Quad II overhaul advice. - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

Mike14 · 28th Mar 2006, 2:07 pm

Hello people...be really grateful for some advice as I am functionally illiterate in these matters. I have a pair of Quad II's that have been gathering dust for years, were functioning (if not to max potential) when last powered up about twenty-five years ago (told you they were dusty).

I'd like to get them working again so emailed Quad to ask for a rough price and have been quoted £48.00 per hour plus parts plus delivery but with no indication of what sort of amount of work is likely to be needed.

So here are the questions..
Can only Quad themselves be trusted to do the job or could I take them to a dealer to get it done (I live in Devon)?
Would I be better off (financially and /or aurally) selling them and buying something newer/better/different?
If I were to sell them what would be the differences in value between unknown condition (which would presumably drag them down considerably) and functional.

It's a lot to ask I know but any info would be gratefully received.

Sean Williams · 28th Mar 2006, 2:58 pm

Ok,

From the top.

They will undoubtedly require some work - how much depends on what is there to find.

Quad do not need too do the work, but finding someone sympathetic to valve equipment is not always easy.

I would stick with them if I were you - a quality amplifier, and a classic design,

Value wise, well even awful ones fetch three figures on Ebay, but I doubt you would find anything much better on the audio market for what these would realise - they are really quite good.

If you are not clued up with electronics I would not advise poking around inside them, nor indeed powering up the amps untill they have had some basic checks - The mains tranformers do not need any encouragement to melt - they run fairly close to the ragged edge when the amp is fine...... Replacement transformers are about £200.00, so it is wise to preserve the ones you have....

Cheers
Sean

Welsh Anorak · 28th Mar 2006, 4:54 pm

Hi there

I agree - Quad are pricey but will give you a pair of superb amplifiers. I am sure there's someone on this forum though who could help you for less money (sadly I'm all the way up in North Wales!).

There's not too much to go wrong in a Quad II. Usually the main smoothing electrolytic fails (and it's very likely yours are O/C) and I know Quad have sourced them, but they will be the best part of £100 each. With care, they can be opened (by an expert!) and the innards replaced by modern parts so the amp looks original. The biasing electrolytic and 150R wirewound can do odd things and are cheap to replace. The other resistors seem to wear well, but I would change the other capacitors for modern types.

Then there's a choice of valves - KT66s can be any price you like - I find the Golden Dragon ones look original but cost less than £50 a matched pair and sound fine.

Someone may suggest relacing the GZ32 with a silicon rectifier - don't! As Sean says, these amps live on the edge and the original design works well. I notice Quad are remanufacturing the II and I don't see a diode there!

The only updates I'd suggest are a phono socket input adaptor and appropriate extra HT and mains fuses, plus a safer mains connection.

I would suggest making any modifications reversible (and keep any old parts) as these amps are collectable, but holes and odd components drastically reduce their value.

Glyn

Mike14 · 28th Mar 2006, 8:53 pm

Many thanks guys. Still need to give it some thought as I don't really want to be put in the position where I send them to Quad and they quote a vast sum..not least because the transport costs themselves will be fairly substantial. Ideally I'd like to find someone localish to evaluate before I make a decision so if anyone has any idea on that it'd be good. However knowledge is power so thanks for adding to my understanding.

Sean Williams · 28th Mar 2006, 10:55 pm

Well Mike, If you say where you are, you might get a willing volunteer - there is almost as much experience here as there would be in the Quad workshop....

Plus most of us do not charge £48.00 per hour

Anyway, let us know, we may be able to help!

Cheers
Sean

XTC · 29th Mar 2006, 9:05 pm

If they were my amplifiers, I wouldn't have the slightest hesitation in overhauling them myself. I've got the equipment and I believe the experience to do it.

However, in view of the value of these items and the price of some of the replacement parts - such as transformers, I wouldn't want to mess with someone elses. I just don't want to take the responsibility. I think a lot of people who post on this forum are pretty much the same, in that we are happy to tinker with our own equipment but are not geared up to operate as repairers to the general public.

