APL Hi-Fi

Founded in 1988 by Alex Peychev in Ruse, Bulgaria, APL Hi-Fi (Alex Peychev Laboratories Hi-Fi) represents a boutique high-end audio manufacturer specializing in individually handcrafted digital audio components. Peychev, an Electronic Engineer who graduated from electronics university in Bulgaria in 1988, initially worked as a technical consultant for a West Berlin audio/video company before immigrating to the U.S., where he gained 7 years of engineering experience with Sony Electronics in their Broadcast and Professional Division. Headquartered at 36 Raiko Daskalov Str., Ruse 7000, Bulgaria, the company evolved from award-winning product modification work to designing and manufacturing original high-end digital audio components. With over 25 years of audio component design experience, Peychev leads APL Hi-Fi's mission guided by the motto 'No Boundaries' and the philosophy that 'home audio is a journey,' focusing on creating products that stay true to natural sound reproduction. The company specializes in handcrafted DACs (including DSD-MR, DSD-SR, DSD-AR models), CD/SACD players, network streamers like the DNP-SR, and various analog components, with particular expertise in DSD technology that aims to replicate analog sound quality. APL Hi-Fi's ILLUMI-FI product line achieves what they term 'a new meaning of boutique' through unique, individually handcrafted components with build quality surpassing typical boutique standards. The company has gained international recognition, including the 'Most Wanted Component 2004' award by Stereotimes for their High Resolution CD-SACD digital player redesign, establishing themselves as a respected name in the ultra-high-end audio market serving discerning audiophiles worldwide.