Accuphase preamps

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.

Thanks for your comments, guys!...so is a single A-46 powerful enough to drive most speakers out there?

Dave 72..The A-46 will drive any speaker down to a 1 ohm load without breaking a sweat..the amp will always maintain large power reserves and never run out of steam.

In principle I agree with Audiozen, the A-46 should be able to drive most
speakers and has enough power for most needs. I heard its predecessor,
i.e. A-45 (which has a smaller power supply), driving the B&W 800 and 802
diamonds in a very large room at very loud level (much louder than any
same person would listen at home). The A-45 had full control over the
woofers of the 802 and 800 diamonds speakers. However, 45 watts are 45
watts. That is, if one listens to very dynamic music, e.g. large orchestras
and/or jazz big bands, at loud levels, e.g. 90 dB or more, in a large room
with inefficient speakers, he/she may find that A-46 is not powerful
enough. You do not want your A-46 to be clipping all the time.

When I bought my E-550 integrated, I was worried that I may need more
power (in the dealer's room I made it clipped a few times). I've oscillated
between E-450 and E-550. Now, I am glad I bought the better sounding E-
550 as according to the meters I never use more the 10-15 watts.