....thank you breezer and rms 456 as you made some very good points about the sound of Accuphase digital products as well as how they are viewed outside of the US which I was aware but now confirmed. I have a whole Accuphase system outside of my single box CD player the Esoteric Grandioso K1 x.....and enjoyed the comment of ; " on the very pleasant side of truth ''. I would agree with that perspective. However, they really do not keep their value here in the US large in part due to the price that is charged here in the US so it does not make them a prudent buy. Then again no high end equipment should or can be viewed in that light but more of how the music is presented to you and if you enjoy it. That's what important to me. Thank you again and I continue to look into the DP 750 and or the DP 770. Enjoy.....
Thoughts and perceptions on the sound quality of Accuphase Digital Products
Hello Audiogoners - and I have a quick question that came up in a recent conversation I had with a dealer as well as with a friend of mine. High End single box CD / SACD players are seen as being limited these days due to the increase in streaming, but companies such as Esoteric, DCS and possibly Vitus to just name a few are still making and developing this technology. My question is ; '' where does Accuphase stand on this subject,,,,, '' Do we look at Accuphase as being a leader in the making and development of high end single box CD / SACD players '' ? I read where for their 50th Anniversary they came out with the DC / DP 1000 separates which is CD / SACD player that is supposed to be really, really good. ( but, at a price ) The DP 750 received great reviews and just came out with the newer version the DP 770.
I owned the Accuphase DP 720 at one time and it was a very musical player and yet detailed at the same time. Also, Accuphase has lowered their prices here in the US due to somewhat of a change in their distribution here and hopefully it will gain some better traction in sales and at a better price than before. With that said, and being very familiar with Accuphase products ; '' is it time to look at Accuphase Digital products seriously and consider them just as good or even better than the Esoteric , DCS players that are out there now '' ........your thoughts and thank you in advance.
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@garebear I'm surprised you even considered selling the Grandioso K1X for the DP770. That's a massive downgrade in my opinion, the DP770 that I heard did not come close to my own K03XD, and I can't imagine even comparing that to the Grandioso, which are 2 levels above. I'm not talking about just details or low-end extension (where Esoteric has always excelled at), but also every other parameter including soundstage, imaging, depth, width, air, layering, microdetails and spatial, ambient cues, speed, transients, attacks and decay. Esoteric was better in all of these traits. The Accuphase does have a beautiful sound, tonality and timbre-wise. But I wouldn't sacrifice all other parameters just to obtain this 'polaroid-like' presentation. It also depends on what music you listen to. If it's just unplugged, acoustic, jazz stuff, and you're all about musical enjoyment (whether truthful or not), then the Accuphase works for sure.
The Esoteric Grandioso K1X plays in the league of MSB and DCS with its new discrete DAC, and many user reviews have indeed compared it favourably to these digital giants. You're already close to the end game, imo. |
…….thank you chadsport and your points are well taken and other friends of mine have expressed the same sentiment . One actually said to me ; “ why don’t you keep the Grandioso and add the Esoteric PS 1 power supply “‘ ? That has occurred to me and put a thread on here on the sonic merits of this change and it was all positive . So that may be an alternative. |
Keep in mind sounding more laid back than Esoteric means it might be more real and natural sounding, Esoteric sound is direct in your face. Not a bad thing if you like that type of reproduction which means like all audio it is a personal taste like cooking with spices. In my many years of experience, if you buy a CD player and then stick with the Japanese designers, they are more reliable, and more advanced than boutique manufacturers that use OEM parts to build those, I've owned them and all had problems early on, and needed to go back for repairs and adjustments. My one Sony that I gave away to a friend was still going strong after 15 years with no problems at all. My SCD1 was 10 years old when I sold it and it is still going strong. My Esoteric's K03. K01 is still in service. Digital players are a strong point of Japanese companies. Looking inside the Sony SCD1 was a marvel to see the quality and design. Stunning. Never owned one that was built like that player was. Marantz SA10 is a superb sounding player also with their own design of the music mastering system. |
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