Imagine a city where, by some fluke of history and culture, almost all of its inhabitants are obsessed with craftsmanship…
A place where people dedicate every day of their lives to doing one thing better than yesterday, always pushing the definition of “perfect” further and further. Imagine this is baked into their very philosophy…and because nearly everyone there lives this way, they help each other get even better at their respective crafts.
Should you search far and wide to find a physical good—a product—one to solve a problem and bestow a benefit into your life, in this imaginary city you’d find what you were looking for.
And it would exceed your wildest expectations. It would give you all that you desired and more. So much so, that every time that product even entered your field of view, you’d well up with gratitude and awe at the thought that craft so impeccable even exists.
Now take that imaginary city and expand it into an entire country. That country exists. It’s called Japan.
Japan is a place where artisanal methods are passed down for generations. Where every meal is treated with such respect, their biggest city (the most populated city on Earth) has no public rubbish bins—because its inhabitants always sit, focus and appreciate every morsel they eat. Where lies the world’s busiest train station and yet, the perfectionist system of signs they use keeps it running smooth at all times. And speaking of food…Japan is where everywhere, even at the humblest train station noodle stall, you’ll find meals as flavorful as those of any five-star restaurant in Sydney.
If you’ve ever visited, you know what I’m talking about.
In this land, among these craftspeople, there are those who believe music is one of our greatest treasures. They believe it enhances our lives indispensably, through deeply-felt emotions. Those people have dedicated their lives to crafting the best possible audio devices.
They’re called Accuphase.
Accuphase is one of the rare hi-fi manufacturers on Earth who truly dedicate themselves to creating the best products…and nothing more. Not only do they sound unbelievably detailed and lifelike, but they’re second to none regarding aesthetic appeal, build quality, longevity and service.
Primarily, Accuphase make exceptional integrated, pre and power amplifiers—in both class A and class AB variants. They also make excellent DACs, dedicated power supplies, CD players, tuners and phono cartridges.
And they are excellent, indeed!
In 1972, two Japanese brothers resigned from the Kenwood company to start a new manufacturer. One focused not on mass-production for profit…but on honing very few pieces into perfection for the end-user’s benefit.
That first year was spent developing their first pre-power combo, from Jiro Kasuga’s (one of the brothers) private residence. Once released, those components immediately exploded with acclaim and attracted many awards. They were able to move into a dedicated facility—the Accuphase Laboratory in Yokohama—and have repeated that process many times since.
To understand the ethos that drives their success, consider their published management and corporate policy, which begins as follows:
“We pride ourselves on creating products that come from the heart and that will be cherished by the user. We endeavor to be thorough and meticulous in all aspects of this process, from building to marketing and servicing the products.”
The policy continues to list and describe 10 items (which read like ethical commandments) including “avoid undue company expansion,” “design products to be sturdy, but easy to fix if necessary,” and “keep capital within the company.” (Which, let’s face it, cannot be taken for granted!)
Such dedication to quality means keeping the company small and always putting ample resources into each and every product made—and that of course, means their products are inherently rare.
That’s part of what makes Accuphase so overwhelmingly credible, so virtuous in intent, that buying anything they’ve made is, for some, irresistible. Not just because it sounds amazing, or even because it’s an audio product…but because it feels venerable, in the same sense as displaying an original Rembrandt or a piece of Elvis Presley’s guitar in your home.
Extraordinary performance and awe-inspiring build quality are first built on ethos, which begets obsessive practices.
It’s easy (and common practice) for any manufacturer to say such wonderful things about themselves; that they’re dedicated to quality, to music reproduction, and to end-user satisfaction. So we have to look deeper to see if all that talk is the real deal.
Accuphase run an incredibly tight ship. When you understand how they do things—and then experience how their products look, feel, and perform—it all adds up.
Let’s consider some examples.
Most manufacturers do what’s called a sampling inspection, where they pull a handful of units from the assembly line to confirm quality. That “sample” is meant to represent the much larger quantity of units being produced. Accuphase on the other hand inspect every single product they make, every step of the way, meticulously.
They use a “shaker table” to rattle each device, not just to ensure that no screws come loose, but to confirm that the audio performance is maintained while it’s vibrating.
Manufacturing inspections and quality assurance are separate departments. The former is a constant monitoring of the build process. The latter, an intimate inspection from the viewpoint of the end user (where sound quality and functional performance are tested for hours).
What’s more, they admit that some parts simply cease to be available, but in spite of that, they make a concerted effort to keep all original parts in their spares library—right down to the smallest components.
All of this is beautifully captured by the words of Accuphase president, Hideharu Ito:
“Even if the ratio of defective products is very low, each customer only buys a single one, and if that one breaks, for him or her the defect ratio is 100%.”
In their own words, they aim to be a manufacturer trusted and esteemed by their end users. That’s interesting to unpack: the motive is trust and esteem (not money), and the priority person is the end user (not the dealers or wholesalers who buy from them, or the critics, or the industry at large).
That’s something worth soaking in. And it seems to translate to a better end-user experience.
Accuphase amplifiers are known for playing all types of music really well, through any type of speaker, because they’re neutral and accurate. Each model has an exceptionally low noise floor, making for more space and realism.
They’re built to last 30–40 years. So far so good. And the few that do need repair turnaround quick—their spare parts department is super efficient.
Their products (literally) have legendary knob feel. All of them feature Accuphase’s proprietary “AAVA” volume control principle—which is essentially resistorless, and offers zero degradation of sound quality.
All of that said, judging a high-end amplifier is always a matter of grades—there are many qualities to consider, and they usually fall onto spectrums of subjective taste. However, if ever there was an amplifier balanced, accurate, clear, and true—one you’d want to call objectively exceptional—then it would be an Accuphase.
It’s with immense gratitude that today, we’re officially representing the complete Accuphase range at Audio Connection.
We’ve had a few odd units in the past, but have now leapt onto an opportunity to support them more substantially.
These products come from a land where entire communities breathe craftsmanship and quality. That underlying ethos comes through in every aspect of their products. It makes them an endgame brand for the majority of those who invest in their first Accuphase.
We now have stock in the showroom available for audition. Call or use our online chat to book a demo for yourself today—or simply stop by.
Bring your favorite music…and be ready to hear it for the first time.
