About ACOUSENCE
Learn more about the history and philosophy of ACOUSENCE
From music creators to music enthusiasts.
How it all began
The origins of ACOUSENCE as a music label go back over 25 years. During this quarter of a century, we have produced classical and jazz recordings that have achieved reference status among audiophiles all over the world. We were among the first to offer digital downloads in the high-resolution 24/192 format and co-founded the renaissance of the vinyl record by being one of the first labels to press modern 24/192 recordings on vinyl.
We became a manufacturer of audio electronics because we could no longer find any digital studio equipment on the market that met our musical requirements. This was the birth of our first analog/digital converter, which continues to set standards in the natural reproduction of music to this day.
Private music lovers now also benefit from our experience in uncompromisingly good-sounding studio technology. With our audiophile product line, we cover the complete electronics of a modern music system, from server/streamer to DA converter/preamplifier to power amplifier. And because for us innovation is only progress if it benefits the artistic expression of the music, we also dare to develop these devices in a technically more complex and sometimes more unconventional way than the mainstream. And, on the other hand, to leave out what we consider to be marketing gimmicks with no sonic benefit.
Our technical philosophy
The best measured values do not guarantee outstanding audio quality in music transmission. This is because the parameters established in audio measurement technology are measured with static measurement signals. However, music is a highly complex frequency mixture that also changes dynamically over time. The dynamic behavior therefore becomes the decisive factor. The transmission system must be able to reproduce this complex frequency mixture and its rapidly changing, detailed structure with as few system-related changes as possible. This capability distinguishes the “music transmission” application from the requirements of an audio measurement system.
Our designs are the result of three decades of experience in music production, coupled with a scientific approach to the development of audio electronics. This has resulted in device designs with characteristics that are sometimes far removed from traditional doctrine.
None of the parameters that are usually printed and that some specialist journals like to measure provide a reliable statement about the actual quality in terms of music transmission. Instead, parameters are still measured that are already well met by less ambitious devices. This results in test reports in specialist magazines, for example, in which the testers themselves are surprised at the significant differences in sound, even though the devices being compared all measure up fantastically. It is difficult to depict the dynamic behavior of the devices in a meaningful and technically verifiable way. We therefore limit our technical data to values that have a certain relevance for the interaction of components, e.g. input/output impedances and voltage levels.
Some of the key data do reach peak values, such as the signal-to-noise ratio of the purely passive ADC or the clock accuracy. Elsewhere, however, the focus on music leads to other design decisions. For example, our devices will never achieve record distortion values through the use of transformers. However, distortion values with three zeros after the decimal point are only a pseudo-quality parameter with no practical value anyway, because they are determined with static signals. On the other hand, transformers offer undisputed advantages in terms of low-interference interaction with the outside world. Laboratory conditions and the real world are not the same, and this is where neglected influencing variables tend to lie dormant. Even amplifier circuits with the best possible dynamic behavior are not necessarily the least noisy. But you have to decide whether you want to design an audio measuring system or audio devices for music transmission.
Of course, the established parameters, such as distortion and noise, are also at a level in our devices where these variables will never play a perceptible role for you. However, other aspects determine our design decisions. Therefore, only your own ears and your musical perception will help you to evaluate the quality of our products!
Incidentally, truly stunning recordings can be found mainly in the early days of stereophony from 1958 onwards. The equipment used for this, with its many tube amplifiers and tape machines, would be unacceptable by today’s standards. The medium itself, the record, is horribly bad anyway; from a purely technical point of view. Nevertheless, listening experiences are achieved that represent a real challenge even for the most modern equipment.
Incidentally, our AD converters deliberately do not support DSD for similar reasons (see article on our website “Using the sampling theorem correctly!”). With the latest generation of DA converters, it is possible to play music in DSD up to 256fs via USB for compatibility reasons.