CD/SACD-проигрыватели и транспорты — Michi Prestige Q430

The Q430 is a CD player in the Michi Prestige series from Rotel, a range introduced to bring the Michi approach to a lower price than the Reference series. Announced alongside the X430 integrated amplifier, it was priced at GBP 3,599, USD 3,999 and EUR 3,999, with sales beginning in North America in March 2026 and worldwide availability following early in the second quarter of that year.

Key specs that matter

The digital to analogue stage uses an ESS SABRE ES9028PRO, a 32-bit, 768 kHz eight-channel chip that Michi configures in stereo mode, giving four DAC channels to each output in a fully differential layout, an arrangement the maker says lowers the noise floor. Frequency response runs from 20 Hz to 20 kHz within 0.3 dB. The maker quotes total harmonic distortion under 0.0006 percent, dynamic range above 99 dB, and signal-to-noise ratio above 120 dB from RCA and above 125 dB from XLR. Channel separation exceeds 105 dB on RCA and 110 dB on XLR. The balanced outputs deliver 4.2 V at 2 kohm output impedance, while the RCA outputs give 1.96 V at 100 ohm.

Engineering and use context

A precision floating tray with a smooth action loads each disc and is designed to reduce mechanical vibration, and multi-stage, tightly regulated power supplies built in-house keep electrical noise away from the critical signal paths. The chassis is milled from aluminium. A full-colour TFT display shows CD album artwork, and the player comes with an aluminium remote control. A coaxial digital output allows the player to feed an outboard DAC. No USB or other digital inputs are listed, so the unit works strictly as a disc player. The North American version runs from 120 V at 60 Hz, drawing 25 W in operation and under 0.5 W on standby. The case measures 431 x 148 x 385 mm, with a front panel height of 132 mm, and weighs 8.8 kg.

Pairing

The fully balanced XLR outputs make the natural link to the Prestige X430 integrated amplifier launched at the same time, or to any preamplifier with balanced inputs. Systems with an existing high-end DAC can take the coaxial output instead and use the Q430 purely as a transport.

Alternatives

The Michi Q5 is the brand's Reference series CD player, pairing the same ES9028PRO converter with a top-loading CNC aluminium mechanism and PC-USB, coaxial and optical inputs.