Quad has launched the previously announced third member of the Platina product line: the Platina CDT, a CD transport without an on-board DA converter. It is not surprising that a DA converter has been omitted, as one is already included in the Platina Integrated.
Quad Platinum CDT
The Quad Platina CDT features a steel housing with anti-resonance feet and a thick aluminium front panel. The front is minimalist and includes a power button, a CD tray, three control buttons, and a 4.3-inch colour display. The screen is identical to that of the other Platina components and supports the display of metadata and user-selectable settings. Naturally, the appearance matches perfectly with the previously launched Platina Integrated and Platina Stream .
The Platina CDT is a pure CD transport without a DA converter. The internal construction is aimed at reducing vibrations and interference by means of a shielded transport mechanism and a carefully designed architecture. DA conversion therefore takes place outside the Platina CDT housing, for example in the Platina Integrated.
The core of the device consists of a special CD transport mechanism combined with a custom-made servo control system. A dual-core processor manages the stream of zeros and ones retrieved from the CD, with the aim of reducing reading errors and jitter before the signal is sent to an external DAC via optical or coaxial outputs. Digital signal output is via an optical output and an RCA output.
Quad Platinum CDT: design of the power supply and the clock circuit
A temperature-compensated crystal oscillator (TCXO) supplies the master clock, supported by an independent, low-noise power supply. Quad has separate power lines for the motor, servo, decoder, and display systems to minimize interference in the signal path. A Noratel toroidal transformer is used in the power supply, with additional isolation applied to key circuits.
Quad Platinum CDT: all types of CDs and also USB storage media
In addition to standard pressed CDs, the Quad Platinum CDT can also play CD-Rs, CD-RWs, and data discs. A USB-A input on the rear enables playback from external storage devices, with support for formats such as FLAC, WAV, WMA, AAC, MP3, and APE in their original resolution. The same internal processing and clocking systems are applied to USB playback.
The launch of this high-quality CD transport underscores the continued demand for CD playback, despite the growth of streaming and high-resolution formats. Quad positions the CD transport as a digital resource for users who maintain physical music collections in the form of a CD library, while also offering the flexibility to play files via USB.
The Quad Platina CDT measures 445 x 135 x 310 millimeters (W x H x D) and weighs 10.9 kilograms.
Quad Platinum CDT: price and delivery information
The Quad Platina CDT will become available for delivery in black and silver versions during April. Price has yet to be announced.
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