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View Full Version : Quad Teak Sleeve... Is this worth it?



Beechwoods
08-09-2009, 21:23
My Quad 33 and FM3 combo really looks like it needs a bespoke home. Something like this:

http://www.hifi-studio.de/hifi-klassiker/quad/33_303_FM3.jpg

The question is, is £75 + postage too much? I'm very tempted...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180402455233

Alex_UK
08-09-2009, 21:36
The question is, is £75 + postage too much? I'm very tempted...
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180402455233

Only you can answer that matey - the way I look at similar situations though is to try and envisage myself in a few months time, looking back and thinking "if only" or "why did I spend that!" - it is of course relative, to some people £75 is a lot of money, to others, it's a night out, maybe not even a whole night if it's a nice restaurant... I often use that one - a nice meal is quickly forgotten - a nice piece of period teak will be around a lot longer... :) (not helping, am i?!)

DSJR
08-09-2009, 21:40
Pukka Quad ones in fair to middling conditions go for anything up to £50 or so, so if I'm reading you correctly that for 75 notes you can buy a new one I'd do it if I were you.

I want a 33/303 one day to go with the FM2 and 3 i have. I love the styling of these - always have..

P.S. In the early seventies, Quad advocated playing the 33 with +1 on the treble control. Worked for me...

Mike
08-09-2009, 21:42
My Quad 33 and FM3 combo really looks like it needs a bespoke home. Something like this:

http://www.hifi-studio.de/hifi-klassiker/quad/33_303_FM3.jpg

The question is, is £75 + postage too much? I'm very tempted...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180402455233

If the quality is as good as the photo I'd say "yes... go for it"! :)

Beechwoods
08-09-2009, 21:53
:lol: The one in that photo is particularly fine isn't it. The good thing about wood is that providing it's in pretty sound condition, a genetle sand-down and wax should have it looking as good as new...

I suspect that it's slightly over the odds, but as Dave says even middling ones go for £50. I may just go for it...

Oh, and Dave... my 33/303 sounds fine with the tone controls disengaged. I find that generally any changes to the tone controls are determinental - though I must admit that one of my LP's (mastered a bit on the muddy side) does sound better with it up one notch.

The Grand Wazoo
08-09-2009, 22:34
Beechy, me old chum.
The one in the photo looks like a custom made solid wood jobbie to me.
The one on the Ebay ad looks like a dowdy old original.

The dowdy old original, despite what you say about giving it a rub down, is still only a plywood box with some veneer on it - and an open ended box at that!

I'm willing to bet that you could get something like the one in the photo made for you by a local craftsman for less than £75 - and you could probably select the stock it's made from if you felt like it.

The Grand Wazoo
08-09-2009, 22:39
Looking a bit closer, I may have been a bit rash - the original could, I suppose, be solid teak!

Even so, personally I'd commission a new one all the same!

Joe
09-09-2009, 11:21
Only you can answer that matey - the way I look at similar situations though is to try and envisage myself in a few months time, looking back and thinking "if only" or "why did I spend that!" - it is of course relative, to some people £75 is a lot of money, to others, it's a night out, maybe not even a whole night if it's a nice restaurant... I often use that one - a nice meal is quickly forgotten - a nice piece of period teak will be around a lot longer... :)

But will be slightly chewier.

SPS
09-09-2009, 22:52
I have a nice sleeve complete.. with pre and tuner..if any ones interested

and another complete 33/303/fm?
all surplus

steve

Rare Bird
02-10-2009, 23:06
I could do with a 33/FM3 sleeve in lightish Teak around fifty quid ish!

The Vinyl Adventure
02-10-2009, 23:13
You know, I have never heard a quad hifi! ...

Rare Bird
02-10-2009, 23:28
Depends what Quads you are intrested in Hamish!

The Vinyl Adventure
03-10-2009, 00:33
i read a coment about some of the later electrostatics .. it was along the lines "simply the best speakers oin the market today" that intriged me!
i also find the older stuff aethetically .. well minging to be fair! but that bodes well with me .. if it looks that bad but people are still willing to have it in thier homes.... it must be good! :)

Rare Bird
03-10-2009, 01:05
i read a coment about some of the later electrostatics .. it was along the lines "simply the best speakers oin the market today" that intriged me!
i also find the older stuff aethetically .. well minging to be fair! but that bodes well with me .. if it looks that bad but people are still willing to have it in thier homes.... it must be good! :)

:confused: Quad Series '3' are some of the most beautiful components ever created!

Dunno about newer Quad Stats but you'll be hard pushed finding a better sounding speaker than stacked 'ESL-57's.


http://www.geocities.com/drquad@pacbell.net/stackedquads1.jpg

The Vinyl Adventure
03-10-2009, 01:31
which is series 3? its the grey and orange look that doesnt do much for me!
each to thier own though eh!
i have seen pictures of the stacked 57s before!
i have a long term plan of building a vintage system of sorts and i have conciderd the quad electrostaic route...

