,200 a few years ago. My dream amp makes my Energy Veritas 6.3 sound magical weather through the internal DAC d-30 card or Cambridge Azur 851N streamer DAC. It all started with getting the very first integrated model Accuphase e-202. The rest is history....
Beautiful piece! Nothing can beat the look of the classic Japanese design from the 70s. I'm glad that some companies are still doing integrated amps in this way and some others are returning to the trend that they shouldn't ever abandoned. Makes you consider the possibility of upgrade some day... Great review by the way!
My dad had an Accuphase C-200 preamp. That was one fantastic piece of gear. I remember having friends over from school and a couple of them drooled over this thing. Their parents just had the regular all in one stereos at the time (not that there's anything wrong with that.)
I cannot agree, as a huge percentage of the buyers have integrated amps don’t have turntables! Why should they be paying for all of that engineering and circuitry they don’t use??
@@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac I’m guilty of two things. One being records first for audiophile analog sound and two, that’s the way it was when I grew up. Steve mostly it’s a vote for records first. Peace.
Your theme gingle rocks on my home designed and built FR+woofer speakers. The upper med and lower treble and upper treble have perfect cohesion in that really short crank. Sounds so satisfying!
Good Day! This product review was very nice and informative as usual. However, I was really happy to see your choice of music. That album by "Buena Vista Social Club " is amazing! I agree with you completely that the recording is well done and the actual songs are top notch! And Stevie Wonder has always amazed me with his remarkable ability and voice power and clarity. I also love the new "What you really think " addition to the content.Well done my man!!
Wow, the look of the Room is more attractive !, does Steve have an interior designer now ? Is someone typing in comments about Steve's System and inserting them onto the Screen ? The walnut wood even looks better now. Tony in Venice Florida
I got an Audiolab 6000A and it has the main in, pre out. Watch Andrew Robinson's review on the Audiolab. I didn't believe him till I saw way similar opinions (yet being a bit more laid back). lol After seeing Andrew and making that further check I immediately got one (without question).
If Steve likes a warm sound he should have a listen to a Sugden A21SE class A amplifier. I’d imagine it would be cheaper than the Accuphase, here in the U.K. where Sugden are made the 21SE is around £3,200.
Steve, do you realize that you showed Ayre amp multiple times, more that actual Accuphase? So, what’s up with that? Accu is such a beautiful piece, it should be on the screen every 10 seconds. Just saying.
I own an Accuphase E-530 and I’m a measurements and facts kind of guy and man I have measured mine with my Audio Precision equipment and first of all It easily gives me 100 Watts per channel with astonishing low THD, excellent unpretentious equipment and rated way lower it’s capacity.
@@sharepointpro479 thank you, it has a little more control in bass, but signature is almost same, my friend has e-530, so i could compare it. only at direct comparison, you can hear the difference, e-530 is still a beast!!!
Steve, one of the highlights of your review videos is your music recommendations such as, for example, The Buena Vista Social Club or Solo by Nils Frahm.
Finally your Room decor goes along with your shirts. I had the Accuphase Tuner 30 years ago even that was around 1400 US however I simple don't want to spend 6000US dollars for a amp.Rather have some money to spend on good food and buy more music .However it is a great company.
Hi Steve I’m a subscriber to your channel; great reviews, mostly 👍🏾. Anyhow, the Harmon Kardon HK990, from a few years ago has the same speaker wiring configuration - left system 1 and/or 2; and right system 1 and/or 2 - a truly fantastic integrated amp (when set up right - most folks don’t take the time to do that) for less than 1/2 the price of the Accuphase. I’ve listened and spent a lot of time with a 2 different Accuphase integrated amps - the E370 and E405. They would not be my 1st choice in integrated amps re sound quality. Not enough meat on the boat.
I saw the Pixies at the new Ritz in NYC for the Trompe Le Monde tour ( there's a low quality bootleg of that show floating around as well ) . Wonderful time that night. Love your channel & enjoy your day.
"What I really think..." is for the price I would rather pick out a amp/preamp combination that would suit my taste. But even when I don't prefer the equipment, I really enjoy your choices in music, and I've discovered so many records from watching your reviews.
I think that you need to give the Esoteric Audio gear a try. That last bit of Billie Holidays breath ( in a mic of course ), Janos starker's performance at ascension church oak park, IL fading into the thermal sound of the air inside ( you can hear it ), to the the incredible impact of Billy Cobham's two minute percussion assault from the "Crosswinds" recording.
Just bought an Accuphase E280! Why did I buy it? -- LOOKS. I'm not ashamed to admit that. This unit will be replacing my high capacitor Naim Audio preamp/Bryston 4B combination which $$ blows the E280 out of the water-- at least on paper. I am buying the Accuphase 'blind' confident that it will reveal the 'audiophile' experience. I've always been a 'Pro' guy but, for my living room I want a nice listening experience as opposed to analytical sound. And yes looks, aesthetics, analog 'feel' of the controls and of course sound-- plus I'm old and can afford it. (to be matched with Castle Winchester speakers)
@@barrybrennan2135 It preforms and sounds exactly as I thought it would. I would describe the sound as "delicate" and finely tuned. There is not the brute, analytically transparent power of the Bryston. Delicate in detail with fine nuances. There is a richness in feel, aesthetics and sound. Scary silent in operation-- just a fine piece of home audio equipment-- a nice change now that I'm old.
