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View Full Version : eBay impulse buy! - Accuphase E-202 amp



jandl100
30-11-2009, 10:38
There I was yesterday evening, just casually browsing thru the eBay amp listings when this little cutie caught my attention.

£195 BIN price with Best Offer option. After a quick peruse using a well known internet search engine I didn't bother with the Best Offer bit - I just bought the thing outright!

http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii114/jandl100/LuxmanE-202.jpg

It sure looks the biz, and weighs in at getting on for 20Kg.

Anyone got any experience or thoughts about it?
Strange, but I can't see the sensor for the remote control on the amp's front fascia ....

The Grand Wazoo
30-11-2009, 11:01
Hi Jerry,
I'm jealous, very jealous indeed. Your description of it as a little cutie is perhaps a trifle understated! If it's in good nick & working well, you got a fair deal.

100 wpc, variable speaker damping, two tape loops & an extra tape in/out on the front panel, two TT inputs. Build is fantastically sturdy.
I think you may like it.

hifi_dave
30-11-2009, 13:51
Cheap as chips. I bought one from E-Bay a few months ago for a little bit more than your's but I have seen them for far more.

I, actually, did the first review in Hi-Fi for Pleasure of the E-202 back in the late 70's and at that time it was a stunning piece of kit. Not only sound but of course the style and build. Even nowadays the construction is far in advance of most hi-fi. Sadly, the sound isn't all that but it's good fun anyway.

Oh, no remote by the way.

DSJR
30-11-2009, 17:16
A bit "double-cream" on the sound as I remember. Controls can go noisy with age and watch the caps too by now.

As for lustability, these old Accuphase units are awsome and I'd certainly make space for one. The tuners were around the state of the art back then as well, although there were a small handful of others snapping at their heels by 1977-78

Actually, let's put it this way. Would you rather have the E202, or a new Rotel or Cambridge, or even a Nait?????????

jandl100
30-11-2009, 17:37
Oh, no remote by the way.

Yeah - I know - I was only kidding! :lolsign:

I've fancied a vintage doo-dad looker for my shelves for quite a while, but the Marantz quad beauties I was lusting over normally fetch twice this much.

The Grand Wazoo
30-11-2009, 17:37
Actually, let's put it this way. Would you rather have the E202, or a new Rotel or Cambridge, or even a Nait?????????


Exactly - what else does 200 quid get you?

Marco
30-11-2009, 19:20
Exactly - what else does 200 quid get you?

Indeed - very nice, Jerry! :respect:

The Accuphase is eminently tweakable, too... One wonders what a full re-cap would do, for example? ;)

Marco.

jandl100
30-11-2009, 21:02
The Accuphase is eminently tweakable, too... One wonders what a full re-cap would do, for example? ;)

Marco.

Yep - I was wondering, too.

I'll see if I like the basic sq, and then whether I want to get it nicely sorted! :) ... I may come back for reccies of the best way to do this. ;)

Marco
30-11-2009, 21:05
No problemo :cool:

Like you say, see of you like the basic SQ, and then take it from there...

Did you ever go for that AT phono stage? :)

Marco.

jandl100
30-11-2009, 21:09
Did you ever go for that AT phono stage? :)

Marco.

Nope - not yet.

I'm happy enough with the 'stage on-board my UR UnicoPRE, but I'll probably need an offboarder for the PieFi Show, so I'll see what's available nearer the time. The AT is certainly on my shortlist. :)

Marco
30-11-2009, 21:21
If you get it for the Pie show, I'll defo pop by for a listen :)

I think this year's 'do' will be really good and will kick on from last year :cool:

Marco.

jandl100
03-12-2009, 15:16
Received it today.

It's in great condition - just one small scratch on the fascia.

Works well so far - I'm only using a single input and taking the signal from my Unison Research UnicoPRE valve hybrid pre-amp and Eastern Electric BBA valve buffer - so that gives me remote control of volume.

