Quad Elite CDS CD-player

Elite CDS player from Quad demonstrates a bright personality. The unusual size, body cast from an aluminum alloy - all this speaks of extraordinary thinking of the developers. The layout of the front panel is symmetrical. Crystal CS4398 chip, often appeared even in very expensive technology, answers for converting a digital signal into an analog one. In addition, to improve the quality of the conversion, the original stream from CD is subjected to up-sampling up to 24 bits/192 kHz. Another interesting feature can be found on the rear panel, where, in addition to the traditional RCA outputs, there is a proprietary Quadlink system bus connector, which, in addition to control commands, also transmits an audio signal.

Sound nature of the Quad Elite CDS player can be called neutral, without noticeable tint. First of all, this is achieved by the most careful attitude to the middle band, where the sound resolution seems to be maximal. Meanwhile, the bass register is also quite strong (primarily in terms of dynamics), but it is somewhat limited in depth - in some cases it makes the sound somewhat lightweight. Claims to the correct playing of the attack were not found. The uppercase was good by openness and accuracy. Discants are full of energy, but at times they are perceived to be a bit sharper than usual. Sound space is built almost like a monolithic wall. Despite the fairly compact size, the imaginary sources are strictly ordered, and the scene has a noticeable depth.