flatpopely
Prog Rock/Moderator
Run out of time today but I will give a full build and listening report when I have chance.
FWIW official Quad servicing always had a policy of replacing only faulty parts. I've seen old 405 amplifiers where the original 80s main caps are still in place, but 2-3 small caps on the boards have been replaced (confirmed by the usual Quad service sticker).
I just can't see people being willing to pay £350+ to refurbish an amp they won on ebay for £70..... especially as they would probably get say £200 for it if they re-sold it....
Robert - if you look on that chaps site he doesn't much like the beloved Quad 405 - to cut and paste his comment: Very bad IC designed nightmare... Hugely overrated multiple IC riddled rubbish. The 405 power amp remarkably has an op-amp 75p piece of lo-fi crap on all the input boards. Oh, but the preamp has loads more lovely ICs to mangle the sound further. One seller kindly photos the preamp insides showing an odd mix of 1960s style boards with 4x 14 pin ICs and even worse the pre-tone has at least 3 more op-amps. Utter utter crap. How this junk is touted as Best Of British Hifi shows how awful the majority of British Transistor Hifi is
I think the point is getting the best Sound Quality rather than being concerned about its resale value. If buying a £30 vintage amp then servicing it for £350 give the very best musical experience then perhaps that should be considered. Yes the Quad 405 has a great re-sale value, but it seems there's a LOT wrong with it . But of course it's classic British - so it "must" be good surely ....?
The strange thing about the Quad 405 is everyone reckons they are horrible, yet they sound fine driving both types Quad ESLs, which are arguably the most accurate and revealing loudspeaker ever made! If you really want to hear what's upstream a pair of ESLs is as good a way as any.
I don't know where you got that quote from but he obviously doesn't know what he's talking about!
Some people do indeed not mind paying the price to have an old amp properly fettled, especially if it's something they plan on keeping long term. If an old amp is bought for £50 and another £350+ spent on refurbishing then one may well have an amp that would cost £1000 to match in a modern amp.
The problem is the dreaded "box swappers".... I've known a few of them over the years... strange types... everything is the best they ever heard and yet is sold and replaced by something else within a month in some cases. They usually buy stuff with a keen eye on what they'll get back for it when they sell it!
The full list is found indexed here: http://select45rpm.com/pages/hifi/other-amps.html - find the Quad in the list then read the comments.
The strange thing about the Quad 405 is everyone reckons they are horrible, yet they sound fine driving both types Quad ESLs, which are arguably the most accurate and revealing loudspeaker ever made! If you really want to hear what's upstream a pair of ESLs is as good a way as any.
Indeed.
The only worthwhile mod is a sensitivity reduction, one useful side effect being a drop in hiss which is useful for sensitive 'speakers. Most people want a 'better' op amp fitted, but better at what?
The Mk1 can have its protection adjusted broadly in line with the Mk2 if required. Useful for sub 5 ohm loads.
The rest is a waste of time.
Just sometimes I wish there was a like button on here...Indeed.
The only worthwhile mod is a sensitivity reduction, one useful side effect being a drop in hiss which is useful for sensitive 'speakers. Most people want a 'better' op amp fitted, but better at what?
The Mk1 can have its protection adjusted broadly in line with the Mk2 if required. Useful for sub 5 ohm loads.
The rest is a waste of time.
The strange thing about the Quad 405 is everyone reckons they are horrible, yet they sound fine driving both types Quad ESLs, which are arguably the most accurate and revealing loudspeaker ever made! If you really want to hear what's upstream a pair of ESLs is as good a way as any.
In my market during the late 70's and 80's, Naim gained prominence riding on the backs of those aforementioned products.
I was more referring to the use of Naim vs Quad amplification paired with Quad loudspeakers.
I'd heard the little Nait was meant to be good with Quads, though I thought none of them were especially safe with 63s as the Naims can't deal with the protection system and had a tendency to blow up!
ONe thing I think we can all agree on is that we can ignore the Select45 guy.
Maybe - maybe not. He seems to have the technical nonce to backup his claims - or he may have an agenda as suggested earlier - I'm none the wiser to be honest. But it does open up a train of thought to be open minded in these matters and not to perhaps expect British amps to be superior to Jap amps (Quad vs Yamaha for example). It's not sexy or patriotic I know, but it may be 'fact'...
..the proof is in the pudding and I would need the opportunity to try one of his rated EXCELLENT vintage amps to find out for myself. I intend to do so but I'm not going to rush.
Really???