Mark Levinson or Accuphase

[restorer-john]

Accuphase is privately owned, has been around since 1972. Created by former Kenwood engineers who wanted to create the world's best high fidelity equipment with no compromises. Their reliability, fit and finish along with conservative performance and factory backup, even for their very first products, continues to this day.

Mark Levinson also set up in 1972, but was broke by 1980 and the entire business (even after a lifeline of money) was bankrupt in 1984. Madrigal took over all the rights, Harman have owned the name since 1989/90 and pimp it to anyone they can. It's just a badge to them.

 

[dshreter]

Accuphase wins this for me easily from a pride of ownership perspective. I don't think there will be any meaningful difference in sound quality, but from a look, feel, and experience of owning it, I'm going with the Accuphase.

 

[Mikig]

I really like Mark Levinson products.
It was love at first sight; when I was young I saw them for the first time in the shop where I bought the Oto Audio Note. I was fascinated by those black beasts, they were like "magnetic". They sounded great, they were beautiful, powerful, they gave the sensation of an out-of-scale product in every way!! Clearly I couldn't go near any of those products, but I promised myself that sooner or later I would buy one!!
And they arrived home….!!
Accuphase also fascinates me a lot, and it is one of the manufacturers that I have on my wish list…..if only I could find something used at a humane price…..

 

[GXAlan]

Accuphase is privately owned, has been around since 1972. Created by former Kenwood engineers who wanted to create the world's best high fidelity equipment with no compromises. Their reliability, fit and finish along with conservative performance and factory backup, even for their very first products, continues to this day.

Privately owned, and focused on staying profitable rather than expanding in order to add shareholder value. Since the company had kept that philosophy AND remains profitable, they won’t go out of business….

Most of the time the problem is that there is more money to be made elsewhere given the same investment, a company is burning cash as they expand or are trying to grow, or demand for their products ends.

The last thing is the only real risk but this is thinking 20-30 years from now. I have owned Accuphase gear and it’s great. However, as hifi itself becomes less popular, they may need to reimagine themselves.

Mark Levinson also set up in 1972, but was broke by 1980 and the entire business (even after a lifeline of money) was bankrupt in 1984. Madrigal took over all the rights, Harman have owned the name since 1989/90 and pimp it to anyone they can. It's just a badge to them.

+1

 

[Stano]

Hi all , new here , my first post and will be my last long winded post ..,unfamiliar with the site , thought I’ll share my Accuphase experience and if anyone can give any advice on future upgrades to ensure I’m doing the Accuphase justice;

I’ve now had my Accuphase E-4000 for 2 days. Leading right up to the final transaction, I was torn, feeling the weight of stress and guilt due to competing financial priorities. I was constantly wondering if I'd regret the purchase and fearing disappointment from family when they find out how much it cost. I seriously considered canceling my purchase and cutting my losses and accepted that I would lose my deposit, however despite these doubts, I followed through with the purchase.

The moment I heard the first note emanate from the Accuphase, playing Bob Dylan's vinyl record, within mere seconds, I felt a profound reassurance wash over me. A smile, unlike any I've ever worn, spread across my face, accompanied by a a few tears of pure joy, the experience was truly remarkable, it was the exact same when my kids were born. Witnessing my wife's astonishment and my daughter's admiration for the Accuphase amazing sound, only affirmed the magnitude of my decision was the right one.

Currently running KEFs R3 meta , Rega P3 and a WiiM pro plus ( for now ). I will probably go the EverSolo 8 eventually or may be another ASR recommended brand and model. My room is pretty small 4M X4M ( 13ft X 13ft) and it will only be book shelf speakers. Rooms currently being treated, rearranged and extended a little , is there anyone out there with E-4000 ( E-480) experience that may be able to advise in order what my next planned priority upgrade should be to equaly match the E-4000 performance wise..

Accuphase E-4000
KEF R3 Meta
Rega P3
WiiM Pro Plus

 

[radix]

Hi all , new here , my first post and will be my last long winded post ..,unfamiliar with the site , thought I’ll share my Accuphase experience and if anyone can give any advice on future upgrades to ensure I’m doing the Accuphase justice;

I’ve now had my Accuphase E-4000 for 2 days. Leading right up to the final transaction, I was torn, feeling the weight of stress and guilt due to competing financial priorities. I was constantly wondering if I'd regret the purchase and fearing disappointment from family when they find out how much it cost. I seriously considered canceling my purchase and cutting my losses and accepted that I would lose my deposit, however despite these doubts, I followed through with the purchase.

