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Quad 44 upgrade

cporton

pfm Member
Hi,

I've managed to buy a lovely Quad 44 / FM4 combination in "hardly ever used" condition.

Quad by Chris Porton, on Flickr

The serial numbers are 030137 (44) and 018994 (FM4) so both from 1987 and the Mark III version of the 44.

I absolutely understand that some people will say just get them serviced by Quad which will retain their resale value. I get that viewpoint.

However there are a number of companies offering Quad 44 upgrade services, such as Redhill Audio, Amplabs, Quad Revisie, Fidele Audio and Dada Electronics.

They all seem to note that the original Op-amps can be improved with lower noise / distortion alternatives as well as suggesting better specification capacitors and improved power supply components to further enhance the 44's performance.

I don't want to have a "value for money" debate if that's OK... I just wanted to ask the following :

- Has anyone used any of these companies to upgrade their Quad equipment?
- What was their experience of both the company and the upgrade itself?

Many thanks in advance if anyone has any insight / tales to tell.

Chris
 
I can only hardly recommend Dada Electronics.
They can do a very good job for you or send you some upgrade kits that are very easy to install and they improve the sonic performance while retaining the Quad sound signature.
They also offer a very good technical support with written instructions that are easy to understand.
And all of their parts are very high quality.
 
I can only hardly recommend Dada Electronics.
They can do a very good job for you or send you some upgrade kits that are very easy to install and they improve the sonic performance while retaining the Quad sound signature.
They also offer a very good technical support with written instructions that are easy to understand.
And all of their parts are very high quality.

Many thanks for this insight, especially highlighting the point about retaining the Quad sound signature. I really appreciate that.

C
 
Send over to Quad. Be wary of so-called improvements like removing caps or changing op-amps. All placebo.
 
I think Amplabs are okay as I did own an Quad 303 they worked on and it sounded very good. However I would avoid Redhill Audio because my experiences have not been positive with them and after 2 years of promises, waiting etc I still have not received a lot of equipment the chap collected from me.
 
Rob at Amplabs does superb work. He often has a long backlog due to high demand so it might take a few weeks to get your amp back. Best to phone him rather than email. I’ve not used the others you mention.

Thanks for this feedback Nagraboy.
 
I think Amplabs are okay as I did own an Quad 303 they worked on and it sounded very good. However I would avoid Redhill Audio because my experiences have not been positive with them and after 2 years of promises, waiting etc I still have not received a lot of equipment the chap collected from me.

Well, that's a couple of positives for Amplabs and a couple of negatives for Redhill Audio. Thanks for sharing your experiences, it's much appreciated.

C
 
They look lovely those vintage Quad items, maybe I should have kept my FM4.
I have a 34/303 awaiting upstairs, both serviced (amplabs & Quad)
 
They look lovely those vintage Quad items, maybe I should have kept my FM4.
I have a 34/303 awaiting upstairs, both serviced (amplabs & Quad)

I agree... it's a big part of the appeal of these items. I really like the look of them :)

C
 
Why do you think either item needs 'upgrading'?
Have you found something lacking, or have you read a load of stuff (guff) on the internet or in hifi magazines?

I suggest you spend time listening to them.
Plug some headphones into the 44 so that nothing else is involved.
Do a bypass test with two identical sources, one into the preamp then onto power amp, other source direct to power amp (levels matched).

I suggest you don't need to spend money, and you don't need to 'upgrade' (modify) them.
If they aren't what you want, buy something else.
 
I have spent time listening to them and I would say I have found them lacking in terms of clarity and crispness, the sound being somewhat soft at the top end.

I am also aware that they are 34 years old and haven't been serviced in that time... so obviously I should get them serviced since a number of components would be out of tolerance after that length of time.

But given that I'm going to send these units somewhere anyway and incur time and cost, it would seem sensible to understand if there are better alternatives to just going back to Quad.

Hence my post... hoping to find what others have experienced from the various options out there.

Hope that makes sense.

Chris
 
One limitation of a Quad service, arguably, is that they only seem to address actually existing problems, rather than taking a precautionary approach and e.g. replacing components that seem likely to cause problems sooner rather than later. Maybe this is the right way to go in principle, but I've had my 34 for 3 or 4 years and it's been seen by Quad twice in that time for repairs, and it had already been to them for a repair a year before it came to me.

Currently pondering what to do with a 306 myself: it's not presenting any obvious problems but it's clearly seen a lot of action, and it would be nice to know that I'm getting the best out of it.
 
I have spent time listening to them and I would say I have found them lacking in terms of clarity and crispness, the sound being somewhat soft at the top end.

I am also aware that they are 34 years old and haven't been serviced in that time... so obviously I should get them serviced since a number of components would be out of tolerance after that length of time.

But given that I'm going to send these units somewhere anyway and incur time and cost, it would seem sensible to understand if there are better alternatives to just going back to Quad.

Hence my post... hoping to find what others have experienced from the various options out there.

Hope that makes sense.

Chris
It's a piece of string question. The problem is that nobody, ever, has compared used as is with recently serviced and with whatever you can buy, used or new, for the cost of the item plus the cost of the service or upgrade. Will a service or upgrade improve them? Probably. Are there better amps out there? Certainly. Are there less good ones costing similar sums? Again, yes. So you choose.
 
One limitation of a Quad service, arguably, is that they only seem to address actually existing problems, rather than taking a precautionary approach and e.g. replacing components that seem likely to cause problems sooner rather than later. Maybe this is the right way to go in principle, but I've had my 34 for 3 or 4 years and it's been seen by Quad twice in that time for repairs, and it had already been to them for a repair a year before it came to me.

Currently pondering what to do with a 306 myself: it's not presenting any obvious problems but it's clearly seen a lot of action, and it would be nice to know that I'm getting the best out of it.

I'd certainly rather pay more now than have to ship the item again in a few years... so that is definitely a reason not to go for a Quad service.

Thanks for pointing this out Seanm.

C
 
It's a piece of string question. The problem is that nobody, ever, has compared used as is with recently serviced and with whatever you can buy, used or new, for the cost of the item plus the cost of the service or upgrade. Will a service or upgrade improve them? Probably. Are there better amps out there? Certainly. Are there less good ones costing similar sums? Again, yes. So you choose.

I agree stevec67... I guess I'm asking how long other people's pieces of string were / are so I can judge how long mine should be :)

It's definitely worth canvassing for experiences though... the negative steers on Redhill and the positive ones on Amplabs were hugely valuable, for example.

C
 
Don't send to Quad. Their level of service isn't what it used to be. I currently have two items back at Quad after being 'serviced' by them, neither of which worked properly when I got them back, even though in the covering letter I had said what the problems were.
 
Don't send to Quad. Their level of service isn't what it used to be. I currently have two items back at Quad after being 'serviced' by them, neither of which worked properly when I got them back, even though in the covering letter I had said what the problems were.

Thanks Lilolee... I definitely won't be doing that then.

C
 


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