Quad 3CDT CD Transport

Description

Quad 3CDT CD Transport

The Quad 3CDT is a dedicated Compact Disc transport designed for listeners who want to get the best possible performance from their CD collection.

Created as the natural partner for the Quad 3 integrated amplifier, the 3CDT focuses entirely on accurate disc reading and clean digital signal output. By leaving digital-to-analogue conversion to the amplifier or an external DAC, Quad has been able to concentrate on transport stability, low jitter and signal integrity.

Dedicated CD Transport Design

Unlike a conventional CD player, the Quad 3CDT does not include its own DAC or analogue audio outputs. Its sole purpose is to read the information from a disc as accurately as possible and deliver a clean digital signal to the DAC in your amplifier or digital audio system.

This makes it an ideal choice to partner the Quad 3 Integrated Amplifier, which already incorporates a high-performance ESS ES9038Q2M DAC, but the 3CDT can also be partnered with other amplifiers and external DACs with suitable optical or coaxial digital inputs.

High-Precision CD Mechanism

At the heart of the 3CDT is a high-precision CD mechanism controlled by a custom-designed servo system. The laser assembly and servo control have been optimised to reduce disc-reading errors, jitter and unwanted distortion, helping preserve the integrity of the original digital information stored on the disc.

Advanced Servo and Control Architecture

The Quad 3CDT uses an advanced dual-core processing architecture with a 32-bit RISC processor and dedicated MCU. This provides precise control over the transport mechanism, disc access and error correction, helping ensure reliable playback even with less-than-perfect discs.

Ultra-Low-Jitter TCXO Clock

Accurate timing is critical to high-quality digital audio, so Quad has fitted the 3CDT with a temperature-controlled crystal oscillator (TCXO). This ultra-low-jitter clock provides the master timing reference for the servo and decoder section, helping produce a stable S/PDIF digital output with reduced timing distortion.

The TCXO also receives its own low-noise power supply and grounding arrangement, further isolating it from electrical interference elsewhere in the player.

Separated Power Architecture

Quad has carefully separated the power supplies for the motor, laser servo and digital decoder sections.

Three independent low-noise voltage regulators are dedicated to the CD servo system, while the TCXO clock has its own ultra-low-noise linear regulator. By reducing interference between different sections of the transport, the 3CDT is designed to deliver a cleaner and more stable digital output.

Optical and Coaxial Digital Outputs

The 3CDT provides both coaxial and optical S/PDIF digital outputs, giving you flexibility when connecting to an amplifier or DAC. Coaxial is often the natural choice when partnering the 3CDT with the Quad 3, while the optical output provides useful compatibility with a wider range of digital systems.

More Than Standard Audio CDs

Alongside conventional Compact Discs, the QUAD 3CDT also supports CD-R, CD-RW, Data CDs, FLAC, WAV, WMA , MP3 and APE.

This makes the 3CDT more flexible than a traditional Red Book-only transport, particularly for listeners who have archived digital music onto recordable discs.

Large Front Display

A wide 159mm full-view LCD display provides clear information from across the room while retaining the clean, minimalist appearance of the QUAD 3 series. A full remote control is also supplied for convenient operation from the listening position.

Designed to Match the QUAD 3

The styling of the 3CDT closely follows the QUAD 3 integrated amplifier, with matching proportions, understated detailing and the same compact design philosophy.

At just 300mm wide, it creates a particularly neat two-box system when placed alongside or above the QUAD 3.

The combination brings together traditional CD playback, modern digital conversion and Class AB amplification in a compact system with a distinctive nod to QUAD's classic designs.

Key Features:

• Dedicated Compact Disc transport
• Designed as the ideal partner for the QUAD 3 integrated amplifier
• High-precision CD mechanism
• Supports CD, CD-R and CD-RW
• Large full-view LCD display
• Remote control supplied
• Compact 300mm-wide chassis
• Matching QUAD 3 styling

A Pure Digital Source for Your CD Collection

The QUAD 3CDT is an excellent choice for anyone who still values physical media but wants CD playback to integrate naturally into a modern digital hi-fi system.

Its dedicated transport architecture, low-jitter clocking, separated power supplies and precision servo control allow it to concentrate on one job: retrieving the digital information from your discs as accurately as possible.

Partner it with the QUAD 3 amplifier and you have a compact, beautifully matched two-box system that combines classic QUAD character with modern digital performance.