Hi There,
I'm hoping someone may be able to give me some advice?
My father died recently and I was allowed his pride & joy.
His wife said she wanted to keep the CD deck, though when I arrived everything had been taken apart & things "moved".
It's a little odd I think something else is missing, but at the time everything was so painful & difficult with his wife, I can't remeber what should have been there.
With the number of shelves that were filled I seem to have something missing.
Turntable & pre amps were on shelves with the CD deck, the quads on the floor, so now I'm wondering if there was an equaliser or something in the set up that she has decided to keep without letting me know as there are 4 shelves, I'm sure I remember them all being filled?
Sorry if I haven't added to the right area and not entirely sure if this is the right forum, so if anyone can point me in the right direction if so that's be great also.
Thanks Jess
I'm hoping someone may be able to give me some advice?
My father died recently and I was allowed his pride & joy.
His wife said she wanted to keep the CD deck, though when I arrived everything had been taken apart & things "moved".
It's a little odd I think something else is missing, but at the time everything was so painful & difficult with his wife, I can't remeber what should have been there.
With the number of shelves that were filled I seem to have something missing.
Turntable & pre amps were on shelves with the CD deck, the quads on the floor, so now I'm wondering if there was an equaliser or something in the set up that she has decided to keep without letting me know as there are 4 shelves, I'm sure I remember them all being filled?
Sorry if I haven't added to the right area and not entirely sure if this is the right forum, so if anyone can point me in the right direction if so that's be great also.
Thanks Jess
if you connect the pre-amp to the power-amps via the umbilical cables and then the power-amp to some speakers 20 watts plus of the same impedance ( there will be an impedance set on the power amps) you should be ok to connect the radio and turn table.
BUT IF THE AMPS HAVE NOT BEEN USED IN SOMETIME ( A FEW MONTHS ) YOU WILL NEED TO FIT AN 80WATT LIGHT BULD IN TO THE MAINS LEAD IN SERIES LIVE SIDE IN A LAMP FITTING AND RUN THE AMPS FOR 8 HOURS WITH NO MUSIC SO THE CAPACITORS REPOLARISE THERE DIELECTRIC STATE OR THEY WILL BURN OUT (and it will cost you lots for money to repair this)
so don't just plug and go..............please!
BUT IF THE AMPS HAVE NOT BEEN USED IN SOMETIME ( A FEW MONTHS ) YOU WILL NEED TO FIT AN 80WATT LIGHT BULD IN TO THE MAINS LEAD IN SERIES LIVE SIDE IN A LAMP FITTING AND RUN THE AMPS FOR 8 HOURS WITH NO MUSIC SO THE CAPACITORS REPOLARISE THERE DIELECTRIC STATE OR THEY WILL BURN OUT (and it will cost you lots for money to repair this)
so don't just plug and go..............please!
..................................................not a cap supplier
8 hours is minimum or you will burn holes
8 hours is minimum or you will burn holes
As Dave mentioned, it might be the matching tuner which would be a novelty, but hardly worth running, as is the preamp. The real bounty is the power amps.
As Pointy mentioned, the preamp connects to the power amps with 2 umbilical cords. These are really fragile at the power amp connector end and wires can become disconnected and exposed easily.
One point to add is that the preamp must be switched to "stereo" for both amps to power up. I am assuming a stereo setup, although some of these were sold as mono with a single amp.
I think that Pointy was being a little pessimistic about the caps needing re-polarising. It may take some years without power for them to become unpolarised. However you may not know how long the kit has been out of use...
As Pointy mentioned, the preamp connects to the power amps with 2 umbilical cords. These are really fragile at the power amp connector end and wires can become disconnected and exposed easily.
One point to add is that the preamp must be switched to "stereo" for both amps to power up. I am assuming a stereo setup, although some of these were sold as mono with a single amp.
I think that Pointy was being a little pessimistic about the caps needing re-polarising. It may take some years without power for them to become unpolarised. However you may not know how long the kit has been out of use...
The point is that if an old 'lytic has been idle for a long time, the leakage current can be high. This in turn causes heating which can, at worst, blow the can.
By ramping up the voltage slowly ( a 2-stage ramp in this case), the cap can re-polarise and the temperature rise minimised.