The moment I heard the first note emanate from the Accuphase, playing Bob Dylan's vinyl record, within mere seconds, I felt a profound reassurance wash over me. A smile, unlike any I've ever worn, spread across my face, accompanied by a a few tears of pure joy, the experience was truly remarkable, it was the exact same when my kids were born. Witnessing my wife's astonishment and my daughter's admiration for the Accuphase amazing sound, only affirmed the magnitude of my decision was the right one.

Currently running KEFs R3 meta , Rega P3 and a WiiM pro plus ( for now ). I will probably go the EverSolo 8 eventually or may be another ASR recommended brand and model. My room is pretty small 4M X4M ( 13ft X 13ft) and it will only be book shelf speakers. Rooms currently being treated, rearranged and extended a little , is there anyone out there with E-4000 ( E-480) experience that may be able to advise in order what my next planned priority upgrade should be to equaly match the E-4000 performance wise..

Accuphase E-4000
KEF R3 Meta
Rega P3
WiiM Pro Plus

Welcome. Congrats on the E4000.

I think the Wiim pro plus is great for your setup. You do not need a volume control or multiple inputs and such, that's the E4000s job. Though if you want a display screen, I could see going with something besides the Wiim (I find the display screens somewhat overrated and use an ipad on a stand myself). You can keep the wiim hidden somewhere and not clutter the beautiful appearance of the E4000.

The only thing I would add is a minidsp or other DRC in the pre-out/main-in loop for room correction. And a sub.

 

[fredoamigo]

Well, for the Flashgrip (AB) P7500.. it doesn't seem so bad .
https://www.fidelity-magazine.com/accuphase-p-7500/

 

[AlexPro]

Rooms currently being treated, rearranged and extended a little , is there anyone out there with E-4000 ( E-480) experience that may be able to advise in order what my next planned priority upgrade should be to equaly match the E-4000 performance wise..

Accuphase E-4000
KEF R3 Meta
Rega P3
WiiM Pro Plus

Hi @Stano,
I got a "similar" setup: Accuphase E-4000, Rega P3 and WiiM Pro (but not Plus) so I added a DAC in between (Topping D90SE), but with the Pro Plus it is not necessary, the DAC is already better.
Your limiting "factor" is now the speakers if you want to give the E-4000 justice.
I got the amazing Fyne 502SP and this amp could drive up to the B&W 802 easily.

I am not a fan of bookshelf (I got a larger room 8m x 6m) and I enjoy to have deep base. But I am sure there is "better" than the KEF R3 Meta if you want to stick to bookshelf. This is where the money would make the biggest difference. Myself, I am thinking to go one size up on the speaker in the next two years.

 

[JRR]

Hi @Stano,
I got a "similar" setup: Accuphase E-4000, Rega P3 and WiiM Pro (but not Plus) so I added a DAC in between (Topping D90SE), but with the Pro Plus it is not necessary, the DAC is already better.
Your limiting "factor" is now the speakers if you want to give the E-4000 justice.
I got the amazing Fyne 502SP and this amp could drive up to the B&W 802 easily.

I am not a fan of bookshelf (I got a larger room 8m x 6m) and I enjoy to have deep base. But I am sure there is "better" than the KEF R3 Meta if you want to stick to bookshelf. This is where the money would make the biggest difference. Myself, I am thinking to go one size up on the speaker in the next two years.

There is no “giving the E-4000 justice”. Get the E4000 for the looks and quality. It will sound indistinguishable from a purify amp.

 

[Pimitjos]

Welcome. Congrats on the E4000.

I think the Wiim pro plus is great for your setup. You do not need a volume control or multiple inputs and such, that's the E4000s job. Though if you want a display screen, I could see going with something besides the Wiim (I find the display screens somewhat overrated and use an ipad on a stand myself). You can keep the wiim hidden somewhere and not clutter the beautiful appearance of the E4000.

The only thing I would add is a minidsp or other DRC in the pre-out/main-in loop for room correction. And a sub.

