Accuphase A-80 Stereo Power Amplifier – Stereo power amplifier in Class A
It is the centrepiece of the power amplifier segment of the Japanese high-end hi-fi manufacturer Accuphase Laboratory Inc., which is now being presented in the form of the new Accuphase A-80 Stereo Power Amplifier as the successor to the Accuphase A-75 Stereo Power Amplifier.
- The new power amplifier from Accuphase, which the Japanese company is now presenting with the Accuphase A-80 Stereo Power Amplifier, operates purely in Class A.
The Japanese High-end HiFi manufacturer Accuphase Laboratory Inc. presents the new Accuphase A-80 Stereo Power Amplifier, an extremely exciting power amplifier that succeeds the Accuphase A-75 Stereo Power Amplifier. It thus takes on the task of forming the centrepiece of the Japanese company’s Class A power amplifier range, an extremely important segment for the company.
However, the new Accuphase A-80 Stereo Power Amplifier is also ideally equipped for this task, as Accuphase Laboratory Inc. claims to be using technology that was designed for the Accuphase A-300 Class-A Monophonic Power Amplifier on the occasion of the company’s 50th anniversary.
Class A driven output stage with 10-parallel push-pull power MOS-FETs
The special feature of the new Accuphase A-80 Stereo Power Amplifier is first and foremost the special circuitry used here, which once again utilises the so-called Instrumentation Amplifier principle that has been continuously improved over many years.
This starts with the input stage, which is completely discrete and thus ensures that noise is kept to a minimum.
The power amplifier is where things get really exciting, because here we are talking about a circuit in MCS+ architecture equipped with MOS-FET and built in a 10-fold parallel push-pull arrangement, which delivers an output power of 65 watts to loudspeaker systems with an impedance of 8 ohms, as much as 130 watts at an impedance of 4 ohms, as well as 260 watts at 2 ohms and 520 watts at 1 ohm, as the manufacturer states.
New MOS-FETs are used here, which have a particularly low switch-on resistance of just 1.6 mOhm. By way of comparison, this value was still 2 mOhm for the predecessor, as the manufacturer emphasises.
This is particularly important with regard to the damping factor, which, as with the predecessor, is 1.000 and therefore guarantees perfect control over the connected speaker systems.
Presence like a live performance
What is particularly exciting is that the manufacturer also claims to have achieved a presence and fine expression that is in no way inferior to the experience of a live performance thanks to rigorous investment in new, state-of-the-art noise cancellation technologies.
Compared to its predecessor, the Accuphase A-75 Stereo Power Amplifier, the new Accuphase A-80 Stereo Power Amplifier is said to achieve a signal-to-noise ratio of 123 dB, an improvement of a further seven per cent.
Particularly powerful power supply
A very important feature is of course the power supply, which in this case is based on a massive, specially manufactured toroidal transformer with high efficiency, which is supported by two generously designed filter capacitors with 120.000 μF each.
While the massive screw terminals for connecting the speaker systems and the inputs in the form of RCA sockets and XLRs are the most eye-catching features at the rear, the front is dominated by responsive, large bar-graph output level displays.
Finally, it should be mentioned that the new Accuphase A-80 Stereo Power Amplifier naturally has a protection circuit for the speaker systems and supports bi-amping and a bridge mode.
The new Accuphase A-80 Stereo Power Amplifier measures 465 x 240 x 515 mm and weighs an impressive 44,6 kg.
Prices and availability
The new Accuphase A-80 Stereo Power Amplifier will be available immediately from specialist retailers. The recommended retail price is listed at € 18.990,-.
Getting to the point
The new stereo power amplifier from Accuphase Laboratory Inc., the Accuphase A-80 Stereo Power Amplifier, has a very difficult task ahead of it. It is the successor to the Accuphase A-75 Stereo Power Amplifier, although it appears to be well equipped for the task, as it was modelled on the Accuphase A-300 Class-A Monophonic Power Amplifier, which was developed to mark the company’s 50th anniversary.
| PRODUCT | ACCUPHASE A-80 STEREO POWER AMPLIFIER |
|---|---|
| Price | € 18.990,- |
| Brand | ACCUPHASE |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Accuphase Laboratory Inc. |
| Distribution Austria | R.M.S. State of the Art Audiovisual Products |
| Distribution Germany | P.I.A. Hi-Fi Vertriebs GmbH |
| Distribution Switzerland | cebrands.ch AG |
| More about this manufacturer at HIFI BLOG |
