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Perhaps SACD has yet to reach critical mass in terms of consumer and industry acceptance, but halfway through 2002, it appears to be getting closer to that goal. Along with Sony and Philips (Universal Music), EMI is on board, as are many smaller, sound-conscious independent labels such as Chesky, Analogue Productions, Telarc, DMP, Rounder, Opus 3, Songlines, and the resurrected Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab. For now, DVD-Audio, with its screen-driven menus, doesn't appear to be an attractive option for audiophiles not interested in merging audio with video. Perhaps the future will bring…
Power up the DP-85, hit the Open/Close button, and the disc tray slides out silently, slowly (but not too slowly), and oh, so smoothly. You deserve that for $16.5k. Unlike most players—especially first-generation ones—when toggling between SACD and CD layers, the DP-85 worked fast, thanks to its single-lens, twin-pickup mechanism. It's able to scan a disc's table of contents in a few seconds, as opposed to the forever that early SACD players took. You deserve that, too, for bleeding your savings account. The transport also includes a digital servo with dedicated DSP for "highly accurate…
When I switched to the Musical Fidelity 3D, I heard what the Frankfurt folks were complaining about. It was almost as if the DP-85 was so interested in keeping my foot tapping that it was more concerned with musical flow than with letting the harmonics ripen and develop. That's not necessarily a bad thing—compared to the CD performance of the first Sony and Marantz SACD players, the DP-85 injected a welcome shot of adrenaline into the music's veins. But it also seemed to skim the harmonic surfaces of instruments, suggesting rather than delivering their full timbral expression.
The pace…
Too Much Information?
Recently, I reviewed two projectors for Stereophile Guide to Home Theater. Both of these fixed-pixel displays used the same DLP "engine" from Texas Instruments. One had a glass lens supplied by Minolta, the other a less sophisticated plastic lens. The one with the better lens seemed to produce more unwanted artifacts ("jaggies"), but it was only doing a better job of passing on the information supplied to the light-processing chipset. The plastic lens's softer focus created a smoother picture, but at the expense of detail. Which image a viewer might prefer is a…
Recently, I reviewed two projectors for Stereophile Guide to Home Theater. Both of these fixed-pixel displays used the same DLP "engine" from Texas Instruments. One had a glass lens supplied by Minolta, the other a less sophisticated plastic lens. The one with the better lens seemed to produce more unwanted artifacts ("jaggies"), but it was only doing a better job of passing on the information supplied to the light-processing chipset. The plastic lens's softer focus created a smoother picture, but at the expense of detail. Which image a viewer might prefer is a…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Single-box SACD player (also plays CDs and CD-Rs) with digital inputs and outputs. Frequency response: 0.5Hz-50kHz, +0/-3dB. Level control: 0 to -60dB in 1dB steps (digital). Maximum output voltage: 2.5V. Output impedance: 50 ohms, balanced/unbalanced. THD: 0.0008% (20Hz-20kHz, no ref. level given). S/N Ratio: 116dB. Dynamic range: 112dB (24-bit input, low-pass filter off).
Dimensions: 18 11/16" W by 5 7/8" H by 15 5/8" D. Weight: 42.3 lbs.
Serial number of unit reviewed: J1Y278.
Price: $16,500. Approximate number of dealers: 35.
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Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog source: Simon Yorke turntable; Graham Engineering 2.2, Immedia RPM2 tonearms; Lyra Helikon SL, Helikon mono, Transfiguration Temper Supreme cartridges.
Digital source: Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista 3D CD player, Marantz SA-14 SACD player.
Preamplification: Hovland HP-100 preamplifier; Boulder 2008, Manley Steelhead phono preamps; Connoisseur 4.0 line stage and phono section.
Power amplifier: Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista 300.
Loudspeakers: Audio Physic Avanti III, Rockport Antares.
Cables: Phono: Hovland Music Groove, Cardas Golden Reference…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
Unless indicated otherwise, I measured the DP-85's performance from its balanced jacks. The maximum output level for CD replay was 2.5V from both balanced and unbalanced jacks—nearly 2dB higher than the CD Standard's 2V RMS—and fractionally lower at 2.47V for SACD playback (assessed using Sony's "tentative" test SACD). The digital volume control offered accurate 1dB attenuation steps down to -60dB.
The source impedance was a low 47 ohms from both sets of jacks over most of the audioband, this increasing inconsequentially to 54 ohms at 20Hz from the RCA…
The Accuphase's DAC linearity error, assessed using 16-bit CD data (fig.6), was negligible down to below -110dBFS, confirming the player's high dynamic range. As a result, the DP-85's playback of 16- and 24-bit undithered tones at -90.31dBFS (figs.7 and 8, respectively) was essentially perfect.
Fig.6 Accuphase DP-85, departure from linearity, 16-bit PCM data (right channel dashed, 2dB/vertical div.).
Fig.7 Accuphase DP-85, waveform of undithered 1kHz sinewave at -90.31dBFS, 16-bit CD data.
Fig.8 Accuphase DP-85, waveform of undithered 1kHz…
On the occasion of a recent major birthday, my significant other, Bonnie, gave herself a "mid-life crisis" present—a beautifully restored, bright yellow Porsche 911. She'd spent the previous several weeks wading through reference books to figure out exactly which year and model she wanted, and each night we'd discuss the pros and cons of various models, options, and points in the 911's +30-year evolution. Bonnie explained to me that, throughout its production run, the 911 maintained the same basic design and a consistent set of engineering goals, but was continually updated and refined. In…
Technology
The MG1.6/QR's family tree can be traced back to my MG1s, but Magnepan's driver technology and designs have evolved so far that it would be a stretch to call them "descendants." The look is familiar, however, and the large planar configuration still draws attention. Even guests with years of exposure to audio exotica at Casa Damkroger y McKenzie are taken aback by the Maggies. "That's a speaker? How does it work? Can you hang it on the wall?" Combined with the awesome VPI TNT and the wall-of-tubes VTL Ichibans, the '1.6/QRs make quite an impression on the uninitiated.
The MG1.6/QR's family tree can be traced back to my MG1s, but Magnepan's driver technology and designs have evolved so far that it would be a stretch to call them "descendants." The look is familiar, however, and the large planar configuration still draws attention. Even guests with years of exposure to audio exotica at Casa Damkroger y McKenzie are taken aback by the Maggies. "That's a speaker? How does it work? Can you hang it on the wall?" Combined with the awesome VPI TNT and the wall-of-tubes VTL Ichibans, the '1.6/QRs make quite an impression on the uninitiated.
The…