Quad Elite CD-X
CD Player and Pre Amplifier
 
The Quad Elite CDX combines a CD player, DAC and Pre amp in one unit. Built around the same Crystal 24bit / 192kHz DAC that is found in Quad's flagship Platinum DMP and integrating a high end asynchronous USB input the CD player offers a flexible means to enjoying your music. Users can now stream 24bit / 192kHz audio files direct from PC or Mac Utilising Quad's award winning digital to analogue conversion circuitry. It also maintains 3 x optical and 2 x Coaxial inputs with variable volume outputs. x 75 Ω, SPDIF, 3x Optical Toslink SPDIF. Digital Out: 1x Optical Toslink, SPDIF, 1x USB input
 
Specification
- Design Philosophy and Core Technology: Support USB Maximum Sampling Frequency:192kHz
- DAC: Cirrus Logic CS4398
- Resolution: 24 bits
- Sampling Frequency: 32-192kHz
- Maximum Sampling Frequency: 192kHz
- Digital Input: 2 x coaxial,3 x Toslink optical,1 x USB
- Digital Output: 1 x Toslink optical
- Max.Audio Output Voltage: 2.4V RMS ,RCA (fixed/variable), 4.8V RMS,Balanced(Quadlink)
- Output Impedance: 120Ω
- Frequency Response: 20Hz-20kHz +0dB/-0.6dB
- Signal-to-Noise Ratio (S/N): >110dB >115dB ‘A' wtd
- Dynamic Range: >100dB
- Dimensions (mm): 70 x 320 x 310mm
- Net Weight: 4.5kg
- Standard Accessories: Power cord, remote control handset, batteries, user manual, warranty card, USB cable
 
Impressive sound and considerable flexibility thanks to six digital inputs
ANALOGUE CHARACTER
Comparing it with our notes for the CDS, we detected no remarkable differences when using the Elite CDP strictly as a CD player. The Elite CDP is decidedly analogue-ish in the best sense, with the BGO CD equivalents of recent Sundazed Hollies mono LPs sounding deliciously similar.
   Stereo versions of the same material were ultra-wide, extending beyond the borders of our LS3/5As set-up. There was ample air around each player, a superb sense of front-to-back depth and a welcome freedom from digital nasties. Even more impressive was the playback from mono sources: you could almost disassemble the ultra-fine weave that is The Hollies’ harmonising. Sweetness, smoothness, silkiness – the three ‘S’s, without the debilitating fourth, sibilance. ‘Look Through Any Window’ jangled and chimed as we first remember it from nearly a halfcentury ago: scintillating treble that came to symbolise the sound of the First British Invasion.
   A sorely-needed, recent CD of Ian And The Zodiacs’ finest efforts, equally indicative of the seductive charm of the era, provided the Jagger/Richards song, ‘So Much In Love With You’, again showing that what once seemed a dearth of bass, leading to an impression of too much sparkle, had been an unfounded complaint.
   Using FLAC recordings, we found the CDP to be a great leveller rather than a poster child for digital. Yes, there was a leap between MP3 or some of the other highly-compressed formats aimed at personal hi-fi users, but two flavours of FLAC seemed indistinguishable. It was not a disappointment, but neither did it do much to promote 48k over 96k. So for us, the joy of the Elite CDP is its plethora of inputs. Which just happen to be in the same box as a fine CD player.
VERDICT
The Elite CDP is even nicer than the 99CDP-2, the revised aesthetics enhancing the desirability. For the money, provided you want a bunch of digital inputs and don’t mind using lateral thinking for USB, it’s a bargain: great-sounding and eminently practical.