Full review in image hifi magazine (Germany), issue 6/2008

Accuphase Super Audio CD Player DP-700
by Heinz Gelking

The CD tray of the Accuphase DP-700 is gliding out with distinctive
noiselessness and politely asking you for music - no one does behave better!
Hats off to this classy entry of the Accuphase DP-700, but then let's first havea look at the spot where this luxury player could be vulnerable: in the year 2008,
could anyone still be interested in disk players with a four- to five-digit price tag inview of the fact that CD and SACD are gradually vanishing in the haze? After vinyl
has been replaced by polycarbonate, most of us are currently encountering thesecond big revolution in our hi-fi life: traditional sound carriers are about to leave thestage and make room for data packets.
If SACD had been widely accepted instead of becoming merely a medium forthe connoisseur, we would not have to worry about it any further. Although the musicindustry missed a big chance we are not yet facing a standstill or decline of topquality digital music reproduction. There is still more than just MP3. In these days wecan download music data with a resolution up to 24 bit/192 kHz, of course not for freeand not at every corner. Moreover, anyone interested in a premium digital appliancelike the Accuphase DP-700 can acquire it in good faith that the production of CD andSACD will not be ceased overnight, and that the second-hand market will likewise beinexhaustible as was the case with analogue records in the past twenty or so years.
Therefore, in my point of view, SACD players are as up-to-date as ever,provided they feature digital inputs in addition to their integrated CD transport. It's
because you could then also use the high-quality D/A converter for processing digitalmusic data from a hard-disk, a flash memory or from wherever you like. Even adevice Roland Kraft tested for our last issue, namely the music server Sooloos, could
be employed as data source. Enough admiring the stars: the Accuphase DP-700
features three different digital inputs (HS-Link, co-axial and optical) and can process
music data with sampling frequencies of 32 kHz, 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 88.2 kHz, 96 kHz(16 to 24 bit, 2-channel PCM) as well as 176.4 kHz, 192 kHz (24 bit, 2-channel PCM)
and 2.8224 MHz (1 bit, 2-channel DSD). Altogether five pages of the owner's manualare dealing with the connection of external devices as data suppliers for the DAC
section of the DP-700. As far as I'm concerned this alone would be sufficiently futureproof for me, although I'm regrettably not in the position to ever reflect about theacquisition of a player in this price range.
Before Accuphase started developing the DP-700, there was actually no realneed for having an additional integrated SACD player in the portfolio. Because withthe DP-78 there is already an excellent player on the market which I had the pleasure
to audition for image hifi 3/2006. And I liked it very much indeed, whereupon I wrote:"From the three best digital sources I've ever heard this is the least expensive one".
Now, after having once again examined some of the photos used for my article twoyears ago, I was even more wondering that the DP-78 was apparently not thefoundation on which the DP-700 was to be developed. Sure, there seem to be somesimilarities between the two SACD players, yet such an impression is always
1received after having opened any Accuphase device, whereupon one is to encounterthe same elaborate array of components and high-quality design. Between DP-78
and DP-700 there are indeed big differences in the details, because the DP-700 isevidently a direct descendent from the currently most sophisticated and costly digitalsource in the Accuphase programme, namely the combination of transport DP-800
and D/A converter DC-801. I was browsing the internet and found some photos
showing the construction of both DP-800 and DC-801, whereupon I could compare
the interiors with those of the DP-78. Well, parentage is recognised right at the firstsight but there are of course some differences visible still. The DP-700 is essentiallya merging of DP-800 and DC-801 into one single device, which among other things
was made possible by a more compact construction. For instance, in the DP-700 theconverter boards are mounted above each other instead of side by side.
It took Accuphase about three years to develop a proprietary CD/SACD
transport for the DP-800 in order to substitute the hitherto used CD drives from Sony.
This transport is now also employed in the DP-700. The investments as todevelopment efforts and manufacturing capacity are said to have paid off in themeantime, at least under the audiophile point of view. Product Manager Winfried
Andres of P.I.A., the Accuphase distributor in Germany, told me on the phone thatmany listening tests disclosed - more than one would have expected - the in-housetransport to be distinctly superior to the drives from Sony used to this date, which
also applies to the DP-78. And he added that from now on Accuphase - especially for
its top-of-the-line models - would never have to resort to those CD drives originallymade for computers and car radios, which in these days can nevertheless be spottedin CD players from the competition and - even worse - heard, owing to the occasionalrunning noise.
The new transport mechanism features a heavy chassis with low centre of gravity,
resting on 4 viscous dampers. Its traverse mechanism is a "floating" design whereby
a massive aluminium alloy bridge is to stabilise and reinforce the entire assembly. On
the one hand, the transport itself is requested to work without any vibrations, while on
the other hand, it should be relatively immune against any interferences from outside.
Perhaps my simple reference to a particular weight should give you an idea as tohow much efforts the engineers at Accuphase have put into making this transport
assembly: it alone has a weight of 8.2 kg. Mind you, just the CD drive, not the entire
device!
It cannot be missed that the DP-700's converter section, too, derives from thebig combination. Like in the DC-801 the signal processing from digital to analogue isdone by means of eight Delta-Sigma-converters per channel (in the DP-78 only six
converters per channel are doing this job). While we are at it, DSD signals are firstgoing through an upsampling procedure from 2.8224 MHz/1 bit to 5.6448 MHz/1 bit
whereas PCM signals are directly sent to the converter chips. Now, the eight
converters per channel are not processing the signals simultaneously, but with aningenious trick which is to delay them by one clock cycle. In this way, eight analogue
signals are created from one digital signal, which are combined with each other sothat possible converter errors are eventually cancelled and thus obtaining an
unusually clean analogue signal available at the output. At the same time thiscircuitry is serving as a low-cut filter for the suppression of high-frequency noise.
Additional filtering takes place in the balanced and unbalanced signal paths directly
before the respective output jacks. By the way, the converter boards are made from
Teflon which Accuphase engineers favour above the widespread FR4 material.
2

