Amp and Preamp for JM Lab Alto Utopias

Paul, I'm sure that Emitter is cheaper than the Accuphase by a considerable margin in Europe because of the difference in import versus domestic costs.

I did finally visit the shop that has Accuphase for sale on their website. However, they don't have any in their show room and they told me that the brand is not well known or well sold in Korea.

I did however get an offer on a used Accustic Arts AMPII-AC, which, while I didn't get a chance to hear (it's an enormous amp that would have been difficult to hook up at the time of my visit), did impress me very much visually. I've heard very good things about the Accustic Arts amplifiers, and this one is being sold for a song. There's an accompanying Acoustic Research Reference 2 preamp also at a very, very reasonable price. Any thoughts about this combo? I'm seriously considering it because of the price. The Accustic Arts amp runs at about 250 watts in an 8 ohm load while doubling down as the impedance drops.

I love buying things for a song! Looks and specs are impressive. Will they let you audition it in your system?

Probably not. Difficult to do these kinds of things over here, but if I don't like it, they'd probably let me return it. Although I should say that returning it would be quite an ordeal where I live.

This one might work. I see online that the newer Accustic Arts amps were auditioned with Nova Utopia speakers. This is apparently a very clear and transparent amp. I might take the plunge. This one is incredibly cheap for such a massive beast.

If a home audition is not possible maybe you can bring your speakers to the dealer and listen there to the combination for 1-2 days. If this is not possible either than I am sure you can find a better dealer in Seoul.

While I do not have any experience with Accustic Arts, big and good looking equipments which you can not listen but go for cheap does not sound right to me. German products are often very well engineered and the Accustic Arts products might be indeed very good, but there is still the issue of synergy with your Alto. Since Focal Utopia Be speakers are a bit on the cold side you need to make sure your electronics are not on the cold side too. (You can always get another of the Musical Fidelity limited edition amps which while not as impressive looking as the Accustic Arts is also cheap, probably cheaper, and works very well with the Altos.)

Regards,
Paul

Thanks Paul. I will try to at least listen to the amp once before I make a purchase. It was difficult to do at that time as there was only one gentlemen in the shop and moving a 55 kg amp to the listening room would have been difficult for him. Believe me, I won't be transporting my speakers downtown for an examination. It was difficult enough getting them up the second floor of my new house--a four man job!

I'm totally onboard with the issue of synergy. I more than anyone want this purchase to be the right one--it might well be my last one actually. My wife won't tolerate too much more audiophilia nervosa. ;-)

I visited the electronics market today and managed to see a slightly older ASR Emitter used--five years old. It was 12 million won (roughly about 10,500 USD). This one had some cosmetic issues--a few nicks in the front and some mild scratching on the top, probably from having other amplification resting on top of it a the shop. Nothing was hooked up, but the manager promised me that if I called in advance next time, he would set up the equipment for me to hear. he also happens to have a pair of the older Utopia speakers (first series) for the same price. Incredibly cheap for this city, but it's a buyer's market right now. The high end is not doing very well in this economic climate.

I can see that while having an acrylic chassis might help to lower the noise floor and improve the sound, it is very susceptible to scratching and nicking. The power supply boxes were also slightly rusted around the screws. Not the nicest looking Emitter I've seen but having a chance to hear it with the older Utopias should be a real treat. I'm also wondering if it might be worth my while to trade in the Altos for these older Utopias, considering the incredibly low price at the moment. I was impressed with my last experience listening to the Utopias, but I'm probably too attached to the Beryllium tweeters on the Altos.

While I was working my way around the audio shops, I also saw a MF KW 750 used. yet another good option to consider though I'm sure this one is a bit more pricey. Plenty of old Levinson gear lying around as well. I like the detail of the Levinson amps I've heard.