Like clockwork, Accuphase replaces its flagship models every five years, and after modifying the E-480 into the E-4000, the Yokohama-based company now presents the E-700 model in place of the E-650, with strictly identical dimensions, but a weight down 400g (-1.5%) to 25.9kg.
A benchmark for its Class A transistor amplifiers for decades, the Japanese manufacturer had in 2018 gently reviewed the E-600 with the E-650, tinkering mainly with the preamplifier part. A little more than five years later, it now replaces the E-650 by the E-700, this time improving all parameters. Derived from the E-5000 and the latest preamplifiers, the ANCC (Accuphase Noise and distortion Cancelling Circuit) takes pride of place around the AAVA symmetrical volume control. Derived from monaural amplification circuits on MOSFETs downstream of a 56,000μF/50V supply transformer (compared with 50,000 μF in the E-650), power increases from 5W to 20W compared to the previous generation, with linearized maximums at 35W into 8Ω, 70W into 4Ω and 140W into 2Ω. The damping factor, meanwhile, gains 200 to match 1 000 from the E-800.
Little altered apart from the gold inserts around the knobs – the hallmark of the latest Accuphase models – the E-700 still allows you to integrate a plethora of balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA inputs, plus headphones via a 6.35 jack. Its front panel also features the same number of parameters, including balance, treble and bass management, as well as the option of outputting to one or two pairs of speakers, thanks to eight rear-mounted speaker terminals, while the displays are still on digital meters, the hallmark of the manufacturer’s Class A models. Also still available, two slots admit to add phono (AD-60) and digital (DAC-60) cards , the latter offering a digital-to-analog converter and numerous inputs, but still no streaming chip.
