Review in hifi & records magazine (Germany), issue 03/2007

CD Player Accuphase DP-500

The Incorruptible
by Wilfried Kress

The CD player DP-67 from Accuphase has been calling the tune for more than
three years and the new DP-500 is certainly going to continue this recipe forsuccess.
If there is currently something like a trend to be noticed in the hi-fi scene, thenit's the one back to normality. People are in fact fed up with promises and the battle
over formats, surround sound, the whole multi-caboodle and all kinds of suspense.
They want to know again where they are standing and simply want to listen to goodmusic. Upon all the confusion in the past years, reliable authorities are now required,i.e. manufacturers one can count on and from which one could expect good service
even in ten years time. From a situation like this a renowned company like
Accuphase can only take profit, and there is no denying the fact that the Japaneseare having the right touch with respect to their model policy. Without question, for
Accuphase things are going very well these days.
Another aspect of the longed-for normality is turning one's mind back to twochannel stereo. Evidently, there is no space available for multi-channel technology ina music lover's living room, just like in the old days when "Quadro" was once anissue. And since CD has obviously escaped as winner from the format race between
SACD and DVD-Audio, you'd just have to add one and one together in order torealise why good two-channel CD players are the talk of the day. No matter what else
may be coming across from the industry - one cannot go wrong with a pure-bred,high-quality CD player. Even more so, as such a player would be a save andpractical investment for any music lover who owns a large CD collection, which ought
to be preserved nevertheless.
However time is proceeding ever so quickly and eventually does force somechanges, which means that the days of pure CD transports are definitely counted.
This market is now dominated by the PC industry which has other standards andcriteria to be set. One is wistfully thinking back to the times when laser optics had
been mounted onto a stable die-cast platform. Yet all wailing wouldn't help muchbecause those who want to design and build a first-rate CD player cannot afford any
negligence. There are in fact two options only, either to get a run-of-the-mill PC drive
under control or building a proprietary transport - provided one is capable of doing so.
Accuphase has chosen the second option. This deserves my respect and I'mconvinced that money has been well invested; the more since a home-madetransport is certainly not heaven-sent. Also, with its own transport Accuphase isbecoming more independent in view of the sometimes annoying supply of spare parts.
Just imagine your attempts in getting hold of a spare laser optics for a no-name PC
drive in about ten or fifteen years time….

With the new DP-500 this should not pose any problem as Accuphase would have torisk its impeccable reputation, in particular with respect to its after-sale service.
More important however are the sonic properties of a CD transport, eventhough the definite proof of its relevance upon the final sonic results has yet to beestablished, and some "information scientists" would deny that anyway. As far as I'mconcerned, I would, before and now, regard the transport something like thebackbone of a first-rate CD player. Or to put it another way and a bit moreconciliatory: a stable transport, which can read CDs freed from any internal orexternal vibrations, won't do a CD player any harm, right? Evidently, Accuphase hastaken the same stance because its engineers have attached great importance tosturdiness and constructional stiffness of the transport.
The mechanism base, a solid metal frame, is firmly fixed to the bottom plate of
the heavy player chassis (after all, the DP-500 weighs over 16 kg!). The black bridgelike hood above the drive doesn't only look good but is also taking care of additional
stability. In contrast to this quite heavy compound, the actual laser unit has been
mounted in a suspended manner and optimised for minimum weight. The principle isin fact the same as in a record player: provide a stable foundation (here, Accuphasehas taken the route of high mass and stiffness) and decouple the sensitive pickup
unit as effective as possible, which in the DP-500 is done with soft, viscous damping
elements. As we have come to know from Accuphase, the case of the new player isonce again separated into single compartments, which are to house circuit boards,
power supply, etc. This measure, too, provides a strut-like construction for further
enhancing overall stability. Thus the foundation has been established.
As far as converter technology is concerned one has to note that in these days
there is a high quality level, indeed. D/A converters are available from various makers
and all with outstanding specs. So, what can be made better still? Well, one could
minimise conversion errors by having several converters combined in parallel
configuration in order to achieve increased linearity while any remaining errors aredeleting each other. At Accuphase this principle is dubbed "MDS++ (Multiple DeltaSigma) and had already been employed in the predecessor DP-67. For the DP-500
the Japanese have chosen the Delta/Sigma converter PCM1796 from Texas
Instruments. Straightaway four such stereo components (i.e. altogether eightconverters) are taking care of the very best specifications for all parameters,
according to our lab report. And because Accuphase concedes the analogue filter tohave "a significant influence on sound quality" it was elaborately made with totally
separate analogue low-pass filtering for both balanced and unbalanced signal paths.
While engineers at Accuphase tend to employ only the most up-to-date D/Aconverters, they resorted to the well-known operational amplifier type 5532 to be
used in the output stage of the DP-500 (by the way, an interesting parallel toMcIntosh as they've got stuck to the same type). We did compare the output stages
through identical interconnects: slightly more compact and perhaps a tad more"dashing" was the first sonic impression we had with the unbalanced RCA variant(this output was slightly louder, too), but as a friend of classical music you'd in any
case prefer the well-balanced nature of the XLR-output - if necessary even withadaptors from RCA to XLR - because it simply sounds more refined and elegant.

