⌈ ACCUPHASE unveiled its first stereo amplifier half a century ago, in 1973. Since then, this Japanese brand has become one of the most recognized and respected around the world. The company has earned its reputation by primarily offering high-end amplifiers (including Class A ones), preamplifiers and CD and SACD players. For this test we received the company's latest digital player, the DP-770 model. ⌋

FIVE YEARS AFTER THE PREMIERE of its top-of-the-line one-box SACD player, the DP-750, the Japanese unveiled the DP-770 as its replacement at the end of 2023. As we read in the press materials, it uses many of the solutions from the reference DP-1000 drive and DC-1000 D/A converter, enclosed in a single chassis. And these were, let me remind you, devices belonging to an anniversary series aimed at honoring 40 years of this manufacturer.

» Accuphase DC-1000/DP-1000 two-box player’s HIGH FIDELITY review → see HERE

And there is no exaggeration in this claim. When I took the player out of the box I gasped in surprise at its weight, even though, after all, I knew that this was one of those products that are supposed to work for many, many years without the need for repair and staying in pristine condition. That's why the company's older devices are so sought after by collectors. Weighing 36 kilograms, the device is one of the best and most accurately made devices of this type that I have seen in my life. It is in the class of the "Vivaldi" series of the British company dCS and, the "7xx" series of Danish Aavik or the "Grandioso" series of Japanese Esoteric.

▌ Accuphase x 10

MID APRIL OF THIS YEAR, the Japanese quarterly magazine Stereo Sound posted a report on its website of a visit to Accuphase's factory. As it turns out, all of its products are treated the same, regardless of price and purpose. Our friend Masaomi Suzuki, the company's director, who - interestingly - was hired by the company years ago to design digital equipment, said at the time:

In the production department, a single product goes through about ten processes. At Accuphase, we consistently strive for high quality through uncompromising manufacturing, and each step of the process involves skilled craftsmen who assemble each component by hand. In addition, we take every precaution to ensure quality, and our products go through multiple inspection processes before being released.

What's more, in order to maintain the high quality of all products, a small-batch production method is used, with production limited to 5,000 pieces per year, or about 20 pieces per day.

⸜ Experience the production site of Accuphase products that will be loved for a long time
→ online.STEREOSOUND.co.jp, accessed: 25.04.2024.

These ten processes, we further read, are:

1. Installation and wiring of the main body, that is, mounting the parts and circuit assembly in the chassis.
2. Wiring and operation inspection, during which the wiring and basic operation of the components are checked.
3. Breaking-in, a process to confirm electrical measurements and find any insulation defects, carried out as a continuous operation test in which power is supplied to the device for 24 hours.
4. Measurement, adjustment and inspection of all components; the sound quality of the equipment is checked, and the internal wiring of power amplifiers and integrated amplifiers is checked with an oscilloscope and adjusted to a position where distortion due to magnetic force lines is minimized.
5. Finishing (assembly of external components). To avoid scratches, external components such as panels are installed last. As we read, in addition to the precision of knobs and switches, Accuphase also attaches great importance to user comfort. A lot of effort was put into centering the knob so that when it is turned, the spacing around it remains constant.
6 Vibration test. The assembled product is placed on a vibrator to reveal any problems with soldering, wiring assembly or chassis elements.
7 and 8 Inspection and safety testing. According to Mr. Suzuki, during the inspection, units are checked for the presence or absence of sounds made when operating knobs, the operating experience is evaluated, as well as the brightness of the front panel and the sound of switches operation. Finally, after the power section isolation test and ground continuity test, the manufacturing department process is completed.
9 Shipping inspection. The last process before packaging is shipping inspection. In a small room within the production line, our quality control department checks all products according to Accuphase's internal standards. It is quite unusual, as this company performs 100% inspection instead of random inspection.
10 Packaging. After passing through steps ① to ⑨, the packaged products are transported to the warehouse in the company's second building.

"Stereo Sound" also adds that each product is accompanied by a product history card that records the progress of each process, such as whether or not it passed inspection items and whether dirt and dust were removed. This is one of the features of the production line. Surprisingly, it reads, "all product history cards are kept from the time the company was founded and are used in case of failure or repair." This is what high-end should look like.

