Hello from John in Essex

[kenworthy100]

I read a couple of posts on here and really enjoyed them so decided to join.

I started on the road to music and hifi as a young teen when a local shop opened selling primarily british equipment and the interest grew from there.

My current system is :- Marantz SA15s2, Marantz Pm11s1, Quad 12L2, Roksan Xerxes Tabriz zi Goldring 1042.

I listen to everything from Vivaldi to modern house and techno and have the odd foray into heavy metal as well so a really eclectic taste.

As an aside I am currently restoring a rather sad and neglected Quad 303, latest task is to attempt to reinstate the wiring loom which has been chopped and hacked about by the previous owner.

[Darren]

Hi mate. Welcome to AOS. I love the Xerxes and hope that 303 restoration goes well for you.

[MartinT]

Hello John and welcome to AoS. Is that an original Xerxes? How is it holding up ('scuse the pun)?

[Tarzan]

Welcome fellow Essex Boy, there is a few of us on here now:)

[The Grand Wazoo]

Hi John,
Welcome to AoS from me.

Cheers!

[kenworthy100]

Thanks everyone, yes it is an original Xerxes from 1991 with an XPS2. It has suffered the usual top board sag which started to worry me, however, it moved initially and hasn't changed in seven years so touch wood not a major problem.

[DSJR]

Welcome :)

I'm wondering if a fine wooden brace topped with thin sorbothane may not help the sagging problem with no sonic issues?

Good luck with the 303. I'm sure you've googled the usual suspects like Net-Audio and Dada for help in sorting it out. The former does replacement boards and the latter too, together with a host of components and update kits which are pretty reasonably priced (if you don't have an account with RS and have to pay a fiver P&P each time). I loved my tuned-up 303 and would like it back when funds allow. It's not a modern-day power house and the cap coupling and heavy current limiting will dictate speaker choice to a degree as I'm sure you know, but take the input sensitivity down to 1,5V or so (one resistor change per channel - 22K to 68K, I forget the "R" numbers, but it's around the input feedback circuit) and feed it a Croft style preamp or a VERY well updated 34 or 44 Quad and you'll be in seventh heaven with it :) (Much as I respect the 33 preamp, it does have a sonic signature all its own however much you do to it. The Net-Audio upgrade makes it a new preamp though in the existing case, so this may be a serious option too)

[Audio Al]

Hello John

from a fellow Essex boy :D

Did you know ? :worthless:

We all like photos of nice equipment to look at :eyebrows:

[Barry]

Welcome to AoS John,

I'm also resident in Essex and a Quad enthusiast.

Good luck with the 303 restoration. Repairing, or replacing the wiring loom, ought to be straightforward, provided you know the correct connections to the circuit boards. I don't think this information is given in the circuit diagram in the back of the user instructions. I will have a look.

Net and Dada might be able to help, though I don't think they actually sell replacement looms. Certainly Quad could re-wire it for you, at a cost.

Regarding the change of sensitivity as mentioned by Dave (DSJR), the sensitivity is determined by R101: the sensitivity (in volts) being R101/4400. The Quad 303s are set up with R101 = 2.2K, thus giving a sensitivity of 0.5V. To change the sensitivity change the value of R101 to either 47K (for 1V) or 68K (for 1.5V).

Enjoy the forum

Regards

[kenworthy100]

Thanks, the wiring loom isn't too much of a problem, I do have the fall back that even after this time Quad still have original looms in stock. My aim is to use slightly more durable wiring but as always space is an issue. The guys at Dada Electronics made up a specialist loom for a customer and as much as possible I would like to try something similar.

The input sensitivity advice is really useful, initially I will be using an early quad 34 so I won't need to change however, I do have plans for an alternative preamp at a later stage.

[DSJR]

Just a thought from another boring "armchair expert." It should be possible to increase the output of the 34 as it always was with the 44 via its phono outputs. If so, I suggest cutting the sensitivity down on the 303 with the 68k resistors and boosting the output on the 34, thus putting as much signal down the interconnects as possible. Input noise from the first stage of the 303 should theoretically be reduced I believe and although this is subjective, I always preferred the 44 from the high-level outputs and just "maybe," the 34 will respond too.

The only Quad preamp that cannot give a high output in stock form is the 33, which gulps badly, even in modded-stock form at anything over a volt and a half or so. Most modern preamps can give several volts or so with ease, even op-amp ones like the 34/44 and my ton-up old Crown and I understand broadly that op-amps like to be driven quite hard to keep noise and distortion down - apparently..... :)

[Roy S]

Hello John, yup, the only way is Essex :D

[DSJR]

Nah, Essex is on the way to Suffolk, where most of us live in the 60's, apart from the price of everything of course :rofl:

[Barry]

Nah, Essex is on the way to Suffolk, where most of us live in the 60's, apart from the price of everything of course :rofl:

Now now Dave,

Essex is all part of the 'East Anglia massive' - a force to be reckoned with. Anyway there are parts of Sheffield where members live in the '60s!

Regards (from one "armchair expert" to another!)

[Reid Malenfant]

Hello John, welcome from me to, I hope you enjoy your stay here! :)