Leben vs Shindo vs EAR Yoshino vs Accuphase: Thoughts? Experience? Preferences?

mresseguie · April 18, 2026, 10:06:30 PM

I spent yesterday wandering the halls of the Kaohsiung Hi-End Audio show listening to some very impressive gear (and some really uninteresting gear as well). Prices ranged from very affordable <$1000 USD to ridiculously expensive $250,000 speakers. I was more interested in amplification than anything else because I already have speakers, DACs and preamps that make me quite happy.

One of the rooms had a Leben integrated amp powering some very expensive speakers in a crappy sounding hotel room. When I mentioned the acoustic limitations of the room, the guy on duty told me the hotel's electrical supply is decades old and suffers surges and brown outs. His goal in presenting at the show is to show potential customers what is available and to encourage them to visit his store which lacks the limitations of the hotel.

Another room advertised EAR Yoshino, but their demo amp hadn't even been unboxed by Saturday afternoon(!?!), so I didn't get to hear it.

The Leben gear sure is pretty looking stuff. I've heard it before in another showroom. I've also heard Shindo and Accuphase amps, but never in the same audio system. I realize it may be near-impossible to audition all four brands in the same system.

I'm all eyes, guys. Any thoughts?

rollo · April 19, 2026, 08:12:43 AM

The Audio Hungary C-200 Amp has a wonderful synergy with Fritz speakers. That is what we use to demo Fritz speakers. 100W/ ch. NOS Tungstram 12AX7 tubes stock. My 2 cents.

charles

mresseguie · April 19, 2026, 08:44:00 AM

Quote from: rollo on April 19, 2026, 08:12:43 AMThe Audio Hungary C-200 Amp has a wonderful synergy with Fritz speakers. That is what we use to demo Fritz speakers. 100W/ ch. NOS Tungstram 12AX7 tubes stock. My 2 cents.

charles

Hello, Charles.

That's considerably more power than I need. The amp won't be powering the Fritz speakers. It's going to power my new Daedalus Audio Muse floorstanders (95.5dB/8 ohms). The A35 might work, but I know next to nothing about Audio Hungary. As I hit my 'mid-60s' midlife crisis, I decided I want a very special amplifier and Ear Yoshino, Leben, and Shindo tube amps or Coda S5.5, Accuphase, and one or two other Class A amps fit the bill quite nicely.

Nick B · April 19, 2026, 08:55:48 AM

Quote from: mresseguie on April 18, 2026, 10:06:30 PMI spent yesterday wandering the halls of the Kaohsiung Hi-End Audio show listening to some very impressive gear (and some really uninteresting gear as well). Prices ranged from very affordable <$1000 USD to ridiculously expensive $250,000 speakers. I was more interested in amplification than anything else because I already have speakers, DACs and preamps that make me quite happy.

One of the rooms had a Leben integrated amp powering some very expensive speakers in a crappy sounding hotel room. When I mentioned the acoustic limitations of the room, the guy on duty told me the hotel's electrical supply is decades old and suffers surges and brown outs. His goal in presenting at the show is to show potential customers what is available and to encourage them to visit his store which lacks the limitations of the hotel.

Another room advertised EAR Yoshino, but their demo amp hadn't even been unboxed by Saturday afternoon(!?!), so I didn't get to hear it.

The Leben gear sure is pretty looking stuff. I've heard it before in another showroom. I've also heard Shindo and Accuphase amps, but never in the same audio system. I realize it may be near-impossible to audition all four brands in the same system.

I'm all eyes, guys. Any thoughts?

Hi Michael,
I've heard good things about all those amps. The only one I have ever listened to was eight or nine years ago when I was a member of the now defunct Las Vegas audio club. It was at the president of the clubs home and he had an Accuphase amp which sounded very good. That is a pricey line and I never bothered to look into it further.
That's surprising that the amp wasn't unboxed even by Saturday.
Nick

Nick B · April 19, 2026, 09:00:41 AM

Quote from: rollo on April 19, 2026, 08:12:43 AMThe Audio Hungary C-200 Amp has a wonderful synergy with Fritz speakers. That is what we use to demo Fritz speakers. 100W/ ch. NOS Tungstram 12AX7 tubes stock. My 2 cents.

charles

I enjoyed my time with the Audio Hungary preamp. The Fritz Speakers I got from you had the beryllium tweeter and the presentation in my room ended up being a little bit too aggressive at the top end. Don't know if it was an acoustics problem or just lack of synergy with my equipment. I am very pleased with the Hattor Big preamp and JM Reynaud Voce Grande speakers. What a great combo!
Nick

Triode Pete · April 19, 2026, 12:16:49 PM

IMHO, the Shindo stuff is rolled off and makes a nice midrange forward amp... If you have a bright sounding system, this may cure it...

The EAR stuff may measure perfectly, but does not sound that way...

Accuphase has been a high end Japanese competitor to McIntosh... can sound pretty good.

Leben makes very nice sounding, fairly low wattage gear (15 watt - 32 watt integrated)...

I noticed you have Don Sach's gear... I'm not sure the above is a sonic upgrade...

