Quote:
Originally Posted by C4STR0
Thanks for the information and advice, but do keep in mind even this old stuff was over 2k to over 3k USD which is already a lot to many including myself and all i can afford in the Accuphase brand.
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I cannot possibly be of any help to balance out your dreams with your budget.
Quote:
Originally Posted by C4STR0
Are you suggesting then, to move on from Accuphase vintage and purchase new in the same price range of another brand because new would =more advanced and better?
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Accuphase sound is addicting, and depending on your (and my) personal taste it is practically impossible to find equivalent new from other manufacturers in the price range of even vintage Accuphase.
IMHO not a viable solution.
Quote:
Originally Posted by C4STR0
I had no idea the P-360 was unbalanced. It sounds far better than the McIntosh over 10 years newer i owned so if there's a tier above, then id love to try Class A or a balanced Accuphase amp.
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Sorry I may not have been precise enough. The P-360 input and driver stages are of course balanced. But there is only a single output stage per channel. That's what I meant with 'unbalanced'.
(The P-800 has two identical output stages per channel; therefore is fully balanced input, driver
and output stage.)
Fully balanced
Stereo power amps like the P-800 are very rare in the Accuphase lineup. Mostly only the monoblock power amps are fully balanced.
I'm not surprised that you feel a P-360 driven by an Accuphase preamp of the same generation could outperform other brands.
Quote:
Originally Posted by C4STR0
C2800 was also another preamp i was looking at, but would require going for a less expensive power amp. It's just as i said, budget doesnt allow new Accuphase where each unit is in the 10-15k UDS range.
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Experience with Accuphase over the years showed, that synergy between preamp and power amp was at its best, when the units were from the same generation. Though changing the preamp does not necessarily mean you'd also have to change the power amp.
The matching preamp for a P-360 was the Stereo C-260. However your CX260 is 10 years younger.
I must admit I do not know anything about the sonic differences between CX-260 and C-260.
C-270V, C-280V might also be used, depending what is on the market.
Another option would be to go for a new integrated Accuphase (from E-280 up).
Martin