Following on from my previous posting when I had returned the amp to Quad because I wasn't happy with the service.

Yes it's back, it still sounds different to what I had become accustomed to but good. Quad have convinced me that I was listening to it with too much treble and that now it is correct. I must say the bass is noticably richer and smoother and after a few weeks of listening to it I have come to prefer it.

There was no problem with Quad Service themselves, they were happy to do the work again at no extra charge. The second time it did sound more "alive" than the first time around so I guess it could be as simple as component selection. I noticed they had used different components the second time around. I also tweaked one of the crossover bias pots myself while listening to the amp with my speakers and replaced two more electrolytics caps that Quad had not changed.

Sound quality, Appearance, Longevity

DIN plugs

I bought my 33/303 combination new in 1074 and it's been going strong ever since. Great sound, especially with the Mission 752s I now use. It's even survived a couple of break-ins when the rest of my hi-fi was nicked, presumably because it isn't black and shiny.

Wonderfull, smooth sound - like a valve amp

Din Plug

I bought this amp while I was a student in Newcastle Upon Tyne in about 1990 for £100. I instantly fell in love with the sound, even with less than good speakers. It has a lovely warmth about it.

I've had three break-ins where they've left the amp and stolen, even my (less than good) speakers. I guess it's because it doesn't look like something valuable.

I use it every day and I think it's probably the best thing I've ever bought! (my Myford Super 7 comes a close second!)

PS I think Henry Hill should stick to Binatone & Amstrad - lots of flashing lights and a sound to suit the tone deaf.

Si

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A JCB Digger

just goes on forever, and still sounds great

those b**** audio and power conenctors

I've given up on the 33 pre-amp after 20 years - the switches were going - so I use my computer as a pre-amp.
I have 2 303's both bought second hand and the newest one bought over 20 years ago (this web sight seems to have trouble with anything more than 6 years old!). They are indestructable and still sound good, I could go and spend 4,000 on new power amps, and they would sound a bit better on my main speakers, but after spending 4500 on speakers that will have to wait a bit longer. I am suprised so many people rave about the bass with these, that, and totally transparent sound tends to elude these amps at times - I am now using Nautilus 804's, HTM01, and it is a good combination - I did borrow some quad II's but they couldn't cope with these speakers at all.

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nah! never bothered

depth, clarity and precision with vocals. Solid taut bass lines and a wide, open sound stage.

not a quad 33/405 combination with ESL's. that is all

Outlandish ability. Having searched for an excellent two channel amplifierfor some timeand listening to rotels, arcams, nad and so on I stumbled onto the 33/303 combination. Initially I was bemused by its styling, untill it was connected. Its sound filled the room with the kind of tonal control and defined sound stage you would expect from a $2000 amp. Agog at this sound I queried about its origins.
Fully reconditioned and calibrated against its original specification tolerances, this amp truly amazes. Used by the BBC for years as part of their reference equipment, perhaps says enough about its quality and reliability.
What really struck me was its presentation. Music comes alive.I am running it with B&W speakers, Onkyo CD player, QED Digit, twin Positron setup(one each for D/A) and custom made RCA to DIN interconects.
THis enables the 33/303 to deliver complex bass lines while maintaining punch in the vocals and a treble line that sizzles through the air. If you cant guess, I'm quite taken with it.
In summary if you want precision, clarity and ocean like depth this is a two channel must. With ESL speakers it becomes religious.

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I tried virtually everything before this revalation

Brilliant sound for an amp built in 1967

Din plugs are a pain, but just solder phonos on and it's fine.

I originally bought the 33/303 combo because i wondered what they would sound like in my system. The price was low so i could afford to try them out, i had been thinking about using a 303 for my centre speaker as it is a large design , which was lacking a bit of umph or grunt from the Sony DTS/Dolby amp.

The 33 pre-amp was a bit of a let down in that it probably needed an overhall, the balance was off and their was channel leakage which annoyed me. So I decided to use the pre out on the Sony db940 for the centre output and now it sits there pumping out a marvellous sound.

You will need to solder new connections on the din to din pre to power amp connector, but this is pretty easy and well worth the 5 minutes to do.

The 303 is a brilliant bargain, i love the sound it makes through the Centre speaker, the whole range had improved in leaps and bounds. You will not be able to get a power amp this cheap, with this ammount of sound, I assure you, try it and then see what you think.

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Linn-Axis/Linn-Basik plus/Gorldring-eroica/Arcam CD7/Sony DB940/Montior Audio Studio Centre/Monitor Audio Silver 8i/Sony 725 dvd/

I wanted to buy a new integrated, in the same room ,there was this "old"thing in a corner. I listened carefully to the "old" thing, and a big smile appeared in the face of my girlfriend...I bought the two others "ugly"(?) things that goes with it (33 preamp, and Fm 3 tuner). Now a big smile appears everytime I turn the power to "on"!
I am still searching recent seperates to be more "musical" that my combo 303,33 and Fm 3 (tubes) and anyway, if I find them,
how much will it cost me ? 860$ Can. ?

I use a 303 (vintage 1973) with a 34 preamp. Together with my small Mission speakers they give a really relaxed, unstressed sound that I can listen to for hours. Of course the design of the 303 is somewhat strange (2 NPN power transistors as quasi-complemetary output stage, and of course the unipolar supply voltage that calls for a large electrolytic series capacitor in the output).Anyway, due to a recent lightning stroke nearby, my 303 is temporarely back at the Quad dealer. In the mean time I use a "Japanese" integrated amp; and now I REALLY know what I miss......

Folkert

I have owned Quad products for some time now and am completely happy with them.
My main system is an all Quad 66 series including ESL-63 and Muse 18 Subs. Front-end is an Oracle Delphi with Shure V15 Type V.

However, it is my little Quad 303 amp, which I am really fond of. I have owned this amp from late 1978, and since it has no power off/on switch, it has been left powered up all this time (21 years) except for a 2-year period when I had it in storage. This is easily the most reliable electronic device I have ever owned. I certainly has kept its value.

I still remember the first time I heard this amp driving quite large Leak speakers and it easily was my choice over the Sony MOS-FET (model number eludes me).

I currently use this Quad 303 to drive 18' subs and a Quad 405 to drive a pair of Magnepan SMGa's. The system sounds clean, and powerful.

The only modification that I am contemplating is to have the case chromed or anodised. Maybe!

I bid on the power amp at a sale of surplus equipment at my college, not knowing much about it except the name Quad. I got it for $30 Canadian only to find out it's worth several times that. Now I'm not certain what to do with it. I'm in the process of building a home theatre system out of (hopefully) mainly scrounged components. Can anyone tell me what role the 303 can play in that? The system currently consists of a Sony hi-fi stereo VCR, a Sony Laserdisc player that I got from a friend (analogue-only industrial player), a Toshiba DVD player with DTS out (new) and an RCA 46" rear projection TV (new)
My only other equipment is a Sony Minisystem from about 8 years ago that has a Dual 1019 turntable connected to it through a phono preamp. The Dual was another garage sale find, $5 Canadian including a cartridge and stylus that were barely touched.
I also have a Kenwood full-size 5-disc CD changer, a Radio Shack DJ mixer, and a pair of Radio Shack mini-speakers unused from the early 80s.
Any advice would be much appreciated.