Re: The Hi-Fi Chat and sales thread
apache":1cqniul6 said:
Update on the Quad now I've fired it up.
Balance control a bit fried - will probably wire it out if I cant find a replacement easily. The output of my modded CD player a little high for the Aux input, so will pull the card and add a bit of attenuation so I'm not at 'deafening' 3 detents in on the vol control!
Studying the schematics reveals that the 44 uses pretty conventional topography (with the exception of the brilliant tone controls) so I think I'll just bring it up to date componentry-wise as all of those caps are probably way past their best by now, and TL07X op-amps were never earth shattering. Perhaps I'll rework the supply with tracking regs so I have best chance of no DC offset throughout, and remove some of the coupling caps in the signal chain. Basically, just keep it 'Quad', but bring it up to how Quad would build it if they had today's tech.
The 405? Well, will start with PSU now I've bought the lovely low ESR caps - perhaps split the supply so it's separate left / right. Fit decent speaker posts as per later variants. I'll look into removing the current / voltage limiters* fitted to early 405's for use with ESLs and again, modern tight tolerance componentry.
*edit - a quick glance at the manual tells me it's easy!
They're great handbooks Mark!
Glad its all good - I had to sell it as a project due to the age. This system was used with ESL57's from new along with a Garrard 401, all of which I managed to get over the years except the ESLs...
The original Quad workshops were great. The stories were great too. One experimental speaker design had to be carefully dismantled as it started to induct off the earths magnetic field. They were always very helpful if you wanted to experiment and had a close relationship with KEF in later years.
I had the miserable task of clearing the factory after sitting in on the meeting that sacked up to 3 generations of Quad employees. In the mary celest workshop, I found a complete 34 system built from spares squirreled away under one of the desk. It hadnt been audited by IAG so I was allowed to keep it.
IAG then bought the TAG McLaren Audio intellectual rights some 10 years later so I went through the same nightmare - except that I was in the firing line. So, before IAG audited EVERYTHING, I was asked to gather all of the 3rd party manufacturers equipment together (REVOX, KRELL etc) and offer it out to the staff. Nobody wanted it despite its value (some £100,000+!) so I was allowed to purchase the lot for £1000.
From memory I managed to get:
Revox system (CD, Tuner amp
B&O Beosound (still have that)
Krell FPB350M x3
Wilson Audio 'Puppy' speaker system
Krell KAV 300i integrated amp
Krell MD20 top loading CD
Kenwood DAB car radio cassette (1997 pre production model!)
Plus lots of separates left over from the Audiolab days.
Even found some Audiolab surround processor prototypes that showed Audiolab were on the ball in 1998 just before they were bought by TMA.
Was given by the CEO a set of JBL4333B and some large tower speakers that I forget the name of.
When I finally left, I bagged an AV192R with the video processor option, a couple of DVD32Rs/ AV32R and some amplification - that all went on ebay while I went on a 6 month hiatus...
After all that I am left with the B&O system and a prototype AV32R
