Trio DP-850 CD player Lab Report

Lab Report

This player is one generation removed from the 16-bit linear CD players based on the non-oversampled, time-shared CX20017 DAC used in Sony's inaugural CDP-101 [HFN Jan '12]. In practice, Trio's DP-850 is closer in execution to Sony's later CDP-302 model, both players featuring the CX20152 – a 2x oversampled version of its first 16-bit CX20017 DAC. The Trio DP-850 has just one of these DACs in a multiplexed (time-shared) configuration. Puzzlingly, the 0.0113msec offset between left (black) and right (red) channels suggests 88.2kHz rather than 44.1kHz operation, while the impulse pattern is identical to that of Sony's first '16-bit/1x' players [Graph 2, below]. So there is 2x upsampling here but no digital filtering. Stopband rejection is actually poorer than we saw in those first-generation players (28dB vs. 40dB), the gentler analogue filter also yielding a 'brighter' HF response (+0.8dB vs. –0.6dB/20kHz). This, the slightly lower 1.9V peak output, 96dB A-wtd S/N ratio (2-3dB poorer than the CDP-101) and high 2.82–3.12kohm output impedance are features of Trio's analogue output stage.

Data-induced jitter is significantly higher at 1230psec, presumably a function of the 'new' DAC, but the trends of distortion vs. level and frequency – particularly the lower distortion at 20kHz vs. 1kHz [see Graph 1, below] – are immediately recognisable from the earlier CX20017. In this instance, THD is 0.005% at 1kHz but just 0.001%/20kHz (all –30dBFs) while 2nd-order IMD is 0.0025% (19/20kHz re. 0dBFs). Low-level resolution still demonstrates the slight boosting of detail seen with the CX20017 DAC but is improved in the CX20152 which has errors of +2.5dB rather than +5.8dB over a full 100dB dynamic range. PM

320vintage.lab1

Distortion versus 16-bit CD digital signal level over a 120dB range (black = 1kHz; cyan = 20kHz)

320vintage.lab2

Despite a '2x upsampling DAC', the impulse is identical to '1x' players. Response shows a treble lift

Maximum output level / Impedance 1.90Vrms / 2.82–3.12kohm
A-wtd S/N ratio 95.9dB
Distortion (1kHz, 0dBFs/–30dBFs) 0.0034% / 0.0050%
Distortion & Noise (20kHz, 0dBFs/–30dBFs) 0.0057% / 0.0012%
Frequency response (20Hz-20kHz) –0.0 to +0.95dB
Digital jitter 1230psec
Resolution @ –90dB/–100dB +2.5dB / +2.0dB
Power consumption 5W
Dimensions (WHD) / Weight 420x75x305mm / 5kg
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