Sugden
Masterclass PDT-4F Fusion CD Player $8999
The SUGDEN Masterclass PDT-4F Fusion CD Player is a true successor to the Masterclass PDT-4 CD Player, absolutely dedicated to ‘simply more music’.
The passage of time in the audio electronics industry is witness to the obsolescence of many components, processors and the actual products to which they are associated. As product designers and manufacturers we have to give consideration to product support, longevity and of course performance. It was the first two parameters that initiated our development of the Sugden Fusion series.
Why Fusion?
Because from the various multitudinous DSP devices available for CD product development we achieved our pinnacle of natural musical performance with a combination of mixed techniques and technologies;
A DVD disc spinner modified to become a dedicated CD engine. This unit includes an output buffer with storage and extremely accurate clocking facilities. An S/PDIF digital interface transceiver with jitter attenuating PLL. A pair of stereo 16 bit audio DACs without over sampling and digital filtering. Current to voltage converter. A 55 kHz post conversion filter stage.
A ‘Class A’ discreet component output stage with optional phono/asymmetric or XLR balanced output options.
The fore mentioned stages coupled to a power supply with eight regulated voltage supplies and twin transformers combine to achieve our goal of ‘simply more music’.
The PDT-4F exhibits a high energy open rich sound with powerful bass and no high register edginess. These characteristics are the fusion of different technologies in the paramount cause of musical performance. The non over sampling filter less DAC arrangement with post analogue filtering is the root source of the unit’s musicality. Whilst our chosen solution may be anathema to those who believe the quality of sound discerned by measurement is the preferential route, we prefer musical performance. The end game for this Sugden CD player is full communication with the musician’s performance.
A Balanced output stage utilising, a state of the art dual operational amplifier, and discreet component output stage gives the opportunity to enjoy the player’s full dynamic range and focus in a slightly larger soundstage.
Digital Facilities
The PDT-4F is an enhanced CD player as it also has digital input and digital output facilities. These signals are supported by a digital interface transceiver in the following manner. The digital input port on the transceiver is connected to the CD head or the digital input socket through a high quality change over relay. With the PDT-4 in stand by mode, the digital input is connected to the transceiver and the power supply for the DAC is enabled. This allows digital signals from other ancillary equipment to be processed through the PDT-4’s DAC. The Interface chip has auto frequency detection/synchronisation at its input and can work with sample rates from 32 to 192ks/s. The digital output is a cleaned up, re clocked (de jittered) version of the digital in signal.
With the PDT-4F switched on, the CD Engine and controls are activated and output from the CD engine buffer is connected to the transceiver for ongoing processing through the audio DAC circuitry. The S/PDIF signal is again re clocked by the transceiver and is available on the digital out socket. This makes a signal source available for CD recordings.
Analogue Outputs
There are two stereo analogue output facilities available on the PDT-4F, an asymmetrical analogue output stage (high quality gold plated phono sockets) and balanced analogue output stages accessed through twin XLR sockets.
Construction
The Masterclass PDT-4 F as with all Sugden Audio equipment is designed and manufactured in England with little recourse to outsourcing. We have a dedicated team of engineers, technicians and assembly staff of long service who are immersed in our company culture. They take a pride in their work and know that our competitors are after their jobs.
The Sugden Masterclass PDT-4f is housed in a non magnetic metal casing which is the ideal for dealing with spurious high frequency contamination and maintaining the best environment for signal processing. A 10mm thick aluminium front panel anodised for scratch resistance and to enhance appearance also provides added weight for immunity from standing waves. The case is also supported on shock absorbing feet.
The signal boards from S/PDIF signal generation to analogue output are all of high quality with gold plated tracks and are populated with components of the highest quality for audio processing. Components are subjected to low stress for long life and continuous high and stable performance. The power supply board also has gold plated tracks and through hole components with ratings to ensure longevity in service.
The inclusion of psycho acoustic techniques to enhance the musical performance of Sugden products include; component selection, silver wires, gold plated connectors and the overall topography of the audio signal to logic functions, power supplies and case work.
Sugden presents the PDT-4F as a dedicated CD player with the advantage of operating as a high quality DAC and source of digital signal for recording purposes.
Fusion 21 CD Player $4999
The new Fusion CD player is the result of nearly twenty five years development of Sugden digital products. Our latest player combines modern digital technology with unique Sugden design criteria’s dedicated to high quality audio performance. The heart of the Fusion player is a precision ‘CD Engine’ comprising of a very accurate loader/laser assembly driven by custom software. The interconnected front-end board (servo) is capable of short term data storage through its on board memory, made possible by the CD disc running at a higher speed than conventional CD mechanisms.
The buffered output from the servo is passed to a dedicated digital interface transceiver. An external high quality master clock allows low jitter recovery of S/PDIF through the high performance internal PLL. The transceiver is also able to clean up (de-jitter) the received digital audio signals. The data signal is re-formatted and the output status bits are selected before being sent to the multi-bit digital to analogue converter. This method of signal processing has made both over sampling and digital filtering redundant. The analogue signal from the DAC is then passes through a current to voltage converter (trans-impedance amplifier) using circuits chosen and developed specifically for their performance and sound quality. To remove any serious audible noise produced in the digital domain, an analogue 55K post filter is incorporated prior to the signal reaching the final pure class A analogue output stage.
To expand the possibilities of digital playback, the Fusion CD player is also capable of acting as a high quality stand-alone digital to analogue converter. When in Standby mode the S/PDIF coaxial input is activated allowing replay of an externally connected digital source.
