Quad 33/303

The latest additions to the Quad range, the 33 preamplifier and 303 stereo power amplifier, are far from being its first products to evoke classics from its illustrious near-80-year history. For all the pearl-rattling and handbag-clutching that greeted the acquisition of the brand by Shenzhen-based IAG back in the 1990s, the current owners have proved to be respectful custodians of all that heritage.

Thus, the latest versions of the classic electrostatic speakers are still in production. There have been revivals of the company’s original valve power amplifiers. And now comes perhaps the most ‘Quad’ combination ever: the compact 33 preamplifier and the upright 303 power amplifier. First launched in 1967, it’s a combination still sought after in the used hi-fi market, where around £500 – certainly less than £1000 for a fully serviced pairing – should get you a serviceable set-up that’s more than capable of forming the keystone of a serious retro hi-fi system.

Buying the new iteration of this duo, at around £1200 each or £2400 for the pair, brings you much more than the assurance of new products complete with a warranty. The latest 33/303 evokes the style of the original, and the basics of the electronic design are retained - but there’s been a lot of ‘behind the scenes’ fettling, not least to bring the products up to the demands of modern systems. After all, when the originals appeared the most common source components were a turntable, a radio tuner – probably in the form of the matching FM3 – and perhaps a tape deck. CD players weren’t even imagined back then, let alone streaming music from mobile phones or online services.

The updates, while apparently subtle – the change from the taupe finish of the original to silver-grey, for example, and the introduction of a black-on-orange LCD panel below the rotary controls (for balance and Quad’s bass/tilt tone controls) – belie the changes within. Gone are the ‘tape’ and ‘radio’ inputs - the 303 now has a moving coil/moving magnet phono stage, three line inputs on RCA phono sockets, and a single pair of balanced XLRs. However, there’s no digital input provision – like the original, this is an all-analogue design.

Mind you, the tone controls can be bypassed, there’s a button to dim or switch off the display illumination, and the remote handset – yes there’s one provided unlike the 1960s’ originals – duplicates and extends all the preamp’s functions.

Gone, too, is the DIN connection between the pre- and power amps, replaced by a choice of RCAs or XLRs – the new 33 also has a 6.35mm headphone socket on the front panel, fed from a dedicated amplifier within – and there are 12V trigger connections to switch the power amp on and off in tandem with the preamp’s standby function. Oh, and there’s a USB port for upgrading the preamp’s firmware when updates are available.

The 303 power amp, which gains an orange standby button on the front to match those on the preamp, still uses the ‘triples’ output stage developed by Quad founder Peter Walker for what was the company’s first transistor power amplifier - it’s designed for thermal stability and low distortion. The power amp delivers just under 50W per channel (49.5W to be precise) into 8ohms and 70W into 4ohms, which should be more than adequate for most modern speakers, but there’s also the option of bridging the amplifier for more power. At the push of a button, and a slight rearrangement of the connecting cables, the 303 becomes a mono amp capable of up to 170W - add a second 303 for the other channel, and you’re in business.

Sound quality

If you’re expecting the Quad 33/303 to deliver a sonic blast from the past, you’re not going to be disappointed: it delivers a sound with a velvety smoothness and ease when the music requires, but can also do the ‘blast’ bit when you crank it up with something rockier. This is no overly lush throwback to the stereotypes of vintage hi-fi – not that audio ever really sounded like that in real life – but rather an entirely viable pre/power combination for modern listening, with the added appeal of that ‘classic’ look.

I don’t have an original 33/303 to hand for comparison, but I have always intended to buy a decent pair - and thus have heard a few samples in my time. And while audio memory is far from infallible, I’d say the team behind this reimagined pairing has managed to retain everything that made the originals special, while delivering an extra dose of clarity and dynamic ability to bring out even more of the music.

What is fascinating is just how different that bass/tilt tone control set-up remains. I’m no great fan of conventional tone adjustments, most of which are somewhat crude in their operation, but the ability of the tilt to give a little treble lift with the same smidgen of bass cut, or vice versa, seems a very sensible way to tune the sound to personal taste, or tame harsh recordings. Meanwhile the separate bass control is similarly subtle in its effect, allowing a little extra warmth to be introduced if required. Yes, you can still overdo things, even with these controls, but then you can also hit the ‘tone’ button and bypass them.

There’s no shortage of extension on offer here. The high frequencies are open enough to bring out all the ambience and atmosphere of live recordings, and that resolution extends all the way down to the low bass, which is both forceful when required and able to reveal all the snap and resonance of, for example, the deepest notes on electric or upright basses.

What’s more, for anyone thinking 49.5W per side doesn’t sound like a lot, the Quad combo belies the numbers with excellent clean power and dynamic ability, and will drive as loud as anyone could sensibly want while keeping things rich and clean.

Living with

Even without the modernised retro style, this is an exceptionally capable amplifier package, and more than a match for many a more conventional rival. Yes, the remote handset may be a bit generic, lacking the two components’ style, but this is an amp with real user appeal, plus the looks to make it a talking point – and not just among hi-fi anoraks!

Conclusion

As with other modern products from the Quad stable, the 33/303 pairing manages to combine retro appeal with a sound that’s bang up to date. The modernisation of the styling is as impressive as the reworking of the electronics, sensible pricing adds to the appeal, and of course there’s the upgrade potential of that bridgeable power amplifier.

Listening notes

Miss Judy’s Farm Faces 

Taken from the massive seven-disc At the BBC set, all seven and a half hours of it, this track (from a 1973 John Peel session) sees the greatest-ever rock’n’roll band at its chaotic, exuberant best. Quad amps are polite? I think not…

Sycamore Gap Kathryn Tickell 

Revisiting her début album 40 years on with Return to Kielderside, Northumbrian piper Tickell comes up with a set that’s evocative, at times ethereal and beautifully recorded. This is much more than an album for folkies.

Baroque Concertos Alison Balsom 

Transcriptions of works written for different instruments don’t always work, but this album, featuring trumpeter Balsom and an ensemble conducted by Trevor Pinnock, has wonderfully rich timbres, excellent focus and real pace and drive.

The simple answer is ‘because it’s different’, but the fact is this is a reimagining of a design nearly 60 years old that manages to sound as contemporary as it is classic. Add in the subtlety of the original style, and the quality of build here, and this is hi-fi that’s anything but ordinary – to the point where it’s as covetable as it’s superbly musical.