Quad QC-twenty four/II-fortyValve Pre/Power Amplifiers

Quad’s relivingits past with

this nostalgicpre/powervalve trio

By Nic TathamAudio & Video Lifestyle Magazine

55

auditionequipment review

No, it isn’t what itlooks like. Wehaven’t started toreview vintage hi-figear in AVL justyet, but you canpretend with these

classic-looking valve designs; a trio ofamps that bear a striking resemblance tosome very old, but much sought afterQuad originals.

The originals are collector’s items - Iremember seeing a set in a Londonsecond-hand hi-fi shop about 10 yearsago for 150 quid. I didn’t buy them, andin hindsight it was a big mistake. Reallybig, come to think about it.

The monobloc power amps wereQuads second design, called the QuadII and introduced in 1953. Productionof the IIs lasted for 18 years and at thetime there was no better power amparound for the money. Incidentally theprice tag back then was £22 each and asstereo hadn’t been invented, one poweramp was all that was initially required.

Some 50 years since it’s inception,the Quad II has been reborn in theform of the QII-forty, a new design thatshares just more than a passingresemblance to the originals. Partneringthem is the QC-twenty four line-levelvalve preamp, it too sporting the Quaddesign of bygone days. Andy Grove,

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T e c h n o t a l k

Product Type:Valve pre/power amplifiersValve Complement:See textPower Output (II-forty):40 watts RMS per channelResidual Hum & Noise:Better than -80dBFrequency Response (±0.5dB):10Hz - 30kHz (II-forty)5Hz - 50kHz (QC-twenty four)Line Stage Gain:15dB (QC-twenty four)Damping Factor:20 at 700Hz (II-forty)Total Harmonic Distortion:0.3% (40W@700Hz), (II-forty)Less than 0.2% (IV RMS), (QC-twenty four)Power Consumption:180VA max (II-forty)Recommended Minimum Load:50kohms (QC-twenty four)

Technotalk specifications and recommendedretail prices are supplied by the manufacturer

Vital Statistics

Dimensions:Not statedWeight:Not statedPrice:$14,999 (complete)Distributor:IAG Australia Pty LtdUnit 30, 398 The BoulevardeKirrawee, NSW 2232Telephone:(02) 9521 4844Facsimile:(02) 9521 4222Website:www.quad-hifi.co.uk

who previously worked for Audio Note,designed the amps and work startedthree years ago with production nowstrictly limited to just 10 sets a week. Allthe work’s done by hand and Quad hasnever been known to rush things.

There’s a pleasant old and new mixabout these amps - sure, they’d look athome in a 1950’s living room, but theretro styling works well with moderndécor. The technology’s improved too,not that you’d be able to tell at firstglance, however these valve-based ampsare anything but vintage. The preferredchoice among valve amp manufacturers,each QII-forty features two Russian KT-88 output valves, a couple of 6HS7 inputtubes and a single 5U4G rectifier. If youknow anything about valves the modelnumbers will mean something. If youdon’t, trust me, they’re very good ones.And the forty in the model numberindicates the number of watts each oneproduces.

The QC-twenty four preamp isn’tdevoid of glowing bits either, fitted witha single 6111 twin triode device and alsofeatures relay signal switching, five line-level inputs (plus optional phono stage)and fast recovery power supplyrectification. It looks simple, works

simply, but like all Quad gear, exudesfunction and form.

Quad as a brand and company hasseen quite a few changes over the yearsand with it has come a swag of newproducts, however the current 99 Seriesis still only the company’s sixth rangesince Quad started in 1936. One offounder Peter Walker’s finest earliermoments was when he andWharfedale’s Gilbert Briggs,demonstrated to a capacity crowd of3,000 people at London’s Royal FestivalHall, that recorded music couldcompete with a live performance. Usingan array of Quad II power amps and awall of the infamous Quad ESL-57electrostatic loudspeakers, it would havebeen a bit special being in that audience.

My experience with the company’sproducts includes several years in retailand it’s true to say that Quad productshave always appealed to a certaindemographic of the population. It’stempting to slip in a pipe and slippersjoke, but I’ll avoid that one. It is fair tosay that the average Quad buyer duringthe time I sold it was male, middle agedto elderly and listened almost exclusivelyto classical music. These days I’dimagine the average Quad punter isn’tgoing to be quite as conservative, withthe company’s last two series the 77 and99, both providing wider lifestyle andmusic genre listening appeal.

I was sort of therefore expectingthese latest Quad valves to soundespecially lush, warm and easy-going -the sort of amplification that wouldmake a string quartet or solo pianosound eminently pleasant with aninoffensive presentation. And they did.But what truly surprised me about thesemodern day Quads was the sheerattack, scale and dynamics the trio couldproduce with the sort of music no self-respecting Quad owner would evernormally be associated with.

