How about Mac and Accuphase


I have a Mac 220 preamp and an Accuphase A20 power amp, great synergy with dual concentric Tannoys. I will always have the A20, it has a very sweet sound. If I could afford it, I would replace the Mac preamp with a used Accuphase C2800 or C2810 with phono. Mac makes nice gear, Accuphase is much better built, though. Too bad that the North American Accuphase is so greedy, the prices in Japan are less than half, too bad that the voltage is 100 and that the Asian units are champagne gold.
Has anybody ever imported a Japanese Accuphase and converted the unit to 120V?
damjammer

You need to be aware that Accuphase refuses to offer warranty, service or parts for equipment not sourced through the national distributor.So if something goes wrong you would have to send it the country where it was first purchased.They are very loyal to their distributors.Which fits within the overall ethos of the company of doing things to a very high standard.

 

Lots of Accuphase fans talk about how much better it is than McIntosh.  It’s harder to find, making it more exclusive, which I suspect drives a lot of the “it’s better…” comments.  I’ve never owned Accuphase but have no doubt it’s top-notch stuff.  But so are McIntosh and Luxman, which are in a similar price range with their top-end products.  Best advice is to demo and listen to your ears! 

Brands like Accuphase and others imported into the states are over priced due to their markup by distributors. Luxman on the other hand established headquarters (Luxman North America) here in the states and cut out the middle man. This allowed them to keep their equipment prices at the same level with their domestic competitors; In other words they made a commitment here in the states. Most foreign manufacturers that are here in the U.S aren’t well supported. That could turn out to be nightmare for some who need service on equipment the manufacturer can only service.

Post removed