Denon DAP-5500
(1987 - 1990)

When digital was the magic word...
However, the rage in recording studios would soon be all sorts of valve emulators or the restoration of vintage gear in hope to find that elusive "warmth" again. Also, 16bits...18bits...20bits...1Bit, it was going fairly fast so having to switch preamps only to switch DACs was perhaps a little optimistic, market-wise. Apogee got a hold of the pro market anyway, consumers rarely needed more than 1 digital input (if they even knew what it was), DAT was still about to happen by 1987 and DAB luckily still isn't.

Any low end surround receiver is nowadays adorned what that many digital plugs, but in '87, this was future-proof High-End. And the DAP-5500 was very well built - how would it sound today? Much more successful "digital" preamplifier was Sony's TA-E77ESD.
LEFT: a fully Denon monitoring rig, powered by the monster POA-6600 monoblocks (or 7700) and SC-5000 professional monitors.

BELOW: 2 toroid PTs, layered bottom plate (steel/inert plastic/steel), copper-plated chassis etc. In true Denon tradition, serious indeed. The transfer between the digital filters' outputs and the A/D section is made by 4 high-speed Hewlett-Packard opto-couplers.

A pair of reviews about the 5500 at audioreview.com ; an image at Stefano's audioscope.net.