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Best pre amp for a Quad 909

R

Rainbow1066

pfm Member
Can anyone advise me re a good pre amp to run with a Quad 909 power ?
I have been looking for a Quad 99 per in black for a while without any luck.
Anyone know how the Quad Elite pre would sound with the 909 and would it be a good match ?
I read about other pre amps which work with a 909 but seems like they often require tweaking to achieve a good working match. I don't want to even go there so - best "off the shelf" options would be appreciated.
 
Others may know more but I was under the impression that the Elite series was pretty much the 99 series in a different case. I think only the very late 99s were available in black.
 
If the 909 is anything like it's smaller ancestor the 306 a passive pre should be a very good match assuming suitable sources. A properly serviced / restored Quad 34 gets surprisingly close to that too.
 
I'm using a Tag Mclaren PA20R with a Quad 606.
The Tag sounds good, is very flexible and has 6 inputs, 3 tape loops and remote control.
Kevin Green at Audiocellar breathed on it for a very reasonable price last summer, and I'm really pleased with how everything sounds.
There's one on ebay at the moment, though it's a bit expensive, maybe.
 
I plan to use a Croft Basic preamp with a Quad 707 power amp. I have read that the gain of the Croft can be reduced by changing a resistor per channel. I hope this combination will provide power from a 150W power amp and the magical midrange from a valve pre amp.
 
Tony L said:
If the 909 is anything like it's smaller ancestor the 306 a passive pre should be a very good match assuming suitable sources. A properly serviced / restored Quad 34 gets surprisingly close to that too.
Click to expand...

The 909 has a supersonic filter on the input of 2K and 470pF which gives a -3dB point of approx 170KHz. Stick with low capacitance cables and a reasonable value for the pot and a passive pre should be OK. A 20K Ohm pot is about the limit, otherwise hf rolloff could occur at high volume settings.
 
Thanks S-man, but I should say while I have had Hifi kit for years, I am a recent born again and your technical information as just fried my little brain !!
I'm hoping for a few off the shelf preamp suggestions that will work well with a 909 without having to tinker too much with the kit I have.
BTW I am using DNM Reson cabling into Proac Studio 150s.
 
Thanks for that. I hadn't heard of Tisbury until now. Just had a look at their site.
They appear to be incredible value for money.
Don't know much about the passive thing so need to read up on that too.
Thanks.
 
Rainbow1066 said:
Thanks S-man, but I should say while I have had Hifi kit for years, I am a recent born again and your technical information as just fried my little brain !!
I'm hoping for a few off the shelf preamp suggestions that will work well with a 909 without having to tinker too much with the kit I have.
BTW I am using DNM Reson cabling into Proac Studio 150s.
Click to expand...

oops sorry. I'm not sure if this is any more understandable, but...

The Tilbury one will work fine (from an engineering POV). These are the key specs:
Input Impedance: 10 kohm (50 kohm also available on request)
Output Impedance: 2.5 kohm

I would not recommend a passive with an input impedance of >20Kohms.
 
A 99 pre is basically the same as the Elite pre. Beware of the low input impedance of the 909, smth like 20 kOhms. Use a 99 or Elite pre, that's a perfect fit.
 
I can confirm that the Quad Elite pre and power amps do perform very well, measure superbly and sound great. They are reliable and there is great backup from Quad if needed. What's not to like ?
 
Nothing Dave, nothing at all by the sound of it !
Not had any negatives so unless I hear otherwise, I just need to bite the bullet.
Anyone else out there care to comment before I dive in ?
Oh ! You may be the man to comment on choice of speakers. I have Proac Studio 150s.
Do you think they would be good with the Quads and perhaps you could suggest a floor standing speaker upgrade that would be a good next step ?
 
As I mentioned in your other thread I use a Croft 25 with reduced gain, I'd suggest you try a quality passive and a valve pre against one another. You can simulate reduced gain with a pair of RCA attenuators.
 
The Quad pre does sound good, has a MM/MC phono stage and tone controls which some people find very useful. Logical choice to me.

You will have no problems using your Quad with ProAc Studio 150.
 
Thanks again Dave. It does sound logical and not a lot to lose if I want a change later.
Will report on the outcome.
Cheers.
 
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