Accuphase DP-570
The DP-570 is a high-end audiophile-grade SACD/CD laser record player developed and launched by The Japanese Accuphase Laboratory. The particularly robust enclosure of the phono machine is designed with a smooth and quiet rotating disk-mounted device, the power circuit uses low-noise discrete components, and a large power transformer with independent analog and digital windings is installed to provide real-time information display such as sampling frequency and quantization rate. In order to ensure high-precision clock reproduction, the AK4118A high-performance (digital) audio interface chip that can greatly reduce jitter was selected, and a four-way parallel circuit was designed to ensure accurate reading of optical disc information and conversion of analog signals. In addition to SACD (Super Audio CD) ultra-audio CDs and CD recordings, the DP-570 is also compatible with DVD-R and other data disc readings containing music files, as well as direct connection to a PC via USB interface to read linear PCM up to 384kHz/32bit and native DSD signals up to DSD256. The machine supports digital connection with the voice equalizer, providing a programmable playlist function that makes it easy for users to listen in their favorite order. The highlights of the DP-570, priced at $13,260 (May 2021 price in the UK market), are as follows:
First, the MDS+ (Multiple Delta Sigma+) solution greatly improves performance with the parallel connection of multiple Delta-Sigma type D/a converters. By driving the four outputs of the high-performance ES9028PRO DAC chip in parallel, the overall performance of the machine in terms of distortion, noise, linearity, etc. is almost doubled. Because the improvements provided based on the MDS principle are independent of the signal frequency and level, the parasitic noise of the output signal is also minimized at very low level outputs.
Second, the quiet operation of the machine, independent of rotation, benefits from the highly rigid SACD/CD driver mounted on a three-layer substrate and decoupled from the sling plate bearings, the strong integrated structure consisting of the support of a high carbon cast iron insulator, and four high-quality butyl elastic dampers connecting the traverse and optical disc units. The specific benefits are: first, to greatly reduce the chassis resonance; second, to significantly reduce the external vibration transmission to the traverse device; third, to protect the lens actuator that reads the disc; and fourth, the five-layer bridge cover around the transverse mechanism is shielded from air vibration noise caused by high-speed rotation.
Third, the direct balanced filter circuit makes the line output circuit and the balanced output circuit carrying the phase selector independent of each other and does not affect each other, so that even if two preamplifiers are connected, the quality of the output signal will not be affected.
The DP-570 has a frequency response of 0.5Hz-50KHz (+0, -3.0dB), an outline size of 465×151×393mm (width× height× depth), and a weight of 19kg.
Meridian 808V6
808V6 is a high-end audiophile-grade CD laser record player developed and launched by the British Meridian company. The machine has been upgraded from the first version of the 808 for pure CD playback to the sixth version of the 808V6 for full-featured digital new media playback today. The reference-grade flagship features an improved, enhanced DSP chip, a new linear power supply, Meridian's proprietary special exponential smoothing filter, and a new master clock that eliminates timing errors. The 808V6 combines full controller/preamplifier functionality, an improved analog output sound card, and an upgraded filter circuit designed with bandwidth widening and full potential for high-resolution music. The modular design of the three-beam laser record player is particularly highly connected, offering six single-ended analog connections in addition to the usual USB, optical and coaxial cable digital input options. The machine packages high-resolution music into the same space as a traditional CD spec file while maintaining the accuracy of the output sound. The highlights of the reference $14,300 808V6 are as follows:
First, compatible with PCM, MQA and DSD enhanced DSP computing processor, the signal path with the help of Meridian exclusive error correction algorithm, and digital signals will maintain a high sampling rate of the entire transmission path MHR (Meridian High Resolution) technology, so that no matter what signal format the input is, one to greatly improve the sound purity; second, the signal transmission accuracy is unchanged; third, the clarity is improved, and the details are enhanced.
