Years

[ledzep]

After many years of box swapping i have finally settled with a quad 33 pre and 303 power amp both serviced by Rob at Amplabs. And they do sound nice Mmm very nice,but what speakers do recommend to go with them,im borrowing a pair of Tannoy 613s at the mo so at least listening to music and what cd player recommendations all on a budget. Cheers

[DSJR]

Anything around 8 ohm impedance with no really nasty dips and of average sensitivity or better - old 1970's Tannoys are PERFECT for it! I love the 303, since the good way outweighs any not so good in the design (no real bad at all apart from the current limiting). The 33 is going to limit things a bit, and I also love mine, but this is going to be the limiting factor unless you do a Net Audio update on it, and then it isn't really a 33 once you're done..

[Rare Bird]

Good on you Dan.. Just don't let anyone deter your decision with the usual crap some people come out with about em, they are a great combo both in aesthetics & sound..

[ledzep]

Ive done lots of research on these amps all great reviews so got an old pair listened to them before they had a service and after and wow what a difference to think ive spent ££££££ on hifi,looked at various upgrades for the 33 and 303 but personally i think just a good service on the amps, anymore and you alter the sound of them. The 33 pre has really opened up now, my brother has a standard 33 and they are like chalk and cheese. Back to speakers anymore recommendations? And a cd player

[istari_knight]

Good to read! I'm currently waiting on a pair that I'm intending to service & use myself.

Speakerwise... I've seen quite a few chaps happily using Rogers JR149 with 33/303's but on a tight budget I'd be looking at period Kef/Celestion/B&W and maybe Acoustic Research.

[ledzep]

You will love them James,and they dont take up much room and they will last years.:D

[Rare Bird]

Id go for some Celestion 'Dittons' (70's)

[ledzep]

Im watching some ditton 44s and B&W DM 4s

[istari_knight]

DM4's are nice if a little bass light but hey, the 33 has tone controls so there you go! :D

[Rare Bird]

'Ditton 33'

:sofa:

[walpurgis]

DM4's are nice if a little bass light but hey, the 33 has tone controls so there you go! :D

Not keen on either. Get a pair of Ditton 15's (not XR version), or Mordaunt Short Pageant II's. Much sweeter sounding.

[istari_knight]

Not keen on either. Get a pair of Ditton 15's (not XR version), or Mordaunt Short Pageant II's. Much sweeter sounding.

Thats a difference in taste right there :D I freakin' hate Ditton 15's

[Rare Bird]

Yeh 'Pageant II' are great.

[Marco]

Thats a difference in taste right there :D I freakin' hate Ditton 15's

Hahahaha.... I'm saying nothing!! ;)

Marco.

[istari_knight]

Hahahaha.... I'm saying nothing!! ;)

Marco.

Aye, we've been here before :lol:

They only sell for £50-£70ish so cheap enough to try & move on if disliked... No harm in that IMO.

Have you tried Celestion C "County" ? They look like stumpy 15's without an ABR. Theres a local pair tempting me!

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c129/istari_knight9/IMG_0142_zps0c2e0b2c.jpg

[walpurgis]

Have you tried Celestion C "County" ? They look like stumpy 15's without an ABR. Theres a local pair tempting me!

Nice little speaker. I believe the bass driver is the same unit as the Ditton 15, but without the surface doping, the tweeter is the excellent HF1300.

[spendorman]

Nice little speaker. I believe the bass driver is the same unit as the Ditton 15, but without the surface doping, the tweeter is the excellent HF1300.

Bass unit has a pressed steel chassis, as opposed to the cast one of the 15, and it has a smaller magnet.

[Reffc]

Great amps and perfect with something like Tannoys. There's plenty that will work really well with them for reasonable cost but the final choice has to depend on your listening room (has anyone asked the size of room you have for them?) and budget.

Speakers should work very well with a Quad 303 driving them include:

Harbeths (any of them); Heybrook HB1 and HB2's; Snell J or Ks, Audionote AN/J's, Celestion Ditton 33/44/66 and Tannoys (any of the vintage models, but especially something like Chatsworths, Cheviots or Ardens).

[istari_knight]

Well the Quads arrived today! The seller failed to mention they hadn't been used in years... I should have guessed really anyway the X2 cap in the 33 exploded @ turn on & the 303 hummed like a mother...

A handful of caps later & they are singing! ...Flippin' eck they can sing! I'm pretty floored how good they sound for such old amps, a bit wooly compared to what I'm used to but very musical :dance:

[ledzep]

[QUOTE=istari_knight;440685]Well the Quads arrived today! The seller failed to mention they hadn't been used in years... I should have guessed really anyway the X2 cap in the 33 exploded @ turn on & the 303 hummed like a mother...

A handful of caps later & they are singing! ...Flippin' eck they can sing! I'm pretty floored how good they sound for such old amps, a bit wooly compared to what I'm used to but very musical :dance:[/QUOTE}

Give the 33 a good service and all will become very clear :D

[istari_knight]

[QUOTE=istari_knight;440685]Well the Quads arrived today! The seller failed to mention they hadn't been used in years... I should have guessed really anyway the X2 cap in the 33 exploded @ turn on & the 303 hummed like a mother...

A handful of caps later & they are singing! ...Flippin' eck they can sing! I'm pretty floored how good they sound for such old amps, a bit wooly compared to what I'm used to but very musical :dance:[/QUOTE

Give the 33 a good service and all will become very clear :D

Yeah the 33 is completely original [apart from the new X2 cap] but the 303 was serviced in 1988 by Quad... looks like they changed 4 small capacitors & all the trimmers.