So many details, albeit quite a few features, which can always be taken for granted
when talking about Accuphase, I haven't even touched yet, e. g. the rigid housing or
the elaborate power supply. What's all this in aid of? Well, three objectives can berecognised behind the technology of the DP-700: the least distorted data reading in
the transport, the best possible signal processing in the D/A converter and last but
not least, an all-embracing protection for the data signal with respect to interferencesfrom inside and outside.
The product information of Accuphase displays large diagrams on signal processing
as well as photos showing the "inner life" of the DP-700. This suits a manufacturer
very well in particular if this manufacturer has got the word "Laboratory" in thecompany's full name. Accuphase is pretty much the opposite of what in our scene isproverbially known as "garage tinker", i.e. a permanently stoned, yet incredibly
talented high-end guru.
Immense knowledge, long-termed experience and continuous research may perhaps
not be considered "sexy", yet in the case of Accuphase these terms are neverthelessreflecting that in the past 20 years each drive/converter combination as well as some
integrated players have been among the world leaders.
In the meantime the DP-700 with its almost 30 kg rests on its four insulation
feet - made from cast iron with a high content of carbon - in my Solid-Tech rack. I'mright away getting familiar with it - Accuphase is Accuphase: the champagnecoloured front panel, the tinted glass display with well readable information in mild
colours, the logically arranged operational elements. How nice that up to this date noone in this traditional Japanese enterprise had the idea to plot a design revolution!
Well, as to whether the outer case - made from polished precious wood - is a bit over
the top, is actually a matter of taste which should be decided individually. After all, theshowy wooden dress of the DP-700 is a perfect match to the one the C-2810
preamplifier has got, and we can well assume that both will be standing next to eachother in some domestic audio chains.
In such elitist surrounding however the remote control unit might appear to be a bit on
the ordinary side. As usual, I'd rather go for the fine buttons at the front panel andhave the CD tray gliding out. This happens very smoothly, with absolutely no rattle
and oh so silently - in fact another clue as to what measure of perfection has beenachieved in developing and manufacturing the new SACD transport.
Why do I just now recall a photo which years ago has been published in a
newspaper: His Royal Highness Prince Charles is inspecting a new BMW 750 and aman is demonstrating him the excellence of the new 12-cylinder engine by putting theedge of a 5-DM coin onto the cylinder block. The coin didn't move a bit and was suchgiving evidence of the engine's silent running. Maybe my thoughts were originatingfrom this: just like with this 12-cylinder engine, the tray and transport mechanism in
the DP-700 might give you an idea that style and luxury of technical products aregoing to draw your attention rather by the discretion in which things are going on.
There is nothing that clatters or annoys you otherwise. Quite unlike the "electronic
device circus" which in the meantime is surrounding us in our everyday life withflickering lights and beeping alerts, whereby I personally consider mobile phones,
computers and motorcar electronics being the major source of nuisance.
The DP-700 on the other hand behaves as convenient as a fine turntable, towhich one looks forward to have it auditioned in the evenings. Speaking of turntables,3

