Review in STEREOPLAY magazine (Germany), July 2005
Accuphase Integrated Amplifier E-213

Silent Runningby Dalibor Beric

An Accuphase amplifier of the E-200 series has ever since been the "dreammachine" of many audiophile music lovers. The new E-213 is now theculmination of the virtues this series of integrated amplifiers had to offer.
Silence can be very impressive. It will move you when you are to realise howlittle one can hear during a calm night in the desert. And it is nevertheless remarkable
as to how ones ears are becoming more and more sensitive. In such a silence theear will switch to a very fine perception: you are inclined to hear single grains of sandrubbing against each other.
Something very similar can be experienced after having switched on theAccuphase E-213 because this amplifier is to convey nothing but silence. No
mechanical transformer hum, no noise but simply silence. Initially one tends tobelieve that is not at all switched on. Well, any owner of an Accuphase will smile here
because he's surely familiar with this fascinating fact. And we from Stereoplay didsavour this silence the last time when we tested the E-308 in November 2004.
Certainly, achieving this stunning silence requires more than a carefully
designed circuitry. Although the E-213 is - in the tradition of Accuphase outstandingly equipped with respect to parts and components on the boards, the newcircuit topology dubbed MCS plays a most important role here. The amplifier stages
are in fact doubled and power transistors in parallel configuration are taking care of
the music signal whilst decreasing noise and augmenting linearity. Like in the bigbrother E-308 this proprietary circuitry principle has been employed in the preamplifier section as well as in the input stage of the power amplifier. In the pre-amp of
the E-213 however Accuphase have employed highest-quality op-amps whereby in
the E-308 this part of the circuitry has been elaborately composed of single
transistors. No small wonder though if one considers the difference in retail prices.
On the other side you'll appreciate the pleasing "tactile feel" the E-213 is able
to convey, because, after all, this amp is nevertheless meant to be the entry level tothe wonderful world of Accuphase: just experience yourself how smoothly thepotentiometer can be turned and you may then joyfully listen to the full "click" of theinput selector when switching to another source! It goes without saying that both canbe comfortably operated also via the supplied remote control right from the cosyarmchair in your listening room.
There is something new in the E-213 namely that it features an input for an external
pre-amplifier. Accordingly labelled "EXT-PRE" a handy rotary switch at the front
panel allows you to use the E-213 as a pure power amplifier only. In a surroundsystem, for example, where the E-213 would be connected to the outputs of a multichannel preamplifier. All this without the risk of degrading the overall sonic qualitiesof the existing stereo system.

1As everybody knows, the more recent (integrated) amps from Accuphasecome with a modular-built input section, i.e. there are various so-called option boards
available to meet the individual needs of music lovers. This applies to the E-213 also.
You can make your choice among the high-level input boards Line-9 or Line-10, thephono-modules AD-9 or AD-19 or the digital converter board DAC-10.
The latter may not only be useful for DVB-tuners with digital outputs but also for thesonic benefit of many CD players out there. This board accepts both digital andoptical signals whereby it is automatically switched to electric digital if the input seesno optical signal.
For the listening test we employed first the phono-boards AD-9 and AD-10
connected to the Nouvelle Platine Verdier with Linn Ekos tonearm and Lyra Titan
pickup cartridge. At the other end we had our reference speakers Avalon Eidalon N.
A combination which sounded absolutely convincing in Stereoplay's listening room!
In "Northstar Blues" by Magnolia Electric Co the E-213 rendered the voice of Jason
Molina wonderfully three-dimensional and realistic whilst the guitar could be heard
with just the right amount of wood tones without subduing the delicate oscillations ofthe strings.

THE FINISH
Besides the MCS circuit topology Accuphase have put a lot of effort into a solid andfully developed quality. For instance the enclosed power transformer which candeliver 400 VA with ease. 2 x 22000 µF in the massive electrolytic capacitors are
likewise more than just pretty words. Then we encounter some very expensive input
relays featuring gold-plated dual- contacts made of silver. Well, this is perhaps aspeciality that owners of the E-213 may appreciate only in many years to comebecause they would never cause any problems.
It's also fact that Accuphase's current feedback topology works substantiallymore accurate than a feedback loop based on voltage regulation. Eventually detailsof the Accuphase-quality can - apart from the mechanical properties - be recognized
only at a second glance: for example in a circuit board layout that has been
continuously improved over decades and now brought to perfection.

In addition we can say that the E-213 could clearly demonstrate the differences
between the reasonable AD-9 and the sonically superior AD-10.
Of course the E-213 was given some digital food, too, whereupon it excelled with true
sound colours and a fantastic pin-point rendition of single instruments and voices. We
liked this so much indeed that there was actually no way around a cross-check withits bigger brother E-308. Well, only by this comparison it dawned on us that theambitious newcomer may have reached its limit. Although the fine sonic character ofthe E-213 came very close to that of the E-308, it did not quite get to theoverwhelming and three-dimensional sound picture of the latter.
This is actually speaking for the strict sonic hierarchy in the house of
Accuphase: you pay more, you get more (sound)! In any case the E-213 is the newgemstone in the 200 series. With brilliant sound and impressive overall craftsmanshipit has set a new benchmark in its price class.

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