»«

⸜ A few simple words…

鈴木雅臣 MARK MASAOMI SUZUKI
General Manager

⸜ The engineers who developed DP-770, MESSRS MIYAJIMA-san, AKIZAWA-san, KATO-san and ARIMASA-san • photo by Masaomi Suzuki

» SATOSHI AKIZAWA: » ELECTRONICS: D/A Chips assembly, display assembly, microprocessor programming and sound quality planning
Mr. Akizawa-san has worked at Accuphase for 35 years. Most of the control software for Accuphase's SACD/CD players was developed by him. He is currently helping his middle-school son, who is a member of the soft tennis club, develop a strategy to win an upcoming tournament.

» TAKASHI ARIMASA: » MECHANICS
Mr. Arimasa has worked at Accuphase for 28 years. His previous products include: A-70, C-3850, E-5000, E-650, DP-77 and DP-900. He is not only an excellent mechanical engineer, but also an expert in computer networking. He starts his day with a walk with Jiro, his four-year-old black and white miniature schnauzer.

⸜ The massive drive mechanism used in the DP-770 is almost entirely made by Accuphase • photo by Accuphase

» TAKAYUKI MIYAJIMA: ELECTRONICS: FPGA programming
Mr. Miyajima has worked at Accuphase for nine years. Our original ANCC technology: Accuphase Noise and Distortion Canceling Circuit, was invented by him and used in the DP-770 player, among others. He is currently growing kiwis from seeds in his garden. In a few years, he will be able to harvest kiwi fruits tastier than those from New Zealand :)

» HIROMASA KATO: ELECTRONICS: filter amplifier assembly, power supply assembly and sound quality planning.
He is a 31-year-old young engineer who previously worked on the P-4600 project. On his days off, he enjoys driving his Suzuki Swift in Burning Red Pearl Metallic, which has been boosted to 190 horsepower. ●

»«

▌ DP-770

THE DP-770 IS A SACD PLAYER. That is, it plays both SACDs and CDs, as well as CCDs, HQCDs and MQA-CDs, i.e. discs that do not meet the Red Book, or Compact Disc standard guidelines, but are compatible with it. And it’s still not all it can do. Starting with the DP-560, the test of which can be found → HERE, users of Accuphase players can also play DVD-/+R/RW and CD-R/RW discs with dsf, dff, WAV, FLAC files stored on them, as well as DSD Discs.

The same as when reviewing the DP-750 (test → HERE ˻ PL ˺), I tried all these options out, including DVD-R discs, and except for a few SACD-R discs, all were recognized by the player, as were all Master CD-R file discs. In the unit I tested, however, when reading such discs, the display lacked information about the sample rate and number of bits.

The device is also equipped with digital inputs, so it can act as a D/A converter for external signal sources, such as file transport. You will find there USB, optical TOSLink and coaxial RCA inputs. The former is the most versatile one, as it accepts a PCM signal up to 32 bits and 384 kHz, as well as DSD up to DSD 256, or 11.2 MHz. Through the others it is possible to send a PCM signal up to 24 bits and 96 (optical) or 192 kHz (the other two).

And there's also, as usual, the HS-Link input, a link using an RJ-45 (Ethernet) cable for communication between Accuphase devices, for example, for connection to an external equalizer or the company's transport/D/A converter. It supports transmission of PCM 32/384 and DSD128 (5.6 MHz) signals.

AESTHETICS • Whether you like it ot not, when it comes to the looks of its products, the company led by Mr. Masaomi Suzuki is an absolute master of consistency. The appearance of its products changes, but so slowly that it becomes apparent not immediately, but only over the course of several generations of devices. The same is true also in this case. I set the photos of the DP-750 and DP-770 next to each other, because this was the only way I could quickly see the modifications to the appearance of the latter. The differences are cosmetic and concern moving the CD and SACD logos, moving the LEDs from above the display below it, and on changing the shape of the drawer’s front edge and the buttons next to it.

