I cannot comment on the Quad as I have never encountered that player, but I have the Tjoeb and I highly enjoy it. I have the Upsampler with the Tjoeb. Although there are many Tjoeb owners who do not use the Upsampler, in my opinion it is a must with the Tjoeb. I had the Tjoeb for quite awhile without the Upsampler and it was a nice, but not overly impressive. With the Upsampler, the player is in another league. Interesting that the Upsampler reveals much more detail from CDs, but also pleasantly smooths out the sound. The cons for this player are that the Upsampler takes an annoyingly long time to break in and become listenable (however, you can leave the player on Standby mode to break it in so you do not have to be playing CDs 24/7). The other con is the player does not have an IEC socket to interchange after market power cords. You can either buy the Ah Direkt cord (an after market cord designed for the Tjoeb as an accessory) and have it installed before you buy it (if you're buying it new) or install it yourself after the purchase (if you're buying used). I just got the Direkt power cord and installed it--very easy to do, but I'm kicking myself for having waited so long to do it. Its not that the Direkt cord is such a night and day difference, but its a worthwhile improvement as it smooths out the sound making everything sound less digital and it also improves the clarity and soundstage (which was pretty darn good to begin with). You could also DIY an IEC connector for other cords. I almost took this route, but opted on the Direkt cord and I am pretty happy (at least at the moment). The only other con I can think of is that the chasis is pretty flimsy and you may want to line it with damping material or mass weight it (a tweak I'm working on currently). If you're buying new, you may also want to look at the Rega Apollo as it has been getting rave reviews from consumers and is in about the same price range as the Tjoeb with the Upsampler. I haven't heard the Rega nor have I read any comments of users comparing the Tjoeb and the Rega to know which would be preferred. All I can say is that when I listen to the Tjoeb with the Upsampler and Direkt cord, I don't feel any need to seek out a new player; all I feel is the urge to stay home from work everyday and play all my CDs. Good luck on your choice and let us know what you pick and why.
