Accuphase E-206

tons of power, this is not your average integrated amp, like all accupase products it is built like a tank and blows away mcintosh at same power rating. this amp has everything one could desire and the sound is sweet and airy. these amps are hard to find and if you can find one buy it! it rivals separates costing 3 times its price and you can use it separately as a power amp or preamp and for biamp. and if your into vinyl it has both mm and mc and a superb headphone amp as well able to drive low impedance headphones like audeze lcd2. i cant think of anything i dont like about this amp that will out live all the others.

This beautifully built, champagne-gold integrated Accuphase E-206 amplifier is a dream come true for me: I saw it on the shelves in stores some 10 years ago and was in complete awe.

But then, I was happy with my Rotel 840 BX2 and only until weeks ago, I still was.

To cut a long story short; I realized my dream at the price of a serious, yet still not really spectacular new amp in the regions of a new upper-mid quality amp -for example from Marantz, Denon or Rotel. OK, the Accuphase is 10 years old but that's the -small- risk one takes.

Accustomed to 17 years of listening to my Rotel; I was prepared for a subtle, yet audible improvement.

That's not what I got: It simply blew the Rotel away.

Gifted with both a relatively laid-back character and a tremendous level of "slam" and authority, it painstakingly reveals details -and sometimes entire instruments in the recording- I had never heard before. This can work both ways though; in its unforgivingness, the amp can make "so-so" recordings sound appalling yet make "nice" recordings sound stunning.

My Rotel needed at least 24 hours to come into full sonic swing, the Accuphase immediately sounds great and doesn't further improve by being left "on".

No criticism then? Sure. Accuphase cunningly hide the fact -by mounting an extra bottom-plate underneath it- that they use the same relatively inexpensive power-transformer brand as used -coincidentally- in my old Rotel. Removing this plate reveals "Bando" while on top of the transformer, it proudly reads Accuphase Power Transformer...

The balance switch is better left at neutral because when used, it clearly degradates the sound-quality:

"Neutral" probably automatically overrides the circuitry.

I bought this amplifier pre-owned, because new Accuphase products are wildy expensive AND I like the more classic looks of this late '80's style better than their current line. The value-rating is for the old list-price, I'd give it a 9,5 considering the price I paid -roughly half of old list.

This amplifier -but for example the E-205 has legendary status as well, and can be found cheaper yet- is a worthy alternative if you're in the market for a relatively affordable amplifier; yet are reluctant to buy something "everyone" else already owns.