They are suppose to be the most expensive Solid state Amp. Why ? Because they employed More people ? because they have 27 dedicated engineers ? Or high quality component
it is still a family owned private company. Proprietaryship
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They are suppose to be the most expensive Solid state Amp." - Nope!
Accuphase is nowhere near the most expensive solid state amp. Accuphase tops out at about USD 25k, which is not even 1/100th of the price tag of "
most expensive Solid state Amp".
Accuphase is loved not because they are the
most expensive, or are
family-owned, or have
dedicated engineers. They are loved due to their mass-market appeal and high-end sound at a bargain.
Audiophile world is extremely subjective. Individual perceptions can vary to extreme opposites. General perception about the Accuphase amplfiers is that they have a great sound that people can remain married to for life.
A common theme among Accuphase owners is that -
(1) Accuphase has a sweet sound (a sound that is commonly associated with tubes) but without the hassles of tubes.
(2) Accuphase has a smooth sound that is highly seductive, it draws the listener in to it.
(3) Often "sweetness" is related to "warmth", and "smoothness" to "lack of details". On the contrary, Accuphase has excellent micro details, which allows a deep peep into the material being played.
(4) To look deep into recordings, some manufacturers "brighten" the sound of their products. Not Accuphase. You will never hear an Accuphase owner say their amp is "hot". That brings me to the next point.
An Accuphase amplifier is non-fatiguing despite offering excellent micro details, for which some other manufacturers rely on the other route - etching out the details in shiny silver so much it bleeds the ear in long listening sessions. With Accuphase, you can listen on for hours without a hint of fatigue.
[Note: I have heard from some people that recent Accuphase amps are hot in the top region]
(5) Among the audiophiles in search of that holy grail of sound, equipment are like gazar-mooli. They come to the chopping block like voiceless veggies. In that sense, audiophiles with deep pockets are merciless butchers, they spare none but the very best. But many of such Audiophiles stop their quest when they find that an Accuphase works like magic in their setup, that this is what they had been looking for.
Similar stories can be heard from the owners of other manufacturer products too. But these stories will more often than not have two names as the protagonist. Accuphase being on of them.
(6) People kind of get married to an Accuphase. If a survey was to be done among audiophiles as to which amplifier has outlasted others in their home, the top-three names would be - Marantz, Luxman, Accuphase. All three offer excellent sound - that belies the price point they come at. Marantz has chosen to become mainstream. Luxman has chosen to take a middle ground. Accuphase still remains in the more exclusive club.
If such a survey were to be done among "high-end" audiophiles, the results would shrink to Luxman and Accuphase. And if the bar is raised further high, the only name that will remain will be Accuphase.
The average span of time, an Accuphase stays in a "high-end" system is far higher than many of much more expensive amps. Many an audiophiles literally get married to Accuphase once they install one in their system, upgrading only within the family.
(7) In such discussions the term "high end" becomes a source of utter confusion. Most people equate the tier of a product with their cost. That is an obvious criteria but not entirely determinate. I (personally) equate the tier of a product with the league in which it plays. I do not grade a product for its individual cost - but by the total cost of the system in which it plays. This approach has two advantages. (a) it makes it easier to judge the calibre of a product. (b) it makes it easier to judge the "value-for-money" quotient of a product.
With this approach - an Accuphase amplifier is truly a high-end product. Accuphase amplifiers can be seen playing well in setup with highly priced equipment. Accuphase is not high-end because it costs USD 5000-25000 but because it can play with a setup of USD $50-250k without being outclassed.
(8) One of the less discussed criteria about hifi equipment particularly when it reaches the high-end territory, is the "ease of upgradability", "ease of exit". Audiophiles, particularly those playing the high-end game, don't really bother about these two factors, because, generally speaking, money, or its judicious spend, is nowhere in their list of priorities.
But to those for whom it matters, an Accuphase is a Godsend. Accuphase is among the easiest to get out of or upgrade within the family. One can blindly upgrade from say an Accuphase E270 to an E280/E370/E380 without a fear of breaking his system and going into the cycle of recalibrating the setup (often a time-consuming, expensive and frustrating exercise).
For any reason, when an Accuphase owner wants to sell his Accuphase, it gets sold in no time (specially compared to a typical "high end" gear which takes a long-long time to sell). The best part is - the cost of this exit. In case of Accuphase, the loss borne by the seller is very small in percentage terms compared to even mainstream gear (better not to even mention the "high end" gear here, which loses value exponentially).
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An audiophile getting into an Accuphase is more often than not a highly delightful, rewarding, gratifying experience. Most people fall in love with their Accuphase and stay with them longer than they do with any other gear of the same class.