Quad (IAG) service experiences. Thumbs down from me . . .

[Bencat]

I would echo what @phoenixpete says Andrew lets you know when you get a quote from him that part of the service is that he insists on a full soak test until he is happy that there is no issues . I know this makes the repair process that bit longer and if like me your were itching to hear your speakers that was frustrating it is good toknow that at least they have been tested and only when they pass muster are they returned. Obviously mine are newy finished but i have to report that they are left on all the time and they are silent when there is nothing being fed to them . Once the system is turned on they remain silent until the music starts .

[Opti-cal]

Thanks all,

Quad say they have soak tested them each time but literally the three times they have been returned the problem has manifested itself within a couple of hours. If they were indeed soak tested I can understand why they might have been questioning my equipment but as I say that exact equipment is driving 63's without a single issue. Apart from not sounding as good . . . .

Most galling thing is this particular pair were dead silent before the service. Just slightly low on output. I mistakenly thought, "well if they sound this good now, how much better will they sound after a proper service" . . . .

Yup, always leave them on. As you know they take a couple of days if not longer to fully charge.

[Opti-cal]

I'm no expert fixing ancient 57's, but my experience was that fixing one fault, another showed up. Had this with both of my pairs.

One of my 63's needs attention now.

Yup, seems like a never-ending circle of issues at the moment . .

Fingers crossed my 63's remain trouble free . . .

[Barry]

I have only just stumbled across this thread, and as a great admirer of Quad and their products, have to say I'm disappointed to read of the sloppy service they have given you regarding your Quad 57 speakers.

I bought my 57s some 45 years ago, and shortly afterwards did have occasion to have them seen to. I arranged a visit to Quad in Huntingdon, to have my speakers examined and to have a look around the factory. The courtesy and help shown by the staff there was beyond reproach. My speakers were 'repaired' and have performed flawlessly to this day (I should add that apart from a couple of house moves and a very few power cuts, the speakers have been left energised all the while).

I have always regarded Quad as one of the jewels in the crown of British audio manufacturers, though I sensed Quad were starting to loose their way and have problems in the mid eighties with the introduction of the 67 CD player. The expertise of the service department was not affected and any telephone queries I had with them were always very helpful and polite.

Now of course Quad (along with all the other companies in the IAG) is owned by a Chinese company; but their new designs are, I believe, still designed in Huntingdon (though that might be changing), and the high reputation of their service department was maintained. But the latter cannot be guaranteed as the new owners probably have different priorities.

It is fortunate that there are outfits such as OneThing and QuadThing (new to me), run by Quad enthusiasts who can continue to service the 57s, and I believe that Quad will often subcontract servicing to OneThing, and will use OneThing replacement panels; the treble panel for which however is not the same design as the Quad original. (If you want identical panels you will have to send the speakers to Germany to a company who now owns all the Quad manufacturing jigs.) Even if Quad had sub contracted the work to OneThing, I would expect a seamless service, so it is disappointing to read of your difficulties.

I only hope that the poor service was a one off; certainly it is a blot on Quad's service copybook and is damaging to their reputation. There are other company polices which have been introduced, which to my mind are also detrimental to their reputation - but as I said Quad is no longer the same company it once was. Sadly, I think we may hear more bad reports.

[quadsugdenman]

Having just returned to the forum after a spell working in China I am truly saddened to read of your experiences. I have dealt with Rob Flain over many years and always found him to be helpful and uphold the high reputation that the Quad Service department has enjoyed. As Barry eluded to I hope this is a ‘one off’ lapse but I also worry this may not be the case. Having worked and travelled in China I fear Barry maybe be correct in that Quad’s new owners

[quadsugdenman]

Sorry - to continue
They may not share the same business priorities and objectives. I hope I am proven wrong.

[Opti-cal]

Thanks for the recent input chaps.

The people I have spoken to about the subject echo your sentiments regarding Rob. I know what a detrimental effect it can have when an umbrella corporation come in and demand higher productivity etc. The good skills and people sometimes get left behind and the baby gets thrown out with the bathwater.

I remain hopeful that this is indeed, a one off.

Still no word this week though . . . although I've been put right off asking!

To cheer myself up I've gone and got a bit of a bargain on a modified Ming Da KT88 amplifier . . . . idle hands and all that . . .

Arrives next week.

[hifi_dave]

Having just returned to the forum after a spell working in China I am truly saddened to read of your experiences. I have dealt with Rob Flain over many years and always found him to be helpful and uphold the high reputation that the Quad Service department has enjoyed. As Barry eluded to I hope this is a ‘one off’ lapse but I also worry this may not be the case. Having worked and travelled in China I fear Barry maybe be correct in that Quad’s new owners

"Quad's new owners" took over the company 15 or more years ago and it has ticked along very nicely since. One of the things they insisted on was a proper service department, which they have and in my experience, is very efficient.

Can't comment on this case.

[Opti-cal]

Just received and update from Quad.

Sounds like it was an EHT board that was to blame for the leaking.

Just to be safe they are soak testing the speaker for a few more days but hopefully the end is in sight.

Thanks for the comments and advice. I must say the alternatives suggested will probably be ahead of Quad for my business in future however, seeing as both my pairs of Quads have now had a service in the past few months, hopefully it won't be for a while. . .

Will update when they're physically back with me, that's the real soak test.

Cheers

[Old Bean]

Hi Chris,

As a quad owner myself (22>II>57s (HiFi setup), plus 2 x 303s and 1 x 405-2 (AV setup behind Arcam AVR350 pre-amp), and formerly owning 33, 34 and 44s, as well as having a pair of crackly 63s in the spare room awaiting repair and a spare pair of 57s in need of service), I'm curious to know if Quad managed to successfully repair your 57s in the end?

I'd also be interested to know if your poor experience of their customer service has improved with closure (assuming they repaired it) and time?

I'm happy (in fact, prefer) to service the Amps and do repairs to the relatively low voltage (<400V) circuit repairs myself (I love servicing quads), but the ESLs and high voltage stuff are a different beast and I'm not ashamed to say are beyond my current knowledge and skillset to repair. Consequently, I'd value your final word on quad/IAG.

(FWIW I'd love to go work with them in their service department.)

Best regards


Richard