Because Accuphase does not make affordable or mainstream consumer hi-fi equipment and is therefore marketed to a different demographic.

For this reason, the regular hi-fi store down the road not only doesn’t sell Accuphase, but they cannot sell it because they don’t have access to it. The regular hi-fi equipment owner who frequents these mainstream stores will likely not come across it.

Keep in mind that the average hi-fi equipment buyer/owner might not spend what one piece of Accuphase equipment costs on their entire system. This makes it completely out of consideration for most buyers. Stores that sell audio-visual equipment don’t serve the sorts of customers who want to spend that much on hi-fi stereo equipment. Their customers often don’t even want stereo equipment, preferring the A/V gear that these non-specialty stores focus on.

For these reasons, Accuphase products tend to be very selectively offered to only the best hi-fi stores, with the sorts of clients who can afford it. For this reason, many people tell me they’ve never heard of the brand.

This also accounts for the many amusing mispronunciations of the name ‘Accuphase’. The following stand out as the most amusing. I’ll spell them as they were uttered:

• Aquifase
• Akrifase
• Akoofase
• Arkifase