The overall layout, however, has not changed. In the middle, in a slight recess, there is a glass plate with an orange-colored LED displays, LEDs indicating the selected source, the sampling frequency of the input signal (or from CD/DVD-Rs), and the activation of the CD or track repeat behind it. In the new version, two LEDs have been added, indicating that repeat function is enabled, as well as separately showing the sampling frequency for PCM and DSD signals. The same information, along with the number of bits, is shown on the display, but only briefly.

On the left side of the drawer is the input selection button, and on the right side there is the disc eject button. Next are the control buttons, with LEDs in red above "start" and "pause". Operating the buttons and the whole Player is a pleasant, enjoyable experience. Aaa - the shape of the drawer’s front edge is now more angular rather than round, as are the two large buttons on its sides. Previously, the lettering was on the buttons, now it's above them. And that's it.

On the back you’ll find output jacks, analog, XLR and RCA (only the latter are gold plated), in the middle an IEC power inlet, and on the other side a bank of digital inputs and outputs. Next to the XLR inputs there is an absolute phase switch. In accordance with what we said about consistency, Accuphase indeed uses the so-called "American" balanced connector wiring in its equipment. Unlike the European DIN standard, Americans fed a phase-reversed signal to pin #2 and a positive signal to #3. Over time, in order to maintain compatibility with other manufacturers' equipment, Accuphase began to equip its devices with a suitable switch.

DRIVE • For many years, starting with the company's first-ever DP-100/DC-100 SACD player in 2000, Accuphase used Sony’s SACD transports, along with DSD signal decoding circuitry. The two companies worked together, allowing the Yokohama-based firm to make mechanical modifications to improve reading stability.

Over time, the Japanese corporation withdrew from the format it had developed, making access to components increasingly difficult. I think that because of this, Accuphase made an important decision and in 2017 initiated a very serious change - for the first time in its history, in the DP-560 model, it used a transport from D&M (Denon & Marantz), not so much an SACD drive as a DVD-ROM, along with software. That's why we can play DVD-R discs on its new units.

But changes are still being made to the mechanics, in each successive model. These are seemingly minor changes. However, they accumulate over time resulting in a new quality. As we read in the referenced "Stereo Sound" article, almost all the mechanics are made in Accuphase, except for the optics carriage itself with its control. The DP-770 uses a newer version of the drive with improved damping of disc rotation vibrations, and thus, the manufacturer says, more accurate data reading. And indeed, the operation not only of the disc tray, but also of the mechanism itself is beautifully quiet and impossibly smooth.

Company material’s read:

This results in the DAC getting data with virtually no distortion, working better and generating less distortion and lower noise. This was achieved at the level of changes in mechanics, making the weight of the latest model 0.3 kg higher than its predecessor, with almost identical dimensions.

A disc is loaded into a heavy and flat chassis made of milled aluminum with the system's center of gravity placed at the "lowest possible position," and air turbulence is to be reduced by the appropriate shape of the cover. The transport weighs 6.9 kg and is bolted to a heavy 3.4 kg aluminum plate, and this to an even more massive plate that is the bottom of the chassis. The rest of the micro-vibration is to be removed by four resilient pads with high viscosity and "improved damping characteristics." Previously, all four had identical mechanical properties, but now there are two pairs of different ones.

Also new is the anodizing of the upper bridge that connects the sides of the transport in gold and the inclusion of an orange logo badge. On the electrical side, it is important to note that the new revised drive uses a brush-less DC motor.

DAC • The converter section is built around the company's MDSD/MDS++ chip with two 32-bit Hyperstream ES9028 PRO chips from ESS Technologies, with eight parallel channels using ANCC noise reduction circuitry. The latest generation of this configuration guarantees, the manufacturer says, a 2.8-fold improvement in measurable performance.

The DAC layout has been tried and tested by the company in a number of previous designs, including the DP-750, and is based on a concept it calls MDS++ (Multiple Delta Sigma next generation) for PCM signals and MDSD (Multiple Double Speed DSD) for DSD. The components and converters used in it change, but the idea is the same. We've talked about it many times, so just a brief reminder.

Before the eight-channel D/A converters from ESS Technologies became available, Accuphase used several stereo chips per channel. It converted the outgoing signals from current to voltage in separate branches, and amplified and filtered them separately as well. And only before the output itself was the signal summed. This arrangement allowed significant reduction in distortion and noise.

