Kenwood DP-3080 (1996–97)
The Kenwood DP-3080 is a single-disc CD player from the mid-1990s, sold in Japan at ¥32,000 and in production for roughly 1996-97. It's a full-width separate. The one review on record is warm about it: hifi-review.com noted a "very pleasant feeling from communicating with this unit," and said the same about the sound. The same review praised the display's clearly visible red pause symbol and found the absence of a standby mode (and thus no power-off from the remote) worth mentioning.
The headline feature is Kenwood's D.R.I.V.E. system, an adaptive-filter processor sitting between the 8× oversampling digital filter and the 1-bit D/A converter. Per the period literature, the idea was to keep the data path at true 20-bit accuracy even where only 16-bit resolution is available. It uses a bank of low-pass filters with different cutoff bands and a selector circuit that continuously picks the optimum output. The D/A converter itself is a 4th-order, 0-shift noise-shaping 1-bit design. The master clock is a high-precision type intended to cut jitter. The transport is a typical swivel-rail mechanism for the price class, and the player includes a wireless remote.
Measured performance is solidly mid-1990s budget-to-mid: frequency response 4 Hz - 20 kHz, S/N ratio 105 dB or better, dynamic range 98 dB, total harmonic distortion 0.002% (1 kHz), channel separation 105 dB, all EIAJ. Outputs are line (2.0V/0.4 kΩ fixed), optical digital (emission wavelength 660 nm), and a headphone jack rated at 20 mW into 32Ω. Power consumption is 10W. Dimensions are 440×93×366 mm and it weighs 4.3 kg.
The program memory holds 20 tracks, there are three repeat modes including A - B, and the Intro Scan (10 seconds per track) is only accessible from the front panel. The remote can also be driven through the Kenwood system bus from an amplifier or receiver remote. A service manual covering both the DP-3080MkII and the DP-3090 exists. The laser pickup is a KSS-210A, a common Sony part that owners have swapped when the original wears out. The record is thin on common failure modes beyond that, and there's no detailed market-price history. A UK listing asked £34.
Known specs
- 1-bit D/A conversion, 8× oversampling (352.8 kHz)
- Frequency response: 4 Hz–20 kHz (EIAJ)
- S/N ratio: 105 dB or more (EIAJ)
- Dynamic range: 98 dB or more (EIAJ)
- THD: 0.002% or less (1 kHz, EIAJ)
- Line output: 2.0V / 0.4 kΩ (fixed)
- Optical digital output: −15 to −21 dBm (660 nm)
- Headphone: 20 mW (32Ω)
- Dimensions: 440 × 93 × 366 mm; 4.3 kg
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