My mate

[jon1]

Yeah i said a mismatch or something not right with the amp but hey he's its gone now so he's happy

Result



jon

[Oldpinkman]

Maybe its just the 'modern' voicing!! I'm sure one of the reasons for the 'pipe and slippers' comments about Quad is because hi-fi sound has become totally in yer face trying to sound like electric instruments which has nothing to do with reality.

I have always found Quad gear very musical and satisfying but then I'm an old git and ready for the pipe..........

I too have been fond of Quad gear. Apart from the ELS 57's I listened to when collecting the amp, I am real real pleased to have my 405-2 back. My point about the Quad is not that it is "pipe and slippers" and I prefer "in your face". It is as good, and neutral and musical as most similar amps of its day and price. Much much better , much much more expensive amplifiers can sound a little better, as I am hoping Dan will confirm. Not "in your face" - very subtly more vibrant, clearer, fresher and yet warmer. Buggered if I know how to describe it - that's now Dan's job. We'll sort something before too long. Meantime,

[Audioman]

The Puresound with Living Voice sounds like a mismatch rather surprisingly. I'm puzzled as forward and aggressive is not something I associate with Guy Sergeant's designs in spite of Hi-Fi Choices views ? Personally I wouldn't rely on their reviews that heavily.

[southall-1998]

Hmmmm.....

I've heard a Pure Sound A30 with Stirling LS3/5a V2 monitors. The sound was definitely a far cry from harsh/forward etc!!!!!!!

[Marco]

The Puresound with Living Voice sounds like a mismatch rather surprisingly. I'm puzzled as forward and aggressive is not something I associate with Guy Sergeant's designs in spite of Hi-Fi Choices views ? Personally I wouldn't rely on their reviews that heavily.

+1 (with bells on) in reference to both matters. Although the amp has now been moved on, it's important that others don't get the wrong impression.

Marco.

[ledzep]

Yes Marco,we all have our own tastes,likes,dislikes about things some love certain HiFi some hate it so its all ways good to get a home demo in your own environment if you can that way people will know if they can live with a new component if home demo not possible then ask people and see what feedback you get,don't take magazines and such for granted (we all know how they work) I had a couple of friends in the business.Have a home demo if poss and make your own mind up don't let people or media influence you.

[The Black Adder]

The valves in that amp do make a big difference. It's not aggressive sounding, a little forward maybe but then some/a lot of people like that more invigorating sound.

In all honesty I believe he should have lived with it for more than just a couple of days. Out of interest, was the amp new?

In comparison to the quads it's like chalk and cheese, either way it's what pushes your buttons at the end of the day.

I don't take any notice of what the mags say about kit. If I'm fortunate enough to hear something they have reviewed I'll make my own mind up and not get drawn in to fluff.

[ledzep]

Yeah im buying something that a lot of mags and some people have slated big time, but for me it ticks all the boxes so goes to show have a listen for your self and see if you like it (i will be posting pictures soon of it) now that will be interesting to see and hear people's reactions

[Joe]

This to me highlights the basic problem with subjective reviews; they really only 'work' for one person at a time. If someone says 'amplifier X sounds harsh', its admirers will probably pop up and say that he must be deaf, or that the one he listened to was clearly 'broken', or that he used the wrong cables, or that it needed burning-in. Trying to second-guess another's actual experiences is futile; he heard what he heard. Unless of course you want to go all objectivist and say that his experiences cannot be valid unless he listened under double-blind conditions.

[DSJR]

Yeah still got my Quads wont ever sell them might buy another amp at some point but the Quads will be going nowhere.

Said this loads of times - the 303 is delightful within its limits, but the 33 is a bit of a bottleneck and very much of its time - limited output before the line stage clips and severe band limiting, especially in the bass (it's weakest point as the bass sounds a bit 'mechanical' for want of a better word). Mine had the dada mods plus the worst of the bass filter removed (on the line stage anyway) and it was very much better, but summat like a Croft Micro Basic sees it off with ease I reckon

The mk1 405 doesn't seem to like loudspeakers very much (cough ) but the 405-2 is a different animal when pushed. Love this one as well, although a stock Quad one needs several hours power to remove a slight tinsel effect (heard on two samples used at length at home and with different speakers). I suspect the tune-ups with modern parts here and there would remove this, since the 606 onwards doesn't suffer from this at all