Accuphase P-6100 amp

[apdoc2004]

Hi Jock & Mike,
That was my impression too (from what I had read about him). I was taken aback when the lady (who picked up the phone) got back to me (after checking with him) and said in plain simple language--"He does not have anything to say about Accuphase integrated amplifiers--your dealer should answer your questions". I told her that my local dealer just lists Accuphase as one of his lines but does not have any actual experience with the integrated amplifier, but her response was the same. I repeated my request but got the same response. She did not ask for my phone number so that he could call me back at a time convenient to him. I followed this phone conversation with an e-mail which was very specific in what I wanted to find out. To my disappointment, there has been no reply (the e-mail was sent ~ 10 days ago).
The point I am making is that when you are trying to sell a premium priced product, you should be prepared to talk to a potential customer for ~ 5 minutes. Based upon this experience, I concluded that Arturo does not feel the same way or care--hence, he lost out on a customer.
Anshul

 

[Mike]

To be fair, that isn't his job. It really is the job of your dealer. Now, your dealer could request more info on your behalf.

 

[Penthouse-D]

$9300 to $25K. That's a lot of "fluff" for someone....

 

[Elberoth]

The point I am making is that when you are trying to sell a premium priced product, you should be prepared to talk to a potential customer for ~ 5 minutes.

+1.

A fellow audiophile from Polish hifi forum had once called Burmester headquaters in Germany with some specific questions about their gear. 1h later, Dieter Burmester himself had called him back. He ended up getting a pair of 911 monos and 077 pre with PSU ...

The guy obviously knows how to treat his (prospective) customers.

 

[apdoc2004]

Adam--Thank you for supporting the point that I am trying to make. Going above & beyond in your customer service never hurt anyone.
Mike--On a theoretical level, I agree with you. However, I also feel that if you are passionate about the brands you represent as a distributor, you should be willing to have a brief converation with a potential buyer. As you well know, the scarcity of Accuphase products in dealer showrooms makes it very difficult to get a decent audition. That was my main reason in reaching out to the distributor.
Kudos to Dieter Burmester for calling the customer himself. I have had multiple pleasant and extremely informative communications with the actual owners/designers of products (Resolution audio, Aerial acoustics, PS Audio, Audience, Acoustic Zen, Wyred4Sound etc.). Each time I ended up buying a product from their lineups. Not once was I told to talk to my dealer.
Anshul

 

[the professor]

I agree that it is almost inexcusable. If that's how you are treated before you buy then if/when you have problems you don't have a chance.

I also know in business that sometimes things happen that are just not the way it normally is.

With all of the positive things I've heard I'm hoping this is the case. But your experience is absolutely in the back of my mind just like all the positive info I've heard.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Audioseduction]

Mark, why would you go from 600 WPC to 110 WPC? Was your Classe monos way over kill in power for your Salon 2s?

 

[veindoc]

Quality not quantity comes to mind. High current enough for difficult loads. But ultimately sonic improvements with more than enough power for the current room size. Big watts per channel( IE class D amps) does not always translate to better. IMHO

Nick

 

[Ritmo]

Mark, why would you go from 600 WPC to 110 WPC? Was your Classe monos way over kill in power for your Salon 2s?

Actually, I've heard Mark's system with the Classe amps and it sounds terrific. It bested the ARC DS450 amp. The P-6100 must be a heck of an amp.

The Salons are power hungry. The more the better although quality matters as well.