Second, the built-in multi-speed CD ROM drive mode has higher data recovery and error correction capabilities than standard CD systems, and the reading accuracy and error correction ability are 100 times that of CDs, and its maximum ability is to quickly and accurately read out the information on the scratched disc. At the same time, the triple FIFO (First In, First Out) buffer setting combined with the DSP on-sampling filter and an advanced clocking system minimize jitter that weakens the sense of musical space and presence, minimizing time-base error.
Third, Meridian's unique HD upscaling technology uses complex digital filters to double the sampling rate of confident sources in the future for higher resolution. This means that all sources can achieve the best listening results, even for standard CDs, and the sound effect will be significantly improved.
Fourth, with the help of meridian reference Sooloos, a humanized music management platform, users can easily manage the NAS network music database at home, and enjoy CD collection tracks and streaming music with meridian's highest digital decoding specifications without loss, which can be done with only one network cable, and can intuitively and quickly control functions and database management through mobile apps. The 808V6 measures 480×175×411mm and weighs 17.2kg.
Kalista DreamPlay One
DreamPlay One is a high-end audiophile-grade CD laser record player integrated system developed by Kalista in France, which consists of two parts: CD playback with full exposed design and independent power supply integrating CD Transport and DAC. The unique shape of the CD playback unit of the machine is juxtaposed by two equilateral triangles with significant vibration suppression effect to form a hexagonal appearance, and the visual sense is very elegant. The triangle chassis below is made of huge pieces of aluminum, and the transparent triangle above the multi-class digital analog output interface is made of 60mm thick methacrylate, supported by three cylindrical bodies at the bottom with tapered stainless steel feet, all of which are handmade. DreamPlay One's CD unit houses a Philips CD Pro pickup device with patented custom ingredients, and each channel is powered by an AKM AK4497 DAC chip that offers six 8x upsampling modes. The CD Transport unit uses the Philips CDM12PRO (v.6.8) pickup device, and the improvement of the drive hub makes the operation more robust. The German Elektra power supply is used to supply 7 independent DC-DC circuits stably through 3 toroidal transformers. Reference the $43,000 DreamPlay One highlights here:
First, CD Transport transmits digital audio signals directly to the DAC with the help of coaxial or optical interfaces, meaning that the signal can remain in its original digital form for a long time. Because the signal is not simulated until the last minute and minimal additional cables and connections are used, the signal is less affected by the degradation of the analog signal, bringing the final sound effect closer to the original recording.
Second, the built-in 6 digital filters can meet the user's preference for timbre, selected by the front tilt digital display touch. Two of the Sharp Roll-off filters have a very flat response and good stop-band rejection but greater distortion in the time domain, while four Slow Roll-off filters have an ideal time-domain response but poor stop-band rejection and limited treble spread. The sense of difference in sound quality between the 6 filters varies from person to person.
Third, the true sound and natural depth are derived from the strange shape and excellent performance of electronic components, as well as the high-grade materials used in the chassis, especially aluminum, methacrylate and steel, which absorb and transmit vibrations in different ways, resulting in a very significant decoupling effect. This, coupled with the power supply's supervision of the key parts of the CD dial, prevents each stage of the circuit from being interfered with by electromagnetic waves and radio frequency radiation to ensure the sound quality that high dynamic music should have. The DreamPlay One measures 450×135×460mm and weighs 24kg. The power supply measures 450×105×435mm and weighs 15kg.
