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.
@devinplombier haha! isn't that the truth. I completely agree with the NAD reference, especially their class D offerings ;) @milpai My speakers are 88 db @ 4 ohms, so even less efficient than yours. My A-80 has zero trouble driving them. In fact, it drives them better than my previous Vitus amp which was a behemoth. But, I can see why you would be wary of forking out the cash for A48S just in case it's not able to control your speakers. Either way, I am 100% sure you will be thrilled with any Accuphase. They're all fantastic. |
@fire_water Currently, I'm using a tube preamp -- Octave HP500 SE, but I'm intrigued by the Accuphase preamps. Did you by any chance use another preamp with your A48? Just wondering if you can describe the improvements you hear compared to other preamp brands. Thanks. |
@arafiq it got quite overwhelming and I don’t remember every brand or model. Unfortunately I never had the opportunity to demo any Accuphase amplifiers with tube preamplifiers. I did have a McIntosh MA12000 integrated amplifier which I enjoyed very much. I miss the McIntosh’s 8 band EQ though but luckily my Accuphase C2300 has some EQ which works exceptionally well especially in an untreated room regardless of what the self proclaimed audio ""experts" will tell you. Before anyone goes ballistic on me, Accuphase is actually well-known for producing highly sophisticated equalizers known as Digital Voicing Equalizers. |
@milpai For what it’s worth, I ran the P-4600 for about three weeks with ATC SCM50 passives. ATC has super clear, open midrange and top notch highly refined tweeter. I have had many experiences with Class A amps (not Accuphase) and understand the dimensional Class A vibe and tone pretty well. The P-4600 , to my ears had this smooth liquidity highly reminiscent of the Pass Labs Class A amps I have heard (and Plinius ) and yet it’s got the drive and dynamic authority of a powerful class AB amp. It’s truly a marvelous amp. The ATCs let you know immediately if something is not dialed in. With the P-4600 it was super fluid, refined, and dynamic. I can’t imagine any music lover/ audiophile not being happy with the amp, but that’s just me. My suggestion is, don’t overthink this. The P-4600 will be awesome with your speakers. |