 

[Design Audio Video]

Apdoc2004

May I ask what you wanted to talk to Arturo about? Why would he say he is not talking about the Accuphase products.The Accuphase and Soulution brands are his babies. I cannot imagine him not willing to talk to anyone who calls about either brand. He is a very well respected man in the industry. As far as pricing goes who knows what he has to pay to have the brand imported to the US. Accuphase may charge a premium just for the voltage change. Accuphase is priced competitively with any of the high end brands. Dagostino, Krell, Pass Labs, Burmester just to name a few. The price is definitely justified by the build quality and performance. Now if you called to discuss why the US pricing is more than anywhere else, then frankly I would say its none of your business. Is Pass Labs questioned about charging 80k for a US made product? Probably not and Accuphase is definitely on par with Pass Labs. If you seek knowledge about an Accuphase product try a local dealer to start with. That is why manufactures have dealers to better serve the consumer. Sorry if I'm being rude but honestly I'm sick of hearing about Accuphase costing more over here by people that don't know. I'm sure Arturo is making the same margins as any other distributor.

 

[Mike]

Well said David. After reviewing Accuphase products, I feel they represent a fair market value, often exceeding products costing much more. And their build quality is unrivaled.

 

[the professor]

Accuphase pricing is absolutely in line w other high end manufacturers.

For example. The P-6100 sound quality is on par with the Dagostino stereo amp. And is actually $3,500 cheaper. The two have different sound qualities. But both are in the same league. Build quality are both extraordinary. Two totally different styles.

 

[apdoc2004]

David,
I was going to put a stop to this issue but am compelled to post a reply to your rude post. Since you have decided to change the tone of this coversation, I will follow suit. I posted my experience about calling the Accuphase distributor. As to why he would not come to the phone to answer some simple questions from a potential customer, why don't you call him and ask him that question? If you find out the answer, do let me know as I am as mystified by this as you are! Maybe he was having a bad day, but then he never answered my e-mail either. He may be a well respected man in the industry but my experience left me very disappointed.
Read my initial post carefully before shooting your mouth off--I never complained about the high price of Accuphase products. All I said was that their margins for selling Accuphase products in the US were much greater compared to Luxman. I also said that this is the distributor's prerogative. If this strategy has been working well for him, more power to him. I was prepared to buy an Accuphase amp inspite of the high prices.
I called Arturo to ask him about the difference between the Class A & Class AB Accuphase integrateds since I have received conflicting information about their ability to drive my speakers (Dynaudio Sapphire). I only did this after talking to 3-4 dealers (none of whom had much experience with the amps or the speaker in question). I do not see what is wrong with calling Arturo. If he has his contact phone number listed on the website, I would assume that he does not mind receiving calls from customers. In any case, why I call Arturo is none of your business.

 

[Design Audio Video]

Ok, sorry if I was rude.its just I'm not used to hearing negative talk about people on this forum. You did it with your first post. Sorry everyone for speaking out when I should keep my mouth shut.

 

[Mike]

David, I never want you to keep your mouth shut. I value your views and opinions.

 

[MDP]

We will not tolerate any personal attacks on this site. You have opened yourself to be warned for your behavior. Your very first post showed that. Please follow our rules.

Thank you

 

[socfan12]

Ok, sorry if I was rude.its just I'm not used to hearing negative talk about people on this forum. You did it with your first post. Sorry everyone for speaking out when I should keep my mouth shut.

Please don't refrain from posting David. I love your posts. They are intelligent, thoughtful, and spoken from the heart. Keep it coming good sir!!:heart:

 

[NorthStar]

$25,000

Thanks. That's a fair amount of cash for a stereo amp. Lots of choices in that price range. You wonder how much of that is import duty. Always loved the quality of Accuphase and Furutech for that matter. The Japanese make fine gear….

The Accuphase pricing outside Japan is horrible. In Japan the MSRP of the P-6100 is Yen 945.000 (US$9.3k).

