I own the Accuphase DP550 SACD player and use it mostly as a DAC for streaming purposes (fed through a little Aurender USB-SPDIF converter). I don't have exposure to a lot of comparatively priced DACs, but I did compare it several times, in my own system, to a Rockna Wavelight. The Rockna is a bit better in technicalities such as extension up and down, detail / separation and bass tightness. On the other hand, the Accuphase has a more colorful, natural and seamless, cohesive presentation (whereas the Rockna's bass and midrange were a bit disjointed by comparison), a very musical sound favoring the reproduction of the acoustic instruments. Overall I preferred the Accuphase. An important thing to mention is that the Accuphase is very sensitive to the power cord and kind of needs a punchy, dynamic one with assertive treble or else it might be too laidback indeed.
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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@chadsort , Accuphase does use off the shelf DAC chips, however quite a few in parallel to cancel out errors as the conversion is completed, plus a few other methods, see here on how this is accomplished. @garebear , it's unfortunate that in the US, the price of Accuphase in the past is double that of Japan, tantamount to extortion. At high prices the brand does not gain much traction in the US, however in Europe, Australia, Malaysia and of course Japan, the brand is very well known for many years now. If Hifi shark is visited, Accuphase products are mainly offered from Europe and Japan, the used prices from the US are still over and above new prices anywhere else.
I bought my first E-205 amp in 1988, still have it and it works, a testament to reliability. Also E-450 integrated, P-4200 Power, C-2420 Pre, DP-720 SACD, DC-901 DAC & T-1100 tuner, so, very familiar with the sound. The DP-720 and the DC-901 are similar, however the main differences with the DC-901 are positional accuracy and spacing of instruments in the vector space away from the centre image with uncanny accuracy. This is of course with very good recordings of which only a handful really exist! I play both CDs, SACD, and digital from a Lumin U1 streamer, power cables are mainly Oyaide Tunami, Furutech silver, signal cables are all Accuphase grey and blue RCA, gray XLR. I haven't heard Esoteric gear, so difficult to compare SQ. Like Esoteric, Accuphase make their own drive mechanism, not some pressed steel rubbish that looks fine in a computer. Often users of Accuphase sell their equipment, then deeply regret that decision, so I keep all my gear, still used. Not a point sonically, but I couldn't live with the design of Esoteric gear, far too rounded, much rather prefer classic traditional audio. Digital gear from Accuphase is certainly worth the audition. Accuphase amps tend to be matched with B&W gear for some reason, I have used KEF reference instead and enjoy them every day. Feed them good music, and they sing. Compared to Playback Designs MPD-3, Accuphase digital is night and day. The MPD-3 is sitting in a corner, the DA doesn't work any more, garbled audio coming out of it. FWIW, Damien Plisson founder of Audirvana has an Accuphase E-650 integrated for listening to the software he develops.
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In Europe, especially in Germany, Netherlands and Italy, Accuphase is very common and favorable. The reviews are very good, surely pushed by the distributors, as common in the business anywhere…
I have a DP-750 and love it. Never had any other digital Accuphase gear, and just some older FM tuners in the past.
The aesthetic of the unit is fantastic, I like this classic, elegant style with wooden box, orange and green lights. The sound is not warm, soft and rounded, but indeed on the very pleasant side of truth. There are many colors, plenty of body and flesh, powerful images, and an excellent flow. Very good images and room dimensions. I don’t miss any small details, even if they are not unnaturally spotlighted.
I would indeed like to here some of the latest esoteric as K1XD and Grandioso 1X, or even the now new updates of them.
But if you liked the 720, I would recommend to take a listen to a 750 or the now new 770 (not heard yet), it could be an interesting comparison, even after some years with an Esoteric player. |
....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..... |
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