The monoblocs are quite potentperformers. Although 40 watts doesn’tseem much, they sure go a long way,and driving tricky loads isn’t a problem.Each power amp has the ability to drivebetween 3 and 16 ohm loads with acommon negative speaker tap and apositive each for 4 and 8 ohmimpedance values. There’s a singleRCA-type input on each power amp andeach is individually mains connected.The valves are covered by a removablegrille and other than replacing thevalves, there’s no other maintenancerequired. Valve life-spans vary,

depending on the amount of use, buton average you should get around 6,000hours of music out of the KT-88s. Quadbuilds its amps to last, and these are noexception. Incidentally, if you bought anoriginal Quad II back in ‘53, Quad stillservices them today, that’s the level ofbackup the company offers on all itsproducts.

Buy Quad and chances are, you’ll bemaking one of those life decisions. Mostowners are 100 per cent brand loyal andit’s one of very few hi-fi names thatpeople tend to completely stick with.

Not that long ago either, reading aQuad equipment review in mainstreamhi-fi mags was extremely rare; Quaddidn’t feel its products needed that sortof exposure. This trio has already been

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“Headbangersmight be a littledisappointed,

but this doesn’tmean theseQuads can’trock. Bass is

deep andweighty, and

with anattractively

open midbandand treble, the

Quads arecapable of afast, punchysound that

goes againstthe myth thatall valve ampssound sweetbut about as

agile as abeachedwhale.”

O p i n i o n

The ‘Opinion’ expressed here is thatof the reviewer, summarised in theform of a 5-star rating system, andshould be considered as an integralpart of the full contents of this Au-dition Equipment Review. As such,each category should be judged onits own merits and not necessarilyused as a comparison with otherequipment reviews in this, or othereditions of Audio & Video Lifestylemagazine.

H H H H H ShockerHH HH HH HH HH AverageHHH HHH HHH HHH HHH GoodHHHH HHHH HHHH HHHH HHHH ExcellentHHHHH HHHHH HHHHH HHHHH HHHHH Perfection

“There’s a pleasant old and newmix about these amps - sure,they’d look at home in a 1950s

living room, but the retro stylingworks well with modern décor.”

PerformanceH H H HH H H HH H H HH H H HH H H HBuild QualityH H H H HH H H H HH H H H HH H H H HH H H H HCompatibiltyH H H HH H H HH H H HH H H HH H H HValue For MoneyH H HH H HH H HH H HH H H

received in it’s native UK with muchenthusiasm from the local press andthanks to Aussie distributor, IAGAustralia Pty Ltd, the valves have finallymade their way Down Under.

Some running in’s required - theoutput valves need to warm and bedthemselves in and there’s a short periodrequired for this before they settle intotheir most musical stride. As Imentioned, I wasn’t expecting much getup and go from the monoblocs, but wasgenuinely surprised by their gusto andability to drive pretty hard. Headbangersmight be a little disappointed, but thisdoesn’t mean these Quads can’t rock.Bass is deep and weighty, and with anattractively open midband and treble, theQuads are capable of a fast, punchysound that goes against the myth that allvalve amps sound sweet but about asagile as a beached whale. Load up NewOrder’s latest Get Ready and the Quad’s,somewhat uncharacteristically, get deepinto the mix without ever losing sight ofthe rhythmic beat. There’s plenty ofpower and volume on tap, and evenwhen nudged, the valves show no sign ofbreaking up, driving even inefficientspeakers with relative ease.

This confidence extends to a widevariety of music, although I have toadmit, it’s with acoustic or classicalmaterial that the Quads truly shine.Here, the music is utterly unforced,sounding rich, smooth and eminentlylistenable. Classics, such as Miles Davis’Kind of Blue ooze from theloudspeakers, the closely-mikedinstruments and intimacy of therecording is delivered with all it’sspellbinding, captivating charm. Even ifyou’re not a jazz fan, listening to it onthese amp’s will have you growing agoatee and smoking Gauloise in no time.

On this particular CD, the closely-recorded instruments sound superb,with such high levels of detail andseparation, making it easy to follow thedouble bass or the subtle pianobackground accompaniment. TheseQuads reach deep into music, retrievingfine detail and engendering terrificpresence. Vocals sound rich and well-textured and thanks to a balanced andnatural midband, there’s plenty ofpersuasive projection. Uppermostfrequencies sound clean and accurate,cymbals for example are live and crisp-sounding, and likewise the string sectionof an orchestral orchestra.

And when you change to somerousing classical music, say a Beethoven

Symphony, there’s unusual power anddynasism allied with scale and detailreadily apparent. The amps alwayssound fast and responsive to the twistsof the scoring, and give a strikingpresentation of instrumental timbres.

Here’s a valve combination that’s fullof surprises. There’s so much aboutthese latest valve additions to Quad’swell established pedigree that is bothfamiliar and comforting as well as newand exciting. The looks are purposefullydated but with the individual touch putinto each component as it’s built, thenew Qs are the sort of valve-basedamplification that’ll appreciate in value.

That chance to relive the good olddays with modern day know-how comesat a price, but why not look at it as aninvestment in a future classic? AVL

Ancillary Equipment: AmbienceSuperSlim 1600 Ultra loudspeakers,Teac VRDS-10 CD transport, MusicalFidelity X-DAC D/A converter,Audioquest Topaz interconnects,Nordost Flatline loudspeaker cable.