Accuphase Experiences


In my search for a new amp I recently a look at Accuphase. I’ve watch numerous demonstration videos to get a sense of their sound characteristics and I find them very appealing especially when directly compared to Luxman and MacIntosh. They tend to be on the slightly warm side of neutral with a very life like beautiful mid range, a smooth extended treble and a tight but not overwhelming bass. In fact bass is the only region where they are a light but not by much and only in comparison to other amps that excel in this range. But the area they excel for me is soundstage. It’s very wide and depth is very good but not like tubes. Also instrument separation is excellent . The whole presentation appears real and expansive. I liked it so much I’m going to drive 90 minutes to a dealer that has several models to demo. Hopefully next week. I really want to hear the P-4600 amp and the e4000 integrated. 
 

So has anyone had any experiences with Accuphase?  I would love to hear you opinions and experiences. 

jfrmusic

@steve59 

Did not get my Accuphase P4600 until June 3 as it missed the April shipment. Although It sounded really nice out of the box it took a couple months to settle in and open up. I’d guess 300 hours. Now it’s just wonderful. Open, clear with a very deep and wide soundstage. Imagining in particular is excellent. Each instrument is clearly defined in space and voices are lifelike. Speakers disappear and the image is set back just behind the speaker plane. I do not notice any frequency anomalies. Everything is smooth and even. Bass is very good. Something I thought might be an issue. Don’t even use my sub. As a Classical music listener strings are silken and brass is never sharp or piercing. I’d describe it as just slightly on the warm side of neutral. I can and have listened for hours sometimes up to 8 without any fatigue. I also listen to Jazz and Pop with the same result. Now it does let me know when a recording is not good but never in a way that makes them unlistenable. 
 

I seem to have more than enough power (150W per channel@8Ohms) as the meters never register more than 1 watt. I typically listen at around 65-70db. 

It’s beautifully made, a pleasure to look at and listen to. A noticeable upgrade over my Benchmark. So I’m very satisfied with this amp. 

Thanks for checking back in. Accuphase build quality, fit and finish draws my attention even when I'm satisfied with what I already have.

The Accuphase A-300 monoblocks were named Amplification Component of the Year for 2024 by Stereophile - and short-listed for Component of the Year.  

That is no small feat for a small Japanese company that meticulously hand builds in small batches and makes only 5,000 - 6,000 or so components a year.

Bravo!

@toronto416 

Accuphase actually produces only 10,000 units total per year. That includes all models and 70 % of production stays in Japan. As I mentioned I had to wait almost 3 months to get my unit as I missed getting allocated to a monthly shipment. But the wait was worth it. Best Amp I’ve owned. Lovely musical sound with a wonderfully detailed soundstage. 

Glad you are enjoying your new Accuphase, I consider my Accuphase preamp and Class A amp are my endgame system, but I still cant quite bring myself to get rid of my alternative tube receiver, which I like as well, especially with acoustic music.