Interesting Quad problem

[PaulStewart]

I was contacted by Loricraft Audio last week as they knew I was going down to them and they were rebuilding a Thorens TD124 MK2 for a customer in London who needed someone to re install it and set it up for him. As I do a set up service for TTs and other kit I was happy to help out, speaking to the chap he also said he had a strange problem when listening to the radio, the voices were all at a lower level than the music. I said I would check it out for him. i switched the system on and the problem was fairly obvious, it was a state of the art system for the 60's Quad 33/303, FM3 TD124 MK2, SME 3009 Imp and ESL 57s, all this kit was mint. The speaker cables had been run under the floor and used a common earth, this had been disconnected from the amp, so the speakers were only reproducing the difference and the sum signal was dropped out. I don't know how this had become disconnected, but I do know the dealer had told him there was a fault with the ESLs and that hey would sell him a pair of Monitor Audios for a grand..... Like taking a Roller in PX for a clapped out Ford in my opinion.

The moral is I suppose, beware of less than expert dealers and avoid shonky ones at all costs. Once set up, the system sounded sublime, I've suggested a couple of slight improvements, better cables and plugs etc. won't cost more than a couple of hundred quid and will raise a really good system to a sublime one. Interesting project :)