Whilst waiting for them to arrive I read an awful lot about people having gain issues with the 33, I changed the tape input sensitivity to "L" [Low I guess] & gain is perfect on CD. Cant help but think some people are proper drama queens :rolleyes:

[ledzep]

[QUOTE=ledzep;440697]

Yeah the 33 is completely original [apart from the new X2 cap] but the 303 was serviced in 1988 by Quad... looks like they changed 4 small capacitors & all the trimmers.

Whilst waiting for them to arrive I read an awful lot about people having gain issues with the 33, I changed the tape input sensitivity to "L" [Low I guess] & gain is perfect on CD. Cant help but think some people are proper drama queens :rolleyes:
Yes excactly what i had done on mine,i had the tape input set to take CD

[Jonboy]

I bought a whole Quad 33/303 FM3 set up from the original owner, they came complete with B&W DM2's all purchased just down the road from me at Bowers and Wilkins way back when.

Had the amps all re-capped and yes they do sound good, just working on the DM2's now as they have gone a bit harsh sounding, we thing it may be foam fragments from the deteriorating grills that may have worked their way into the tweets , they haven't been used for years so need a bit of loosening up

[istari_knight]

Anyone know how to remove nicotene residue from metal casework ? I've tried isopropyl alcohol but it doesn't touch it. My pair date are dated 1968 & look like they've spent their entire lives with a smoker, a nice yellow hue :spew:

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c129/istari_knight9/DSC01388_zpsa70dc206.jpg

Its amazing how much better things work when the preamp is earthed - I was using the 3 core power cable on the 303 & the 2 core on the 33 :doh:

[Canetoad]

You can try baby wipes. These took most of the nicotine off a set of speakers I bought. Mind you they still smell a little of smoke, but nowhere near as bad as when I got them.

[istari_knight]

You can try baby wipes. These took most of the nicotine off a set of speakers I bought. Mind you they still smell a little of smoke, but nowhere near as bad as when I got them.

Apparently Servisol foam cleaner is good, I've ordered some so we'll see :thumbsup:

Sorry for the thread hijack!

[Barry]

Anyone know how to remove nicotene residue from metal casework ? I've tried isopropyl alcohol but it doesn't touch it. My pair date are dated 1968 & look like they've spent their entire lives with a smoker, a nice yellow hue :spew:

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c129/istari_knight9/DSC01388_zpsa70dc206.jpg



Hand soap, warm water and a lot of elbow grease. I cleaned up a Quad FM2 tuner that was covered with a tacky yellow-brown tarry patina, having been owned and used by a heavy cigarette smoker.

You can see the result here (http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=7659).

Baby wipes are great way to maintain the finish and will not leave 'tide marks'. They are ideal for use on black, brushed-anodised surfaces.

[Rare Bird]

Anyone know how to remove nicotene residue from metal casework ? I've tried isopropyl alcohol but it doesn't touch it.

If it's Nicotene that Green liquid window cleaner in the spray bottle should do it..

[istari_knight]

Thanks chaps, I'll give it a try over the weekend :thumbsup:

[istari_knight]

Well that gave me a fright! Went to make a cup of tea & returned to find the left speaker lightly buzzing & the 303 heatsink too hot to touch :wowzer:

Looks like TR5/TR6 on the L/H driver board have decided to play up effectively giving the outputs full bias... Luckily nothing was damaged, it still plays fine for 5 minutes before going dodgy - A testament to the 303's ruggedness I think ? Most amps would be toast!

[Rare Bird]

Just an example of Vintage gear, when i first bought my two Ferrograph 'F307' amplifiers they were forever breaking down with parts faliure. Id swap something out for another to fail later on..It's no fault of the amplifier it's the 40+ year old components that had given up, Vintage British amps tend to be more hard on their circuits than Japanese amps of the day..Anyhoots i decide to replace every single component in the MK.II, ive not had a single bit of trouble with it since..No modifications in sight but for the parts swaps alone it's like a different sounding amp..

[ledzep]

Yeah service and replace everything you can and it will last another 30 odd years

[istari_knight]

I think your right. Stuff from the 80's is just about hanging in there but anything older needs a full rebuild.

Well, I've ordered some replacement drivers for the 303 & purchased another 33 as the original although mint inside isn't in great cosmetic condition. If its not in good condition its hard to find the enthusiasm to rebuild it!

[Rare Bird]

Oops i told a bit of a pork pie regarding mods, i replaced the old Output Transistors with new faster Motorolla 'MJ1003G' & 'MJ1004G' ..

[ledzep]

Yeah give it a full rebuild and it will be good as gold,im buying another 33 and 303 cause ive noticed they seem to be going up in price.

[istari_knight]

Yeah give it a full rebuild and it will be good as gold,im buying another 33 and 303 cause ive noticed they seem to be going up in price.

Current prices seem to be,

Unserviced 33 / £50-£85
Serviced 33 / £150-£200
Unserviced 303 / £150-£175
Serviced 303 / £250-£275

I've seen a couple of complete serviced sets [33/FM3/303] for £600.

[Rare Bird]

I'll take the unserviced ;)

[istari_knight]

I'll take the unserviced ;)

Likewise, I don't trust others handywork... Wrongly I'm sure but better safe than sorry! Having seen what some so called professionals refer to as a "neat job" it can be truly shocking.

[Rare Bird]

Service usually means top off a quick dust .. Squirt Squirt here 'n' er squirt squirt there..bob yer uncle.. :D

[istari_knight]

I once bought a Marantz 2225 receiver, supposedly "serviced." They have a common fault where the power switch suppressor cap dies causing the switch to arc & eventually they knacker up... The mug had filled it with WD40 :lol: When I switched it on for the first time it went BANG!

[ledzep]

Considering a few years ago people wouldnt go near them suppose aesthetically unpleasing,but i dont look at my amps when listening to music, simply close my eyes and go far away,but yeah i would go for the unserviced ones and get them serviced properly