at home there is a quite simple indication as to how much I like a digital device thatwas given to me for review: if I'm all round happy with the sound then my Transrotor
is usually taking a rest. Well, in case of the DP-700 I could have mothballed theTransrotor for a couple of weeks more! The reason why my last "classix" column [inimage hifi] did not feature vinyl, but the portrait of a sound-crazy SACD-label, had ofcourse also to do with the DP-700. Well, if such a dream machine happens to be atyour disposal….? And just for the matter of clarification: it's certainly not my intention
to resume the superfluous discussion "Analogue vs. Digital". My turntable, too, will
come back into favour - the latest when the DP-700 is to be on the road again forsome photo-shooting in Gröbenzell.
From now on I'm talking only about the sound. Most of today's high-gradedigital players have achieved an unusually high level of resolution as one can heardetails which ten years ago none of us would have anticipated they existed on CD atall, even on those we knew inside out. Perhaps we can compare this obsession for
details with the current "pixel hype" in digital photography. Mind you, this is not meantdisparaging because I also consider "resolving capacity" to be the most importantcriteria for the evaluation of hi-fi components. However I'm afraid to say that somedevices do stop there midway because their sound is retaining a certain technicalflavour which they can't get rid of. At the same time music is rendered quasi "overfocused", just to stay in the picture of digital imaging. To wit: piano keystrokes soundtremendously explosive and orchestral instruments are separated from each other by
sharp contrasts in sound colours. The sonic picture is virtually more brilliant andricher in contrast than in reality. It seems like music being subject to studioillumination, i.e. overly pronounced by artificial spotlights.
This said, I think I can now write about the particular smoothness of theDP-700 without the danger of being misunderstood. This smoothness has nothing to
do with mushiness, inaccuracy or softness, because in my impression it is based on
the absence of sharp edges, hardness, irritations and artefacts. My impression isfurthermore based on audibly more gentle, delicate transitions and an even higher
pureness of the signal. To put it in a nutshell: the Accuphase DP-700 is simply closer
to music, microphones and master tapes. It's resolution or, better still, resolving
capacity is - incidentally not only with SACD, but also with CD - superior to any
ordinary rendition through digital media, in a way that the sonic picture is notassembled by single details, like in a puzzle, but appears as a completely intact,integral whole.
A quite simple example may perhaps further illustrate what I mean: Smetana's
symphonic composition Vyöehrad is preluded with a harp. I hear a 1968 recording of
the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra conducted by Václav Neumann - nothing reallyaudiophile but an inexpensive CD from the Berlin Classics label. Nearly every highquality CD player is rendering the harp with fine oscillations of the strings, of which
the sound, including some side noise, is nicely developing after they were plucked.
All this makes clear that a human being rather than a machine is playing this harp,with the richness in sound which, for instance, is to distinguish it from the guitar.
When I listened to this CD through the DP-700, something was different
though: the unfolding sound of the plucked stings was still explosive, but now I could
distinguish more clearly that - of course - fingertips were plucking them! It was like ifsomeone had inserted some additional "reading points" between the strings at rest4and the moment they are plucked. In a way that the steps between resting andoscillating string are, more noticeable than before, filled with intermediate information- the very "fingertips".
And there was other information that came to light on this occasion: this harp
has got a wooden resonance box, the recording venue was furnished with a wooden
floor and there was one auxiliary microphone employed apart from the main mics.
Also, in this recording the harp is sonically occupying a larger space than would be
the case in reality. The DP-700 could show me all this but at the same time was able
to fully integrate even the recording flaws in a way that my attention was not
distracted from the music. Then, a bit later, the entire orchestra came in with fullpower and gleaming sound colours: what an SACD player!!
For the price of the DP-700 one can presumably acquire a five year old Bavarian
12-cylinder luxury car with a mileage of 93,225. Or a brand-new Japanese SACD
player with eight converter chips per channel. By all means, the DP-700 will take you
much faster to every concert hall on this globe. It would just need this very moment
after the CD tray has closed and the music begins.

5