DP550 with DC-37
 

Anyone have experience with Accuphase CD player with outboard DAC. Especially the DC-37. love to hear your thoughts. I know there is a review on the Accuphase website on this upgrade.

I‘ve had this combination for a while, using HS-Link with an AQ Diamond cable. In parallel, the 550 was directly connected to my C-3850 via XLR.
With some CD/SACD the DC was slightly above the 550, with others I was not able to distinguish. In addition, HS-Link had problems when playing multi-layer SACD.
Later I‘ve got a DP-720 to replace the 550.

I use mine with a DP-77 and HS-Link and the Accuphase cable.
I just select the required layer on the DP-77 and the DC-37 just plays it.
The HS-Link cable can make a difference I've read

Interested in your reasoning to upgrade to a DP720. Will you be using the DC-37?

The DP-550 was a good match with the C-2120 I've had in the past. With the upgrade to C-3850 a suitable digital source was due TMO. So when I had the chance to get the DP-720 as a bargain from a friend of mine, I could not resist. It's worth every Euro and the source should be the best you could afford.

My DC-37 is still in use as DAC for my TV, Oppo 203 and Auralic Aries streaming bridge.

How does the DC-37 compare to the digital inputs on the DP-720?

I have the 3850/A70. What I hear you saying is the DP 720 was a huge upgrade from the DP-550?

I have the 3850, dc-37 and the A-70 as well. I considered getting the 550 with the DC-37. They compare the digital side of the DC-37 with the 720. Unless you like the CD’s there is no reason to get either the 550 or 720 with the Dc-37. I have not heard any difference between them.

I didn't try to compare the digital inputs yet. It would require major re-arrangements in my set-up. But I could compare the 720 DAC with the DC-37 using the HS-Link connection. In general the DP-720 sounds slightly smoother, more natural with a strong and controlled bass.

TMO its not a 'huge' upgrade, but you can hear the difference between DP-550 and DP-720 immediately. In addition, my DP-550 drive was more noisy, when loading/reading a disc, but also when playing.

Especially with excellent SACDs the DP-720 sounds great to me.

I had an opportunity to compare DP-550 with DP-720 on C-3850+ A-70
A difference was impressive for me