When it comes to CD players, NAD?? s veteran engineers know exactly where to spend just a little extra money for a better-quality part, in order to extract the absolute best sound from compact discs. CD players use mechanical, digital, and analogue technology to produce sound, and all three forms of engineering greatly affect the end result and require careful design and engineering. A solid mechanical foundation is paramount in reducing external vibration and providing precise location of the CD drive mechanism. This allows smooth operation and a minimum of tracking errors. Heavy gauge steel and non-resonant plastic moldings are carefully engineered to provide optimum results. The transport is mounted on reinforced steel rails and over 30 fasteners are used to lock the assembly together and maintain precise dimensional integrity. Precise clocking of the digital data stream allows the Wolfson 24-bit DAC to provide accurate linearity for the PCM data conversion to analogue waveform. Audio OPAmps buffer the output without adding noise or distortion to the music. Multi-layer PCBs using surface mount components allow for an enhanced circuit layout with very short signal paths. Powering these elements is a custom designed active power supply that provides multiple regulated voltages to the transport, digital circuits, analogue circuits, and the control and display circuits. The result of this careful engineering is a sound that is at once both detailed and natural, with dramatic dynamic contrasts.