Price Paid:  $900.00 from eBay

Summary:
A difficult product to rate - it has a severely split personality. In a nutshell - the CD player half is truly excellent - the pre-amplifier half is mediocre.

Using the fixed output sockets, so bypassing the volume control, this is BY FAR the best CD player I have heard. Open, superbly transparent, real hear-into-tangibility, excellent soundstaging, beautifully judged tonal balance, great dynamics (micro and macro).
The digital pre-amp aspect is also excellent - 3 phono and 3 toslink inputs!! It's marvellous to use this excellent DAC with my MD player and DAB tuner.

BUT, switch to the volume controlled outputs and the transparency and focus just disappear. Gone !! If the CD side wasn't so wonderful, maybe the incongruity wouldn't be so obvious. You may read elsewhere that this is a transparent volume control - not so!

So, bypass the volume control and you have a truly great CD player and digital source selector.

I would rate the CD player half as better than all those listed below.
... mind you, that is to ignore the quite embarassing ergonomics of the CD transport ... you can't fast-forward/reverse when in pause, it's quite difficult to convince the beast you want to start anywhere but track 1 ... etc etc - But, who cares? when the CD player sounds SO good!!

Rest of system: Audiostatic DCI speakers, Papworth M100 valve monoblocks, BAT VK3i pre(rolled tubes), JPS speaker cables, RS Audio Duet palladium/silver interconnects.

Strengths:
CD-player and DAC: Openness, detail, transparency, tonal truth, subtlety, dynamics, soundstaging.
Volume control: er ... none really - what a shame!!
But this is a real bargain just for the CD player side - which is what my rating is based on.

Weaknesses:
Truly mediocre analogue pre-amp - misty and de-focussed images, smeared dynamics.

Similar Products Used:
Benchmark DAC1 + Trichord Precision transport, Mark Levinson 39, Perpetual Technology PA1/PA3/Monolithic Power Supply, Audio Research CD2, Musical Fidelity NuVista 3D & FCD, ...

Price Paid:  $700.00

Summary:
The Quad Cd-P is a truely breathtaking cd player. Hooked up via the fixed vairable analogue output the sound is impressive, powerful, with real punch and drive when playing rock and pop discs, and lovely warmth with orhestral music without sacrifising any openess or clarity.
It is also a pre-amplifier so all you need is a power amp and speakers for a complete system. The remote control is a great design, with everything you need all on the one remote (very handy!) It also fits well in the hand and looks good.
I have the CD-P partnered with the Quad 909 power amp and Quad 21L speakers. The Quads are certainly designed to look and sound best with eachother.
Visit your nearest dealer and have a listen for yourself!

Strengths:
Wonderful neutral, powerful sound. Good solid build quality overall.

Weaknesses:
Design may not be to everyones taste. The electric cd tray mechanism could be made better? Sound wise - not a problem.

Similar Products Used:
Quad 909 Power amp, Quad 11L/12L/21L's

Price Paid:  $1600.00 from Raf, Amsterdam

Summary:
wow.

this is a NICE cd player (and, believe me, I've had my share of one and two box things for the horrible digidisx). It makes the music, and is the closest I have ever heard to pretty analogue.

I also like the fact that it is small (minute?); I was never crazy about Quad electronics (LOVE the electrostat speakers tho). found it too mushy, gentle, uninvolving, soft. This thing is something else! As I am typing I've got the new Radiohead on the Stax headphones and it is loud and nasty and -well- like analogue, you know.

Did I say it is cute and small and my wife likes it, 'cause it is so simple to operate and so easy to understand.

BUY IT

Strengths:
Size

Sound

Simple operation

Weaknesses:
Flimsy cd tray (jeez)

it's a Quad so true audiophiles will wonder: Tell them The Absolute Sound (USA) wrote an incredible review

Similar Products Used:
Nakamichi

all Philips and Marantzes

JVC XLZ-1010 (HP/TAS recommended)

Audio Art (= Cambridge Audio) + DA

Denon cd/dvd stuff (don't bother!)

-curious about Sony SACD....

Price Paid:  $1499.00 from QS&D

Summary:
I second the other review posted here - I find that this is a superb piece of equipment, accurate & detailed. An unsung hero here in the US.
I moved up (most reluctantly) from my faithful & excellent Quad CD67 - most difference noticed in added depth, and also more forgiving on early CD's (ahem, 80's rock..)
Spectacular with well produced CD's

Strengths:
Exceptionally well built. Good looking - but the sonic quality is sublime. Likes Ecosse Maestro interconnect. Flexible - I run a new Sony CD changer thru the DAC - and direct to Quad 909 Power Amp as it has built-in pre-amp

Weaknesses:
NONE

Similar Products Used:
Quad CD67 / 66 Series

Price Paid:  $1190.00

Summary:
This has turned out to be a great cd player ! For the money it will be hard to beat . The unit is a three in one product . You can use it as a preamp , cd player and a dac . With the 24/192 upsampling it is very smooth and warm with great detail . I almost bought a rega planet but after trying this thing out , I would say it's a better player for me. The Rega seemed a little harsh to me and with no real personality . But the Quad brings the music up close and personal ! It didn't start out that way , when I first plugged it up I could hardly listen to it.After a 100 hours of burn in it is as smooth as vanilla ice cream . The unit has 3 optical and 3 digital coax inputs for devices and also a optical output. This means you can hook a multi disc changer to it and get 24/192 upsampling ! There is also variable and fixed analog outputs so you can plug this unit straight to a amp or a preamp / processor. Remeber there are stand alone dacs that cost what this unit does . Retail is 1500.00 but you maybe able to get a deal on one thru a dealer . This unit is basically unkown in the United States but is a serious audiophile piece of equipment ! Avoid the hype and trust your ears , you will be amazed . And no I don't work for quad ,I just call em like I hear them . It also breaths new life into older recordings with upsampling and without making your ears bleed . It has an audiophile grade volume control and uses a high grade cs crystal dac ! It will compete with cd players twice it's price easy ! Good look hunting not an easy piece to find . Unless you leavein the UK !

Strengths:
24/192 upsampling not oversampling , preamp , great dac , imaging and sound stage very precise , no ear bleeding

Weaknesses:
For this price not a chance !