Accuphase DP-430: High-class CD player equipped with a precision transport mechanism

Accuphase Laboratories, Inc. (originally known as Kensonic Laboratories, Inc.) is a Japanese manufacturer of high-end electronics. Accuphase Laboratories was founded in 1972 by Jiro Kasuga, a disgraced engineer at Kenwood. Kasuga did not agree with Kenwood’s approach to developing equipment, and many of his designs never made it into mass production due to their commercial unprofitability for the corporation. After a series of negotiations with Kenwood’s management, Kasuga created the Kensonic brand, where he lured several leading engineers from Marantz and Luxman.

The name Accuphase was composed of the prefix “ACCU” – from the word accurate, and the word PHASE, which is the most important characteristic in sound reproduction technology. This trademark is very suitable for the company’s products, since it reflects this and other important characteristics and penetrates into the very depths of sound reproduction technology.

In the endless struggle for the best quality, which requires a very high level of production organization, it was decided to abandon conveyor methods. In this regard, the volume of production is limited, and Accuphase products can be purchased only in some specialized stores. Accuphase equipment is not subject to the whims of fashion, since it is created, first of all, for the sake of truly high fidelity of sound reproduction. This is the main reason why this product has not become an object of mass production.

Accuphase DP-430 is a high-class CD player equipped with a precision and very quiet transport mechanism, which will allow the listener to reveal the finest nuances of the recording.

The Accuphase DP-430 model uses the latest analog filters of its own design ANCC (Accuphase Noise and Distortion Cancelling Circuit), which provide ideal filtering.
The output cascade is made according to a fully balanced scheme. For analog filtering, which significantly affects the sound quality, the so-called “Direct Balanced Filter” (4-link Butterworth filter) is used, in which independent low-pass filtering of the symmetrical and asymmetrical output signal is performed. This allows the full musical potential to be revealed.

The outstanding advantages of the D/A converter section are also available for external audio components. The D/A converter has a complex circuit and is equipped with the latest digital technology. The D/A converter is equipped with the latest MDS digital technology. It uses four AK 4490 EQ (Asahi Kasei Microdevices) delta-sigma D/A converter chips, which are connected in parallel. This configuration minimizes the resulting reading and conversion errors. The Accuphase DP-430 reproduces low-level signals, which are crucial for musicality, in an absolutely linear manner.

You can use the Accuphase DP-430 as a CD transport or a D/A converter, as it is equipped with digital inputs and outputs. Its built-in digital-to-analog converter can handle files from 16 to 32 bits with a frequency of 32 to 384 kHz, as well as DSD files with a frequency of 2.8224 MHz, 5.6448 MHz, 11.2896 MHz ASIO. (ASIO is a software interface for transferring data from a Windows program that plays or receives an audio signal directly to the sound card driver, bypassing the OS sound subsystem).

The Accuphase DP-430 player’s body is made of aluminum, and the chassis design is made in such a way that it absorbs external and internal vibrations. The high-quality CD transport mechanism is the main tool for obtaining digital information from disks, the mechanism has a center of gravity shifted to the bottom, the loading mechanism is smooth, which greatly affects the quality of disc playback. The transport mechanism also has a double laser head for obtaining the highest accuracy of reading information from CDs. It is completely devoid of internal and is not susceptible to external vibrations, and this guarantees that the digital signal will be clean and accurate. A special chip controls the digital servo and converts a direct digital stream with the highest accuracy.

Specifications Accuphase DP-430

Transport mechanism Accuphase (Sony laser pick-up)
Playback frequency 0.7-50000 Hz
Playable discs CD, CD-R, CD-RW,
Total harmonic distortion <0.0008%
Signal-to-noise ratio> 117 dB
Dynamic range 113 dB
Digital-to-analog converter 4 x Asahi Kasei AK 4490 EQ (32 bit 384 Khz)
Digital inputs 1 x USB, 1 x TosLink, 1 x S/PDIF
Digital output 1 x S/PDIF (RCA), 1 x TosLink
Analog output 1 pair RCA, 1 pair XLR
Channel separation 113 dB
Remote control Yes
Power consumption 13 watts
Weight 14 kg
Dimensions (WxHxD) 465 x 151 x 393 mm