Before we proceed to the assessment of sound, let me say a few words about thecraftsmanship the DP-500 is blessed with. Well, it is by far better than anything else
hanging around in the 5,000-Euro price class. It begins with the immaculate surface
quality of the case, goes to the massive buttons with clearly defined action point andends in the nearly noiseless movement of the CD tray. This is how CD players arebuild and then may also claim the status of being a luxury product. It's true that some
may consider this subordinate "externals", yet with the DP-500 I simply know alreadybefore it's going to play the first tone what I've spent good money for.
Have you seen Brian de Palma's movie "The Untouchables" of 1987 which inthis country was dubbed "Die Unbestechlichen" [The Incorruptibles]? The AccuphaseDP-500, too, is such an "incorruptible": straightforward, resistive to seduction and in aloyal manner following the hi-fi ideal of unspoiled signal transfer. An honest soul,
which is not going to sweet-talk you in order to win your short-termed favour. But it
sure knows how to convince you of the fact that it is incredibly more difficult to soundbalanced and neutral than creating nice sounds. Each CD played through theDP-500 is giving enough evidence, only that you'll have to gradually experience thisyourself. Once the penny has dropped, though, the respect for the DP-500 will growfrom day to day and from one CD to the next.
A neutral music reproduction, which is free of any sensationalism, will in thefirst place sound rather unspectacular. Perhaps better with one recording and not sogood with the other - but never always the same. It's really bloody hard trying to givethis player a bad name. Okay, this Accuphase is not a "groover", because theMcIntosh MCD 201 for instance is able to render basses more springy, although on
the expenses of a less powerful fundament. This may have some advantages whenFrank Sinatra performs "I Get No Kick Out Of You", but when it comes to rendering aSteinway Concert Grand the Accuphase is clearly miles ahead, owing to its unalteredsonic balance: more stature, more energy and more control are resulting in a morebelievable presentation of the piano.
This sovereignty, which comes astonishingly close to the level where DP-78 orML 390S are to be found, is the trademark of the DP-500: music obtains stature andpower as well as flawless tonal balance whilst having a calming effect on the listener.
The more complex the musical happening, the firmer the grip of the DP-500 in getting
things sorted out. There are absolutely no signs of disintegration or smearing thesonic picture, even during a hefty crescendo. And it also knows how to distinguishsound colours and punch in the basses.
It can well be assumed the sheer weight and physical stability of the player
both holding a share in its performance. It would therefore be advisable to also
consider where and on what it is to be placed. I personally would tend to a light yet
rather stiff support and/or would give it a try in combination with SSC Netpoints.
Generally speaking, it might be a good idea not to place a CD player in the league of
the DP-500 just anywhere. And at the first best opportunity you should also donate adecent mains power cord. In the time the DP-500 was here we provided the Gran
Finale from HMS.
Regrettably, we had no DP-67 at hand for direct comparison, yet eventually
this was not the end of the world. The DP-67 is history now and any competitor will
have to challenge the DP-500 instead, which most likely is going to be as much ahard nut to crack as was the DP-67. Those who are seriously reflecting about theacquisition of the "last CD player" cannot but put the DP-500 on the shortest list of
possible candidates. This brilliantly made CD machine may currently have just one
handicap: if you are going to place an order now you are likely to encounter a certain
delivery time. For a two-channel CD player in the year 2007, that is. Who would haveever thought of this?
Summing Up:
In the sum of its properties and performance, the DP-500 is, like already its
predecessor, the benchmark at which other CD players in the 5,000-Euro price classwill have to be measured. With exactly this well balanced overall properties and sonicauthority the DP-500 is going to fascinate you in the long run. The craftsmanship is
absolutely first-rate and this is in fact how a "dream component" has to look like.