Quad or Audio Innovations

[Barry]

Although I have been a lifelong fan of Quad electronics, my only long-term experience of the 405 amp has been with Quad 57 speakers. I have three 405s: a very heavily modified 405-1 and two lightly modified 405-2s; one having NET dual mono power supplies. These amps have been part of my system for the last thirty years; only recently being replaced by Mark Levinson electronics.

I also use a Quad 520f amp with B&W DM2a speakers in a second system for AV duties.

The only other speakers I have heard being driven by the 405-1 were the Rogers BBC Monitor (based on the LS3/6, if I recall) and the Celestion 66s. However this was over thirty years ago, so my impressions are rather hazy.



A good friend of mine uses the AI 500 with Impulse H2 horn loaded speakers to good effect - the combination of valves with horns does produce a nice, clear, if not the most accurate sound.

[DSJR]

Go with your heart, since music listening is an emotional thing. If you want technical, build/style and the emotional connection all together, save up for one of the better icon Audio amps (with copper top) as these do beautifully what good solid state do, but with a purity in the treble that's highly addictive IMO.


I must admit that for five hundred notes, a 606mk2 with Tisbury (or similar) passive control/switch is highly temping and residuals holding well mean you wouldn't be hugely out of pocket should you sell 'em on later

[Oldpinkman]

Although I have been a lifelong fan of Quad electronics, my only long-term experience of the 405 amp has been with Quad 57 speakers. I have three 405s: a very heavily modified 405-1 and two lightly modified 405-2s; one having NET dual mono power supplies. These amps have been part of my system for the last thirty years; only recently being replaced by Mark Levinson electronics.

I also use a Quad 520f amp with B&W DM2a speakers in a second system for AV duties.

The only other speakers I have heard being driven by the 405-1 were the Rogers BBC Monitor (based on the LS3/6, if I recall) and the Celestion 66s. However this was over thirty years ago, so my impressions are rather hazy.



A good friend of mine uses the AI 500 with Impulse H2 horn loaded speakers to good effect - the combination of valves with horns does produce a nice, clear, if not the most accurate sound.

I promise you a well sorted 405 can drive just about anything. Mine is making a lovely job of driving very inefficient ventricals right now. The phono stage of the preamp is the bit I am most lukewarm about, but only by comparison with "super" phono stages like the Pip, Audio Research SP10 etc. Against most mid-price amps its good enough


Dan - where are you in Kent?

[Andrew B]

Innovations for me, no contest. I do think the 606 is a far better power amp than you'll ever hear with a Quad preamp though.

[cloth-ears]

I’m probably going to lose any chance of making friends here but I would go for quality transistor amp any day. How any grownup and sensible person can say with hand on heart that a valve amplifier is HI-Fi is beyond me. The sound produced by valves is coloured, bloated and bears no relation to the original input signal. And yes, that can be measured. It’s a bit like natural colour and Technicolor. When people see mutable TV sets for sale in a shop all displaying the same picture the one with the brightest colour and contrast almost always grabs the attention. If valves were really that good then professional near field monitors would still utilise them.

Why don’t professional sound technicians use valve equipment when evaluating the final mix?

By all means bask in the nostalgic 50’s jukebox sound but never use the oxymoron of “valve” and “high end” in the same sentence

Now cross me of your Christmas card list, light those torches and get the rest of the villagers together. Love and peace.

[Spectral Morn]

I’m probably going to lose any chance of making friends here but I would go for quality transistor amp any day. How any grownup and sensible person can say with hand on heart that a valve amplifier is HI-Fi is beyond me. The sound produced by valves is coloured, bloated and bears no relation to the original input signal. And yes, that can be measured. It’s a bit like natural colour and Technicolor. When people see mutable TV sets for sale in a shop all displaying the same picture the one with the brightest colour and contrast almost always grabs the attention. If valves were really that good then professional near field monitors would still utilise them.

Why don’t professional sound technicians use valve equipment when evaluating the final mix?

By all means bask in the nostalgic 50’s jukebox sound but never use the oxymoron of “valve” and “high end” in the same sentence

Now cross me of your Christmas card list, light those torches and get the rest of the villagers together. Love and peace.

Wow that's a pretty insulting and insensitive post, no smilies used to denote any tongue in cheek aspect to it so I will take it as it was mean't to be, just rude

You obviously haven't heard that many valve designs over the years or you would have heard that implementation is everything and valve based designs do not all sound as your ill-informed cliché suggests, though there are some that do.

Here's the thing though if some folks, quite mature make well reasoned decisions to listen to kit that does sound that way, well that's fine by me, not for me, but as long as they are enjoying it then I say go for it. Equally cool, sterile, bright, in your face, analytical solid state kit isn't for me as to my ears and mind it doesn't produce music as I hear it. However what I will not do is insult those people who like such a sound presentation.


Neil

[loo]

Woah Bob Sorry but some of the widest bandwidth lowest distortion amps made are valve And many sound engineers crave valve equipment

[cloth-ears]

Wow that's a pretty insulting and insensitive post, no smilies used to denote any tongue in cheek aspect to it so I will take it as it was mean't to be, just rude

You obviously haven't heard that many valve designs over the years or you would have heard that implementation is everything and valve based designs do not all sound as your ill-informed cliché suggests, though there are some that do.

Here's the thing though if some folks, quite mature make well reasoned decisions to listen to kit that does sound that way, well that's fine by me, not for me, but as long as they are enjoying it then I say go for it. Equally cool, sterile, bright, in your face, analytical solid state kit isn't for me as to my ears and mind it doesn't produce music as I hear it. However what I will not do is insult those people who like such a sound presentation.


Neil

Telling someone that their new baby is ugly and has big ears is “insulting and insensitive”; giving an opinion on valve amplifiers is not. I suppose those on rocky ground are the easiest to push over. If this makes you feel better…………

[cloth-ears]

Woah Bob Sorry but some of the widest bandwidth lowest distortion amps made are valve And many sound engineers crave valve equipment

OK, name one valve power amplifier that can match a Quad 606 on output, distortion, bandwidth and damping factor. If you can I will eat my words.

[ledzep]

Ok please dont turn this into a slagging match,simple answers just seeing how the percentages come out. Yes we all have our preference's but it's good to see what the majority would for and hear their views without knocking one or the other.