QUAD or Arcam ?

From what ive read the newer Quad CD-P (the one with preamp outs) is a whole different animal from the earlier version so make sure your looking at the latest one. Havent heard it yet but the Brit reveiws have all been good.

Yeh I am looking at CD-P.

I have seen reviews which are excellent for both Arcam and Quad.

Given Quad is a lot more expensive at retail price I presume it is a big step up in performance but not always so - anyone else got a view ??

I think you should demo them, because Quad and Arcam used to differently voiced for different audiences, and this may still be the case. Quad is somewhat more laid back sounding than arcam. Arcam is more upbeat. It's personal taste.

I remember demoing some speakers nearly 10 yrs ago. A full quad CD/pre/power setup was driving them. I was not very impressed. It sounded utterly lifeless. The sales guy asked what amp I had at home. I answer a Mission/Cyrus 2. He swapped to a Cyrus CD/DAC/integrated and the speakers suddenly sounded great. Dynamics detail rhythm all there. Arcam amps were typically a bit less dynamic than the Cyrus, but more dynamic than Quads.

I'm not saying that Quad is worse than Cyrus or Arcam, but last time I heard it's very very different gear.

Just a quick comment regarding Quads & Amplification. I have Quad 21Ls myself and will be powering them with an Monarchy SM-70 within the next few months, moving away from a NAD C350.

Regarding SOURCES and the Quad becomes a bit more interesting. You can look through my post history to find my Player roundup (Rega Planet 2000, Arcam 73t, Cary 308, Creek CD50mkI, Roksan Kandy MkIII, and the Cambridge Audio Azur 640c).

Cary and the Creek were the best of the bunch, Arcam third (more similar to the Cary than the Creek) - and the Arcam had real issues with rhythm regarding higher frequencies. I know that sounds vague but the roundup describes it pretty well and the track I was using to examine the high end had a lot of synth / wind chimes and it was very clear to everyone in the room that the Arcam wasn't pulling the detail nor the proper placement nor the proper order (and speed etc hence rhythm comment). Either way read the more detailed post in my history.

If you can do try the new Creek CD50 mkII its supposed to be about as good as the old one but more tolerant of copy protected CDs. The Cary is a great player as well, with more slam than the Creek so it really comes down to 'taste'.

Amplification my tests have been fairly limited but I have thrown the Sophia Baby (10wpc Tube Amp) at it and was quite impressed - Dynamics were still sufficient at normal to slightly louder listening levels. The Monarchy I'm going to is quite wonderful and I simply love its tone, and PRAT. 25wpc x 2 Class A.

Either way there is a lot of flexibility with regards to amplification in these speakers. I've heard other people say good things about Tripath amps (eg Bel Canto) being used with the Quad L-Series, McCormack, Monarchy, and Tubes.

The Quads are very detailed and can easily be fatiguing if you have poor upstream equipment (a problem my setup had for quite some time until a poorer source & speaker cable were taken out of the system). I find the Quads perfer Copper based interconnect/speaker wire to that of Silver Plated Copper, or Pure Silver. That's a personal preference though.

Hope this helps, if you have any more specific questions please feel free to e-mail me.

Nathan Klassen

I've owned the following CD players over the last few years:

Arcam Alpha 9

Theta Miles (balanced version)(built-in volume control)

Cary CD-308 (built-in volume control

Resolution Audio Opus 21 (built-in volume control

Granite Audio CD-650

Musical Fidelity CD/Pre-24 (pre-amp,transport,DAC and Digital swithcer in one box)

Quad 99 CD-P (built-in volume control and digital inputs)

As you can see, most had a built-in volume control or a pre-amp included because I have a single source system. If you only have CD as a source, I highly recommend using a player with built-in volume control or pre-amp because you can get rid of an expensive pre-amp. If you have additional digital sources, the Resolution Audio is KILLER and the Quad 99 CD-P is really good for the price. The MF CD/pre-24 is great if you want to simplify your system and have additional digital or analog components that you want to control/switch.

All of the above players are very good, and some are tremendous values at their used prices. However, at MSRP list price, I think the Resolution Audio Opus 21 ($3500) and the Quad 99 CD-P ($1499) are the best bargains.