My $0.02,
Pete

rollo · April 20, 2026, 11:54:08 AM

Quote from: Nick B on April 19, 2026, 09:00:41 AM
Quote from: rollo on April 19, 2026, 08:12:43 AMThe Audio Hungary C-200 Amp has a wonderful synergy with Fritz speakers. That is what we use to demo Fritz speakers. 100W/ ch. NOS Tungstram 12AX7 tubes stock. My 2 cents.

charles

I enjoyed my time with the Audio Hungary preamp. The Fritz Speakers I got from you had the beryllium tweeter and the presentation in my room ended up being a little bit too aggressive at the top end. Don't know if it was an acoustics problem or just lack of synergy with my equipment. I am very pleased with the Hattor Big preamp and JM Reynaud Voce Grande speakers. What a great combo!
Nick

It was the tweeter. Can be that way. TWL speaker cables cured that as well as Audio Hungary Amp. Glad to hear your happy.

charles

rollo · April 20, 2026, 11:55:21 AM

Quote from: Triode Pete on April 19, 2026, 12:16:49 PMIMHO, the Shindo stuff is rolled off and makes a nice midrange forward amp... If you have a bright sounding system, this may cure it...

The EAR stuff may measure perfectly, but does not sound that way...

Accuphase has been a high end Japanese competitor to McIntosh... can sound pretty good.

Leben makes very nice sounding, fairly low wattage gear (15 watt - 32 watt integrated)...

I noticed you have Don Sach's gear... I'm not sure the above is a sonic upgrade...

My $0.02,
Pete

Agree Pete. Upgrade the DAC, CD transport IMHO. Give streaming a rest.
charles

charles

mresseguie · April 24, 2026, 04:41:11 AM

Quote from: Triode Pete on April 19, 2026, 12:16:49 PMIMHO, the Shindo stuff is rolled off and makes a nice midrange forward amp... If you have a bright sounding system, this may cure it...

The EAR stuff may measure perfectly, but does not sound that way...

Accuphase has been a high end Japanese competitor to McIntosh... can sound pretty good.

Leben makes very nice sounding, fairly low wattage gear (15 watt - 32 watt integrated)...

I noticed you have Don Sach's gear... I'm not sure the above is a sonic upgrade...

My $0.02,
Pete

Pete,

Thanks for the commentary. I appreciate it.

It wasn't stated clearly, but the amp I'm looking to buy will not be in the same system as the Sachs gear. Heck, it won't even be on the same continent. It's going to power my new Daedalus Audio Muse speakers in Taiwan.

rollo · July 13, 2026, 12:06:48 PM

Depends on speaker used.

charles

Nick B · July 13, 2026, 09:31:17 PM

Quote from: rollo on April 20, 2026, 11:54:08 AM
Quote from: Nick B on April 19, 2026, 09:00:41 AM
Quote from: rollo on April 19, 2026, 08:12:43 AMThe Audio Hungary C-200 Amp has a wonderful synergy with Fritz speakers. That is what we use to demo Fritz speakers. 100W/ ch. NOS Tungstram 12AX7 tubes stock. My 2 cents.

charles

I enjoyed my time with the Audio Hungary preamp. The Fritz Speakers I got from you had the beryllium tweeter and the presentation in my room ended up being a little bit too aggressive at the top end. Don't know if it was an acoustics problem or just lack of synergy with my equipment. I am very pleased with the Hattor Big preamp and JM Reynaud Voce Grande speakers. What a great combo!
Nick

It was the tweeter. Can be that way. TWL speaker cables cured that as well as Audio Hungary Amp. Glad to hear your happy.

charles

Speaking of Fritz speakers, Fritz called me out of the blue a few weeks ago. We had a nice chat as he is very friendly and talkative. I told him what speakers I'm using nowadays and he mentioned that the beryllium tweeter isn't a good fit in some applications.

I forgot to ask if he is still producing them. But he is still making other speakers. He has a different process for putting the veneer on the cabinets. I think he sends that out to be done. He will keep making speakers as long as he keeps enjoying doing it.

Jack · July 13, 2026, 10:14:26 PM

The last time Fritz called me, which has been a while now, he had gotten out of the Be tweeter business and gone back to the Scan Speak soft domes. As you said they were a really difficult pairing that required an almost exclusive tube front end and forgiving cables. Unless something has changed he was doing his own veneer applications. Unless you special order something he is only showing two models now in regular production. Both of those models would be fine with either tubes or SS amps.

Nick B · July 13, 2026, 10:46:34 PM

Thanks for the clarification. I thought Fritz said a machine was being used to put pressure on the veneer and glue for a better fit. We got distracted and started talking about something else. Then he was called to dinner and our conversation ended quickly.

Jack · July 13, 2026, 10:55:59 PM

It's been a while since we talked about it so things may have changed. He left me a message a couple of months ago but when I called him back I got his voice mail. We generally talk about different gear I have tried or things he wants to try. No matter what new gear he tries he always seems to go back to his SET amps which must put out a lot of heat where he lives.