E-550 Class A Integrated Amplifier

Having recently had the pleasure of owning this amp for myself, I thought i would share a few views on it.
The first thing that strikes you about this amplifier, is just how well made it is. It may have an outward appearance that remains firmly rooted in the retro, but the fit and finish will put many high end companies to shame, as would the weight!
Upon turning on, the gorgeous glow of the classic power meters greet you, and invite you to play some tunes, but dont be too hasty, this amp is not at it's best from cold. However, thanks to the sheer heat generated by its class A design, it's comes up to temperature in no time, and after about 30 minutes of sitting idling, it's good to go.
This is where things get good. Never have 30 watts gone as far as they do in this beast. It has sufficient current, drive and energy to propel even my modest 88db stand mounts to drive unit threatening levels, underpinned by surging bass that I didnt even realise they were capable of. It takes a lot to upset this amplifier, and within reason, it should drive almost anything.
Soundstaging is superb, with voices and performance held perfectly between the speakers and with excellent front to back soundstage image. Tonality is spot on, neutral, clean, but with a hint of richness that makes it incredibly musical. However do not mistake this richness for a lack of information, this amp is brutally unforgiving of poor sources and/or speakers. But give it deserving ancillaries and it will reward, hugely!
A truly first class amplifier, and living proof that power is not everything. I have compared this amp to the likes of the 1000w bel canto ref1000's and when it comes to grunt and drive, this 30w beast puts them to shame. Its quite an acheivement, and one that Accuphase can be proud of.
The E-550 gives you option to expand in the future as well. It is capable of taking the excellent dac20 add in card, or the quite simply superb AD-20 phono stage. Both are solid components in their own right, and deserve much attention. The E-550 also has Accuphase's revolutionary AAVA volume control, which is one of the most linear and transparent executions of an attenuator i have come across, and as a result, this amp can be used as a stepping stone to an ever higher end, perhaps by using it as a pre into an A60 power amp... even biamping is a a possibility here.
I can highly recommend this amplifier to any music lover, who puts the performance ahead of the "hi-fi" stuff. If you want to forget about systems made up of 20 boxes and more cables than a telecomms company, then look here. Hook up a digital streaming device to a dac20, and have yourself a glorious "one box" solution to the true high end.
Well done Accuphase!!

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