Accuphase Laboratories of Yokohama, Japan, is a respected manufacturer of state-of-the-art audio products that are hand-built using innovative electronics and precise construction techniques. 

Accuphase has been creating high-quality audio products since 1972, founded by a skilled group of audio experts and engineers. The name Accuphase is a combination of the word “accurate” and “phase”, the parameter the company considers the most important factor in audio technology.

Accuphase products are hand-built to an exacting standard using carefully selected components. By avoiding the compromises of mass production, engaging in extensive development programs and resisting trends, Accuphase can deliver true high-fidelity sound reproduction products through a limited number of specialized stores.

Accuphase’s iterative design approach is based on sequential circuit refinement in response to both subjective and objective performance testing. As a result, many prototypes are built, tested, and auditioned through the development process, which in turn creates short, critical PCB design cycles for Accuphase’s engineers.

To maintain the quality and consistency of their circuit board production and reduce research and development time cycles, Accuphase needed to complete all phases of their board-level design in-house while maintaining the highest possible quality. Altium Designer was their ideal solution.

Keeping the PCB Design Process in Perfect Harmony

The demands of a specialized industry like high-end audio equipment are akin to the limited-production luxury car market; production volumes are low, research and development is a primary focus, and design quality is never compromised. For Accuphase, these constraints place high demands on both their design engineers and the electronic product development software they use.

To meet their stringent requirements, Accuphase selected Altium Designer for their board-level design engineers. Altium Designer allows Accuphase engineers to produce high quality board designs within short deadlines while maintaining close control from conception through to completion.

Unlike most design solutions based on partially-integrated or linked design tools, Altium Designer offers seamless integration through the various design stages in a single, efficient application, allowing Accuphase to tightly manage their PCB design and production process while maintaining high-quality results.

Designing a Flagship with Ease

Accuphase used Altium Designer to create one of their flagship products, the Accuphase C-2800 Precision Stereo Preamplifier, as well as its update, the Accuphase C-2850. The devices feature a unique dual-mono design in which the unit's left and right channels are physically and electrically isolated. Each channel's power supply, amplifiers for line input, balanced output, and AVA stage are entirely separate from those of the other channel to prevent unwanted crosstalk and interaction both on the electrical and physical plane. 

Along with specialized construction techniques, every part used in the C-2800 and C-2850 preamplifiers are carefully selected on the basis of sonic performance during the exhaustive research and development stage. Logic relay control is used for signal source switching to implement signal paths that are as short as possible, and components are assembled on high-quality Teflon (glass fluorocarbon resin) motherboards that feature a low dielectric constant and minimum loss, for the ultimate in playback quality.