AUDIO/VIDEO - SOFTWARE - HIFI - HIGH-END - SURROUND – HOME THEATRE MAY 2013 NL € 5,45 BE € 5,95 TEST BP ACCUPHASE DP-550 The high- ACCUPHASE DP-550 SACD-PLAYER tested end Disc player with extended DAC functionality The first thing that I experience when The Japanese noble brand Accuphase was founded in June 1972 by the former Trio- unpacking the substantial and weighty Kenwood box (25 kg) of the DP-550 sa (CD) player, co-founder Jiro Kasuga and his older brother Nakaichi. In the same year the Kasuga left is the extremely serious impact in which brothers namely Trio-Kenwood, with the idea of hifi components of the highest caliber to go this Japanese company always manufacture. Unlike abroad where brands like McIntosh, Audio manufactures its products. Of course, Research, Mark Levinson and Revox set the tone. Was the Japanese offer in those years there are still more manufacturers that actually mainly low to medium-priced products at best mediocre quality. offer beautifully finished and carefully The ambitious plan was an extra push in the right direction by the oil crisis in 1973. constructed products now. As far as I am Investing in sustainability and high quality products that easily could go long, with concerned, very few go as far as became the new motto. An ideology that even today continues unabated Accuphase does. Not only has every detail Accuphase in all its products will continue and where the tested here DP-550 Super Audio been thought of thoroughly, but also the CD player is a wonderful example of materials used and the techniques are particularly solid and durable. Even to the extent that the devices will still function 2 ted tes in the same hassle-free positive sense, that wonderful flexibility subcutaneously, it seems, according to fashion in 20 years from and stability that were still the Accuphase, the newly developed commonplace with so many brands in drive is capable to read 100% (!) of the now, or even longer. Just go and visit another manufacturer, and this way of the eighties and partly in the nineties. A recorded data. One of the reasons that production is exceptionally environmentally CD was still a medium of which you Accuphase dares to say this is the friendly in the long term! When I lift the could really be proud. Fancily presented enormous attention to detail that has 3 in the record stores and still neatly been paid to this mechanism. Thus, not player from the double box and remove the soft fabric cover, I am deeply impressed by packaged in the famous uniform ‘jewel only have the vibrations that may occur the appearance of sheer quality and the cases’. Besides the incredibly beautiful during the moving parts been eliminated completeness of the delivery package. The and almost silent running disc tray of as much as possible, but the insensitivity the DP-550, the player initially looks to external vibrations have also been first thing that comes to mind, in addition to words like respect and awe - especially the like a ‘simple’ sa(CD) player, or, in further improved. The extremely view that a product is actually always other words, only suitable for playing accurate readings have subsequently supposed to look like that and that it should CD and SACD recordings. However, occurred, together with the totally newly function; I also realize immediately that this looks can be deceiving. Because, in designed single lens with dual laser quality in daily practice is unfortunately addition to the known analogue RCA diode and fast access time. The digital achieved by very few companies. With its and XLR (with adjustable phase!) signal processing proceeds, as it has outputs, this Accuphase offspring is also been doing for many years at typical champagne gold colour, Accuphase is, just products like by, for equipped with a true arsenal of Accuphase, by means of the so-called example, McIntosh, Audio Research and selectable digital inputs and outputs. MDS+ (Multiple Delta Sigma +) Spectral, recognizable as such from a Inputs and outputs that are provided: system. A principle in which the DSD USB 2.0, optical, coaxial and an HS- converted signal is converted directly to kilometre distance. The DP-550 thereby breathes ‘pride of ownership’ from every link. This latter connection is meant to the various D/A pore. And because this fortunately once be an ultra-high, high-speed digital again, pertains to a real high-end disc connection. This also allows processing player, makes the party complete for me. 2.8224 MHz/1-bit DSD signals in Besides the champagne colour, it is addition to a maximum of a 24 bit/192 impressive, especially the massive kHz signal. In addition to playing CDs solidity of the housing, controls, and Super Audio records in this DP-550, NEXT connections and remote control that are it is also possible to play DSD discs immediately striking in a positive way. with files that are recorded in the DSF And then; the CD tray! Here is, again in a file format. When I view the player converters in a parallel configuration. take the remote control for a moment, it Listening 1st round After the conversion, the signals of the seems that even a conservative brand like Because of the many digital inputs and converters are added joint, causing Accuphase is effecting small outputs, I decide to start immediately with conversion errors to be greatly reduced. improvements constantly. Not only are streaming audio applications in a first The DACs in the DP-550 contain the the look and the layout of this gem a lot round. Still a relatively new product where latest Hyperstream™ ES9008 type of ESS more modern and rigid than I’m used to I, seemingly in contrast to the necessary Technology, where no less than four of in this brand, but it also seems that the other colleagues, still have trouble with the these chips are connected in parallel. If I two tilt switches, for example the track sound quality regularly. I often experience look at the player without the top panel, it and volume selection (a Accuphase the presented sound image as rather can clearly be seen that the device is amplifier can also be operated with it), artificial and synthetic, not to speak of the strictly separated, sub-divided into four work tremendously well in practice. It striking discomposure in the sound. I am compartments. Thus, the power, drive and seems a simple thing, but finally one or obviously very curious how this the digital and analogue sections are built numerous tracks can be skipped backward Accuphase will handle this, and I am entirely separately. When I, lastly, or forward now without having to search actually for pushbuttons. Ideal! already being served immediately after unpacking and connection. Importer Paul Hattink is, in addition to his Benelux distribution for the Accuphase, Leben and Verity brands, also a respectable musician who already has many international ted productions to his name. Albums that, in addition to their spontaneous musical message, also know how to convince in an tes audiophile sense. Music lovers who by a congener on the other side of the but once again, we both suddenly fall already have one or more albums of Paul valley. The cry echoes a few times at the completely silent. The physical presence do not always know that many regular, forest edges and walls of the valley, after of musicians who are projected subtly processed acoustic sounds have which Paul then stops the recording. completely loose and especially focused often been recorded by himself! To Very special. Another fragment contains in my listening space is once again an illustrate this, he quickly opens his a Costa Rican singer/guitarist in the style impressive piece of illusion. And it’s laptop after connecting and turning on of Ry Cooders Buena Vista Social Club. especially the version, which sounds the champagne-coloured Japanese. And Then recorded completely pure and only much better than I have ever heard before after having installed the correct driver, with his own guitar as accompaniment. with this channel , that is curious. communication is then quickly The special thing about this recording is established. Paul suddenly pulls a that Paul has recorded it consciously in the Listening 2nd round seemingly serious face. ‘Werner, you’re outdoors and you hear only the vocals and Also in the beginning of the second hereby really the first one, apart from guitar without any reflective environment. round I continue to principally stay me, who is going to listen next to the Once again, a chilling realistic occurrence with the streaming audio happenings. following sound clips. These are unfolds before me. The pitch of the voice, Paul’s Windows laptop has made room recordings that I’ve made earlier this guitar, huge dynamic contrasts and again here for my Apple McBook Pro with year during a visit to Costa Rica in the that huge precise placement. You will Pure Music software. Also with my tropical rainforest and they are never be able to hear this music and own music and my own source absolutely spectacular in their purity and sounds in this capacity. However, Paul has configuration, the qualities identified realism.’ When the first recording is started via devised a plan earlier of this Accuphase DP-550 disc the laptop, the greatness of the circulating player/dac are continued to be fully air in a large forest is the first thing that maintained. One of the strikes us both. We have all read once in a book about a to process them soon in a few albums that main features that keep on standing out is 5 deafening silence, but, with this recording are coming out in the future.