Price Paid:  $1200.00 from HK

Summary:
This was the Accuphase product I bought and made me poisoned as a hardcored Accuphase follower. This amp is analytical, fast, clean, good control on low and high, warm and open mids and highs. Though it was Accuphase's lowest model, it never falls short of Accuphase's trademark: airy, a bit sweet, smooth yet powerful. The listerning room will get a full house of airy feeling (live music feeling) whenever a record is being played thru this amp. Its sonic character is, to some people, relatively on the bright side, due to its analyticality. It therefore needs right matching of equipments. A decent CD player is a must as it will reveal all the deficiency of the front end source. The best match is of course Accuphase's own CD player. With right matching, it is good for producing all kinds of music with the best at vocals, classic, pop/rock, jazz, chamber. I used to turn it up for 8-10 hours a day to the max loud level. It only goes warm but never sweat and all the time in good order. It is a very reliable machine that builds to last and has been over-engineered comparing to other brands' stuff

Strengths:
Present every strength you can think of at this price and outdo all rivals.

Weaknesses:
Lack of remote control and powercord was not changeable. But at the time this product was launched, these were not really a must.

Similar Products Used:
Many Accuphase and others

Price Paid:  $760.00 from DV Audio, Leeuwarden

Summary:
Having lusted for this magnificent beast for a decade or so, I've finally made my dream come true and bought an E-206. The Rotel it replaces was a winner in its own right but at a much lower price-point. Having grown so accustomed to the Rotel's sound, and having had a hard time imagining what the Accuphase could do to better it; once hooked-up, I was immediately struck by the Accuphase's much bigger dynamics, greater openness and ability to reveal details. Regarding bass-reproduction, it really opened up something like an entire extra octave! I use an early Rega P3-Linn Basik LV/X-Dynavector Karat Ruby combo and a Denon DCD-1420 -kindof vintage stuff by now but still very capable: Just HOW capable has only now become clear. My Rogers LS 3/5a's almost sounded relieved, like "Phew... Finally we get the big power-supplier we needed!" They're only now revealing their capabilities in the lower octaves, whereas I had long accepted they just did'nt have any. They proved me wrong! My Stax Lambda headphones also revealed that recordings which always were a bit tiresome to listen to, aren't so bad after all -the Rotel just didn't have the upper-high smoothness needed here. Having been manufactured in the standard champagne-gold AND in black; with a little persistence and patience, you'll be able to find one in the colour you prefer. I personally feel an Accuphase should be champagne, so that's what I got. BTW; on the Accuphase-site, you'll find a comprehensive list of all products they've ever made, including their technical specs. So... It's a winner! Especially when you take in account the current E-212's retail-price... PLUS its -by now non-standard- phono-stage.

Strengths:
* Very neutral and revealing sound with tremendous slam and authority * Great looks -get one in the colour YOU like best: Champagne or black * Abundance of functions * Built like a tank, great finish and inside-accessability * Very stable, will handle almost any speaker * Great resale-value

Weaknesses:
* Using the balance-control clearly degradates the sound * Needs an "open" rack to properly dissipate its heat * MC stage sounds great but its hiss almost reaches groove-noise levels

Similar Products Used:
Replaces my Rotel RA-840 BX2, used for 17 years. No other amps in current use.

Price Paid:  $1300.00 from tonus high end store

Summary:
The one and only!! Since the first tests (It´snow 7 years ago) with this Amp I changed my religion to Accuphase. Absolute invincible in this price class. I expected a lot and received a lot more!

Strengths:
Huge power and extreme accurate sound. Excellent balance in the whole frequency tape.

Weaknesses:
??

Summary:
I love this amp, it make my Cervin - Vega d 9-e rock like hell. The only thing I dont like with this amp is that my neigbours kidds cant sleep. If you want power in your system then accuphase is the amp for you.

Strengths:
The power!

Weaknesses:
my neigbours.

Similar Products Used:
HK 7000, Sony TA-VE800G.

Price Paid:  $300.00 from w & t audio

Summary:
Awesome amp - If you aren't into excessively loud music - this is the amp - whatever the style of music (my kids like rap and rock and love the sound).
Sound improves if you do not turn it off. Leave turned on for two or three days before using. do not turn off!

Strengths:
Better than my NAD / Carver combo - Clean Clear and powerfull

Weaknesses:
Runs Hot with the Dahlquist DQ-10's. Needs a couple of days to "warm up" properly.

Similar Products Used:
NAD preamp / Carver amp