We ‘engaged’ with Quad a few years ago when a number of local one-time Eastern Audio customers found themselves needing CD players or general updates for existing Quad systems. Over time, our involvement has diminished a little. Nothing wrong with the products, they’re just not exactly ‘us’.
Our considered opinion of the current Artera range is that it is let down by the combined CD player / preamp. The irony is that the CD / Pre is a pretty good CD player and running it through the newest Artera product, the stand alone preamplifier, shows this. Unfortunately, the various control codes are shared on the same remote handset and it can become a little challenging to use.
Despite our slightly ‘arms length’ relationship, when we spotted that the new revised version of this 1960’s classic was on the horizon we found ourselves genuinely excited to hear one. As the oldest in the Signals team, the 33 preamp / 303 power is an aspiration from my schooldays. I did actually own a 34 pre / 405 power combo some years before starting Signals but my memory of how some newer and admittedly more expensive kit outclassed it probably made my Quad judgements a little unfair.
My only exposure to the original 33/ 303 is a used example that I took as a trade-in about 25 years ago. It was physically perfect and, as such, ended up selling to a museum in Germany, but it was a slight disappointment sonically. Almost certainly, it needed a service. The museum didn’t care!
In revisiting the 1967 33 + 303 designs, Quad have dispensed with all the complexity of the last forty plus years of progress and reverted to a power amplifier design very close to the original 303. Casework for both pre and power is solid slabs of anodised aluminium in a silver finish. It’s far more substantial than the folded metalwork that clothed the originals. The new preamp has a switchable MM / MC phono stage instead of the card slot in the original that allowed for various loading permutations.
Tone controls have been simplified to the familiar ’tilt’ control and fairly well judged plus or minus steps for the bass.
So, is it any good? Let’s face it, you wouldn’t get all this waffle if we thought ill of it. For a start, it’s definitely a Quad. Slightly warmer than average in balance but clean and tidy too. It’s very refined with what people refer to a silky quality. It still offers decent dynamics and bass separation. Scale and imaging are strengths and, running into a £1300 pair of compact Dynaudio Evoke 10’s with an Auralic S1 Streamer at the front, it generates a musical experience that any will regard as all they would ever seek.
A few customers have had listening sessions with us and we’ve now added a second 303 power amplifier to the demonstration collection. Turning the power amplifiers into twin mono blocks is regarded as a proper improvement with grippier bass, greater dynamics and no perceived downside. In either configuration, it acquits itself driving chunky stand-mounts such as the (excellent) new Mission 770s that the IAG man managed to somehow leave with us!
With an RRP of under £2400 for the basic pre/ power pairing, most of the alternatives are integrated amplifiers. For a reference point, we used the excellent £2000 Rega Elicit Mk 5.
Arguably the Rega is actually more neutral and, perhaps, a little cleaner but there is an engaging warmth to the Quad sound that you could easily prefer. Overall, it is very much a modern version of the original and still as relevant against the far higher standards that now exist in the audio landscape. Quite an achievement, in fact.
Our very own Kevin Fulcher has some opinions on this too:
“I was quite a fan of the Artera Pre/Power combination which was released several years ago but the new Quad offering is pure nostalgia and I can’t help but be wooed by the Classic styling of the new 33/303.
I also really like the fact it’s “straight analogue”approach, no internal DAC, Bluetooth etc.
A very welcome remote control and plenty of options for connecting components, we’ve opted for XLR connections between pre and power, the Quad manual recommends this too.
We’ve hooked up a Rega Saturn CD player and a fully maxed out Auralic S1 streaming transport with external power supply and DAC, all connected via RCA cables.
The sound…
All jokes about heading to the local tobacconist for a pipe and some comfy slippers aside, the new Quad sounds like good fun to my ears.
Open and clean HF detail with well balanced focus in the mid band with a decent amount of bottom end, dual mono 303’s tighten things up but the single 303’s certainly isn’t lacking in low end drive.
This combination is as happy playing John Barry as it is playing John Mayall.
The build quality and feel of them both is excellent, the volume control feels very much like the original. ”
There you have it. Good knob feel too 🙂
All available for demonstration as soon as you like. IAG, who make it, have been caught out by the demand and may well be arranging extra air deliveries to the UK before Christmas.
Alastair