Barry
03-10-2009, 09:41
which is series 3? its the grey and orange look that doesnt do much for me!
each to thier own though eh!
i have seen pictures of the stacked 57s before!
i have a long term plan of building a vintage system of sorts and i have conciderd the quad electrostaic route...

Both the Series 3 (Quad 33, FM3, AM3 and 303) and series 4 (Quad 44, FM4 and 405) won Design Centre awards for their styling.

I understand that many people have difficulty with the appearance of the Quad 57 speakers (the ones that look like room heaters), but 'minging'? Surely that is undeserved - you might however think they look better in black.

Regards

Barry (unrepentant Quad enthusiast and owner of much Quad gear, as well as 'minging' bronze ELS; that match the decor of my room)

DaveK
03-10-2009, 09:58
Beechy, me old chum.
The one in the photo looks like a custom made solid wood jobbie to me.
I'm willing to bet that you could get something like the one in the photo made for you by a local craftsman for less than £75 - and you could probably select the stock it's made from if you felt like it.

Hi Beechy and Hamish,
At the risk of stating the obvious (if so, sorry), what about Hamish's "genius with wood" mate. By the looks of it it wouldn't challenge his abilities too much. Providing you are not in a hurry that is, IIRC.
Cheers,

The Vinyl Adventure
03-10-2009, 10:35
Oop touched a nerve.. Soz guys just not my bag.. Maybe I would think differently if I saw it in real life! Design, especially unusual design, is like art (is art?) no everyones gonna like it are they?! It's all down to taste!
I mean to update that genius with wood post actually I shall do that now!

Rare Bird
03-10-2009, 13:17
Both the Series 3 (Quad 33, FM3, AM3 and 303) and series 4 (Quad 44, FM4 and 405) won Design Centre awards for their styling.

I understand that many people have difficulty with the appearance of the Quad 57 speakers (the ones that look like room heaters), but 'minging'? Surely that is undeserved - you might however think they look better in black.

Regards

Barry (unrepentant Quad enthusiast and owner of much Quad gear, as well as 'minging' bronze ELS; that match the decor of my room)

Don't forget the 'FM2SD' matched the Series three scheme...

You don't have to keep '57's on there original period legs, Russ andrews did a nice frame in solid oak i kinda fancied back then, others have done nice jobs aswell

http://www.mapleshaderecords.com/audioproducts/images/quad57_lg.jpg

Agree the black covers were a lot better

DSJR
03-10-2009, 13:56
Hamish,

All of Quad's older products belong in the "much loved and revered but outdated today" category. it doesn't mean that they won't entertain you with lovely sounds, but technology in both speakers and amps has moved on and if the late main-man Peter Walker was still alive, he'd say the same...

The 57's were groundbreaking when first introduced and showed just how bad everyone else's speakers were in terms of colouration and detail reproduction. Today, their negatives outweigh the positives IMO - the beaming treble, iffy/fussy bass with nothing below 70Hz to speak of and the non-flat frequency balance. The ESL 63's which replaced them, if put on 12 - 14" stands and gently tilted back a little, totally out-perform the 57's and more people in the room can enjoy them too as their dispersion is better!!!!!

The old valve II power amps still sing very sweetly with a classic "valvey" warmth that is inaccurate but very beguiling to the listener. the valve preamps are not so good sadly. the 33/303/Fm3 are great in the midrange, but sound a little nasal and "small" compared to the grander 1970's amps then available. HOWEVER, there are upgrades now available using better modern components than Quad had available back then, which lift the original performance quite noticeably. The FM3 can be tweaked a little with beefier supply and audio caps and it's still better than most current FM transmissions in the UK. The FM2 sounds horrid with modern solid state amps, but high input impedance (mostly) valve based preamps make it sound nice and comfy.

The 44/405 series are far more up to date, using more modern, if now elderly components and both can be beneficially breathed on, the 405 especially. The weakness of the 303 and 405 is mainly in the safety limiting Quad used. This limiting can be removed but with risk of blowups to the output stages. The 405-2 was a huge improvement in this area and the circuit layout was sorted as well, all but removing a trace of crossover distortion in the current-dumpers. this circuit survives in an improved form in the 606/707/909 amps, which sound lovely to me, given an "easy" speaker, a spacious sounding preamp and an hour or so to warm up.

