Denon DP-S1
(1993 - 1996+)

Denon's runner up to Sony's CDP-R10.
More traditional than the latter (but just as rare), the DP-S1 sported no less than five digial outputs (coaxial, TOS, AES/EBU, BNC and optical ST) and could even be Genlock synchronized through an ST input. The chassis is made of a non-magnetic sand-cast alloy ; the disc stabilizer is turned from a solid slab of alloy and the four feet include copper, Teflon and... pure wool ! The "laser chamber" is air-tight and light-isolated and its lid is, naturally, fully motorized.

The CD mechanism itself is... rather oversized, with a 6mm spindle shaft resting on a ruby bearing - it was built by Victor and also shared by Yamaha's GT-CD1 and GT-CD2. The laser is secured by a triple floating suspension and is based on a linear skating system à la Sony. A 32kB RAM chip serves as buffer to extract the PCM bits in good, even, order.
As Denon stopped producing its own devices long before the DP-S1, the optical pickup itself is, I believe, sourced from Sony's KSS series. Rather suprisingly, it seems all spare parts are still available for maintenance but for the crucial one - the Sony KSS. Since the DP-S1 was produced in very limited quantities, it is however probable Denon in Japan kept a set of spare optical blocks for each sold DP-S1.

All the specs and more images on Denon's own DP-S1 museum page.