The arrival on the market of ESS chips with eight channels in a single chassis has changed the rules of the game. Now you only need one converter, in this case the ES9028 PRO. What remains unchanged is running those eight tracks separately, four per channel, and summing them before output. To make the balanced XLR output independent of the unbalanced RCA output, separate output filters are used for them.

The manufacturer declares that, as a result of these changes, the noise floor, compared to the DP-750, has decreased by 12%, and the harmonic distortion characteristics, as we read further on, "drop significantly in the range above 2 kHz, remaining at a negligible average level of 0.0001%." Looking at the technical parameters of the DP-770 one will indeed notice slightly higher dynamics as well as lower distortion and noise.

▌ SOUND

HOW WE LISTENED • The DP-770 player was tested in a HIGH FIDELITY reference system, using its unbalanced (RCA) outputs. It was compared with the Ayon Audio CD-35 HF Edition SACD player. The signal to the Ayon Audio Spheris III preamplifier was sent via Siltech Triple Crown cable. The unit was powered by a Harmonix X-DC350M2R Improved-Version cable and stood on its feet on the top shelf of a Finite Elemente Master Reference Pagode Edition Mk II rack.

I devoted a separate listening session using a Lumin T3 file player connected to it with a TiGLON TPL-2000L USB cable. The player runs on a Silent Angel N16 LPS dual LAN switch system, with its two modules in series, powered by a TiGLON TPL-2000A cable; more on that → HERE; the router was powered by a JCAT Optimo 3 Duo power supply.

» RECORDINGS USED FOR THE TEST ⸜ a selection

→ SACD, CD
⸜ ROSEMARY CLOONEY, Rosemary Clooney sings Ballads, Concord/Stereo Sound SSCDR-007, „Flat Transfer Series”, CD-R ⸜ 1985/2016.
⸜ DEPECHE MODE, Memento Mori, Columbia | Sony Music Labls Inc. SICP-6511, CD ⸜ 2023.
⸜ TSUYOSHI YAMAMOTO TRIO, Misty, Three Blind Mice/ Sony Music Labels MHCL 10160, „Kolekcja reedycji premium Three Blind Mice”, SACD/CD ⸜ 1974/2024.
⸜ SHABAKA, Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace, Impulse!/Universal Classic & Jazz UCCI-1061, SHM-CD ⸜ 2024. ⸜ THE JIMIE HENDRIX EXPERIENCE Electric Ladyland, Reprise Records/Sony Records Int'l SICP 30823, BSCD2 ⸜ 1968/2015.

→ PLIKI
⸜ T-TOC Data Collection Vol. 1, T-TOC Records DATA-0001, WAV 24/96+24/192, DVD Data Disc ⸜ 2011.
⸜ DICK HYMAN, From the Age of Swing, Reference Recordings HR-59, HRx: Master WAV 24/176,4, DVD-R ⸜ 1994/2001.
⸜ DAVE BRUBECK QUARTET, Take Five, Fontana | Sony BMG Music Entertainmen/Tidal, FLAC 24/176,4 ⸜ 1959/?.
⸜ BING CROSBY, Gold, Geffen Records/Tidal, FLAC 16/44,1 ⸜ 2008.
⸜ ORNETTE COLEMAN, The Shape of Jazz to Come, Atlantic/Tidal, FLAC MQA 16/44,1 ⸜ 1958/2005.

»«

I DON'T KNOW WHETHER TYPICALLY or not, but I started my listening of Accuphase's latest SACD player with DVDs and DVD-Rs with WAV files. This is because in describing this device it occurred to me that it is not so much a disc player, but simply a high resolution digital player, where the latter term is as important as the former. The change seemingly small, the shift in importance minimal, but the consequences significant. Because from now on it was for me a device that has to show much more than just a CD player, because both the higher dynamic range of the recorded signal, and lower noise, and wider frequency response. And these are problems that few manufacturers can cope with.

