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Accuphase E-800 Precision Integrated Stereo Amplifier – Pure performance in pure Class A…

Once again the Japanese high-end forge Accuphase Laboratory Inc. announces a very special solution, more than that, it is to be a truly outstanding new stereo integrated amplifier, worthy of a flagship, and the foundation of the new Accuphase E-800 Series. The new Accuphase E-800 Precision Integrated Stereo Amplifier.


The Japanese high-end hi-fi forge Accuphase Laboratory Inc. has always played a very special role in the world of hi-fi. They deliberately follow a very traditional approach and are considered to be a company that has let many a trend pass by unnoticed and instead concentrates entirely on what corresponds to their own ideas and corporate philosophies, which, as a large number of loyal customers prove, is absolutely spot-on.

Accuphase Laboratory Inc. can justifiably be described as a technology-driven company, where the most important thing is that everything, every detail, is pushed to the limit in order to meet the high goals of pure sound. The design, on the other hand, has remained virtually unchanged for years, so that you can immediately see at first glance that you are looking at a solution from the Japanese.

This also applies to the product range of stereo integrated amplifiers, which currently comprises the Accuphase E-270 Integrated Stereo Amplifier, Accuphase E-370 Integrated Stereo Amplifier and Accuphase E-480 Integrated Stereo Amplifier. The Accuphase E-650 Precision Integrated Stereo Amplifier has been at the top of the list so far, but not because it is a particularly powerful model, but rather because it is a Class A stereo integrated amplifier. After all, twice it delivers 30 watts to loudspeaker systems with an impedance of 8 ohms, but that is not the end of the story according to the developers at Accuphase Laboratory Inc.

They have been working on a new stereo integrated amplifier at Accuphase Laboratory Inc. that is intended to establish a completely new product line, the Accuphase E-800 Series, which will be the new flagship. This is the new Accuphase E-800 Precision Integrated Stereo Amplifier, which will be officially announced at the end of 2019 and will be available in the first quarter of 2020.

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The new Accuphase E-800 Precision Integrated Stereo Amplifier will once again be based on the finest electronics, using new manufacturing techniques for the circuit boards, which, equipped with strictly selected components, guarantee first-class technical data. The developers are talking about the fact that the Accuphase E-650 Precision Integrated Stereo Amplifier is based on the above-mentioned Accuphase E-650, but clearly outperforms it.

The special feature of the new Accuphase E-800 Precision Integrated Stereo Amplifier is therefore that it is once again a stereo integrated amplifier in pure Class A, which offers impressive performance, with an output stage with MOS-FET power transistors in parallel push-pull arrangement. According to the manufacturer, the so-called MCS+ architecture and signal current feedback technology for the amplification circuits guarantee excellent phase characteristics in the high frequency range.

As with the little brother, these circuits are designed as separate modules for the left and right channels and mounted directly on large heat sinks, whereby these modules are mounted on the left and right sides of the chassis to guarantee the highest possible channel separation by this design measure alone.


Twice 50 watts will be supplied by this circuit design, on loudspeaker systems with an impedance of 8 Ohms. If loudspeaker systems have an impedance of only 4 ohms, no less than 100 watts per channel will be available. The manufacturer even goes so far as to promise twice 200 watts into 2 ohms.

In order to be able to unfold this power, an especially powerful power supply unit with an efficient toroidal transformer and large filter capacitors is virtually mandatory.

Once again, the developers opted for the Balanced AAVA volume control (Accuphase Analog Vi-gain Amplifier), which allows complete suppression of external interference components and thus, according to the manufacturer, an unsurpassed signal-to-noise ratio. This is an extremely complex circuit, which is built on a separate, generously equipped circuit board. The immense effort that the developers have put into it even extends to a specially developed volume control, which is actually a high-precision volume level sensor. The rotary mechanism is manufactured with high precision and mounted on a highly rigid frame extruded from a single block of aluminum. The knob shaft is made of solid brass and has a diameter of 8 mm, giving the volume control a pleasantly solid yet silky smooth feel, as described by the manufacturer. A floating suspension technology originally developed for SACD or CD players is used here to support the level sensor on the chassis. According to the manufacturer, smooth and noiseless operation of the volume control should also be guaranteed when using the remote control, thanks to special insulators that dampen vibrations of the drive motor.

The new Accuphase E-800 Precision Integrated Stereo Amplifier once again features two slots for upgrading with a DAC board and a phono preamplifier. For this purpose, Accuphase Laboratory Inc. offers the solutions Accuphase DAC-50 Digital Input Board or Accuphase AD-50 Analog Disc Input Board.

But even in its basic configuration, the new Accuphase E-800 Precision Integrated Stereo Amplifier will not lack connections, either unbalanced or balanced. For example, there are five pairs of RCA sockets and three pairs of XLR connectors on the rear panel for source devices, as well as Recorder Out and Recorder In.

By the way, a connection for headphones should not be missing on the front panel, of course, and this should be pointed out at this point.

As already mentioned in the introduction, it is not surprising that the design of the new Accuphase E-800 Precision Integrated Stereo Amplifier does not hold any big surprises in store. It is noticeable that it is a very powerful system, because the well-known VU meters, designed as LED chains, appear comparatively modest on the front of the new stereo amplifier, as do the not so subtle rotary encoders for input selection and volume control.

The new Accuphase E-800 Precision Integrated Stereo Amplifier measures 465 x 239 x 502 mm and weighs a whopping 36 kg.

It was initially assumed that the new Accuphase E-800 Precision Integrated Stereo Amplifier would not be available in Germany until early spring 2020 at the earliest. Now it is certain that this is exactly what has happened, because the latest stereo integrated amplifier from Accuphase is now available in specialist shops.

One thing was certain right from the start, namely that the price of the new Accuphase E-800 Precision Integrated Stereo Amplifier would be in the upper segment, but quality at such a high level as this new Class A stereo amplifier in the Accuphase E-800 Series can be expected to be without doubt.

Getting to the point

The special feature of the new Accuphase E-800 Precision Integrated Stereo Amplifier is that it is once again a stereo integrated amplifier in pure Class A, a Class A amplifier with impressive performance. This is to be clearly above the Accuphase E-650 Precision Integrated Stereo Amplifier as the new flagship and the foundation of the new Accuphase E-800 Series.

Manufacturer:Accuphase Laboratory Inc.
Distribution:R.M.S. State of the Art Audiovisual Products
Price:€ 15.600,-
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Michael Holzinger

Michael Holzinger, founder and editor-in-chief of HiFi BLOG and sempre-audio.at, has been working for years as a journalist in the fields of IT, photography, telecommunications and consumer electronics.

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