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Can someone explain to me why : Accupahse Equipment is that expensive ?

…….I was recently looking into their Power Conditioners as well as their Amplifiers and for a company where there is very little reviews done on their products, along with a small ( here in the US anyway )  almost a cult following if someone could tell me why is their prices the way they are. I just don't understand it. I have listened to their equipment and is nice and the build quality is very good but ; I always said to myself ; '' Not for that price ". I do not mean to be in an any way inflammatory with this statement but is :  Accuphase the McIntosh of the East ?  McIntosh makes some nice stuff but is no way priced like Accuphase, however it seems to operate very much with the same business model ; you are paying for the name and the pride of ownership and the sound is very much dated. Maybe I am missing something here and the sound is very good and like Rolex you buy a piece and you are set for a lifetime. FM Acoustics is also another one of the those companies......Just looking for a really good amp and these companies come up in my search but I am just sitting here scratching my head ?           
garebear
stereo5's avatar
stereo5
6,533 posts
 
@roxy54...……………………………

Experts or not, after 50 years in this hobby, nothing has drawn me in closer to the music than McIntosh.  There is a rightness to the sound that I didn't get with other comparatively priced equipment..  For the first time in years, I look forward to listening to my 2 systems and I am now buying new music again.  There is also a pride of ownership with the McIntosh that is hard to describe.
electroslacker
375 posts
 
Anecdotally, of the many amps I've heard, the ones that stopped me in my tracks were all tubed except for an Accuphase and a Levinson ML23.  But that was a long time ago.  If I were interested in the best solid state now, I'd compare Accuphase with Rowland.
uberwaltz's avatar
uberwaltz
13,381 posts
 
Just about convinced myself to take the e360 I am looking at for an extended test drive in my system.
Again one of those things I have promised to myself to do like Wilson speakers and a Nottingham Analog tt.
glupson
7,842 posts
 
uberwaltz,

Go for it. You seem to be drawn to it enough that an extended test drive seems superfluous. Just keep a promise you gave to yourself. How many owners of Accuphase equipment have posted here stating they regretted? So you will not be the first, either.
ggc
178 posts
 
From reading this post it seems like it comes down to name brand acceptance and recognition. The reason for the other comparisons to watches and cars is due to the fact that the underlying reason for the pricing of anything is to get as much as the market will bear.  Market exploitation AKA greed.

Accuphase as others know that their market demographic, especially in the US, will pay top dollar to belong to their club. So either you are apart of the club and will pay for entry or not. They know that achieving that goal is far more important to their constituents than actually achieving audio nirvana. 

Accuphase does make a very good product with the highest quality of parts for sure. But it is not going to take an audiophile to the brink of solving the ever elusive problem of sound replication.

There are several other smaller, US companies that push that envelope for far less. However for this particular discussion there is no interest in that aspect. In fact the only other comparable brands offered in this discussion seem to be obligatory  big name drops -  which are bundled by Hedge fund investors.   

Just like Rolex does't keep time better than any other time piece,
Tiffany's Diamonds are far short from the best quality,and Mercedes Benz is not the fastest car.

They all serve a common purpose which is to say that even though they are not the absolute best they achieve the goal of representing  a status for their constituents to fulfill their expectations on what others may think of them. 

  
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