Accuphase Experiences

I applaud the OP; they did their best to discern some differences the best they could from home, and are now planning on auditioning in person. Sounds about right to me...

And, Accuphase isn’t good or bad. It is a very stable company with a particular vision for their ideal sound, which tends to be built more from the bottom up than from the top down. In the past, I feel that some Accuphase equipment sacrificed soundstage and airiness to achieve the warmth and density. I feel this has been dialed back, and the touch of warmth is achieved without much sacrifice to other qualities. That said, people who find preference for B&W speakers combined with analytical electronics are not the target market. Different strokes for different folks. For me, the way my Accuphase pre adds weight to bass, vocals, and instruments like tenor sax, piano, etc....that is my nirvana.

With good flat response headphones and a good DAC you can get a very good sense of a component’s sound characteristics on YouTube.  You have to listen at a slightly elevated volume. Some demos sound terrible but there are a lot of excellent examples. An in comparison demos with the same track you can easily toggle between components. works particularly good for amps which have very slight and unique differences

I have owned the E-380 integrated for a couple of years and have similar impressions on the sound characteristics many have noted. Quality of the build is excellent and the price is getting better for US customers I understand so it would be a excellent foundation for a quality system.

Funny how some words can capture a sound signature quite accurately, I agree with the polite quality mentioned, there is an understated nature to the sound but it is far from dull. I think that perception is in part due to the balance of many qualities and a really black background. I live in a condo so need to show some restraint in the decibel department, but when you turn up the volume the dynamic qualities present in no uncertain terms and never appear strained.

I am not sure what you will be pairing it with, synergy is no small issue, but a great choice to build or evolve many a system IMO.

Audio group of Denmark class D amps will be outdated in a couple of years. Unless there is an upgrade plan. I do not know if that is offered. 
 

We all know Accuphase excels Luxman, Resale value holds ground. Hope your audition goes well!!
 
Additionally every system will sound different per set up and room acoustics. I think your steps of choosing what works best is a wise move towards whatever you choose to purchase. 
 

Best luck!! 

I will be auditioning the Bryston 4b3 Monday and the Accuphase P-4600 on Wednesday. I did find out the you can run the e4000 or e5000 Integrated amps as an amp bypassing the entire pre amp section by using the XLR power amp inputs. 
 

I will report back on my auditioning experience. 
 

I think what so far has impressed me about Accuphase is their natural sound that can be listened to at any volume. As you increase the volume the overall character stays the same. I like that.