Wireless Streaming Integrated Amplifier / DAC / Preamplifier / CD Player

The latest addition to the best-selling QUAD Artera series. It heralds the arrival of wireless audio streaming and multi-room technology to the established QUAD Artera portfolio. Based on the recently upgraded and richly specified Artera Solus, it incorporates the acclaimed DTS Play-Fi® platform for high resolution wireless audio streaming. With DTS Play-Fi® Technology, music can be streamed over your wireless network in high-resolution format and can be easily expanded to an ultimate multi-room system if required. You can stream from any source on your wireless network, including smart-phones, tablets or PCs as well as a NAS Drive.

Smart Aesthetics

The Wi-Fi networking is powered by DTS Play-Fi: an app-controlled platform enabling high-quality, whole-home wireless audio, capable of streaming hi-res music up to 24-bit/192kHz and supported by a greater range of established audio brands than any other wireless platform.

Wireless Streaming Technology

Play-Fi supports a wide variety of file formats, including MP3, MP4A, AAC, FLAC, WAV and AIFF. In standard mode, which is optimised for multi-room bandwidth, audio is streamed at up to 16-bit/48kHz – akin to CD-quality. By engaging Play-Fi's Critical Listening Mode, hi-res audio up to 24-bit/192kHz may be streamed over Wi-Fi or Ethernet cable, without transcoding or down-sampling.

There are other ways to stream music wirelessly, other than via the Play-Fi app. Spotify users can connect directly from the Spotify app thanks to Spotify Connect, and you can stream from smartphones and tablets without connecting to the local Wi-Fi network thanks to aptX Bluetooth.

Digital Audio Conversion

At its heart nestles the ES9018 Sabre32 Reference, the eminent 32-bit, eight-channel hybrid multi-bit Delta-Sigma DAC chip, expertly implemented by QUAD's renowned electronics engineers. External sources benefit from this DAC's exceptional quality via a range of digital inputs, handling PCM data up to 32-bit/384kHz as well as DSD64/128/256. This ensures the device is equipped to make the most of today's hi-res music formats, as well as future advances in ultra-high-definition digital sound.

For CD replay, a slot-loading mechanism buffers data from the disc before feeding it to the asynchronous DAC section. Four digital filter options enable users to tailor the sound from both CDs and external digital sources, to suit personal taste and the nature of the source material.

Amplification

The preamp and power amp stages incorporate balanced circuitry, short and direct signal paths and high-quality components to preserve sonic purity. Volume is adjusted in the analogue domain under microprocessor control, outputting directly to the dual-mono Class AB power amp stage which delivers 2x75W into eight ohms. To minimise distortion, the power supplies for the left and right channels are isolated from each other as well as from the rest of the system.

Connectivity

Cable connectivity options are plentiful. Six digital inputs – two coaxial, two optical, USB Type B and Ethernet – cater for external digital sources (there's also a USB Type A socket for software updates) while a pair of RCA inputs handle analogue sources. Analogue outputs are supplied in both single-ended RCA and balanced XLR varieties, with the four-channel volume control preserving the balanced signal path from the DAC to the XLR output. A pair of high-quality speaker binding posts, optical and coaxial digital outputs, a 12V trigger output and a front-mounted jack coupled to a dedicated headphone amp circuit complete a comprehensive connectivity array.