A Pefect Pairing: The Quad ArteraCategories: Hi-Fi

Sometimes it pays to go into a brands long, lustrous history, and sometimes it’s best to let the products do the talking. When it comes to pretty much everything Quad – the amplification specialists – have brought to the table, their history has faded into insignificance! That is evermore true when it comes to the gorgeous new Artera range, but we’ll get to that in a moment.

Although… Quad’s history is pretty impressive. Let’s give you a brief overview…

Quad History

Quad have been around for a pretty long time. Yeah, I know that we stock a lot of ‘historical’ brands, but this one goes pretty far back.

It started in the pre-war years, with a man named Peter Walker. Peter had been producing audio equipment (specifically public address amplifiers) for 15 years, which lead to his eventual release of the first domestic model in the Quad brand in the 1949:  QA/12P Integrated amplifier. Although this was still intended for public address useage, and was eventually picked up by the BBC.

The next came in 1951, with the release of the  Q.U.A.D. 1 Control Unit and Power Amplifier. What’s particularly significant about this model is it saw the first use of the acronym Q.U.A.D (Quality Unit Amplifier Domestic) as well as the birth of the brand philosophy…

“For The Closest Approach To The Original Sound“

The next several decades saw them inching closer and closer to that original sound. They almost got there with the Quad Elite range (which is all still available on our website. Hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!) and now there is something that sits even closer to that ‘original sound’ that Walker and his professional descendants have been striving for…

The Artera Range

“Artera sets a new standard of hi-fi electronics by QUAD. We have crafted our new power amplifier – Artera Stereo – and Control unit/CD Player – Artera Play – with some of the latest high-definition audio technologies: state of the art DAC chips, DSD file processing and more. With rugged heat-sinks either side, combined with a beautiful aluminium facia, Artera is a modern statement piece for your living room, with a nod to our hi-fi heritage.” Artera

But what makes the Artera so special? Well, as with everything, it boils down to design… with a side order of tradition. When the Artera range was conceived, it was done so with a distinctive “nod to the past, but a look to the future”, encapsulating both what made QUAD such a long lasting and revered brand, and that long term goal to get as close to the original sound as possible.

And here’s why you should be excited:

• Class leading hi-fi with startling realism
• Influenced by QUAD 405, yet an all-new design
• QUAD patented current dumping technology
• ES99018 8 Channel DAC Chip
• 140W Power output (Artera Stereo)
• Aluminium Front Panel
• Touch Sensitive Control
• DSD 64/128/256
• Up to 32bit / 384kHz sound quality

There are only two items in the Artera range, both available in either black, or silver. it’s a pretty poetic simplicity at how minuscule the range is… but there’s a reason why there are only two things to it.

There’s no need for anything else.

Play CD Player + DAC + Pre Amplifier

Some would say that combining an amp with a source is a bad move – but those people probably don’t realise just how far high fidelity technology has come! The Artera Play is sleek and incredibly user friendly, all the while redefining what’s possible with high-end sound.

DAC: ESS ES9018 32bit
Output Level: 0-2.5Vrms (PRE Out)
Balanced Outputs: 0 – 5 Vrms
L/R Channel Difference: ±0.02dB
Freq Response: -0.2dB (20Hz-20kHz)
THD: <0.001% (20Hz-20kHz)
Linearity: ±0.01dB (20Hz-20kHz)

Of course, those stunning specs are nothing without what the Play was made to work alongside…

Stereo Power Amplifier

With 140 Watts RMS per channel, the Artera Stereo is the ideal partner for the Play. It’s strong, it’s firm and it’s clean, and their complimentary technology means they are both perfectly geared to work together with the Play to drive first class speakers at a level far beyond their combined price point. What makes the Artera Stereo particularly special is that it incorporates QUAD’s patented current dumping technology developed by Peter Walker (the guy who started it all!). It’s called Current Damping, and it is essentially a combination of two amplifiers that give the best of both Class A and Class B operation. If you want to know a little bit more about what that means, read about amplifier classification here.

Take a look at the specs…

Rated Output: 140W 8Ω (<1% THD)
THD: <0.003% (100W, 1kHz)
Freq Response: -3dB (20Hz-70kHz)
Input Sensitivity: 980mV (RCA)
Impedance: 10kΩ (B), 15kΩ (UB)
SNR: 115dB (A weighted, 140W)

These guys are designed to work together. And as with anything working together, there’s usually a greater purpose yet. In the case of the Artera, it’s these…

Those are the Quad S5 – the perfect partners for a pair of perfect partners (… yep!). These are the largest version of the Quad S series, it also features the Quad S4 floorstanders, they can be set up with the Quad S1 and the Quad S2 bookshelf speakers, all of which were designed with the Arteras in mind. The S5s however are the biggest and most recent model, and therefore deserve a special mention.

Alternatively, you could try that perfect pairing out with another example of world class first class: the ProAc Response D20R. Both of these speakers are available to demo in our showroom (alongside the Arteras, in all their glory!) and therefore, if you give us a shout, you can witness the Artera exactly as they are intended to be witnessed. We have experienced it ourselves, and we have to say, it’s pretty damn good.

Take a look at the two models, in both black and silver, here.