APL Hi-Fi At AbsoLute Hiend

Melbourne-based high-end audio distributor Absolute HiEnd is now distributing APL Hi-Fi equipment in Australia. APL Hi-Fi, headquartered in Ruse, Bulgaria, was established in 1988 by audio engineer Alex Peychev. The company manufactures DACs, transports, streamers, preamplifiers, power amplifiers, loudspeakers, power cables, speaker cables and interconnects.

One thing that sets the company apart is that Peychev says that he designs and builds all his own conversion circuitry, eschewing the use of ‘off the shelf’ devices, so inside the company’s top-of-the-range DAC, the DSD-Master Reference, proprietary technology is used for the asynchronous USB input module, the PCM to DSD converter module, the 64-bit digital filters and for the DSD digital-to-analog conversion. Output from the DAC section is amplified using a pure Class-A, differential valve stage that’s equipped with current production E182CCs (dual triodes). ‘ The DSD-Master Reference is specifically made for the most enthusiastic audiophiles who prefer true analog sound, comparable to state of the art vinyl,’ says Peychev. ‘It is all-hand-made, boutique designed and built with the best possible audio quality in mind, cost-no-object.’

The USB input of the DSD-MR accepts PCM from 44.1kHz to 384kHz as well as DSD64 and DSD128 in DoP format, as well as NativeDSD up to DSD256. DSD is processed in its native domain, while all PCM formats are converted internally to either DSD128 or DSD256 (user selectable). Digital signals input to the S/PDIF, AES/EBU, and optical inputs, are also converted to either DSD128 or DSD256. Although the DSD-MR has both unbalanced (via RCA) and balanced (via XLR) outputs, the two outputs cannot be used simultaneously. Available now, the DSD-MR retails for $68,500 (RRP).