good to see your post Dave. I really like the 303 it has charm and a realistic natural quality to it. Do you know if this new 303 is also a quasi-complimentary design or does it have a complimentary output stage?
The ‘original Quad’s tilt controls‘ came in with the 44, after the 33. Good idea to use them, though, I like them. But it gives away that this new 33 probably has opamps too, so not a re-creation.
I have owned at least a dozen. I love the industrial design. Not as many 33s.
The last 303 i had got smoked by a gainclone, it would be nice to see the same but with modern circuits.
https://www.t-linespeakers.org/FALL/Q303.html
dave
I can't see them copying the circuit, and yet that happens to be the key. It's a unique amplifier that way.
Yeah. I can’t see them shipping a power amplifier with five setup adjustments in this day and age.
in any case I would expect:
in any case I would expect:
- dual rail, and therefore
- no output coupling caps
- fully complementary
- reconsider the regulator
- reconsider the DC servo
- reconsider the LF pole frequency
- probably up the power to 90-100W.
It just occurred to me that Quad might just have designed a class D amplifier for the new 303. Who knows yet?
I have a 33/303 combo from the family stereo. I recall that the combo got an award from something like the London Design Institute. Love the industrial design. I think Naim stuff looks nice too - must be a British thing. I guess the 303 sounded OK. It was meant to drive the ESL 57, but not remotely in their league sonically. The 33 was completely unreliable - something to do with the contacts for all the boards in it. Sure looks cool though.
That’s funny, I’ve serviced hundreds of them that worked. All getting on for sixty years old.
I bought the 33/303 secondhand for $250 in the 70s, kept the 33 and matched it with a new 405 at some point which was also a reasonable price back then. Both sounded fine but I felt the 405 was warmer. I had no problems with the 33 but someone in my absence played the 405 too loud and stopped working until a friend fixed it. Nothing major. Maybe the new 303 will bring better distortion figures you would expect, but I hope quad maintains the sound quality for those with the $ who can afford it.
Thinking about a new 303 some more, a regulator with a voltage reference, or no regulator at all, would get rid of one adjustment, and a reconsidered DC servo would eliminate two more, but you would still be left with the two bias adjustments.
It´s for sure looks nice. Have several 33/303 and love them for what they are. A piece of British Hifi history. Hope those new ones is really well built with no nonsense quality parts.
More info and images including backside of 303: https://darko.audio/2024/05/munich-high-end-2024-as-it-happened/
About 41 min in.
dave
About 41 min in.
dave
There is a strong rumor Sinclair will also be back on short notice. The Project 60 will now cost USD 8000,- a piece. Stay tuned.
Interesting development.
Wonder what output transistors/triple they've used. Has Locanthi's patent timed out yet?
- but the chap in the video suggested they'd kept the triples. Not sure the original configuration would work with modern high speed devices which is why I suspect it would be straight triple complementary.
Wonder what output transistors/triple they've used. Has Locanthi's patent timed out yet?
- but the chap in the video suggested they'd kept the triples. Not sure the original configuration would work with modern high speed devices which is why I suspect it would be straight triple complementary.