Reviewing the Quad 99 CDP2
It's been a while since my last post but finally I have managed to get my hands on a Quad 99 CDP2. Having lived perfectly happily with a Quad 67CD player for the last 14 years or so, I have been eyeing the Quad 99 CDP2 up for some time now due to its digital inputs that allow MP3s playback from my pc, but more of that in later posts because believe you me that it a whole different can of worms.
Very few 99 CDP2s come up for auction on Ebay but last month an 18 month old one was advertised due to quick sale because the seller was leaving the country for six months and was up at £180 with 3 days to go. I bid a maximum of £500 only for the player to be sold for £591. However by some fortune the sale fell through and i was given a second offer at £500 which I took and four days later I was the proud owner of a Quad 99 CDP II.
The first thing to be aware of is that some Quad 99 CDP2s are labelled just as CDP. Only by querying IAG and being informed that all CDPs above serial number 1851 are infact fitted with the superior Quad transport was I sure I had the correct player with the extra refinement and detail.
For this article I am just going to concentrate on CD playback. The Quad was partnered with my Net Audio 405-2, Custom built stepped attenuator passive pre-amp and Quad 11L speakers and from the first disc it was obvious this player was more open and detailed than the Quad 67CD which is no slouch. Bass is also something where the Quad 99CDP2 excels and as the player settled into it's new home the music just got better and better.
In the seven days that I have been listening to the new Quad, I have yet to find a disc that it cannot handle sonically. I found the Quad 67CD absolutely suberb on simple arrangements but give it something a little more complex and layered and it begins to struggle a bit. The Quad 99CDP2 on the otherhand just dissects the mix with ease giving each track their own space in the mix.
The Quad 99 CDP2 is quite simply the best CD player I have ever heard and the fact that i can send digital satellite and PC signals to the 24bit 96khz CrystaL DAC inside it even better. It quite simply sounds stunning and is multi functional to boot.
This entry was posted on Friday June 29th, 2007 at 1:44 PM and is filed under CD Players. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response.
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