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INTRODUCTION
The 808 Signature Reference
CD Player
The 808 Signature Reference CD Player takes Compact Disc playback to an
entirely new level, with a heritage that includes the multiple award
winning 508 and 800, and two dozen optical disc players from 1984 to the
present day. The 808 is specifi cally designed as a CD-optimised machine,
able to play virtually any CD, from conventional pressings to CD-R, CD-R/W,
and discs of MP3 fi les (64–256kbps). It also plays the CD layer of an SACD
disc.
At the heart of the 808 are fully-integrated electronics and a computer-
style CD/DVD-ROM drive. The drive normally operates at standard CD
speed, but is capable of much faster reading, using multiple high-speed
re-reads to ensure accurate recovery of data from even the most diffi cult
disc. This capability alone provides over ten times the error correction of a
conventional CD player.
Digital Signal Processing
Once the digital data stream has been recovered from the disc, powerful
on-board digital signal processing (DSP) with a capability of an impressive
150 MIPS (million instructions per second) up-samples the digital
information from the 16-bit, 44.1kHz signal of conventional CD to a 24-bit
signal with a sample rate of 176.4kHz. This signal is fed to the latest DVD-
Audio quality delta-sigma digital to analogue converters to drive the
analogue outputs, while a digital signal at an 88.2kHz sample rate is
supplied to the digital outputs. Upsampling in this way enables fi ltering to
take place far beyond the range of human hearing, as well as offering
other audible benefi ts, right across the audio band, for ultimate
transparency from a CD source.
The 808 employs a triple buffering system to minimise jitter, and therefore
maximise HF transparency and stereo image precision and stability. This,
and the digital electronics as a whole, are driven by a new design of high-
stability clocking system which further reduces jitter and ensures that the
highest level of detail is recovered from a disc. All digital data is accurately
re-clocked.
Multiple power supplies ensure that digital and analogue circuitry are kept
apart and can provide the required power when called upon to do so.
Integrated preamplifi er
The 808i version of the 808 Signature Reference CD Player includes a built-
in stereo preamplifi er with the ability to handle six stereo analogue inputs,
three digital coaxial S/PDIF inputs, and two Toslink optical digital inputs,
making it ideal as the heart of a superb stereo system.