The latest integrated amplifier to be presented by the manufacturer, the Accuphase E280 benefits from all the advances of the other models, both in terms of the preamplifier and its AAVA volume management, and in terms of power amplification, with its dual-mono structure. More modest in size and power than the brand’s larger products, it surpasses the previous E270 and offers a fine entry into the world of Japanese high fidelity, capable of developing a remarkable sound with the vast majority of loudspeakers.
Thhe brand’s smallest amplifier, the Accuphase E280 retains the champagne-coloured front panel emblematic of the brand, around a glass pane housing the two needle-type meters visible on all class A/B units, now extended from -40 to -50 dB. Thinner than the other models, it still does not have a hatch and leaves all the adjustment buttons visible, from the selection of the two pairs of speakers available to bass and treble management, which are rare on such products apart from those from Japanese manufacturers. It also offers balance adjustment and a mono function. Recording can be managed via a REC input and a PLAY output, although most users will turn exclusively to the analogue inputs, five unbalanced (RCA) and one balanced (XLR). There is also an output so that only the preamplifier part can be used, and an input so that only the amplifier part can be used.
Two optional cards can be added to all these connections, simply to add an unbalanced input (LINE-10), an MM/MC phono input (AD-50), or above all to provide three digital inputs thanks to the new DAC-60 card, based on an ES9016K2M conversion chip. All these options can then be managed using the knobs already integrated into the front panel.
Inside, the improvements come from those made to the higher ranges, and while the Accuphase E280 retains two filter capacitors already increased to 30,000 μF on the previous generation, the dual-mono structure has been further improved, so that the units dedicated to the left and right channels are now perfectly symmetrical. In the centre, the high-efficiency transformer is combined with the power units on either side, whose output stages are made up of two bipolar transistors in a double parallel push-pull configuration. The 90 W power rating can then be increased to 105 W at 8 ohms and 150 W at 4 ohms. At the same time, noise is reduced by 12% at 36 μV compared with the E270, and the damping factor is increased by 25% to 500 thanks to the MOS-FET switches. Volume management is further enhanced by the patented AVAA (Accuphase Analog Vari-gain Amplifier) technology, now featuring a combination of sixteen V-I conversion circuits with differentiated gains, which are also perfectly parallel, allowing each channel to be processed independently without the use of variable resistors, thus achieving even greater precision. The new RC-250 remote control, massive and champagne-coloured like the Accuphase E280, is supplied as standard and can be used to control inputs, volume and any of the brand’s CD players – including the brand new DP-450, which we’ll be talking about shortly.
The set up
Without the addition of phono or digital cards, the Accuphase E280 is already a complete integrated amplifier in terms of analogue technology, and very ergonomic. Not as tall as its predecessors, it remains more discreet and only needs to be placed on a flat, low-vibration surface, and if possible, plugged into the mains with a cable longer than the one supplied. The difference remains obvious. The loudspeaker cables can be integrated with forks or banana plugs, while the plastic plugs on each input must be removed before adding the RCA or XLR source modulation cables.
With the front panel switched on, the device is extremely easy to use. The thumbwheel on the left lets you immediately select any input, even those on optional cards, while the thumbwheel on the right lets you adjust the sound. Both options are also available on the remote control, which is also highly ergonomic. Thanks to CTA Perception, we were able to listen to the Accuphase E280 in a variety of configurations, against competing amplifiers of lower quality or of the same range, and above all against the larger E380.
The sound
The identity of a brand like Accuphase leaves no room for confusion: the Accuphase E280 is the gateway to this world. Compared with smaller amplifiers, or even amplifiers in the same category, developed by many manufacturers who are often more comfortable in the lower range, the E-280 allows you to change the world of sound. It closes the gap with less expensive devices, both through the direct perception of a more lively sound and through a much airier, better-spaced soundstage. Voices gain in volume and substance, while the image becomes more structured and brings out a multitude of details that were often untouchable before. Blues singers become rounder, rockers’ lows move back and forth and then explode more. At the same time, background noise fades away and the sound becomes more natural, providing a real sense of realism. In direct comparison, the entry-level Luxman integrated can show more roundness and the E380, at €2,000 more than the Accuphase E280, takes these impressions even further, again improving timbre and asserting greater clarity in the background, for an even less muddled signal, particularly in large symphonic masses. Even so, the E280 can already take a large number of recordings far enough, without requiring the perfect engraving quality demanded by even more precise products.
Moving upmarket with sources (in our test to the sublime DP-570 CD player at €10,090), as well as with more power-hungry loudspeakers, demonstrates what a reserve of precision the E-280 can provide, as well as its instant power to energise the majority of bookshelf loudspeakers and a large proportion of floorstanding loudspeakers. The timbres are totally coherent at the top end of the spectrum, because the Accuphase E280 masters definition and therefore nuance over a very wide frequency range.
Our conclusion
With all the qualities of the Japanese manufacturer, in particular the speed of sound and a huge reduction in background noise, the Accuphase E280 remains, like its appearance, the gateway to the world of Accuphase. Without being as accomplished as the E380, it already offers all the soundstage, naturalness and space to take the listener into very high fidelity, when we are no longer just looking for music or sound, but also the true effects of reality. With its impeccable finish, it opens up a world of music that is impossible to imagine below this level. The icing on the cake is that, while at the end of its life the E-270 had dropped by €500 to just under the €5,000 ceiling, the E280 has kept the same price and still costs €4,990!
Author: Vincent Guillemin
Technical sheet: ACCUPHASE E280
- Origin: Japan
- Price: €4,990
- Dimensions: 465 x 151 x 420 mm
- Weight: 20.4 kg
- Amplification type: Class A/B
- Power rating:
- 2 x 90 W into 8 ohms
- 2 x 120 W into 4ohmsHarmonic distortion (THD): 0.05
- Frequency response: 20 Hz to 20 kHz (+/-0.5 dB)
- Signal-to-noise ratio: 96 dB (balanced); 107 dB (unbalanced)
