Accuphase amplifier choice


Hello All,

I have decided to upgrade my Parasound A21 amplifier looking for a more refined sound. The following are the amplifiers that I have in my mind:

Accuphase A-48s
Accuphase P-4600
Coda No. 8 (meterless)
Coda 16.0 (meterless)

Currently I am leaning largely to Accuphase. My dealer says that the Class A 48s will sound better with my ProAc D48R. But I am worried that I will lose dynamics since the Accuphase is only 50W into 8 Ohms. But it doubles all the way into 1 ohm.

The P-4600 is a higher wattage amp and I think it should be able to drive the D48R with ease because it doubles down to 2 ohm load. So I am not concerned with it's ability to drive the ProAcs.

I do have some feedback on the P-4600 from another thread here and appreciate it. But now looking for some comparisons.

Has anyone compared/experienced the Accuphase Vs Coda amplifiers? Any feedback is appreciated.

milpai

You can use bananas no problem.  Accuphase spkr terminals are actually designed to avoid accidental shorting but you can use bananas instead of spades or raw wires. 

I don't need the A80, and yes, the P7500 is another dream amplifier, but I'll stick with Class A. 

Oh in case you don't know,  the horizontal strip that intersects the heat sinks on both sides of these amplifiers including the A48-S are actually handles.  Yes handles! The Japanese think of everything. 

@milpai +1 "I would go with an Accuphase Class AB amp rather than a Class A amp"

I see some fellow AP ppl confusion btw Accupahse A and AB class, here is my educated opinion: 

Accuphase class A amps are AB class amplifiers biased to the clipping point for 8+ Ohms load.. Accuphase class A amps are AB class amps if load is below 8 Ohms, e.g 6/4/2 Ohms. Thus there is not much difference between Accuphase AB and A class amps! Accuphase class A amps have a bit lower power supply voltage, which lowers peak dynamic range. Accuphase technical lead engineer when asked what amp he has at home, answered P7300, classic AB class! 

Pass Labs have real class A amps, very hot ones! LOL 

And what's your point? Have you owned Accuphase amplifiers? I did , 3 actually - E800S,  P4600 and A48-S.  I've also demo'd E5000, P7500 and A80 amplifiers. There are distinctive differences between Class A and Class AB. I've demo'd each and every one of these amplifiers with an array of speakers including Fyne Vintage 15, Fyne F1-12S, PS Aspen FR20, Klipsch LaScala AL5 and AL6,  Klipsch Cornwall to name a few. I've also compared Accuphase Class-A with other amplifiers (I used to own a McIntosh) and I can tell you that Accuphase Class-A amplifiers are in a league of their own and the majority of time and with appropriately matched speakers, Accuphase Class-A amplifiers operate as pure Class A. But if you favor distortion because you think you need a big powerful amp to drive your inefficient spkrs rather than an amplifier that delivers exceptional sonic clarity and true fidelity then sure stick to your Class-AB amifier. 

@fire_water 

You can use bananas no problem. 

Good to know - thanks

@westcoastaudiophile 

@milpai +1 "I would go with an Accuphase Class AB amp rather than a Class A amp"

As you would know, this is true purely for my not-so-efficient speakers. If I had a 95+ db efficient speakers then the A-48S would be no brainer. But after reading a lot of user experiences and seeing a lot of Accuphase videos and finally going back and forth on AI, I have come to the conclusion that Accuphase Class A are definitely warmer compared to the Class AB. And I really do not need more warmth in my system.

@fire_water "and I can tell you that Accuphase Class-A amplifiers are in a league of their own and the majority of time and with appropriately matched speakers, Accuphase Class-A amplifiers operate as pure Class A. "

what is "appropriately matched speakers”?

again, Accuphase class A amps are biased warmer than AB (higher idle power), and have wider class A mode full power range, but only if speaker impedance is higher than 8 Ohms (re) across all frequencies.. 

..I do have two Accuphase amps, AB and A, A class one sound warmer at 10W+ power vs AB.. I understand as you don’t have any Accuphase amps in your setup now..?