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QUAD 44 PREAMP: UPGRADES

Greetings, Henry.

I am still waiting for the complimentary free pass to the Tonbridge jumble promised by John Howes.

If you can work the same magic on the Quad 44 on your bench at present that you did on my Radford STA 25/III we shall all probably end up cluttering your bench with our modified and upgraded Quad 44s, and you may have to move to Blackheath.

Hope to see you on sunday if John sends a helicopter to transport me.

Eric (eguth)
 
Hi Eric.
Good luck on the complimentary pass, even I have to pay to get in (as a stallholder that's no surprise). John's costs to run this event are astronomical so he needs to charge wherever he can to avoid making a loss, and that could mean the end of this great event.
A helicopter sounds like a nice idea though, Lol.
 
MEMOIRS OF A DIY HI FI NUT - Part XVIX​
QUAD 44 PREAMP: UPGRADES​

III

A START ON UPGRADES​


Those of you with long memories who were around reading underground journals decades ago may remember the ’44 upgrade article I wrote in Audio Conversions (AC Issue 14, April 1992 entitled: ‘How To Release the Audiophile Beast Lurking Within the Bog Standard Quad 44 Preamp’).

Despite its menacing title my article did go into anodyne detail. Since AC has been defunct for many years and back issues are hard to come by I will summarise what I said.

I concentrated mainly on the Moving Magnet (DISC) module. Forget about using a Quad 44 MC module: whatever you do with it it will never be much good. I suggest that you decide which module(es) you use, upgrade them and ignore the rest. I always take the signal from the ’44 Tape Record output, so the Tape Module also had to be upgraded.

The sound is much better using the Quad in this way into a passive preamp because you bypass much of the mediocre and unnecessary circuitry. And you also bypass that dreadful, soul destroying Quad volume pot. You don’t believe me? Try it and prove me wrong!

MOVING MAGNET (DISC) MODULE

1) The MM loading resistors were replaced with 5ppm Holcos; exceptionally good resistors.

2) Holco 25ppm H2 were used to replace R314,315,318,319,228,329. Selected capacitors were also upgraded.

3) Gold plated /teflon insulated phono sockets were installed in the MM Module, insulated from chassis (as the original DIN was not) (now is). The improvement was very noticeable. I wrote to Quad to suggest that they carry out this mod. They replied “this should not make any difference” (shades of ‘all amps sound the same’). It makes a considerable difference provided the rest of the equipment is good enough. I connected the grounds of the sockets with pure silver/ptfe insulated wire directly to the gold pins at the other end of the module’s pcb. I understand that in later models Quad did adopt this mod (in part).

I noticed a drastic improvement in hum reduction, noise elimination and increased clarity and transparency.

OTHER MODS

4) The 3mV switch position was hard wired.

5) Similar upgrades were done to the Tape Output module.

6) MOTHER BOARD: D400,401 replaced with zeners. R401,402,403,404,406,407 with Holco H8 50ppm.

7) Bypass the filter, slope, mono/stereo and balance switches by disconnecting the one red wire running from the Tone Control board to the slider switch. The slider switch is also then disabled. These minimalist conversions do bring audible benefits.

8) Next, I bi-preamped. For this you need a second preamp and nerves. My forays into bi-preamping were filled with promise and hum. I screamed in agony and threw a tantrum. I became hysterical- before I gave up the ghost. The joys of TRI- preamping escaped unfathomed by me.

Next time: more removed or replaced + vandalism of pcb.

________________________________________________
 
Henry

I did not ask for a free pass: John, in his generosity, told me it would be forthcoming!
 
eguth said:
MEMOIRS OF A DIY HI FI NUT - Part XVIX​
QUAD 44 PREAMP: UPGRADES​

III

A START ON UPGRADES​






Next time: more removed or replaced + vandalism of pcb.

________________________________________________
Click to expand...


If the Quad 44 does not satisfy you why vandalise it, and encourage others to do so? Why not just use something else?

I cringe when I remember how I used to 'modify' classic British motorcycles.

With regard to hifi, I believe that expectations of what a hifi system should do has become totally unrealistic. I liken it to HDTV. My life does not look like what I see on HDTV. Likewise, what people expect from their hifi is not what I hear when I got to listen to live un-amplified music.
 
'Live unamplified music', Yummy, that's the holy grail, but we can't afford to keep our fave band in the living room.
Best not to mention the vandalised Brit iron of the past either.
 
Musicians, hifi enthusiasts, recording engineers, hifi manufacturers, they have all encouraged each other to create a false illusion. Most people have lost touch with what real musicians sound like. Distorted by the sound of amplified instruments and the sound people hear in nightclubs. Nothing to do with real musicians.

During the 'golden era' of hifi far more people went out to see live music in concert halls and back-rooms of pubs. I have to assume that they came home to their hifi and recognized the sound they had heard live.

Many people now want to be physically assaulted by their hifi ('thumped in the chest') or hear the spittle on the singer's lips - hardly realistic.
 
eguth said:
[Try it and prove me wrong!
Click to expand...
Well, if it's proof you want, I'm sure Rob would be happy to oblige with an unsighted test.
IME, most audiophiles, when not dancing about architecture, are busy listening with their eyes.
 
joel said:
Well, if it's proof you want, I'm sure Rob would be happy to oblige with an unsighted test.
IME, most audiophiles, when not dancing about architecture, are busy listening with their eyes.
Click to expand...