MBL N31
N31 is a high-end audiophile-grade CD laser record player developed and launched by the German company MML. The chassis is made of aluminum alloy, which is strong and vibration-suppressing, and the appearance design is simple and generous. The PHONO with ITS built-in ESS Sabre 9018 conversion chip is compatible with high-resolution new media signals up to 192KHz/24bit and DSD64 specifications, and provides AES/EBU, Toslink, USB and other inputs. All digital inputs and outputs are electrically isolated, and the USB inputs are powered by a separate transformer winding, optically isolated from digital and analog audio circuits. The N31 provides a fully balanced signal path from the DA converter to the XLR output, and there is an SD card slot for firmware updates. The front panel of the machine is equipped with a 5-inch color TFT display, and the information display is not through touch, but with the help of the top somatosensory sensor, proximity sensing. The machine is available in black/chrome and black/gold, white/chrome and white/gold versions. The highlights of the N31, which are priced at $15,400, are as follows:
First, three levels of debouncement measures are taken to minimize jitter: the first stage, with the help of a digital phase-locked loop carrying a 10kHz wide acceptance window, makes the machine lock a source; the second stage, a smooth analog phase-locked loop with a 1Hz angle frequency is used to suppress high-frequency jitter; the third stage, in the last stage of the asynchronous readout buffer, is well handled by the native oversampling filter.
Second, the application of Intersample Overload Protection Technology technology aims to prevent the deterioration of signal quality caused by overload in the conversion, and three measures are taken to achieve: one is that the system automatically shuts down the oscillator when the selected input 3-level debounciation measure is not needed; the second is to optimize the performance of digital and analog filters with the help of psychoacoustic principles; and the third is to optimize the performance of analog output filters with the help of group delay.
Third, sony/Sanyo's reading head and mechanical parts, Sony/Philips's servo control and reading decoding parts, and the sandwich structure at the bottom of the reinforced suction turntable structure, effectively suppress the base vibration during rotation, while the inverted V-shaped iron sheet added to the left and right sides is used to destroy the air flow caused by rotation to stabilize the rotation.
Fourth, the dynamic range is widened by weighting the signal paths of the four digital-to-analog converters per channel to smooth the soft transition between the 1bitδ-∑ and multibit sections, combined with the subsequent analog low-pass filter and a first-stage output buffer. With the ESS 9018 chip, it can be divided into two groups of octal advantages with different 1bit/multibit collocation conversion methods, laying the foundation for obtaining the respective advantages of 1bit/multibit. The N31 measures 450×150×415mm and weighs 18kg.
五、Luxman D 10x
D10x is a high-end audiophile SACD/CD laser record player developed by Luxman Corporation of Japan. The machine pioneered the use of a high-specification MUS-IC BD34301EKV converter chip with top parameters from Japanese ROHM semiconductors in its dual mono mode circuit. The D 10x has designed a new digital circuit with signal specifications supporting PCM up to 768kHz/32bit and DSDs up to 22.4MHz/1bit. With the help of the machine's fully balanced discrete amplifier circuit, the rich musicality and expressive reproduction of the source are further enhanced. On MQA compatibility, the flagship can play both MQA-CD discs and decode 24-bit MQA audio files via USB, optics and coaxial. In addition to synchronous transmission, usb is compatible with multiple Bulk Pet (Bulk Pure Enhanced Technology) transmission modes that optimize processor load between the source and the machine to improve sound transparency. The highlights of the D 10x, which are priced at $16,495, are as follows:
First, Luxman's ODNF-u (Only Distortion Negative Feedback -ultimate) distortion-only negative feedback amplifier technology was first used in this machine, combined with the internal tailor-made, progressive first-order filter 3-band processing scheme to benefit the machine: first, the fully balanced configuration design can maximize the accuracy of error detection and reduce distortion; the second is the microdynamic characteristics of the entire audio spectrum are enhanced. Especially at higher frequencies; third, the waveform of the output sound is still naturally smooth without a traditional output filter.
Second, in order to minimize the fine distortion caused by vibration and resonance of disc rotation, the new lxddm-i (Luxman Original Disc Transport Mechanism-improved) drive was used for the upgrade. This stiff and stable driver with high digital data reading accuracy is packed in an aluminum side panel that is 8mm thick and extends to the front and rear panels, plus a 5mm steel top plate, making the music broadcast extremely clear due to the improvement of the reading mechanism.
