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Quad 33/303 upgrade kits

G

garethrl

pfm Member
A friend of mine in Brussels has a 33/303 setup that's sounding a bit tired. While looking at options I found a guy up the road in Antwerp who offers upgrade services for a range of Quad products including both the 33/303, both as DIY kits or he'll do the work for you. He's at http://www.dadaelectronics.eu/ and he's been very helpful with the questions I've put to him. Details of the upgrades are given in the ebay shop and blog.

My question is, how much of a difference are his custom selected components going to make as opposed to other off-the-shelf parts? For instance there's another guy in Brussels who's worked on many a Quad before and will take them in for inspection before giving a quote for repair/refurb. - and has the advantage of locality. The Antwerp service offers the part kits for DIY at €22 and €74 resp. for the 33 and 303 - what do people think a kit of modern replacements for aging/failing internals would be? Also, what's the feeling on converting the 33 from 12V to 16V, would this make a noticable difference?

Once you've taken out the parts costs then the labour for each is about €110 and as most places here seem to charge in the region of €70-€85 per hour exc. VAT at 21% then the charge is for roughly an hour labour per item, which seems fair enough. So, is the Antwerp service worth the parts costs and travel, or would the Brussels service do the job for (probably) a little less cash and easier logistics?

Thanks in advance for all input!

Cheers, Gareth.
 
I cant comment on either option, but do have a look at Net Audio as they have a lot of prodcuts for these amps and may give you some insight on the way forward. I cannot however recommend their products soundwise (never heard them) though I do have a colleague that has a 405 with modifications and it is very well built and im sure sounding excellent.
 
Eu22 and 74 respectively will be for the electrolytic caps and it's a fair price. 1 hour labour sounds right too, though an amateur would spend an afternoon.

Big elec caps are the usual cause of failure on these things - they go short circuit and blow the rectifier/fuses. As a guide I bought a 303 about 10 years ago that had just been back to Quad after just that failure, the bill was £80, with parts nearly half that.

After that you might like to swap a few other caps and change the rectifier diodes to Schottky types (he said, showing off his newly gained knowledge;)) which cost pennies and are straight replacements.

A good clean and contact spray of the pots and switches will be the other thing on a service.
 
There's a guy in London who sells fully upgraded 303s at various prices. His best is a monobloc affair with tweaked PSU and a few other changes. You can find his stuff on Ebay, dunno how good it is. I would bet it's very good compared to other stuff at £400, after all a basic 303 will knock every £500 integrated I've ever heard into a cocked hat.
 
stevec67 said:
There's a guy in London ...
Click to expand...

That would be Ivan, he's just of the "Murderer's Mile" search on eBay for "Gazember". I have a 303 that he worked over a couple of years back - knocks spots off the standard 303, more power, bass, dynamics - all round a much better amp.

As for choosing a "supplier" I do know that Ivan has been at it a while, as has NetAudio. Your Antwerp connection is a new one on me, but any well serviced Quad will surely sound so much better than a tired 40 year old set. Which ones best? Who knows but the principle of uprating these amps is well established and as you say it's convenient.
 
I had a 303 with a 34 pre about 15 years ago.

I replaced a lot of components in both.

I replaced the large electrolytics in the 303 with DNM slit foils, put Shottky diodes in both amps (not pence in the 303). A lot of Kimber polypropylenes, and Sanyo Oscons at strategic points. All the chips inside the 34 were upgraded to fancy Analogue Devices ones. I have forgotten what else I did but I spent a lot of money. It sounded better, yes, but....

Let's just say I wouldn't do it again.
 
As far as I know, Net-Audio in the UK specialise ONLY in the 33/303 and all the mods look sensible (and are mostly reversible on the 33 as new plug in boards are involved).

Dada look great for 405 and 606 updates and mods. The 405 circuit is highly regarded once free of its shackles and even Quad tinkered with the mk1 version layout several times before the mk2 came out (I've seen at least four versions of the board).

I also think that if the speakers don't have a cruel load, the 606 is a tremendous bargain - older ones need an hour or two for the case to warm through, but later ones seem better sorted from cold.

I never liked the 34, but have not heard one with all the op amps replaced etc...
 