As I understand it, you are pretty well prepared to send them off to QUAD to be serviced, it's just that you want some idea of what sort of cost is involved before sending them - £100, £200, £300 plus the cost of sending them there and back. What that costs will depend what they find wrong with them and have to replace to get them back up to their spec.

A lot of the better hi-fi shops have contacts to whom they send valve based gear customers bring in.

Radfords in Bristol closed recently, but on their web site they've left some contact numbers.

http://www.radfords.co.uk/

It's worth at least phoning a couple of them to see what they say.

Devon's a big county, but I suspect that there must be similar shops to the recently closed Radfords in Exeter, if you are anywhere near there.

Hope this helps.

Pete.

( Note from archivist; Radfords now trade as Revolve CI Ltd. The Radfords link above remains active and will redirect. This info current as of 18/06/07 )

Tim · 29th Mar 2006, 9:08 pm

I can take a look for you. Hopefully not too much wrong. Am in Bradford on Avon (Wilts) PM me for mobile number if interested.

Mike14 · 30th Mar 2006, 10:28 am

Really appreciate all of this guys, had a few PM's as well as answers here. I'll give it some thought and let you know the result. Thanks again. Mike.

28th Mar 2006, 2:07 pm	#1
Mike14 Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Exeter Posts: 3	Quad II overhaul advice. Hello people...be really grateful for some advice as I am functionally illiterate in these matters. I have a pair of Quad II's that have been gathering dust for years, were functioning (if not to max potential) when last powered up about twenty-five years ago (told you they were dusty). I'd like to get them working again so emailed Quad to ask for a rough price and have been quoted £48.00 per hour plus parts plus delivery but with no indication of what sort of amount of work is likely to be needed. So here are the questions.. Can only Quad themselves be trusted to do the job or could I take them to a dealer to get it done (I live in Devon)? Would I be better off (financially and /or aurally) selling them and buying something newer/better/different? If I were to sell them what would be the differences in value between unknown condition (which would presumably drag them down considerably) and functional. It's a lot to ask I know but any info would be gratefully received. Last edited by Darren-UK; 18th Jun 2007 at 10:31 pm. Reason: General tidying.

28th Mar 2006, 2:58 pm	#2
Sean Williams Dekatron Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: St.Ippolyts, Hitchin, Hertfordshire QRA IO91UW Posts: 3,517	Re: Quad II advice Ok, From the top. They will undoubtedly require some work - how much depends on what is there to find. Quad do not need too do the work, but finding someone sympathetic to valve equipment is not always easy. I would stick with them if I were you - a quality amplifier, and a classic design, Value wise, well even awful ones fetch three figures on Ebay, but I doubt you would find anything much better on the audio market for what these would realise - they are really quite good. If you are not clued up with electronics I would not advise poking around inside them, nor indeed powering up the amps untill they have had some basic checks - The mains tranformers do not need any encouragement to melt - they run fairly close to the ragged edge when the amp is fine...... Replacement transformers are about £200.00, so it is wise to preserve the ones you have.... Cheers Sean __________________ Engineers make things work and have spare bits when finished

28th Mar 2006, 4:54 pm	#3
Welsh Anorak Dekatron Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: North Wales, UK. Posts: 6,920	Re: Quad II advice Hi there I agree - Quad are pricey but will give you a pair of superb amplifiers. I am sure there's someone on this forum though who could help you for less money (sadly I'm all the way up in North Wales!). There's not too much to go wrong in a Quad II. Usually the main smoothing electrolytic fails (and it's very likely yours are O/C) and I know Quad have sourced them, but they will be the best part of £100 each. With care, they can be opened (by an expert!) and the innards replaced by modern parts so the amp looks original. The biasing electrolytic and 150R wirewound can do odd things and are cheap to replace. The other resistors seem to wear well, but I would change the other capacitors for modern types. Then there's a choice of valves - KT66s can be any price you like - I find the Golden Dragon ones look original but cost less than £50 a matched pair and sound fine. Someone may suggest relacing the GZ32 with a silicon rectifier - don't! As Sean says, these amps live on the edge and the original design works well. I notice Quad are remanufacturing the II and I don't see a diode there! The only updates I'd suggest are a phono socket input adaptor and appropriate extra HT and mains fuses, plus a safer mains connection. I would suggest making any modifications reversible (and keep any old parts) as these amps are collectable, but holes and odd components drastically reduce their value. Glyn