DVD/DVD-R • As it turns out, the player offers very good, we might even say excellent, resolution. This is something that was absolutely clear to me after the first two tracks included on the sampler DVD with files from the tiny Japanese label T-TOC: 1/2 ˺ Heal The World IROHY and ˻ 3/4 ˺ KANKAWA with Softly as in Morning Sunrise. They were recorded in 24/192 and 24/96 WAV files.

And it was due to the high resolution that it was momentarily audible that the version with a sampling rate of 96 kHz is slightly less clear and not as emotionally engaging. That is - it is clear and it is engaging, especially since these are exemplary recordings. But that’s how I heard it in comparison, as if by moving to a lower sampling frequency something was lost. If I hadn't listened to them side by side this "inferior" version would have been absolutely wonderful to me. So much for the fact that comparison in audio is to be or not to be. Here, despite the relatively small change, the Japanese player showed it quite clearly.

But that's not all. When Iroha started singing, her vocals were shown quite close to me. Maybe not in front of the line connecting the speakers, because the Accuphase doesn't push the sound in front of it, but it seemed to me that she was almost at my fingertips. Likewise, by the way, the Hammond organ played by Kankawa, one of Japan's best-known jazz organists. The instrument had a high volume, was saturated and full. Interestingly, the underlying vibraphone sound was selective and sonorous, but it too carried a slight hint of sweetness. This was lounge playing rather than concert one, if you know what I mean.

DICK HYMAN's From the Age of Swing album, recorded and released on Reference Recordings (DVD-R, WAV 24/176.4), has a completely different aura. The sound was captured from a distance, and there is a lot of room reverb. But it's extremely dynamic and selective playing. So the Accuphase reproduced it completely different from the T-Toc sampler. Because it was wide, deep, with distance. And again - the difference between the two was very big, which confirmed what I heard at the very beginning, namely that this is a device with excellent resolution.

And it's not simply about a shift in emphasis, but that the DP-770 completely changed its character by playing recorded music differently. Previously warm, sweet, dense, it now showed a dynamic, more raw side. The average volume level is low with this album, so it was necessary to turn the volume knob a few dB higher than before. But the dynamics, with the extension of the kick drum, with the dynamic play of the snare drum, with the strong brass, all were excellent.

I am not sure if I remember it correctly, but I think I do - a split system from this manufacturer did something similar. What I'd like to say smacks of heresy, but I'm a bit of a heretic (or at least I'd like to see myself that way), but what I got out of his new player I liked as much as what the top model delivered. And maybe even more. Please note that I'm not saying that the DP-770 is better than the DP-1000/DC-1000, but that I liked the former a bit more. Because it has a more saturated sound, because it is a bit softer in shaping bodies, because finally, it seems to me, it shows events with a bit more breath, as if it had to work even less to mold everything into what we perceive as music.

CD/SACD • The return to CDs and SACDs was almost imperceptible. Almost, because the only inconvenience in playing CD-R and DVD-R files was that before each track the device would throw in a three-second pause, counted down on the display, after which something inside would quietly click and only then would the music start playing. And also that it was not possible to select songs of the numeric keypad, only by skipping back and forth. But that's the only major change I noted.

This is because Accuphase is extremely transparent about the music itself. It doesn't point the finger at what is better or worse. Although its resolution is excellent, it plays everything in an equally involved way. That's why ROSEMARY CLOONEY from the two-track sampler released by the Japanese magazine "Stereo Sound" on Master CD-R sounded higher and brighter than all the CDs I've listened to before. But not because the CD suddenly played worse, but because that's how this material is recorded. Great resolution, not bad timbres and a space that wasn't fully realized, it was all shown, however, as something accompanying the music. I knew what and how was going on, but I wasn't attacked by it.

Perhaps that's because one of the most important features of this device is the credibility built on saturation, on filling the sound in, on escaping from the sound that for years has been associated with audiophilism, which is just bad sound. We hear this kind of playing pretending to be real most often at audio shows, which I find impossibly tiresome and sometimes it even pisses me off, because it's booming, because it's percussive, because it's somehow so artificial. Accuphase plays completely differently. It is involved in the music, not in the sound. It's a cliché, one often uses this juxtaposition, I do it myself. But the change I'm talking about, once heard, is already associated only with it, only it resonates in the head.