I can't comment on his upgrades, not having used or heard any of them, but I have visited Stefaan in Antwerp (he bought a 405 from me on eBay and I delivered it in person - I think it's the one one used for demonstrating the mods on his website) and he is indeed a genuine and helpful guy.
 
I have a 405 that a friend repaired and molested/upgraded about a year ago, before I started hifi tweaking, it sounds fantastic. I must have a chat with him, find out what he did. I know he did the caps, and fitted smaller ones in piggy back, the rest I'm unsure, he may have changed opamps but I doubt it.

WHere these quality amps score for the DIYer is that they have stupendous power supplies and nice cases. You have just addressed the most costly bits of any amplifier and can tweak the (dirt cheap...) internals to your heart's content.

One day if I'n feeling mischievous I may build a NAP250 clone from one of those £25 Ebay kits and stuff it in a 405 case and PSU. Better still a 303, then I can take it to a Naimite and see what he thinks.:D
 
I refurbed a 303 (no use to do a 33) with new elcos and all that. Eventually it sounded like Quad IIs with more bass punch. Soft and musical. Sold it on to a guy with ESL-57s. Kept the t-shirt. Then I refurbed a 405-1 and a 405-2 according to net-audio and Ludwig, better sound and all that. Sold them on, kept the t-shirts. I also refurbed a 34 and 44 as fas as one can go. Sold them on. Kept the t-shirts. I refurbed Quad IIs, but didn't sell.
Conclusion: I got a lot of t-shirts and a full Quad 99/909 kit which runs circles around all of the above. But I had fun and sometimes I use the Quad IIs to drive the ESL-63s just to remind myself of how musical that amp really is.
My advice: if he's not in it for the fame and fun, better to pick up a 2nd hand 99 pre/99 amp on ePay or loot, it's cheaper in the end.
 
I have a Quad 99 power amp - would a 66 or 77 pre-amp work well with it, assuming I wanted a cheaper option than the 99 pre?

Anybody tried those combinations and has a preference?

I currently use that with a TASCAM mixer as a pre (for a twin CD deck) - any other recommendations for a cheap-ish new or second hand pre which might do the trick with a Cambridge 640C v2 / B&W DM303 combo - a nice simple, uncoloured sound is what I am after?
 
The Net Audio powerboard for the 303 is a great idea - more bass weight, and "tighter" sound while maintaining the sonic character of the 303. Fitting is easy too - I can do it!!
Take off base plate unclip power board, desolder 4 cables. Solder 4 cables from new board, clip in, - switch on and check 1 voltage with multimeter, replace base plate and there you go. A brilliant ugrade. I haven't done any "33" upgrades yet but would give some rplacement boards a go if there was a recommendation..
 
Several years ago, one of my trade customers sold me a 77pre with remote and fully boxed for £150. I was going to use it with my rebuilt II's but never got round to it. When we moved, herself made me sell it 'cos the box was large and I already had enough stuff to shift...

The 77 is very musical, involving and sweet and has a good phono stage as I recall. The only thing tha really let it down was the "two way" remote, which even B&O had trouble with.

With hindsight, I should have kept it. I understand the 99 series is more similar to the 77's than different..
 
DSJR said:
As far as I know, Net-Audio in the UK specialise ONLY in the 33/303 and all the mods look sensible (and are mostly reversible on the 33 as new plug in boards are involved).
Click to expand...

My much-loved 303 finally rolled over and died after 27 years' faithful service, so having previously fitted David Pritchard's power board, I sent the whole caboodle off to Net Audio for the ful treatment (including David's rather nice faceplate). It arrived back last weekend and I plugged it in and tried it with the Meridian 588/Quad 44 on one end and the LS3/5as and Sizmik on the other. And how did it sound? Splendid. I tried out the latest volume of Gardiner cantatas, especially the brilliant BWV129 (recorded in St. Magnus, Kirkwall). Marvellous, lots of atmosphere, turn out lights and immerse yourself in the miracle that is J.S. Bach, as produced by the marvellous Monteverdis.

And was it better than before? No idea and don't care - if it sounds this good, why worry (they'll never make an audiophile out of me)? It's nice to have an old friend back.
 
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