1. Home
  2. amps-preamps
  3. 191754-343

Accuphase class A amps - going up the food chain from an A-48 to an A-80 or A-300?

Earlier this year I acquired Accuphase separates (C-2450 pre-amp, A-48 amp) and have been very happy with them.  

We have a decent resale market in Canada for Accuphase products, and I was able to snag a C-2900 pre-amp at a good price this past weekend.   We see mostly integrated amps on the resale market here, and current production separates are much harder to find.

The C-2900 sounds noticeably better than the C-2450, and it got me thinking about moving up from the "entry level" A-48 to either the mid-level A-80 or even the top of the line A-300 monoblocks (though size and expense are almost prohibitive).

Does anyone have any experience or advice about moving up from the A-48 to the A-80 or A-300 monoblocks?

BTW Accuphase pricing in Canada is significantly better than in the US - so much so that Canadian Accuphase dealers are not allowed to post prices online for fear of alerting US customers to how unfair pricing is in the US - and Canadian dealers are not allowed to ship to US customers. 

toronto416
lanx0003
1,945 posts
 

@soloaudio  Thank you for sharing your experience.  It is good to know the unit can be imported without custom charges.  Did the seller offer any warranty? If so, how is the warranty repair is handled?

soloaudio
4 posts
 

@lanx0003 The dealers typically allow customers to test the new unit at the shop, and provide a 7-day return period. I spent a month listening to it and was confident that it will work fine afterwards, given the reputation of Accuphase products.

Given the price parity, I took a gamble as it would be painful to send the unit back for repair. The warranty period is one year.

By the way, it is a custom that the retailers there quote a price at 15% below the MSRP, even before you negotiate with them. Promotions with further discounts are common. I rarely get that in the U.S., which is a big reason I buy used or order online. Perhaps people in other areas have better experience than me..

@pinwa Thanks for the comments on the A-300 monoblocks. Will audition them along with the C-3900 preamp when I get a chance. Heard the power amps will operate in pure class A at 60 watts or under.

Another end-game option to consider is CH Precision C1.2 + M1.1, at an MSRP of $95k.

toronto416 OP
319 posts
 

Apparently two A-300 monoblocks can share one PS-1250 power supply.  You would not need two PS-1250's for a pair of A-300 monoblocks.

toronto416 OP
319 posts
 

There is an Accuphase dealer in France who has most of the Accuphase line up on display and frequently posts YouTube reviews.  Even if you don't speak French, you should see the wall of products in their videos.

Here is a review of the A-300 monoblocks plugged into one PS-1250:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJVU1HaoV5I&t=9s

toronto416 OP
319 posts
 

I emailed the owner Fabrice about whether one PS-1250 power supply can handle two A-300 monoblocks, and here is his reply (with English translation below):

"La PS1250 a été étudié pour supporter aisément deux A300, un C2900 ou C3900 et un lecteur SACD Dp770 voir un combo DP/DC1000.

Vous n'aurez jamais de tassement de dynamique car elle travaille comme une centrale électrique qui fabrique le courant à la demande."

Here is the English translation:

"The PS1250 has been designed to easily support two A300s, a C2900 or C3900 and a Dp770 SACD player or even a DP/DC1000 combo.

You will never have any dynamic compression because it works like a power plant that produces current on demand."

 

More to discover