Third, in order to protect the analog signal from ground impedance and magnetic field changes, the integrated composite loopless chassis plays an inherent role in effectively blocking digital noise; the second is to take good shielding measures; the third is to use copper foil up to 100μm thick, gold-plated connections and peel coatings to remove the solder mask to suppress the dielectric effect of the printed circuit board, as well as eliminate unnecessary resistance and stray capacitance on the low audio signal; fourth, the use of a gentle bending wiring mode that provides a smooth signal flow output.
The frequency response of the D 10x is CD: 5Hz-20kHz (+0,-1.0dB); SACD: 5Hz-38kHz (+0, -3.0 dB), with a form factor of 440×154×418mm, and a weight of 22.4kg.
Gryphon Ethos
Ethos is a high-end audiophile CD laser record player developed by the Danish company Gryphon, which integrates CD Transport and DAC, its shell features brushed aluminum and acrylic exteriors that provide a significant damping effect of the vibration absorption confinement layer, a wide range of mechanical decoupling and a gold-plated disc clip that helps stabilize and present the correct disc speed, and a sealed cover that isolates the discs in the disc on-board device from the outside. In addition to CD recordings, the machine can also accept new media sources up to 384kHz/32bit PCM and DSD512. Ethos offers 7 different PCM filters and 3 DSD filters for users to fine-tune their own timbre preferences. The modularly designed phonograph features two separate custom analog toroidal transformers and two separate digital power supplies with superior isolation. Two independent crystal oscillators specifically designed with temperature compensation effectively solve the jitter problem. In order to ensure the sound quality of the CD and the stable and precise positioning of the stereo image, the machine removes a variety of rotation speeds, multi-channel playback and other functions unrelated to stereo music. Reference the $39,000 Ethos highlights here:
First, the application of the upsampling technique provides several benefits: first, with the help of a simpler low-order analog output filter, the noise floor associated with the reproduced signal is greatly reduced; second, the increase in the sampling rate can process the data stream at a higher frequency, so that the spectrum of the quantized noise moves upwards and away from the most harmful range; third, the need for traditional steep slope analog filtering is completely eliminated; and the fourth is to perform the filter function in the digital domain carrying the asynchronous 384kHz/32bit sampling rate conversion. Achieve excellent detail resolution, clear panfocus, and extended high-frequency response.
Second, the ES9038PRO DAC chip can be used for full 32-bit processing in a dual-differential, dual-single topology, making it easy to achieve natural rendering of 3D soundscapes with specific moments and detailed details. The fully balanced design of the entire DAC domain, combined with the configuration of the 8 DACs, allows the digital noise floor to be much lower than the recording itself, and helps to expand the sound field and sharply focus the stereo image.
Third, the finely adjustable fully discrete, fully balanced Class A analog output stage adopts zero negative feedback design, balances the outputs of XLR and single-ended phono, and the analog 23V voltage is combined by a power supply with a separate transformer and can be comprehensively adjusted, which can produce perfect channel separation, and greatly improve the effect of out-of-band noise suppression and significantly enhance the dynamic range. The Ethos measures 480×176×453mm and weighs 13.7kg.
Metronome AQWO
AQWO is a high-end audiophile-grade SACD/CD laser record player developed and launched by The French company Metamenome Technology. The all-in-one DAC with asahi Kasei Microdevices' Verita AK4497 DAC chip decodes up to 192kHz/32bit PCM and DSD512 signals in a dual mono architecture, and its USB input allows DSD formats up to DSD512. The analog output part of the machine, both transistor output stage, as well as before the purchase can be additionally pre-installed, or added after the tube output stage module, and the tube and solid state circuit have a separate output path, solid state output circuit using 4 Texas Instruments field effect transistor input Class A bias operational amplifier OPA 604. AQWO features 12 completely different and unique tones to choose from to suit personal preference. The machine is equipped with three independent toroidal transformers, which provide linear power supply for digital, analog and control circuits. The highlights of the reference $21,500 AQWO are as follows:
First, AQWO's Class A amplifier circuit is equipped with an optional addition of novel and rare tube module occupants, thus providing conditions for an additional timbre output. Households can install suitable tubes according to their preferences, so that they can act as amplification of the AQWO analog circuit, so that the sound can add the unique warm timbre of the tube.
