Accuphase E-450 Pia
Beschrijving / Description
The E-450 succeeds the highly popular and successful Accuphase model E-408. It reflects latest research breakthroughs and features the innovative AAVA-II volume control principle. Only top-quality parts are used throughout its sophisticated circuitry. The overall result is an integrated amplifier that brings out even the most delicate nuances in the music with breathtaking immediacy.
The AAVA volume control principle developed by Accuphase totally revolutionizes the way that the listening volume is adjusted. However, in its initial form, AAVA required a considerable amount of physical space. With AAVA-II, Accuphase has now taken this principle to the next level, delivering the same peerless performance in a more compact form factor.
Revolutionary AAVA-II volume control
Parallel push-pulloutput stage with high-power transistors delivers plenty of quality power
Instrumentation amplifier principle enhances current feedback and MCS+ topology in power amplifier section
Logic-control relays for straight and short signal paths
Robust power supply with large toroidal transformer and high filtering capacity
Specificaties / Specifications
Function and form
In Accuphase they use current feedback and MOSFET topology in push-pull arrangement and the E-450 is not an exception. If you open its case you would see a massive toroidal transformer encapsulated in a not less massive steel sarcophagus to be shielded effectively from the rest of the amps circuitry, large filtering capacitors and typical cleanliness and neatness of Accuphase layout. The input stage is totally decoupled from the power stage both electrically and mechanically the E-450 is practically a preamp and a power amp in a single case.
A few years ago Accuphase arrived with a revolutionary volume control system (AAVA) that finds its place also in the E-450, however, in the second generation incarnation. The AAVA-II completely removes variable resistors from the signal path the input signal is converted from a voltage into a current by means of proprietary circuitry and the current is then controlled by current switches before it is converted back to the voltage. As the music signal does not have to pass through resistors the whole volume control process is lower in distortion and shows a better signal-to-noise ratio, yet it is completely analog process no adjustments happen in a digital domain. The number of steps of such a volume control is 216, which yields over 65 thousand (!) possible adjustment steps it is well beyond the resolution thresholds of our audiophile ears.
Who has ever touched an Accuphasee amp knows that it is always a beyond words experience - the craftmanship is impeccable and speaks for itself. On the E-450, there is an input switch knob on the left, a volume knob on the right and sizeable illuminated VU meters in between. Whatever else you need to control the amplifier is hidden under a front subpanel so nothing distracts you from the purity of the E-450s design. Once you open the subpanel you'd find a full set of controls: a speaker selector that enables switching between two pairs of speakers (the E-450 has two sets of speaker binding posts), a MUTE control, controls for TAPE and REC, knobs for tone controls, phono board adjustments and buttons to switch on and off the VU meters and loudness compensation circuits. The E-450s tone controls have quite a wide range of operation of +/-10dB from 300Hz and 3kHz, however, it is possible to exclude them from the signal path completely by simply pushing a button. The loudness compensation work very effectively and therefore at night you can give +8dB boost to the frequencies below 30Hz which makes low level listening much more enjoyable.
The Accuphase E-450 offers two pairs of balanced XLR inputs and four pairs of single-ended RCA inputs. In emergency you can also use its tape inputs. It is important to know that should you need to use the E-450 as a standalone preamp (or a power amp) then you can only do that via RCA (no balanced input or output is available in this configuration).