28th Mar 2006, 8:53 pm	#4
Mike14 Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Exeter Posts: 3	Re: Quad II advice Many thanks guys. Still need to give it some thought as I don't really want to be put in the position where I send them to Quad and they quote a vast sum..not least because the transport costs themselves will be fairly substantial. Ideally I'd like to find someone localish to evaluate before I make a decision so if anyone has any idea on that it'd be good. However knowledge is power so thanks for adding to my understanding. Last edited by Darren-UK; 18th Jun 2007 at 10:33 pm. Reason: Needless comment about a moderator removed.

28th Mar 2006, 10:55 pm	#5
Sean Williams Dekatron Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: St.Ippolyts, Hitchin, Hertfordshire QRA IO91UW Posts: 3,517	Re: Quad II advice Well Mike, If you say where you are, you might get a willing volunteer - there is almost as much experience here as there would be in the Quad workshop.... Plus most of us do not charge £48.00 per hour Anyway, let us know, we may be able to help! Cheers Sean __________________ Engineers make things work and have spare bits when finished Last edited by Darren-UK; 18th Jun 2007 at 10:28 pm. Reason: Somewhat irrelevant reference to BMW removed !

29th Mar 2006, 9:05 pm	#6
XTC Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Bristol, UK. Posts: 837	Re: Quad II advice If they were my amplifiers, I wouldn't have the slightest hesitation in overhauling them myself. I've got the equipment and I believe the experience to do it. However, in view of the value of these items and the price of some of the replacement parts - such as transformers, I wouldn't want to mess with someone elses. I just don't want to take the responsibility. I think a lot of people who post on this forum are pretty much the same, in that we are happy to tinker with our own equipment but are not geared up to operate as repairers to the general public. As I understand it, you are pretty well prepared to send them off to QUAD to be serviced, it's just that you want some idea of what sort of cost is involved before sending them - £100, £200, £300 plus the cost of sending them there and back. What that costs will depend what they find wrong with them and have to replace to get them back up to their spec. A lot of the better hi-fi shops have contacts to whom they send valve based gear customers bring in. Radfords in Bristol closed recently, but on their web site they've left some contact numbers. http://www.radfords.co.uk/ It's worth at least phoning a couple of them to see what they say. Devon's a big county, but I suspect that there must be similar shops to the recently closed Radfords in Exeter, if you are anywhere near there. Hope this helps. Pete. ( Note from archivist; Radfords now trade as Revolve CI Ltd. The Radfords link above remains active and will redirect. This info current as of 18/06/07 ) Last edited by Darren-UK; 23rd Jul 2007 at 9:59 pm. Reason: Added note re Radfords.

29th Mar 2006, 9:08 pm	#7
Tim Dekatron Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire, UK. Posts: 3,310	Re: Quad II advice I can take a look for you. Hopefully not too much wrong. Am in Bradford on Avon (Wilts) PM me for mobile number if interested. __________________ "Nothing is as dangerous as being too modern;one is apt to grow old fashioned quite suddenly."

30th Mar 2006, 10:28 am	#8
Mike14 Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Exeter Posts: 3	Re: Quad II advice Really appreciate all of this guys, had a few PM's as well as answers here. I'll give it some thought and let you know the result. Thanks again. Mike.