Company Address: c/o Madrigal Audio Labs, P.O. Box 781, Middletown, Conn. 06457.
One of the more interesting aspects in the evolution of digital CD is that most current reviews openly state now that CD players and D/A converters really do sound different and that the last few years have seen advances in their sound quality. This is the result of a continuing effort to overcome the many compromises made in earlier generations of players and to overcome the limitations in today's consumer-level digital equipment and in the sampling process chosen for CD. The Proceed PCD CD player and PDP D/A converter are good cases in point. They are made by Madrigal, which also manufactures Mark Levinson electronics. If they do not represent the ne plus ultra in sound quality, they come remarkably close to the very best units. And they are far more affordable; the Compact Disc Player costs only $1,650, and the Digital Audio Processor is $1,295. Further, they outperform any units I have encountered in their price range.
The basic functional difference between the Proceed CD player and the D/A converter is that the CD player has, of course, no digital inputs. The converter lacks a transport mechanism but has four digital inputs. It can accept digital signals from any standard CD player, a digital tape recorder, a direct broadcast satellite (DBS) receiver, or a laser videodisc player. It can therefore be used to upgrade the sound of any digital component or of an entire A/V system.
The player has a muted blue electro-luminescent display. But the processor, to get higher performance, uses an LED display, avoiding the electro-luminescent's potential for digital clock noise. When processing a digital signal, the PDP will show the sampling frequency--"32" kHz for DBS, "44" kHz for CD, and "48" kHz for DAT.
These units are among the few CD players and digital processors on the market with digital outputs, and which have both unbalanced RCA outputs and balanced XLR output jacks. The fourth input on the PDP is also balanced, the first I've seen on the input to any consumer D/A converter. Having balanced outputs is useful because some new high-end preamps now have balanced XLR inputs, and the use of balanced cables can strikingly reduce noise in some systems, as well as reduce the effect of the interconnect on the sound quality.
Madrigal has rejected the use of the standard fiber-optic connectors used in some Japanese equipment-quite wisely in my opinion and that of some military designers I work with. They regard this connector as an electro-optical "dog" that is fiber-, shock-, and vibration-sensitive and believe it should never have been made a "standard" in high-quality audio equipment.
The PCD utilizes a high-quality Philips CDM1 Mark II transport mechanism with a cast aluminum, rather than plastic, base plate and a Hall-effect motor.
The transport mechanism and its mounting make a critical difference in CD sound quality, and the Proceed player has several unusual features, including an "architectural" mounting system designed to minimize shock and vibration by holding the circuits and mechanism in a girder framework.
This damps high-frequency vibrations and minimizes the effects of low-frequency vibrations.
The CD player has electronic correction for many kinds of problems that the error-correction circuitry in CD players cannot compensate for, and Madrigal claims that the resulting reduction in timebase and data jitter difficulties improves the reproduction of dynamic contrasts, inner harmonic structures, low-level detail, and spaciousness.
Following a shared transformer, there are two separate master power supplies for the transport and electronics, which reduces circuit noise and the fluctuations in performance inevitable with one power supply. The master power supplies feed 11 distributed power supplies and are fully electronically regulated. Special attention is given to ground and signal-path topology to ensure the best possible performance from the circuit.
The controls on the CD player are simpler than those on many other players but provide every transport and programming feature I have ever actually used. The unusual control layout, vertical design, and ergonomics are excellent. My only complaints are a lack of positive tactile feedback in the controls--a problem common to many computer keyboards--and the fact that some of the indicator lights cannot be easily seen from the side.
The PCD and the POP have very similar electronics. Both are designed for easy serviceability and updating, something that must be a first in a CD player with a price like this. Each unit has four separate electronic regulators for the audio circuitry, one for each rad of each channel. There are two electronic regulators for each channel's D/A converter.
