Accuphase preamps

According to Arturo, owner of Axiss Audio and the U.S. Distributor for Accuphase, the new C-2820 Pre-amp is the best Pre-amp ever under $ 40K ever made by Accuphase and he will tell you its 98% of the performance of the $45K flagship C-3800. Accuphase is very smooth, warm, engaging. I have heard the C-3800 but not the C-2810 or C-2820. With my eyes closed, I'd swear I was listening to a world class tube Pre-amp. With Accuphase, you forget about tube or solid state. You will fall into the quicksand of seduction with the C-2820. Bryston can't touch Accuphase. Not on the same level.

Hi Audiozen,

Indeed there isn't much of a competition between Bryston and Accuphase. However, Accuphase components cost significantly more than Bryston ones, e.g. the 28 Bsst2 (Bryston top of the line) costs as much as the A-46 (Accuphase midrange amp).

Nvp..the one thing I don't like about the Bryston amps is the way they mount their speaker binding posts on the back. They are not fastened on the rear cover wall of the cabinet, but instead they are placed through holes on the rear then attached to the circuit board mounted vertically on the inside back wall. How cheap! If your not careful and are using heavy duty cables you risk breaking the the speaker binding posts. Accuphase is more expensive for good reason. The circuit boards use a flurocarbon resin material that is much more expensive that copper glass boards and produces very little noise. Other similar boards over the years such as polysulfon used by Spectral and teflon boards have the same results. Accuphase has so many good features. A damn good headphone amp, and different gain settings to adjust to a high gain or low gain amplfier. And their persimmon wood finish is stunning.

Hi Audiozen,

I know very well what you mean. I am a very found of Accuphase myself.
Maybe you remember, that at some point it was only the two of us against an
army of Mcintosh zealots. I made a mistake back then, and corrected your
physical interpretation of the slew rate of an amp (in front of the zelots).
Sorry, for the geeky behavior back them. It's a bad professional habit ... I'm a
physicist doing research in university ... :)

Finally, since Dhali777, mentioned the C-3800 and you have listen this unit,
how does it compare with the Hegel P-30 of which you spoke so highly in a
different thread?

Having listened to the Hegel P-30, it would be a waste of money to go for the Accuphase. The Hegel is warm, rich, full with great resolution and very smooth. In its price range there is nothing out there that can beat it. Don't take my word for it. Their high end line has been in the States since August 2009 and just about three dozen retailers have taken the line on so it shouldn't be a problem to find a dealer in your area. For $7500.00 the Pre-amp is a steal. As I mentioned in the other thread, hook it up to the very powerful Sanders Magtech amp that only costs $5K with a lifetime warranty. The amp has full stable voltage with its linear voltage regulator with no voltage fluxuation whatsoever which is why the amp runs cool to slightly warm for an A/B design. For $ 12,500.00 you have a true world class high end system.