The 66 pre and CD weren't bad, but the CD player needed isolating from the mains and also ferrites on the signal leads to prevent rf from invading the preamp and mains. I liked the 66 pre and tuner very much, but the preamp is a little too meek and mild for "us" percussion freaks ;)

The 77 preamp had a lovely phono stage and a very sweet line stage (soft clipping or similar I understand). With the 77 or 707 I still think it was the friendliest, most "musical" Quad sound since their valve days (we're talking tiny subjective differences here, but my heart understood it easily enough). The 77 integrated was similarly sweet and because no-one understands it, it sells for very little money today.

I did sell a couple of pairs of Quads early-noughties ESL's and the biggies could sound very good indeed, with definite tonal nods to the 57's - the same, slightly nasal "plastic diaphragm" snappy colouration we Decca lovers get used to (:cool:) but incredible transparency all the same.

Apologies for the lecture. I think I've got the above correct. Good stuff, Quad, if not the product of valvey wet dreams.......

The Vinyl Adventure
03-10-2009, 15:15
interesting stuff! cheers for the effort there! always learning on here, always learning! :)

Alex_UK
03-10-2009, 15:15
Well I've certainly learned a lot I didn't know about Quad, so thanks for that Dave. As always, your knowledge amazes me, although you could of course be just making it up and I wouldn't know the difference! ;)

I've only briefly heard 57's, at a friends Dad's very grand house about 20 years ago - I remember being impressed, (compared to my Sharp midi system!) but to be honest, I was more interested in what he had in the barn at the time, which inluded a Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Maserati, Jag E-type and various other exotic cars I can't recall now, about 10 of them I think. (He owned a chain of electrical & hi-fi shops!)

The Vinyl Adventure
03-10-2009, 15:20
it is def usefull having these encyclopedic people around int it.. id certainly trust the info provided on here (by known members) more than i would wikipedia for eg...

Rare Bird
03-10-2009, 15:31
Can i just add that We are dealing with vintage gear here not modern audio that is IMHO artifical sounding compared, but if people think modern gear is the way to go fine..Also no way on earth does a 405/2 with even the most upto date burr brown op amps sound anywhere near as good as a fully fettled 303...A Net Audio '303' is something to take very seriously.

We can't really involve the post Walker Quad cos they are technically all the samey Chinese products.

A lot will disagree with Daves coment regarding the down points of the '57's bear in mind that stacked 57', can be wire to give a more acceptable load which is easier on your amplifier thus changes the whole presentation of the speaker, everything just gets better, i've even seen tripple stacked '57's

Regarding the output protection! '57's are more at home with QUAD 'II' not so much 303, but as mention stacking & wiring accordingly is a much easier load for '303' ..Quad amps driving standard speakers will be fine without any protection..

All vintage QUADs have different characters

The Vinyl Adventure
03-10-2009, 15:59
hopefully one day i might get the oportunity to get to listen to some of this stuff.
i had read good things about stacking those things...

Barry
03-10-2009, 19:02
Today, their negatives outweigh the positives IMO - the beaming treble, iffy/fussy bass with nothing below 70Hz to speak of and the non-flat frequency balance.

Not a lot can be done about the beaming treble - it is something that you have to live with, or toss a coin as to who is going to sit in the 'sweet spot'. Not sure what you mean about 'iffy/fussy' bass? My '57s have a decent bass response, easily going down to 40Hz; they just can't move enought air to give them a sufficient power response at those frequencies.

Subjectively I find the frequency balance of the early Quads to be no worse than any other speaker I have heard, and a lot better than some. The mid range of any speaker is the most imprtant to me, as the majority of my music collection involves the human voice, and for me the clarity, lack of colouration, transient respnse and precise imaging of the Quads in this area are to my ears almost without peer.



...Also no way on earth does a 405/2 with even the most upto date Burr Brown op amps sound anywhere near as good as a fully fettled 303...A Net Audio '303' is something to take very seriously.

You have to do more than simply change the op amps in the 405 to fully upgrade it. See the Quad article in the AoS Library for details.


Regards

Rare Bird
04-10-2009, 00:08
Hi Barry

I'm not quoting anything regarding improved sound with 405/2 BB Op amp fitted, i'm just stating that the BB fitted 405/2 is the best option but still doesnt surpass a fully fettled 303.

DennisSchneider
09-03-2012, 12:59
The Quad wooden sleeve is a fine piece of art to complete your set. Its made of Aphromosia wood and not plywood or teak. You will need extra screws to extend your rubber feet under the wooden sleeve. It will make a beautifull set. I enjoy mine every day.

Alex_UK
09-03-2012, 13:03
Hi Dennis - may I point you in the direction of the Welcome Section (http://theartofsound.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=15) of the forum? Please start your own thread in there, and tell us a little about your system (Quad, I guess?) and your musical tastes? This is something we ask of all our new members so we can all get to know each other a little better - it makes AoS a bit different from other forums, and helps to create a better sense of community.

Many thanks, and I look forward to formally welcoming you in your own thread shortly! ;)