Second, in order to improve the stability of the record rotation, greatly reduce the burden of the servo circuit, and improve the accuracy of the pickup to playback, AQWO has taken several measures: one is the installation of the pickup device in the center to achieve the most average support force and suspension effect; the second is the suspension system of the pullback rubber pad for shock absorption and shock isolation, all centered on the pickup device, which is conducive to its own resonance or external shock energy to be more evenly guided and isolated; the third is the high stiffness and high stability of the stainless steel copper-plated shaft and the self-developed polyoxymethylene record pressure. Significantly reduces jitter.
Third, AQWO digital, analog, different output stages and even functional operation circuits have exclusive power supply and voltage regulation, which is conducive to reducing mutual interference and ensuring that the power supply response is rapid and the power is sufficient. In addition, the full use of isolation transformers ensures mutual interference between digital inputs and outputs, or the elimination of interference from external sources.
Fourth, the top-loading disc entry architecture used can eliminate the need for pre-disc transport mechanisms such as drawers, trays or throughput, and also eliminate the action of lifting and descending of the pickup head assembly. As a result, due to the significant reduction of active components, unnecessary mechanical shock interference can not only be reduced, but more importantly, the overall reliability and durability can be greatly improved. The AQWO measures 425×130×415mm and weighs 15kg.
Burmester 069
069 is a high-end audiophile-grade CD laser record player developed by Burmester Audiosysteme in Germany. The reference phono's casing features a thick 10mm aluminium plate covered with anodized silver, supported by four carbon fiber cylindrical feet, and chrome-plated front panels. What is different is that it uses the same belt drive as the traditional analog record player. Before conversion, all digital signals can be raised to the 96/192kHz/24bit standard by sampling. The machine has a built-in microprocessor for drive control and a proprietary oscillator with minimal phase noise and high thermal stability, with an MMI (Man-Machine Interface) slot that can expand the number of inputs or outputs, providing a BurLink interface that facilitates the control of devices via a PC, Crestron, or AMX system, and can remember the programming of 99 CDs and recognize them when they are reinserted. The 069 uses symmetrical circuit technology to design a fully DC-coupled signal path, with each stage using a suppression filter that reduces EMI electromagnetic sensitivity. With three digital inputs, an analog input and a switchable volume control, the machine can also be used as a preamplifier. The highlights of the 069, which are priced at $65,000, are as follows:
First, the belt drive that is still unique to this day has brought many significant advantages to the machine: first, the digital pickup is completely free from the interference of the motor drive, and the information data reading accuracy is higher; the second is the complete decoupling of the digital laser unit and the mechanical part of the drive motor, which minimizes the adverse effect; the third is that there is no shaking or vibration and resonance to ensure that the CD rotation is absolutely uniform and smooth; the fourth is based on the precise control of all variables of the driver unit based on the microprocessor, so that the speed of any sample point of the CD is correct.
Second, stable rotation and precise reading also benefit from: the drive unit controlled by the microcontroller uses the highest quality engine made in Switzerland; the second is the selection of a powerful special shaft with a diameter of 4 mm, precision bearings with a tolerance of not more than 3‰ mm and additional stabilizers; the third is absolutely insensitive to interference caused by heavy chamber systems and special substrates for mechanical decoupling, carrying carbon fiber damping; and fourth, the heavy precision drive cover (see Figure 19) makes the CD chamber almost sealed and soundproofed.
Third, the optical drive is located in a machined heavy-duty low-resonance metal block design so that the signal picking scan without mechanical jitter, and the resulting mechanical shielding with the help of the quality of the CD driver can play a role in the mechanical, or acoustic impact sound and loudspeaker sound caused by interference successfully decoupled. In addition, the CD playback unit and the power supply unit have their own isolated platforms, which do not affect each other. The 069 measures 450×156×336mm and weighs 28k
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