How does it sound? - well it's only been switched on a half hour or so - but the word fabulous comes to mind. Neutral? No - it's got a wonderful golden glow to the sound that makes my Melody valve power amp sound a bit 'matter of fact'. Detailed, 3D and hugely listenable. I don't think that 'listener fatigue' is in its vocabulary!

Loving it so far. :)

... and doesn't it look great! :smoking:

http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii114/jandl100/AccuphaseE-202front.jpg

http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii114/jandl100/AccuphaseE-202rear.jpg

http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii114/jandl100/AccuphsaeE-202top.jpg

http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii114/jandl100/AccuphaseE-202system.jpg

Ali Tait
03-12-2009, 20:20
Lovely Jerry,and a nice match for my T-101 tuner!

The Grand Wazoo
03-12-2009, 23:57
Glad you like it Jerry!
All those speaker terminals will surely be a boon to a man of your calibre!

The Vinyl Adventure
04-12-2009, 00:46
You realy are a box swaper arnt you! Verynice looking bit of kit though! What's happens to the Beringers? (that was you right?) do you have a room full of unused boxes?

Alex_UK
04-12-2009, 00:50
You realy are a box swaper arnt you! Verynice looking bit of kit though! What's happens to the Beringers? (that was you right?) do you have a room full of unused boxes?

shhhh! don't alert everyone, I'm waiting for them to come on to a Private Exhibition when no one else will notice! :eyebrows:

The Vinyl Adventure
04-12-2009, 01:07
Well, there is 2 of them alex :)

Alex_UK
04-12-2009, 06:44
Indeed Hamish, but they'd sound great as a pair in bridged mono, I reckon! ;)

The Vinyl Adventure
04-12-2009, 08:30
Indeed Hamish, but they'd sound great as a pair in bridged mono, I reckon! ;)

Greedy, just greedy ....
they seem to go on eBay for peanuts anyway il just go there instead.. Since it seems you have steaked your claim already

;) :lol:

Rare Bird
04-12-2009, 08:33
the Pie show

:lolsign:

jandl100
04-12-2009, 08:38
Ah, yes - those Behringer amps. Hmmm ... they are just sitting on my 'spare' shelves looking all lost and forlorn. :(

Not really sure if I want to keep them or not? :scratch: Great amps, but I do seem to have moved on.

.... if anyone does fancy them drop me a line with a tempting offer .... & who knows! ;)
____________
____________

Am currently a bit confused with my Accuphase amp - the 2.5mV sensitivity phonostage seems to work fine with my 0.5mV output Orty Rondo Bronze mc cartridge. Eh? :scratch: OK - the volume control does need to be wound up to 12 or 1 o'clock, but that is still before the 'stage gets noisy. It's still early morning and swmbo is not an early riser! - so I haven't been able to try large scale music. But on small scale stuff it is just fine and I suspect sounds rather good. Not sure what is going on here!

Will give it a proper work out later this morning.

Alex_UK
04-12-2009, 17:53
Not really sure if I want to keep them or not? :scratch: Great amps, but I do seem to have moved on.

Well you must have had them for a few weeks, so I'm not surprised you've moved on - old hat now ;)


.... if anyone does fancy them drop me a line with a tempting offer .... & who knows! ;)

Did you buy them new Jerry? Presume if you did you still have the boxes and packaging?

jandl100
04-12-2009, 21:45
I bought 1 new for £150 or so, and then 1 2nd hand for £90 from Chris technobear. Both excellent/minty and boxed with all original paperwork and packaging.

I'm still not sure I want to sell 'em - and definitely not for Hamish's peanuts! ;) - but if you can put them to good use, Alex, it's kind of silly not to.

The Vinyl Adventure
04-12-2009, 22:42
pistachio nuts then? ;)

jandl100
05-12-2009, 06:39
Ummmm ... probably not. Unless it's a REALLY BIG bag. :)