Analyzed in the classic way, the DP-770 turns out to be a device with an emphasis on the midrange5 ˺ My Favourite Stranger from DEPECHE MODE's latest album, his voice was slightly distorted, with an emphasized "throat" and no deeper breath.

But that's exactly how it sounds in this song. The voice of Martin Gore, singing in the next on the disc ˻ 6 ˺ Soul With Me had a similar character, except, of course, his voice is higher and has a more velvety character. The Accuphase, on the one hand, however, showed a highly compressed sound that had little in common with what I had heard before. On the other hand, it didn't split everything into a collection of sounds, but simply showed the music in a brighter, flatter dynamic, while still believable way.

After this experience, another feeling remained in me about the comparison between the DP-770 and the company's split player: the one-piece unit is not as expressive, but it is at least as resolving, has a lower tonal balance, and at the same time enters the musical material a little deeper, thus differentiating the recordings more clearly. And this will not always be pleasant. Depeche Mode played wonderfully, but ˻ 1 ˺ Misty TSUYOSHI YAMAMOTO TRIO's latest remastering by Bernie Grundman, as released on SACD by Sony's Japanese division, just sounded much, much better.

The device also achieves this through extremely wide-range playing. Highs and lows from the extremes of the bandwidth are shown by the Accuphase without veiling, without smoothing, without - finally - "moiré" in front of the sounds. I'll admit that although my Ayon Audio sounds even lower and warmer, it can't show so well what I'm talking about at the moment. The Japanese player, no matter what media I used, descended deeper in the bass than probably all the digital players I had with me, and showed the high treble in a better, because in a more resolving and open way.

But, after all, I said that the emphasis in this device was placed on the midrange, right? So what's it like in the end - does it play "midrange" or "top" and "bottom"? Well, it is that thanks to this clarity of the extremes we get such a great midrange. When SHABAKA kicks off her debut solo album Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace by playing ˻ 1 ˺ End of Innocence on saxophone, with a strong backing of low-sounding piano, it's an almost mystical experience with the DP-770. That is, just as I imagine this great musician had in mind.

This is largely because the tested device can extract instruments from the background while simultaneously blending them with it. This is the resolution. It shows quiet instruments softly, almost silky, and sharp and compressed instruments in a clear, sometimes piercing way. That's what dynamics is. At the same time, it doesn't do it "for show". It doesn't try to "please" us. Its ability to create a believable performance right in front of us is so good that we don't need to care anymore. We move on.

FILES • Listening to CDs, SACDs and files from physical discs, I was prepared that files played from an external file transport via USB input would sound worse. And, in a way, they did. And at the same time, it was different. For when BING CROSBY sang, when I heard how wonderfully rendered the voices of the accompanying Andrew Sisters were, I began to have doubts about my initial judgment. And that's because it was so cool, such an enjoyable experience. Listening, consecutively, to ˻ 1 ˺ Take Five by DAVE BRUBECK QUARTET from the album of the same title, when ORNETTE COLEMAN fired up his saxophone, along with Don Cherry on cornet, on the The Shape of Jazz to Come album's opening track ˻ 1 ˺ Lonely Woman, the experience turned out to be amazingly comfortable.

The USB input on the DP-770 turns out to be a remarkably good part of the device, better than such an input on my CD-35 HF Edition. The sound from the sequenced tracks was a bit warm, not as resolving and well-differentiated as from physical media - that's why I said the files played a bit worse, though. But at the same time, it was so saturated, so dense, so cool because of that, that I listened to the music with real pleasure.

▌ Summary

THE THING I MUST START WITH is pointing out the remarkable versatility of the DP-770. It plays all types of media and files in a professional manner. It's resolving, dynamic and differentiating. It seems to sound warm, and this is due to drawing our attention to the dense midrange, but this is not true. Its extremes are shown by the player without inhibition or veiling. This is why not all recordings played with it will be as sonically impressive as the best ones.

Well and very well recorded material will be played back simply beautifully. Also via USB input. Files played this way will be warmer and denser, and the bandwidth extremes will not be as clear. However, there will be no problems with this, because music presented in this way is very engaging, it is pleasant, it is natural. So I have to say that the DP-770 is the Accuphase player that I like best of all the manufacturer's digital sources.

