advertisement


Which Quad, 303, 306 or 405 ???

madmike

madmike

I feel much better now, I really do...
I am looking at getting a power amp for my working Radford SC24. Quad seems the obvious answer as the matching power amp is quite rare.
Should I get a 303, a 306 or a 405 ? Speakers will be SBLs
 
For me it would be between the 303 and 306. A lot depends on the speakers, and I don't know enough about the SBL to make a call here. The 303 doesn't like low impedances, but when happy is a lovely amp that just gets out the way and lets the music through. There is something very, very right about its mid-band. The 306 is a lot more powerful, has better bass grip and more treble and is exceptionally quiet, one of the quietest amps I've ever used, but given the choice (which I have having 2x 303 and a 306), I use a 303. I also technically have a 405/2, which is now dead on one side and parked down in That London until I figure out what do do with it. I never got on with the 405, it isn't a bad amp, kind of like a far more hissy 306, but if you need the extra power for inefficient speakers it is probably worth considering, though I think I'd just go for a 606-909 in that situation. These being of the 306 architecture but a lot more powerful. The 303 is definitely my favourite though, my first hi-fi amp and I'm sure I'll have one somewhere for the rest of my life.
 
I currently have a 303, a 306 and a 606. If the SBL needs a few extra watts then the 606 is a good choice. I had a 405 and a 405/2 and never got along with either although plenty of people seem to like them.
 
I've never heard a 303 but the 306 is a really gutsy little amp. The 405-2 is more controlled, refined, but a bit more laid back as a result.
 
Really fancy a 306, if only because, a) folk here like it and b) it has proper power leads, speaker outputs and phono inputs unlike the 303, c) I once had a 405 and wasn't impressed and d) it looks pretty.
 
The 303 has proper speaker outputs, just standard 4mm banana plugs. The input is however a 4 pin DIN, so you need a DIN to RCA. I use one of these Gotham GAC-1 leads (link). It is very nice quality stuff.
 
This site contains affiliate links for which pink fish media may be compensated.
Well I loved my 303 and hope to have another one day, the perfect s/s amp for Tannoy MGs I thought. But I'm going to stand up for the 405 as well, it is an excellent workhorse, reliable, and gets on with its job. I have a 405.1 and haven't had a moments trouble with it for over 30 years (I did get Quad to recap the PSU when I bought it however). True, it's a bit hissy, and its not for headbanging volumes, but its sound is sweet at low volumes, and it has plenty of reserve, and I have never encountered the dreaded current limiter, though my speakers are usually a civilised load.
 
only had experience of the 303 and 405, the latter a copy. Must admit they were the most boring amplifiers I've ever heard! So maybe the 306 will fulfil.

Check that the impedances are compatible. Some valve preamp outut stages need a very high power amplifier input impedance, else you will need an impedance circuit to match.
 
The 405 is laid back to the point of being unconscious, its just the choices quad made when they designed it, the Keith Snook mods look worth doing, particularly if the hiss is annoying, its also not DC coupled which would require more surgery. I listen to a design vaugely based on the 405 and it doesn't have the issues the 405 has.
 
I keep hearing these things said about Quad amps being boring as a boring thing, but I would argue that if you have seriously good speakers (ESLs, proper Tannoys, BBC monitors etc etc) it is just not the case. I suspect the real issue is they aren't hyped-up to sound good with awful loudspeakers! If something sounds good through an ESL, Tannoy or BBC studio monitor I'd argue it actually was good as these are real reference speakers. In many cases they are actually what the music was created with.
 
Tony L said:
I keep hearing these things said about Quad amps being boring as a boring thing, but I would argue that if you have seriously good speakers (ESLs, proper Tannoys, BBC monitors etc etc) it is just not the case. I suspect the real issue is they aren't hyped-up to sound good with awful loudspeakers! If something sounds good through an ESL, Tannoy or BBC studio monitor I'd argue it actually was good as these are real reference speakers. In many cases they are actually what the music was created with.
Click to expand...

I agree, it's difficult to reconcile this commonly held belief of 'boring' with the sound of the LS5/8 for example, or any Quad amps through ESLs. Natural would be a more appropriate word to me, though I suppose my taste in hifi is inescapably for the 'British sound'. I remember buying my 405.1 which was paired with a Meridian 101B pre-amp. I had set out to buy a Naim pre-power combo (it was that time, early 80s, Olive stuff IIRC) to power my nice new IAS loudspeakers. I listened to the Naims though a pair of NS1000 and the combo sounded punchy in a congested headachey way, I was unconvinced. The seller suggested I try his (unpopular) Quad/Meridian combo, just to see...so I accepted and well, talk about an easy decision, his system opened right up and the music made sense again. He knew how it sounded and laughed off the Naim saying he could sell that any day but couldn't listen to it! Buying the Quad/Meridian pairing was one of the best hifi decisions I ever made, and for near 30 years I found no reason to change until I disappeared down the valve/high efficiency speaker rabbit hole that I happily occupy now :cool: Still have the Quad as my backup amp, and for speaker and general output transformer testing duties. A waste but I can't part with it!
 
I had a 405 with a meridian 101 is sounded fantastic and a pair of mission 730,s and a td 124 must have been 1978 ish .....
 
I too had a 405 and a Meridian 101. I loved it at the time, but looking back it was not a patch on my more recent setups. I'd have loved the system I have now back in 1980, half of it was current then too.
 
I have only owned the 306 but as others have said its a very gutsy little amp.
With a transparent pre amp it can sound a bit uncouth but the 34 smoothed that out .
Just sold my 34/306/FM4 a couple of months ago, I was sad to see it go as it was a classic combination

Alan
 
337alant said:
I have only owned the 306 but as others have said its a very gutsy little amp.
With a transparent pre amp it can sound a bit uncouth but the 34 smoothed that out .
Just sold my 34/306/FM4 a couple of months ago, I was sad to see it go as it was a classic combination

Alan
Click to expand...

I have been tempted by a 306 as it suits the 34 I have.
Somehow though, I can't part with the 303.
 
I've got a 303 which I'll never sell.

I've had about 10 405s and 405 II's. For me they are an on off thing,I sell them then I miss them.. but I've still got 2 of them! I love them for their industrial design, the build quality and they fact they will be serviceable forever.

The early 405s sound laid back and relaxing and the later ones have a more modern sound, you can hear more things simply put. It depends if you find detail irritating. The modern sound can grate with me, so usually with these Quads I'll put a valve phono stage, say a Pro-ject tubebox, also an A.N.T Kora was good too. I also drove a pair of Shahinian Compasses nicely with a 405. That was with the much maligned Quad 33. Using its internal phono stage it was the only amp I tried to drive the lowest notes of Symphonia Antarctica convincingly.

The 303 has a valvy sound, which is why I like it. It smooths over harsh records which are unlistenable on more revealing amps. I particularly liked the 303 with a Croft 25 preamplifier with the Croft internal phono stage. That gave a lovely sound with ls3/5a speakers. Voices uncanny, and again rough,
old and poorly recorded records were made not only listenable but enjoyable.

Anyway, enough from me, keep the Quad flag flying!
 
yes 405/1 was not suitable for current thirst speakers., mark 2 was better. but the point is that the current dumping is excellent. the 909 was/is a excellent unrated amp. those slag it of have never listened to it,.

current dumping idea goes on to this day this shows it still sells after 36 years
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


advertisement


Back
Top