Accuphase E-460 vs Luxman 509u vs Moon 700i

Hi Kiza, I haven't heard these amps, but I suspect the Accuphase would be the warmer of the 3, along with the Lux, however the Simaudio is also a warm sounding amp. I love Accuphase & would be tempted by the E-460, but the Simaudio is just plainly better. It is a zero negative feedback dual mono design (the other two are not), is more powerful, has higher damping (easily doubles down to 350watts@4ohms), is quieter, faster, has a superior volume control & is just a superior circuit design imho. Hope that assists!

Inna, maybe post a link to the thread you were referring to? as that could be a help to other members as well. Kiza you could also look at the Unison Unico 100 which is a valve hybrid integrated operating in dynamic Class A. Unison amps sound warm & very musical. Circuit design and build quality are also excellent.

Kiza, do you have to buy an integrated? If you're open to a pre/power combination, based on your stated budget and preferences, i'd recommend the McCormack DNA-250 power amp & LD-2 preamp. RRP for the DNA-250 is $3995 & $2495 for the LD-2. The current line of McCormack amps are designed and built by Conrad Johnson & in my view are some of the best value high end amps anywhere. They have prodigious power, warm sound & airy extended highs, and according to one of my friends they are musical sounding also. Here is a link to their site fyi - http://www.mccormackaudio.com/index1.html

Hi Paul, on reflection I think I was a bit generous in my comments about the Sim. In reality the two amps are probably closer than that. I can't say i'm a huge fan of Accuphase, though I love the look of their gear. I agree with your comment about figures not indicating real power. I own a Boulder 1060 which is rated at 300 watts continuous power into any load, yet in a shootout at with a Dealer, the Boulder was thrown up against a pair of Krell Evolution 900 monos & sounded much more dynamic and powerful (especially in the low bass).

Coming back to integrateds, the only ss integrated I would consider buying at the moment is a Vitus SIA-025, but that's not on my radar. Right now, if I was giving advice to the OP, for less money i'd advise him to look for a 2nd hand McCormack DNA-500 amp & new LD-2 pre & live happily ever after.

Gittin' Jriggy wit it!