Sammie,
I've finally received my Quad CD-P -- there's a three-month waiting list --and boy oh boy, was it worth it. This is a superb player, which in my view competes with much more expensive units, and when connected directly to a power amp (I'm using the 909 and am auditioning various 'speakers) might be one of the very best, period. It has a very relaxed and detailed sound -- I'm hearing things in even quite old recordings I never knew were on the master tape -- and seems to make the best out of ALL genres and recordings. Even some ancient bootleg Bad Religion had real snap and menace through the Quad. I am living in the UK for the year and don't know about availability elsewhere, but I think that the CD-P is a must-audition. I owned the Naim CDX (without the power supply) and much prefer the Quad. One thing: although the CD-P is beautifully built (it looks much better in person than in photos) it has quite a dim green display. Apparently, this is for sonic reasons, but it might annoy depending on your setup; also, its usable volume range (implemented in the analogue domain) is in only 32 steps. Otherwise, it's a killer player and a very, very good digital preamp. It is a worthy "last" CD player purchase.
all best,
I've finally received my Quad CD-P -- there's a three-month waiting list --and boy oh boy, was it worth it. This is a superb player, which in my view competes with much more expensive units, and when connected directly to a power amp (I'm using the 909 and am auditioning various 'speakers) might be one of the very best, period. It has a very relaxed and detailed sound -- I'm hearing things in even quite old recordings I never knew were on the master tape -- and seems to make the best out of ALL genres and recordings. Even some ancient bootleg Bad Religion had real snap and menace through the Quad. I am living in the UK for the year and don't know about availability elsewhere, but I think that the CD-P is a must-audition. I owned the Naim CDX (without the power supply) and much prefer the Quad. One thing: although the CD-P is beautifully built (it looks much better in person than in photos) it has quite a dim green display. Apparently, this is for sonic reasons, but it might annoy depending on your setup; also, its usable volume range (implemented in the analogue domain) is in only 32 steps. Otherwise, it's a killer player and a very, very good digital preamp. It is a worthy "last" CD player purchase.
all best,