A4-folded brochure for the DENON DCD-αS10, the flagship CD player of DENON’s α series. The cover shows the Matterhorn mirrored in a lake, and the allusion runs both ways: ALPHA as the Greek letter and ALPHA as in the Alps. The headline “ALPHA Processing” spells out the acronym - Adaptive Line Pattern Harmonized algorithm & Automatic Low pass filter Harmonic Adjustment, DENON’s in-house interpolation that turns a 16-bit CD signal into 20-bit quality. Inside: Real 20-bit 4DAC α S.L.C. (Lambda Super Linear Converter), four high-precision voltage-segment DACs (two per channel), a 20-bit 8x oversampling digital filter and a GIC 3rd-order analog filter. The separation of digital and analog circuitry is taken to fanatical lengths: dedicated transformers, rectifiers and power rails for audio and servo, a centred transport mechanism, a heavy non-resonant chassis with insulators made from a sintered-alloy + aluminium composite. The unexpected touches are an adaptive servo that can be tuned to each individual disc, and digital inputs (TOS-Link + coaxial) that turn the player into a standalone 20-bit DAC for DAT and LD at 32 / 44.1 / 48 kHz. Price ¥180,000 before tax, gold front panel in the S-series style, weight 14 kg. The centrefold runs the trademark (a) conventional vs (b) ALPHA waveform diagrams at 1 kHz / -90 dB, the comparison DENON loved to print in every S-series brochure of the era. The slogan inside reads like a manifesto: “THE CD REFERENCE - a new benchmark for the CD reference machine is born here.”
