The CDP-2 is an update to Quad's extremely successful
top-of-the-range CD-P. The original CD-P wowed customers with its
excellent sound quality and neat additional features, including
six digital inputs and a high quality variable output too. However,
following the winding down of Philips' Optical Storage division,
there are no longer any suppliers of high-quality CD mechanisms
left - meaning the transport mech in the CD-P is now discontinued.
This has left many manufacturers in a difficult situation, meaning
that either a DVD mechanism has to be used or, worse still, a
cheap data drive (non of which are optimised for 1x reading).
Considering these compromises unacceptable, Quad has tackled the
problem head-on by hiring Jon Green - one of the leading figures
from Philips' CD transport team - a man with an unsurpassed hands-on
knowledge of the intracacies of high-end CD drive development.
The result is the unique CD drive found in the Quad CDP-2. It's
a rare beast because the whole application is custom designed
for one purpose only - this Quad CD player - rather than being
a bolt-in solution. Jon's bespoke implementations of laser reading
strategies - customised to the CDP-2 - result in a vibrancy of
sound and resolution of detail unequalled by any other CD drive,
at anything like the price. Not least because this kind of knowledge
is held by only six or seven people in the world - several of
whom are already retired.
Doing a back-to-back comparison with the original CD-P should
reveal major steps forward in finesse, resolution, and pacing
- putting the CDP-2 firmly at the top of its class. The good news
for existing customers is that CD-Ps can be retro-fitted with
the new transport to turn them into full CDP-2s - since the transport
is the only difference between the two players. The cost of that
upgrade is still to be confirmed, but details will be released
in the very near future.
The CDP-2 sells at the same price as its predecessor, and still
includes six digital inputs (ideal for those with Freeview boxes,
DAB tuners, PlayStations, or other equipment with a digital out),
plus a fixed output, and an ultra-short signal path variable output
for those wishing to go straight into a power amp. QuadLink connectors
are also fitted to allow simple and perfect integration with a
complete 99 series installation.