The MSRP of A-200 is Yen 2.625.000/pair (US$26k) vs US$69k in US. :disbelief:

Hi Guys,
This is my first post on audioshark. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading all the wonderful posts on this forum. As much as I love Accuphase gear for its build quality and the drop dead gorgeous looks, I cannot understand the US pricing. It cannot just be the import duty as the price differential between Luxman gear sold in the US and its price in Japan is significantly less. I think that the US importer for Accuphase, Axiss Audio, wants a much higher profit margin than the Luxman importer (On a Higher Note). At a business level, I have no problem with that as this strategy is Axiss Audio's prerogative and obviously has worked well for them. But just as an aside, I had called both distributors to discuss their Class A integrateds--Philip O' Hanlon (On a Higher Note) talked to me on the phone for nearly 30 minutes explaining the fine differences between Luxman's integrated offerings--he is a real class act. On the other hand, Mr. Arturo Manzano at Axiss Audio flatly refused to take my call (asking his receptionist to tell me bluntly that he had nothing to say about Accuphase products!).

Thank you for the nice welcome guys--I hope to learn from everybody's collective experiences and possibly contribute to the discussion whenever I can.
Anshul

Not sure if that will make you feel any better, but in Europe Accuphase gear is also very expensive (compared to Japaneese prices).

I've never had first hand experience but I had always heard that Arturo was always helpful.

He's terrific. When I read this, I was in shock. I know in David's opinion, he sets the benchmark for all distributors.

Hi Jock & Mike,
That was my impression too (from what I had read about him). I was taken aback when the lady (who picked up the phone) got back to me (after checking with him) and said in plain simple language--"He does not have anything to say about Accuphase integrated amplifiers--your dealer should answer your questions". I told her that my local dealer just lists Accuphase as one of his lines but does not have any actual experience with the integrated amplifier, but her response was the same. I repeated my request but got the same response. She did not ask for my phone number so that he could call me back at a time convenient to him. I followed this phone conversation with an e-mail which was very specific in what I wanted to find out. To my disappointment, there has been no reply (the e-mail was sent ~ 10 days ago).
The point I am making is that when you are trying to sell a premium priced product, you should be prepared to talk to a potential customer for ~ 5 minutes. Based upon this experience, I concluded that Arturo does not feel the same way or care--hence, he lost out on a customer.
Anshul

$9300 to $25K. That's a lot of "fluff" for someone....

+1.

A fellow audiophile from Polish hifi forum had once called Burmester headquaters in Germany with some specific questions about their gear. 1h later, Dieter Burmester himself had called him back. He ended up getting a pair of 911 monos and 077 pre with PSU ...

The guy obviously knows how to treat his (prospective) customers.

Adam--Thank you for supporting the point that I am trying to make. Going above & beyond in your customer service never hurt anyone.
Mike--On a theoretical level, I agree with you. However, I also feel that if you are passionate about the brands you represent as a distributor, you should be willing to have a brief converation with a potential buyer. As you well know, the scarcity of Accuphase products in dealer showrooms makes it very difficult to get a decent audition. That was my main reason in reaching out to the distributor.
Kudos to Dieter Burmester for calling the customer himself. I have had multiple pleasant and extremely informative communications with the actual owners/designers of products (Resolution audio, Aerial acoustics, PS Audio, Audience, Acoustic Zen, Wyred4Sound etc.). Each time I ended up buying a product from their lineups. Not once was I told to talk to my dealer.
Anshul

I agree that it is almost inexcusable. If that's how you are treated before you buy then if/when you have problems you don't have a chance.

I also know in business that sometimes things happen that are just not the way it normally is.

With all of the positive things I've heard I'm hoping this is the case. But your experience is absolutely in the back of my mind just like all the positive info I've heard.

Thanks for sharing.

I've reread three times this thread, and not once did I find a single word that wasn't appropriate.
Everybody is extremely polite and giving. There was simply differing opinions based on different experiences, and that is all.
{I didn't quote the rest because it's right there above my post.}

Sorry, I just had to share my viewpoint. .... Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[joeinid]

+1

I whole heartedly agree. I sincerely appreciate your perspective and wealth of information. You get to play with the gear most of us only dream about. That kind of experience is priceless.

Please don't refrain from posting David. I love your posts. They are intelligent, thoughtful, and spoken from the heart. Keep it coming good sir!!:heart:

 

[Mike]

Ok, let's get this thread back on track! Accuphase 6100 reviews!