Madrigal concentrates on quality. It uses 18-bit monolithic Burr-Brown D/A converters and circuitry that minimize THD without adding other forms of distortion. Units are fully burned in at the factory, and the digital circuitry is individually tested after burn-in. The Proceeds also have a high-precision, eight-times oversampling digital filter, and Madrigal stresses that it has chosen this filter because of its superior sound quality--not for theoretical considerations. There is also an analog filter which has linear phase all the way out to 40 kHz.
The analog output stage uses a new generation of high-performance integrated circuits which allow the CD player and D/A converter to retain most of the advantages of discrete electronic components. External compensation is provided with precision capacitors and resistors, when necessary, to ensure best sound quality. The Proceeds thus have much the same kind of audio circuitry that one expects in the more expensive high-end preamps.
These pieces do, however, differ in a few respects. The converter has circuitry to clean up the digital information before processing. It uses the same power supply as the CD player, which means that it has more reserves and more consistent power going to the analog and digital circuits. The converter also has a heavier and more closely sealed case, which improves thermal stability and the performance of the electronics.
As for overall sound quality, the PCD and the PDP come very close to Horace's "golden mean." They do not strive for drama and effect; their merit lies in an ability to extract almost exactly what is on the original recording and to do so with outstanding neutrality.
This does not save bad recordings, but it also does not exaggerate their problems. The Proceeds provide the kind of natural balance and detail that you expect in a concert hall or one of the few jazz performances that relies largely on natural acoustic energy. These components emphasize sound reproduction, not sound processing.
The overall timbre of this equipment is very good. With the possible exception of some far more expensive digital decoders, this is the most musically natural overall timbre I've heard, and it is consistent over a wide range of musical dynamics.
Although the low bass is not quite up to the best competition, it is far more well defined than most. The mid-bass is tight, powerful, and has good definition. There is nice balance between the upper bass and lower midrange and only a hint of the leanness that colors virtually all digital playback devices.
The midrange is also very good, with an excellent sense of detail and air, and the sound is open and sweet. The upper midrange offers natural detail and transparency, but the Proceeds reproduce concert-hall-like sound--not dramatic or etched upper midrange information. The piano and recorder, instruments that can "burn" the ear through many digital units, sound neutral and musical. The treble is very good. Like several of the newest high end digital devices, the Proceeds demonstrate that the top octaves of the best digital recordings can provide excellent sound and that you don't need tubes or circuit gimmicks to soften digital highs-you need really good circuitry to reproduce them.
Imaging is very good in terms of left to-right detail and stability. Depth is very good with material that has depth, but it is not added when it is not on the recording. The soundstage is not particularly wide or spacious, but it is exceptionally natural. There are no gimmicks to expand the soundstage, which results in exceptional center-fill and in depth that is in proper proportion to soundstage width.
Low-, medium-, and high-level contrasts, and dynamics at all musical levels, are very good. You will, however, need an excellent amplifier and fast and dynamic speakers to get the best performance. Slow speakers, and/or an underpowered system, will scarcely reproduce the kind of sound quality that the PDP is capable of. Also, the S/N is excellent. None of the noise in the audio circuits common to many audiophile D/A converters is apparent. I heard no trace of hum or ground loops with any of the preamps I used.
I have found the Proceed PCD and PDP to provide better quality than any similar devices I have auditioned in their price range. The Proceed CD player is an extraordinary value for someone looking for high-end performance at a reasonable price. The D/A converter is not only a "best" value in upgrading a CD player but also an ideal way of adding a system front-end that provides far superior playback quality than the internal D/A converter and audio outputs of any consumer DAT deck or laser videodisc player I have heard. In a world where virtually all manufacturers confuse a fancy front panel with sound quality, and specsmanship with performance, the Proceeds exemplify what audio design and manufacturing are supposed to do: Make recorded music come alive.
-Anthony H. Cordesman
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(Adapted from Audio magazine, Apr. 1991)
Also see:
Proceed CDP CD Player (June 1997)
Philips LHH 500 CD Player (Apr. 1992)
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