Accuphase amplifier choice

@milpai 

As you know I own the P4600 and my C7 Harbeths sensitivity is 86db. No problem driving these speakers. I listen to mostly Classical Symphonic and hit peaks of around 74db in my 17x15x9 room. I never exceed more than 1 watt on the meters. So I have plenty of headroom. The A/AB P4600 is biased in Class A up to 20 watts. This is a fantastic sounding amp. The only SS amp I’ve heard or owned that does not sound like SS. Just sounds natural. 

@jfrmusic ,

Yes, yours was the FIRST P-4600 post that I noticed anywhere on the internet, that can be truly deemed as a "user review". Thanks for that. And you had mentioned earlier too that your speakers hardly go beyond 1 Watt.

Sometimes I wonder, if that is the case for some speakers, then in that case would it even make a difference whether that 1 Watt came from a A-48S or the P-4600? One thing is for sure that except for 1 unfavorable "user experience" on this site, nowhere else have I noticed anything unfavorable about the Accuphase amps - be it integrated or power amps.

@milpai 

Class A has less headroom and a lot more weight and heat and in the future you might end up with less efficient speakers in a larger room or sit further away from them. You want to have as much headroom as possible so the amp can be operated in its lowest gain setting with the highest SNR. So that’s why I wouldn’t choose to purchase a Class A Accuphase. I’m in Class A bias most if not all the time with the P4600 with none of the pure Class A disadvantages and all of the headroom and advantage of Class A/AB. 

@milpai 

Don’t you feel the choice between the P-4600 and 48S has become a bit tougher? 🙂

When it comes to headroom vs. damping factor, they really shape an amp’s character in different ways. A higher damping factor usually means tighter, more controlled bass, while a lower one often brings a bit more warmth and ease. Headroom, meanwhile, is all about that reserve power — the extra juice an amp can deliver above its rated output for those dynamic peaks in the music.

If you’re buying new, see if your dealer will let you try both amps at home. Nothing beats hearing them in your own system; that’s where the real decision gets made.

I have had the opportunity to spend time with Parasound A21, Primaluna Evo400 and Coda # 8, owned them all at the same time.  Dealer let me trial Krell gear.  Going from the A21 to the Coda was a noticeable step up, the Coda just did everything better, A21 is a great Amp but if I had those 2 amps, the Coda would never leave the rack.  Now, if we are talking solid state class A, I haven’t had any amp in my set up that delivers like the Krell.  It has a damping factor that puts an iron grip on controlling the speakers, enough head room for just about any speaker and is Class A but biased in a way where it isn’t a toaster oven.  The blend, mix of control with a warmth, almost tubelike sound is to me magical.  I would guess the coda 16 would be potentially a step up from my Krell 300xd.  If you are stuck on Accuphase which I’m sure is an unbelievable amp, I’d buy the beefiest class A Accuphase you can. The Coda 16 can drive anything and will deliver more than enough Class A.  If you get the chance, check out the Krell XD amps, sounds like it would deliver exactly what you are looking for.