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"Fine Performer" High Performance CD Player with DAC and MQA Decoding
audiolab's new 8300CDQ is a high performance CD player, DAC, and preamplifier that takes compact disc and digital file playback to the audiolab's most advanced level yet.
Launched in 2010, the original Westlake-designed audiolab CD players – the 8200CD and 8200CDQ – were universally acclaimed for their superb sound quality and flexible facilities. In 2015, the 8300 Series arrived, and both 8200 Series players were replaced by the 8300CD, building upon its predecessors' formidable reputation. It has taken until now for this player to be joined by the enhanced 8300CDQ, further developing audiolab's classic line of CD players to reach still greater heights.
For enjoying the 8300CDQ as a DAC, five digital inputs are included, consisting of one asynchronous USB and four S/PDIF (two coaxial and two optical). Hi-res digital audio is supported up to 32-bit/384kHz PCM and DSD256, and USB HID compatibility enables driverless control of a connected PC, Mac, or media player.
"Jack of All Trades
"Once up and running the 8300CD is a fine performer. Whether used with the built-in CD transport or the digital inputs, the player’s sonic signature remains consistent and appealing," reports What Hi-Fi? magazine, August 19, 2020. "Its presentation is certainly more refined than the old one, more tonally even and projected with a greater scale of sound. Sonic authority is improved too, particularly at low frequencies."
"The 8300CDQ from Audiolab takes the original 8200CDQ’s recipe, polishes it, and adds important capabilities that should keep it going for another decade. If you’re searching for a jack of all trades and a master of some, give him a try," notes John Browning, vintagesonics.com August 19, 2020.
Superb Slot-loading CD Transport Mechanism
Fast in operation and neat in design, the 8300CDQ's slot-loading CD transport delivers excellent reliability. A read-ahead digital buffer reduces disc-reading errors, enabling scratched CDs that are unreadable by conventional mechanisms to be played. High disc stability and low susceptibility to resonance contribute to the 8300CDQ's superb CD sound quality.
32-bit ESS Sabre Reference DAC
The 8300CDQ's CD transport and digital inputs feed a DAC section with an ESS Sabre32 Reference chip nestling at its heart, utilizing HyperStream architecture and ESS Technology's Time Domain Jitter Eliminator to deliver ultra-low noise and high dynamic range.
No company knows more about making the most of this 32-bit, eight-channel hybrid multi-bit Delta-Sigma DAC technology than audiolab. The 8200CD and 8200CDQ were among the first audio components to use it, and the company has been honing its implementation ever since. The conversion process involves 512 DAC elements (256 per channel), each operating at 84.672MHz. All digital audio sources, whatever the sample rate, are upsampled or oversampled to this frequency.
Maximizing MQA Playback
A key feature introduced in the 8300CDQ is decoding of the MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) format, which delivers the sound of the original master recording. The brainchild of Meridian Audio co-founder Bob Stuart, MQA is a digital audio format designed for high-resolution music streaming and is available via subscription to Tidal's 'HiFi' tier (among other sources). The 8300CDQ unpacks MQA data – received via the USB input – at the original file's full resolution and passes the signal through its DAC and preamp stages, ready to feed a power amp or active speakers.
audiolab's MQA decoding solution was developed by John Westlake, one of Britain's foremost digital audio experts. There are various ways to enable MQA playback on audio devices, and not all are equal sonically. Westlake's solution maximizes the format's potential, just as the 8300CDQ's design draws the best sound quality from other audio codecs and, of course, CDs.
Exemplary Jitter Reduction and Time Domain Isolation
Around the DAC chip are extensive measures to reduce jitter (digital distortion) to vanishingly low levels. Careful circuit layout and low-noise power supplies complement the DAC's patented Sabre32 sample rate converter and clever DPLL (Digital Phase Locked Loop) circuit, radically reducing time domain errors from all digital input sources.
While the Sabre32 sample rate converter virtually eliminates jitter within the digital domain, external 'analog domain induced' artifacts caused by RF breakthrough, PSU coupling, and so on will affect the DAC's sonic performance.
audiolab resolves this issue via its CATDA (Cascaded Asynchronous Time Domain Attenuator) circuit. This circuit isolates the DAC substrate from sonically deleterious artifacts that affect non-synchronous digital input data. To achieve the best possible performance, three identical cascaded stages are used. Each individual stage provides increased isolation, thereby maximizing timing performance, even at higher RF frequencies.
Selectable Digital Filters
As digital audio reproduction technology has progressed, the importance of the characteristics of reconstruction digital filters has become more appreciated. The audiolab 8300CDQ features seven user-selectable filters for PCM audio data (including CD) and four ultrasonic filters for DSD data. These settings allow you to tune the 8300CD's performance according to system configuration, digital file quality, and personal taste.
Preamp Circuitry with Analog Inputs
The 8300CDQ features high-quality analog preamp circuitry coupled to three stereo pairs of line-level RCA inputs to connect analog sources. The preamp circuitry is kept as simple as possible using high-quality components to maintain signal purity, with line input signals passing to a precision analogue volume stage. Much effort has gone into the physical layout of the 8300CDQ's circuitry, protecting the sensitive preamp section from noise interference.
Sophisticated Power Supply
The 8300CDQ's analog output stages and power supply are exceptionally well specified in the pursuit of sonic excellence. The circuitry includes a large, low-noise toroidal transformer, a plethora of reservoir/smoothing capacitors, an impressive number of regulator chips and discrete transistor (instead of op-amp) analog stages at the output with ultra-low impedance to drive any cable and any load.
The power supply incorporates 29 regulated supply rails, including multiple ultra-low-noise regulators, with extensive measures against power supply contamination and cross-coupling.
Direct-Coupled Headphone Amp
The 8300CDQ adds further flexibility by incorporating a dedicated direct-coupled headphone amp with current-feedback circuitry. Accessed via a front-mounted 1/4" (6.35mm) jack, its gain bandwidth and high slew rate ensure a dynamic, detailed, and engaging performance with all manner of headphone types.
