ЦАПы — APL HIFI DSD-GR

The DSD-GR is a pure-DSD digital-to-analogue converter from APL Hi-Fi, or Alex Peychev Laboratories, the company founded in 1988 by Alex Peychev in Ruse, Bulgaria, where every component is built by hand. Peychev worked for several years as a lead engineer at the Sony Broadcast and Professional Group, and every DAC in the APL range is DSD-based. GR stands for Galactic Reference, and the model was announced on 15 December 2022. The Australian retail price is USD 121,950, and finishes are silver or black.

Key specs that matter

A proprietary 64-bit converter turns PCM into DSD, with DSD256 or DSD512 selectable. Digital inputs are two RCA coaxial sockets, AES/EBU and TOSLINK at up to 24 bit and 192 kHz, a proprietary asynchronous USB input for PCM up to 32 bit and 384 kHz, DSD128 over DoP and native DSD512 in both the 44.1 and 48 kHz families, and two DTR balanced I2S inputs for APL digital transports. The output stage uses ECC99 valves in pure Class A. Outputs are RCA and XLR with Furutech rhodium connectors, used one at a time, delivering 2.5 V RMS at 0 dBFS with an output impedance of about 100 ohm. Mains input is 115 or 230 V. The unit measures 450 mm wide, 120 mm high, or 140 mm with feet, and 380 mm deep, and weighs 24.5 kg.

Engineering and use context

Current-to-voltage conversion and DSD analogue filtering are entirely passive, and the circuit uses no negative feedback, no op-amps and no mechanical switches or relays in the signal path. The resistors are non-magnetic types, so no magnetic material in the parts interacts with the signal. The ECC99 stage is differential and transformer-coupled, with custom Lundahl interstage and output transformers wound in oxygen-free copper. The power supply uses an R-Core balanced transformer, a delayed high-voltage supply that protects the valves at switch-on, a Lundahl choke and passive components. Filter options are Normal and Slow linear-phase and a NOS mode with no digital filter. Master clocks are ultra-low phase noise femto-jitter types. The all-aluminium case has a machined 20 mm front panel and a Noritake FLD display from Japan with selectable colour filters. The modular design allows any internal stage to be upgraded later. The warranty is two years, six months for valves, and can be extended by three years, and a remote control and certificate of authenticity are included.

Pairing

The I2S inputs connect APL digital transports directly, and the XLR output feeds balanced preamplifiers or amplifiers with volume control.

Alternatives

The APL Hi-Fi DSD-WR is the all-solid-state reference DAC of the range.