I recently made similar comments about the A-80 power amplifier, and before that about the A-5000 integrated amplifier. Something tells me it is not a coincident. It's a good time for this manufacturer. From us our top award - the ˻ GOLD FINGERPRINT ˺.

▌ DESIGN

ACCUPHASE PRODUCTS are getting heavier and sturdier over time. That's not to say that they weren't like that in the past, but it's clear that the company pays a lot of attention to the issue of vibration dampening.

» CHASSIS • Therefore, the housing of the new player is almost like an armored one. It consists of two layers. The outer one is a veneered MDF board reinforced with steel plates. It overlaps the actual chassis, the base of which, literally and figuratively, is a 12 mm plate of milled aluminum. The sides are of thick steel plate, but inside the whole is divided lengthwise by two screens of thick aluminum plates. Also improving rigidity is a thick aluminum front plate, reinforced with a steel element. The whole stands on high-carbon anti-vibration feet.

» INSIDE • The interior shows a finely crafted device, both on the mechanical and electric side. It is divided into three parts: digital inputs and DAC, and transport with and the actual DAC and power supply.

In the middle there is the transport mechanism, and behind it shielded transformers - separate for the digital and analog circuits. Even looking at it is extremely satisfying - we even "feel" its weight. The "digital" board has been placed on the right side. At the beginning of it, next to the digital inputs, there is an eBravo SA9227 DSP chip. This is a high-end chip that converts the USB signal to IIS. Next to it, in turn, is a digital chip for the other inputs. This is a Burr-Brown DIX9211. And only then there is the large Lattice FPGA chip. It seems that the input signal is processed in it so that the DSD signal can be converted in the MDSD chip developed by the company. After that we find two ES9028 PRO chips, one per channel.

I mentioned that this is a digital board, but in fact I/U converters are also placed here. These are based on common ICs, JRC 4580, JRC 2122 integrated circuits and better ones, National Semiconductors L49720s. The voltage signal then goes to a section on the other side of the device, with output filters. This section uses a better, expensive circuit board and relies only on L49720 chips. Next to them you can see high-end capacitors. The XLR outputs are gold-plated, while only ground is gold-plated in the RCAs. Rectifiers and preliminary circuits to minimize mains ripple are placed next to them. Voltage stabilizing circuits are next to the powered components.

» REMOTE • Just as classic as the look of the device is the design of the remote control. Made of aluminum, it has a shape reminiscent of the 1970s Its buttons are rigid and have a clear point of operation, so using it is very pleasant. You can change not only the player's settings with it, but also the input and volume of the Accuphase amplifier.

A magnificently built machine, although without the use of any exotic components. ●

▌ Technical specifications (according to the manufacturer)

Supported disc types:
CD, CD-R/RW, SACD, DSD Disc (DSF), Data Disc (CD-R/RW, DVD-R/-RW/+R/+RW: WAV, FLAC, DSF, DSDIFF)

Digital inputs:
- HS-LINK Ver. 2: PCM 32-384 kHz/16-32 bits ⸜ DSD64, DSD128
- RCA: PCM 32-192 kHz/16-24 bits
- TOSLink: PCM 32-96 kHz/16-24 bits
- USB: PCM 32-384 kHz/16-32 bits ⸜ DSD64, DSD128, DSD256

Frequency range: 0.5 – 50 000 Hz (+0, -3 dB)
S/N: 121 dB
Dynamic range: 119 dB
Channel separation: 118 dB
THD: 0.0004%
Output signal: RCA 2.5 V ⸜ XLR 2.5 V
Output impedance: RCA 50 Ω ⸜ XLR 50 Ω

Power consumption: 30 W
Dimensions (W x H x D): 477 x 156 x 395 mm
Weight: 28.5 kg

THIS TEST HAS BEEN DESIGNED ACCORDING TO THE GUIDELINES adopted by the Association of International Audiophile Publications, an international audio press association concerned with ethical and professional standards in our industry, of which HIGH FIDELITY is a founding member. More about the association and its constituent titles → HERE.

→ www.AIAP-online.org