@@barrybrennan2135 Sorry, only been using Tidal and CD's but, I do like the 'balanced' interface connection offered on the Accuphase. Also, there is a direct interfacing loop that allows for the seamless integration with an outside equalizer selectable from the front panel.... yes an Audiophile no no, but it saves me from my unbalanced room.
I have L-550AX, amazing amp...20watts but I can use only half of power, sooo loud. Quality is better than expected also bass will blown you away. Highly recommend if you have 8ohm non hungry speakers 💥💪
Love the look of that Receiver & had to click. I Listened through my 15" Martin Audio Blackline X passive speakers & thoroughly enjoyed your airy room fill sound & curb appeal Steve, clost to being in the room with you but maybe sonicly better. I was quite motivated, feel good with your discussion on a true & free sounding Vocal Trac. I am a life long singer & have my Camera in prep, for starting my own youtube channel in October. That's when I seem to create my most inspired song. I use too sing along with Stevie's Anthology Album all the time, He & I have the same Birthdate & I be hitten 60 this one.It is my aim to prove I am the worlds greatest singer, because I sing/make Music. me talking in song (making it up) In the shadows time moves still secrets utter & don't fill, leave your chaos & don't confuse, she still will want you don't be fooled, laugh with hunger & bang at the moon travel your necessary readings & play like a fool, she's met you before & you quiver to know she just poured a scrumptious & left at the door.
i am late to the party regarding money to spend on a system so here goes: a large dedicated listening room to handle a pair of magico floor speakers with dual 8 inch woofers.the listening room would have an oriental rug and a huge fireplace.power would be 2 mac mono amps @2000wpc.preamp and am/fm tuner would be a mac as well as the power center for outlets.digtial would be an accuphase sacd transport and matching dac along with an accuphase voicing equalizer.as a boost to the tuner,a 100 foot fm antenna would be installed on top of the roof.the cassette deck would be my mid 80s onkyo for listening to tapes.not being a fan of vinyl,there would be no turntable.
Hi Steve, great review. Am I mistaken when it seems to me that you were struggling finding putting into words what is really relevant? If an amp performs perfectly it is only a box that amplifies. That simplicity is key. If the whole chain performs perfectly, without altering the recording the speakers will be more than enough to find the sound one likes (and the room acoustics). Furthermore, I love hearing your opinion, I value it very much. Thanks and keep up the good work!
@@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac I'll find it once I'll find someone with perfect hearing xD. And I have not heard any amp (or any audio device for that matter) that is perfect.
I finally ended up with E800, in view of the price tag it took me a while to go ahead, but man that is a mighty amp. As Steve mentions it has the classic tone control, Speaker A, B or A+B. What he did not mention and for me was #3 to buy Accuphase: they repair and service it for as long as I will live (64 now). FYI Speakers Quad ESL 63 + Focal Sopra 2, Innuos Zenith Mk III + Chord M-Scaler & DAC Dave + Roon.
@@pennfootball71 Zenith is very decent and user friendly: the album database is way better than the one used by my Bluesound Vault 2 and easy to edit track names and artwork. I'm only using my own ripped CD's (±4000) no Tidal, Spotify… What would rip your albums to Aurender or Aurelic ? A friend of mine has Aurender (+WADA, Krell, B&W 800) and it is superb in every way.
As always, thanks for your excellent review Steve. I've owned an Accuphase E-407 for nearly 20 years. I love it, but I've lightly scratched the volume and source dials and would love to replace them. Unfortunately the amp was originally purchased in Hong Kong but I live in Australia. Having spoken to Accuphase (no reply) and their Australian and Hong Kong distributors they won't supply the dials as parts and insist instead I ship the amplifier to Honk Kong so they can supervise the (1minute) install. I have to say Accuphase are very unhelpful to deal with. I don't suppose one of your viewers would be able to help? Any advice on sourcing replacement dials or refurbishing the current ones would be much appreciated!
Your photo of the 90s Accuphase is off by 2 decades. That was 70s Accuphase. 90s Accuphase has similar look to today's Accuphase minus the beautiful glossy wood cabinet on most other than the c-290v which brought it back at the end of the 90s from the C-280 days of the 80s. They stuck with the wood cabinet for their top of the line and gray aluminum/metal tops with wood side panels for their mid upper tier.
Thank's for mentioning country of Mfg. in your lead, something that other companies are afraid-or ashamed of nowadays. Great review of a great product!!!
Accuphase and Luxman are basically in the same league and both made meticulously. Based on the video, the tolerance of the display and the knobs are well made. Yes, it is aspirational just like McIntosh. SSWDYRT? I think it’s a good thing.
The E-280 seems to have similar functions that Yamaha A-S2200, to a mutch lover price. One balanced, phono and headphone, tone controles, A & B and A+B etc.
i used accuphase E460 with marantz hd dac 1 it's so good. Untill i got Accuphase DAC 50. I was disappointed the stage is was less wide then Marantz hd dac. the Dac 50 gives me a claustrophobic feeling.