Hi Joel,

I already have in post 37 with some samples - but it seems nobody wants to try them.
 
Robert said:
Hi Joel,

I already have in post 37 with some samples - but it seems nobody wants to try them.
Click to expand...

Hi Robert - I'm familiar with the Gary Boyle track. It sounds fine (via headphones) but I'd be interested to know if that was taken from the tape out or the line out of the preamp. I think I asked you this once before if I'm not mistaken, but I'd really need to hear a sample taken from the line output before I'd draw any conclusions since the tape out obviously doesn't give a true picture of how the 'whole' preamp sounds.

Mr Tibbs
 
Mr Tibbs said:
Hi Robert - I'm familiar with the Gary Boyle track. It sounds fine (via headphones) but I'd be interested to know if that was taken from the tape out or the line out of the preamp. I think I asked you this once before if I'm not mistaken, but I'd really need to hear a sample taken from the line output before I'd draw any conclusions since the tape out obviously doesn't give a true picture of how the 'whole' preamp sounds.

Mr Tibbs
Click to expand...

Hi Mr T,

You did ask previously in relation to some needledrops IIRC. Those were all via tape out into the ADC.

How do you think these samples compare (to each other)?
Do both samples sound fine?
 
kasperhauser said:
Do real musicians never use amplified instruments, or play in nightclubs?
Click to expand...

Yes. Then you are listening to the instrument created on a PA system. Have you heard a string quartet using a PA?

And really I think that a decent PA system would be more suitable for the kind of recorded music many people seem to listen to, since that is how it is generally heard.

It's about hifi versus high-fidelity.
 
Mr. Tibbs

"... the tape out obviously doesn't give a true picture of how the 'whole' preamp sounds..."

How true. The whole preamp sounds noticeably worse.

I think credit for this very worthwhile mod should be given to Gordon King. I first read about this decades ago in one of his reviews. King should be given more credit than he received.

That said, comparisons via a computer is- if not the wrong way to go about things- at least far from the best way in my opinion.

What I maintain is that anyone with a ’44 and a reasonably good passive preamp into a reasonably good amp that is compatible with the passive preamp will hear a good improvement taking the signal direct from the ’44 tape RECORD output into the passive preamp compared to the normal way. If you don’t agree your opinion is as valid as mine but….I would then suspect that your system is not good enough to reveal the improvement- on the assumption that your hearing acuity is up to it.

Apart from all this, I understand that Robert is seized of the wrong preamp. He uses a Quad ’34, not a ’44 for his revelations so they do not apply to this ’44 upgrade thread.

When I was a musician playing in not only a symphony orchestra but also with jazz groups in clubs and other venues- as well as on transatlantic ships- I almost never played with a musician who used an amplifier; the only exception that I can recall is jazz organ and the occasional electric bass guitar or acoustic bass viol with contact mike.

Of course, in large halls, amplification was usually used; but this need not be of the public address kind. As far back as Voigt in the 1920s steps were taken to ensure that fidelity in live venues was not compromised (see my P.G.AH. Voigt thread for refs).

For what it is worth, I do not evaluate the sound of hi fi according to whether I can hear the lisps on the singer’s lips or whether I am pinned to the back wall by the force of the sound. Nor do I think that there is anything wrong with those that do. Only I would be very surprised if they would be satisfied with a Quad system using Quad electrostatics. I know that I would not be and would not be satisfied with it for general listening purposes. This is not to detract from the Quad electro’s virtues for reproducing vocal and chamber music which I can appreciate, though- by the way- I think that Quad electrostatics are not the best electros available.
 
And at one time I used to want to get the sound I heard from inside the orchestra.

Peter Walker was aiming for the sound as heard from the front row of the dress circle.

There are interesting Peter Walker and Ross Walker interviews on the matter (I think the 'One Thing' site has them)

Walker, Briggs, Leak and others were doing live versus recorded demonstrations 50+ years ago
 
Jowcol said:
Yes. Then you are listening to the instrument created on a PA system. Have you heard a string quartet using a PA?

And really I think that a decent PA system would be more suitable for the kind of recorded music many people seem to listen to, since that is how it is generally heard.

It's about hifi versus high-fidelity.
Click to expand...
I think it's about separating the musician from the situation. I know for a fact that real musicians often do use amplified instruments, sometimes even in nightclubs.

Anyway, what constitutes "real" music is best left for a separate thread.
 
Of course some situations require PA use, but the point is that you aren't hearing the true instrument you are hearing what the PA is doing to it.

I went to see Elvin Jones in a big hall. I was at the back, I couldn't hear anything. I spoke with the guy on the mixing desk, Elvin had told him that he wanted the PA off, he wanted the audience to hear the true sound of his instrumentalists (laudable). The guy on the desk agreed with me and disobeyed Elvin (!) and turned the PA on at a modest level.

I went to see Charlie Rouse in a large room, he sounded like he had his laundry stuck inside the bell of his saxophone. I spoke with the guy on the desk. Mr Rouse had instructed him to turn all the treble off and put on full bass. After a little while the guy on the desk seemed to agree with me, and disobeyed Mr Rouse (!)

At home I want 'high fidelity', 'the closest approach to the original sound'. Close mic recording techniques have created the HDTV equivalent in music. You can hear fingers on strings, saliva on reeds, keys rattling. That isn't what I hear in a live unamplified concert.

My reference to 'nightclubs' was meaning recorded music through PA's. I've heard some incredible nightclub PA's.........if overwhelming power is what you want.
 
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