Just registered to recommend this setup. This is my E-303 from 1978 + Wiim Pro Plus + MiniDSP Flex looping pre-out/main in. I just wanted to mention that I have 2 subs, one per channel, behind my KEFLS50 meta and enabling dirac makes the whole thing just mind blowing.

 

[egellings]

Hi all , new here , my first post and will be my last long winded post ..,unfamiliar with the site , thought I’ll share my Accuphase experience and if anyone can give any advice on future upgrades to ensure I’m doing the Accuphase justice;

I’ve now had my Accuphase E-4000 for 2 days. Leading right up to the final transaction, I was torn, feeling the weight of stress and guilt due to competing financial priorities. I was constantly wondering if I'd regret the purchase and fearing disappointment from family when they find out how much it cost. I seriously considered canceling my purchase and cutting my losses and accepted that I would lose my deposit, however despite these doubts, I followed through with the purchase.

The moment I heard the first note emanate from the Accuphase, playing Bob Dylan's vinyl record, within mere seconds, I felt a profound reassurance wash over me. A smile, unlike any I've ever worn, spread across my face, accompanied by a a few tears of pure joy, the experience was truly remarkable, it was the exact same when my kids were born. Witnessing my wife's astonishment and my daughter's admiration for the Accuphase amazing sound, only affirmed the magnitude of my decision was the right one.

Currently running KEFs R3 meta , Rega P3 and a WiiM pro plus ( for now ). I will probably go the EverSolo 8 eventually or may be another ASR recommended brand and model. My room is pretty small 4M X4M ( 13ft X 13ft) and it will only be book shelf speakers. Rooms currently being treated, rearranged and extended a little , is there anyone out there with E-4000 ( E-480) experience that may be able to advise in order what my next planned priority upgrade should be to equaly match the E-4000 performance wise..

Accuphase E-4000
KEF R3 Meta
Rega P3
WiiM Pro Plus

Buyer's remorse is usually short lived.

 

[Hear Here]

View attachment 342638View attachment 342637I currently have a ML 585 on trial. It sounds good. One thing that concerns me is that they seemingly took two modules out of a 5 channel home theater amp (ML535h) put a preamp in the box and slapped a higher price tag on it. For instance, it lacks the beer can sized capacitors you’d see in an Accuphase. What do you think, price notwithstanding, is the better constructed AMP?

About 4 years ago I decided to move away from SET amplification if I could find an ss amp to offer equally exciting music. I bought or borrowed a number of amps including a ML 5805 and an Accuphase A-36. Similar prices, but less than the models you mention.

Both sound good, although I found the Class A A36 a little too "polite" for my linking. Both built well though the Accuphase offered extra features such as gain control switch and A and/or B speaker outputs. The Accuphase is spec'd to work with very low impedences (an output is quoted for a 1 ohm load) and I doubt the ML would be happy with anything less than 4 ohms as they only quote an 8 ohm power output. I’d suggest that build quality of the Accuphase was better, though marginal and I didn’t even look inside these units.

In the end, I went for a Class D amp that offered excellent sound at a lower price though price was a minor consideration – it was just a better package, albeit not quite as well constructed. It’s the sound that really matters and (even at high prices) there is a big difference between one good amp and another good amp. irrespective of measurement figures.

 

[dualazmak]

Hello @Hear Here,

Sorry for my belated response...

In 2020, I too rather intensively tested/evaluated Accuphase A-36, together with Accupahse E-460, Yamaha A-S301, on the course of my multichannel exploration journey;
- Accuphase A-36 (class-A)_Part-1_In single-amplifier and bi-amplifier + LC-network audio system: #282
- Accuphase A-36 (class-A)_Part-2_In multichannel multi-amplifier audio system: #283

My final decision (at least at that time until today), however, was/is skipping A-36 but utilizing Accupahse E-460, Yamaha A-S3000, Sony TA-A1ES, and Yamaha A-S301.
If you would be interested in my latest system setup, please visit my two posts on my project thread.

The latest system setup of my DSP-based multichannel multi-SP-driver multi-amplifier fully active audio rig, including updated startup/ignition sequences and shutdown sequences: as of June 26, 2024: #931

The latest Fq-SPL (re-confirmation) of multiple amplifiers SP high-level output signals and that of room air sound at listening position: all measured by “FFT averaging of recorded cumulative DSP-processed flat white noise” (as of June 8, 2025): #1,009