By ramping up the voltage slowly ( a 2-stage ramp in this case), the cap can re-polarise and the temperature rise minimised.
if you cut open those oip caps they would have holes burnt at one end.
the dielectric will repolarise towards one end leav'ing a spot and that will close very slowly.
the dielectric will repolarise towards one end leav'ing a spot and that will close very slowly.
here is two companys that can help but they will charge (i think)
hi-fi shack in yorkshire
classic sound in london
they both have web sites.........................there is many more
hi-fi shack in yorkshire
classic sound in london
they both have web sites.........................there is many more
Of course, you could just save yourself a lot of pain and replace the three 0.1uF capacitors (which might be leaking, and no amount of slow power ramping will help), and then gently ramp the mains up to re-form the HT electrolytics. If those coupling capacitors fail, the expensive KT66s will fail and could take out the (already stressed) mains transformer. The other common fault is that the 180 Ohm 3W cathode bias resistor fails because it ought to be a 5W component, and the associated electrolytic capacitor fails because it's been heated by the resistor. Replace both components if they haven't already been replaced. There's also a good chance that one of the small carbon resistors has gone high in value, so check them with a meter and replace if necessary. Oh, and finally, some of the valves might need replacing.
Realistically, a Quad II is no different to any other "classic" valve amplifier - it wants some serious attention before power is applied because it's likely to be fifty years old. Would you expect thirty-year-old transistor electronics to work immediately? No, I thought not. So why a Quad II?
Realistically, a Quad II is no different to any other "classic" valve amplifier - it wants some serious attention before power is applied because it's likely to be fifty years old. Would you expect thirty-year-old transistor electronics to work immediately? No, I thought not. So why a Quad II?
I suspect there's no-one from that era still alive there.
EC's advice is dead-on; he's had more experience with those amps than anyone who is likely to be working at the modern-day Quad company.
EC's advice is dead-on; he's had more experience with those amps than anyone who is likely to be working at the modern-day Quad company.
Hi There, been missing notifications so hadn't realised so much had been said.
The amps seem fine from what I know & remember about them.
What I have is some tinniness to the sound from the deck.
Using CD or adding an mp3 player seems to give somewhat muted sound compared to what you'd expect.
When I switch everything on, after a minute or so I get a sort of gentle whoomp & a pop from the speakers. I do remeber this being a problem when first set up but can't remember what he did to eradicate it.
I don't keep the amps on the floor as dad did, as I'm worried they'll get damaged. They are on a spiked table with a marble top so thought that should be suitable?
I also get a crackle when raising the volume, I think this is more that the preamp could do with a service?
But from what I can gather there's nothing missing from the set up at least.
Let me know any thoughts...
Thanks again
Jess
The amps seem fine from what I know & remember about them.
What I have is some tinniness to the sound from the deck.
Using CD or adding an mp3 player seems to give somewhat muted sound compared to what you'd expect.
When I switch everything on, after a minute or so I get a sort of gentle whoomp & a pop from the speakers. I do remeber this being a problem when first set up but can't remember what he did to eradicate it.
I don't keep the amps on the floor as dad did, as I'm worried they'll get damaged. They are on a spiked table with a marble top so thought that should be suitable?
I also get a crackle when raising the volume, I think this is more that the preamp could do with a service?
But from what I can gather there's nothing missing from the set up at least.
Let me know any thoughts...
Thanks again
Jess
Hi Jess,
I think the "tinny volume" is probably due to you using the wrong input on the preamp. I remember the input socket layout being misleading. Try some logical combinations...
The scratchy volume control will be an age issue. Some will say to squirt switch cleaner inside, but my experience is that it will only be a temporary fix. A new control is required.
Actually in my first post, I intimated that the preamp is the weak link. Not only has it aged, but by modern standards it's performance is lacking.
You may also find that the switches are noisy or intermittent. Switch cleaner may help these, although it may only be temporary. I suggest you operate the switches repeatedly for a minute or two to clear any tarnishing of the contacts. "Thinness" of other sources could be due to bad switch contacts or the volume control itself.
As for the "pop" you get from the speakers, try to determine whether one or both channels are affected.
Thanks for your PM.
I think the "tinny volume" is probably due to you using the wrong input on the preamp. I remember the input socket layout being misleading. Try some logical combinations...
The scratchy volume control will be an age issue. Some will say to squirt switch cleaner inside, but my experience is that it will only be a temporary fix. A new control is required.
Actually in my first post, I intimated that the preamp is the weak link. Not only has it aged, but by modern standards it's performance is lacking.
You may also find that the switches are noisy or intermittent. Switch cleaner may help these, although it may only be temporary. I suggest you operate the switches repeatedly for a minute or two to clear any tarnishing of the contacts. "Thinness" of other sources could be due to bad switch contacts or the volume control itself.
As for the "pop" you get from the speakers, try to determine whether one or both channels are affected.
Thanks for your PM.
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