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Recording of March 1995: J.S. Bach: Secular Cantatas

J.S. BACH: Secular Cantatas
"Coffee Cantata," BWV 211; "Peasant Cantata," BWV 212; Durchlauchtster Leopold, BWV 173a
Dorothea Röschmann, soprano; Hugues Saint-Gelais, tenor; Kevin McMillan, baritone; Les Violons du Roy, Bernard Labadie
Dorian DOR-90199 (CD only). Craig D. Dory, eng.; Brian C. Peters, eng., prod. DDD. TT: 73:13

These secular cantatas show another side to the often severe, learned, and devout Bach. The "Coffee Cantata" is a piece of silliness about a gruff father and his clever daughter who is very devoted to the breakfest brew. In the "Peasant Cantata," which…

Accuphase DP-75V CD player

Although the Accuphase DP-75V looks like a conventional single-box CD player, it's actually a separate transport section and digital processor, each of which can be used independently. The transport is a 16-bit/44.1kHz mechanism, the datastream appearing on RCA coax and TosLink optical output connectors on the rear panel.

The drive's fully digital high-technology control circuitry uses "adaptive" filters to optimize servo performance for each disc. The pickup uses a very compact RF amplifier directly integrated in the photodetector pickup assembly. Accuphase says that this reduces the…

Accuphase DP-75V CD player Page 2

The audio output section features balanced circuitry isolated from the ground line. There's a set of balanced XLR connectors and a pair of RCA unbalanced connectors on the rear panel as well as a standard IEC mains-in receptacle.

Peering inside the unit is a treat---it's full of tasty well-made components. The DAC boards use a substrate of glass fluorocarbon resin, which, it is said, has a stable dielectric constant as well as "superior" heat-resistance and high-frequency characteristics. Gold-plated copper traces further contribute to sonic purity. A pair of potted, classy-looking power…

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Two items of note:
First, the DP-75V took a full two weeks to warm up and pull its act together. If anything, it was too polite, warm, and over-the-top bloomy when I first lit it up. The '75 requires a long warm-up period. But wait...just wait for it.

Second, as with most components, its sound can be adjusted by running single-ended or balanced outputs, even using the same family of cable. I wired up both and enjoyed the ultimate luxury of switching between them with just a tap of the ML No.32's remote. I just as easily compensated for the '75V's inverted polarity on XLR. (The '75…

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Looking for colorful orchestral sound, I turned to Mahler's Symphony 3 with the ebullient Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic, bless their hearts (DG 427 328-2). I got that standard multi-mike DG bite, enough to drive me to the XLR outputs---then I sat back in the Ribbon Chair and soaked it up. Notes: "The horns now beautifully illuminated, bursting with explosive energy. The timpani at the rear of Avery Fisher Hall set out a stunning foundation utterly defining the original recording venue."

We're still talking $11k worth of upsampled CD playback here. Can the sound be that…

Accuphase DP-75V CD player Specifications

Sidebar 1: Specifications

Description: Single-box upsampling CD player with remote control. Input format: 16-24 bits at 32, 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192kHz, and 2.8224MHz (DSD) sampling rates; above 48kHz implemented by optional input/output option boards. Standard digital inputs and outputs: S/PDIF RCA, optical TosLink. D/A converter: 24-bit multiple delta-sigma type. Standard analog output: XLR balanced and RCA single-ended. Frequency response: 0.5Hz-50kHz, +0/-3dB. THD: 0.0008%, 20Hz-20kHz. S/N ratio: 116dB. Dynamic range: 112dB (24-bit input, LPF off). Channel separation: 108dB.…

Accuphase DP-75V CD player Associated Equipment

Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment

Digital source: dCS 972 D/D converter, dCS Elgar (24/192).
Preamplifiers: Mark Levinson No.32 Reference, BAT VK-50SE and VK-5SE.
Power amplifiers: Linn Klimax Solo 500s, Forsell Statement, Lamm ML1s, Accuphase M2000, Krell FPB 350Mc monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: JMlab Utopias.
Cables: Digital: XLO The Limited RCA and AES/EBU. Interconnects: Synergistic Designer's Reference Active Shielding, TARA The One, Cardas Golden Reference, AudioQuest Amazon, Linn Silver. Speaker: Synergistic Designer's Reference, TARA The One, AudioQuest Everest, Cardas…

Accuphase DP-75V CD player Measurements

Sidebar 3: Measurements

Given J-10's raving about the sound of the Accuphase player, you should expect its measurements to reflect the current state of the art. They do.

But getting the basics out of the way: The DP-75V's maximum output level was 2.5V from both balanced and unbalanced outputs---almost 2dB above the CD standard's 2V. The player was noninverting from its single-ended RCAs, inverting from the XLRs due to these being wired with pin 3 hot. (The AES standard is for pin 2 to be hot.) The source impedance was low, at 46 ohms in the midband from either set of outputs,…

Accuphase DP-75V CD player Measurements part 2

The linearity error with 16-bit data (fig.4) was negligible down to below -100dBFS, which is among the best we have measured. As a result of this superb linearity and the very low noise floor, the DP-75V's reproduction of an undithered 1kHz tone at -90.31dBFS (fig.5) was essentially perfect---the three discrete voltage steps can be clearly perceived. Increasing the word length to 24 bits gave a reasonable facsimile of a sinewave (fig.6).

Fig.4 Accuphase DP-75V, departure from linearity, 16-bit data (2dB/vertical div., right channel dashed).

Fig.5 Accuphase DP-75V,…

Accuphase DP-75V CD player Measurements part 3

The Accuphase's analog output stage could drive low impedances with ease. Fig.7 shows the spectrum of its balanced output while it reproduced a full-scale 50Hz tone into 600 ohms. No harmonics can be seen! Similarly, a full-scale mix of 19 and 20kHz sinewaves into 600 ohms gave the spectrum shown in fig.8. The only intermodulation products that can be seen lie at or lower than -100dB, which is superb performance into this demanding load.

Fig.7 Accuphase DP-75V, spectrum of 50Hz sinewave, DC-1kHz, at 0dBFS into 600 ohms (linear frequency scale).

Fig.8 Accuphase DP-…