I used to drool over everything Accuphase put out, but living in Canada, that dream fizzled after a while. The mark up is huge. The E-280 is around $7000 here. In Japan it goes for around $2770. ?!?!?!?!?!?! I'll just have to live vicariously through others. Thankfully, I'm content with my late 90's NAD components. Nowhere near Accuphase, but does the job for me. Thanks again Steve for a great review.
Hi Steve, i really liked your review about the accuphase e280. But there's something on my mind about it... You made in my opinion a big mistake with pairing them with your Klipsch Cornwall speakers. As i own and Klipsch RP 600m speakers in my second system I've also paired them with my accuphase c200l and p400 setup. Sounded not great at all. On my b&w P5 and P6 speakers the accuphase sounds way much more warmer and better than on the Klipsch speakers. Accuphase amps are a bit picky about with wich speakers you pair them. Just my 2 cents
As others have mentioned. I wonder if the E-650 and E-800 would have that sweetness in the Mids, that you like. Being they are Class A versus Class A-B. Like Pass gear though, they are not cheap.
Also a nice documentary called "Buna Vista Social Club. Years ago I want to a theater to hear Duane Eddy. "Forty Miles of Bad Road" Rye Cooder was playing backup guitar for Eddy. Fun.
Hey Steve! Do you have any plans of checking out the REGA Elex-R any time soon? Great review of the Accuphase, I wish I had the opportunity to listen to their products some day. Thank you! Take care!
Guys-do understand that Accuphase has had different HOUSE SOUND through the decades. The 70's to 80's era(they still hold up!!) might be more of Steve's interests with more soul and a touch warmer tone. The 90s-2k with their current feedback designs had a really airy top end but maybe recessed mids compared to the earlier designs, but it's really where they started to go neutral overall and start to lean toward analytical true to source designs. A full Accuphase system is going to be extremely revealing and probably-if you own such a system-you can afford an incredible turntable or their cd transport/dac or player w/dac and listen to only high quality recordings of classical and jazz, etc. I do not. I listen to everything-bad recordings included. In my experience having paired Accuphase with horn speakers and full range drivers. The sweet spot for me has been Accuphase on my digital side and transformer coupled amps/transformer output on the digital end to bring some soul to the music as Steve likes without the heat of tubes, but i've heard many tube preamps with my Accuphase digital and power amps and it was great as well. A Tube power amp with Accuphase front end also sounds great. Use an integrated? Combine it with a warm/tube/ladder dac. If i were ever to let go of my dac. I'd go 2ks era current feedback preamp-very airy and use a tube dac or ladder dac with a focus on mid range(Accuphase made the first discrete ladder dac with the DC-81 and 81L) back in the early 80s FYI- i never heard it. *The DAC option boards lean toward very neutral/analytical as well. I've had the DAC-10, DAC-40 and DAC-50. DAC-10 was the warmest, but lowest resolution. Another idea? You can combine Luxman and Accuphase. Accuphase as well as Esoteric are very neutral and analytical compared to warmer Luxman sound.
Thank you for this write up, I honestly was not familiar with Accuphase a month ago but I picked up a DC-80L & DC-8L cd/dac combo after reading about it costing $13k in the 80s and just had to buy it for the curiosity factor seeing one on eBay pop up. When it arrived and I hooked it up my eyes shot open, it boggles my mind a digital hardware piece from the 80s could sound better than so many modern DACs I’ve heard. It sounded just so smooth and liquid through my McIntosh MC2505 which I also just acquired. I’d love an Accuphase amp to go with it to match the champagne look but it seems so hard to find an affordable one in the US.
@@mikeg2491 That's supposed to be a great combo and one of the first discrete ladder dacs built. I love my accuphase dac direct into my mc250 amp, but i added a line transformer also which removes a lot of digital hash in the high frequencies and just sounds so smooth and natural. I wouldn't call the dc91 that before the transformer, though. I moved to my MC250 from an accuphase p-360 amp. I didnt need that much power, but it was both a beauty in looks and power,built to outlast me, but i saved money by selling and still have the sound i like with the mcintosh due to its transformer coupling
Thanks again for lovely review. I do like that you say what you think! Continue that please! The vintage Accuphases are on the warm side of neutral, and the newer are more neutral. My E-405 is smooth and on the warm side of neutral. Great space and detail, and did I say smooth? I have never myself heard a new Accuphase, but my friend here is a Accuphase enthusiast, and he prefers the older models because of this. I agree that the knobs could have more high end feeling, but agree with you @steveguttenberg that they still are nice to the touch. A few seems to think there in not enough low end, but I disagree. When I put on a tune with a lot of low end, the Accuphase surely delivers. It (E-405) also has a lot of punch and dynamic range. But then again the E-405 has 170 W into 8 Ohms.
@@unklecorky2181 I rarely use tone controls because I dont feel the need. But when I use them the sound is still natural, never feeling they change the quality of the sound. And I LOVE the sound from this amp.
