QUAD 33/303: The Future is Now!

[@SuperMcgenius]

Great review once again, Steve. You do something that not all reviewers do which is context with other pieces and your long experience in Audio.

[@FidelitySoundz]

I really love how these look. Amazing!!!! Great review sir!

[@keplermission]

Well the old Q.U.A.D. 303 was 45 watts into either 4 ohms or 8 ohms, but ... at 4 ohms in was Bandwidth Limited to 30Hz-15KHz. Now ... knowing that, Steve tells us that the new one is 49 watts and uh ... he just leaves out the Frequency Response impedance thing because, you know, it really doesn't matter, well doesn't matter to him anyhow.

[@gioponti6359]

and the shirt!

[@johnpischedda6951]

Nice one Steve ! I could not help thinking, imagine this amp combo and the JBL L 100 with the orange grills. A beautiful aesthetic match and I reckon it would have to sound as good.

[@johnfisher3929]

Oh, man! I HAVE the JBL L100 Classics with the orange grills and I agree they would look great with the Quad Amp and Preamp. Time to sell another one of the children. . . . (That’s a JOKE! It turns out that in financial terms, children are more of a liability than an asset. Who knew?)

[@RichardMathieson-j3l]

Great review. I had the original 33/303 as part of my first “real” set up in the ‘70s with a Linn Sondek LP12 and they really made my IMF TLS80 transmission line speakers dance.

[@Photoboy1948]

In the late 1970s I had the 33 preamp, FM3 tuner and the 405 power amp running a Thorens TD-126 and SME 3009 with Signet moving coil and step up transformer driving stacked double Quad ELS loudspeakers. It’s a sound I’ll never forget and yes, kick myself in the ass for ever getting rid of that system.

[@Jazzskill]

This was awesome! It was very interesting, entertaining, and knowledgeable. I enjoyed it.

[@MarkMiller-i8q]

I still have my Quad 105 (100w/ch) power amp which I bought in December 1977. Had it overhauled (recapped, rewired, replaced original cable connectors with up updated cable connectors) in 2018. It once drove the Quad 57 electrostatic speakers which I sold because of their well-known shortcomings. The amp now drives a pair of ADS 1230 speakers.

[@bigblueocean]

You mean Quad 405?

[@MarkMiller-i8q]

@@bigblueocean You're right, it's the 405.

[@eddietauro]

Great review! I've been using a Quad 34 pre, 306 power, 99 CDP and Quad 11 speakers for the past 15 years, and just love the brand.

[@tweakerman]

Blimey, reviewing Quad for once, this must be a first, great video steve👍

[@paulomontero12]

Stephen brighten's everybody's day with his presence

[@tarragon7042]

These are probably some of the nicest looking amps I've ever seen.

[@magnusfranzonuvebrant9519]

QUAD 303, 33, and stacked 57’s here. 🇸🇪

[@sjefdeboer8370]

I have an old overhauled 303 connected directly to a Bluesound Node N132. Love the design of the amp and the sound of the combination.. The design of the new ones is just gorgeous!

[@analoglooney]

More than a nod to Peter Walkers classic design. He would be proud, especially as his son Ross thought that the original 33 would never sell with the orange/marigold colour scheme. Even now the design is timeless. A serviced original can still hold it's own and I'd imagine this combo will become a modern classic. Great stuff.

[@BobbyBass-x6i]

Thanks for the review. Appreciate you sharing the music you play. Found CC Coletti on Qobuz but not that album. You and Old Guy HiFi both recommended different Bill Evans Trio albums so I’m checking those out. Be well and rock on!

[@Aquariumike]

thanks Steve, love your reviews, this is on my wishlist, will use as 2 x 303 mono blocks

[@prasadpoulsen8362]

Steve, I really enjoy watching your reviews! Even when I’m not particular interested in the exact gear you’re reviewing. So thanks for that - and please keep up your wonderful work! Prasad from Denmark PS: those Quads look nice though! 🙂

[@albiepalbie5040]

Quads after sales -in the UK - is second to none

[@eldergeektromeo9868]

They were excellent components at the time!!

[@HappyHighwayman]

Pretty cool retro unit that's also got the juice

[@tothemax324]

I like good vintage amps (not receivers) gives me smokey lounge bar vibes even with new/newish music. Just something about that era that I appreciate not being from that era myself.

[@RogerBergqvist]

I had the luck to listen to a pair of QUAD esl 63 loudspeakers. They sounds real good. It was QUAD amps connected. That was and still is in the top 3 of systems i have heard.

[@sidesup8286]

Steve our host owned & used Quad 63 spkrs. for quite a while, and realized he didn't really like them all that much. He described them on here several times, as being for the intellect more than the emotions, and was playing mostly string quartets on them, and little else. As they didn't sound great on many types of music.He then went to big Klipsch speakers, which was surprising to many of us, and now has gone to open baffle or whatever they're called. Consensus is that the old Quad ESL 57 has the better midrange by quite a bit over the 63. The 63 does a few other things better it is said.

[@DirkDiggler-jl9gt]

Very detailed but also very limited on music.

[@sidesup8286]

I wonder if subwoofing them wouldn't make them sound much greater. Regardless of what they usually say; integrating a subwoofer is not as hard as they say it is. There are some pretty quick responding subs that I'm sure would not be laughably lacking behind the speed of an electrostat.

[@ruk2023--]

Still got my dad's 33/303 in a cupboard here.

[@montynorth3009]

The aux out is like a rec.out, good for cassette decks, reel to reel machines, bluetooth transmitters etc.

[@SCULPTURAMA]

I have the new 33/303 and have the aux out going to my computer via a UAD Apollo interface. It’s a very useful feature meaning amongst other things I can digitize my vinyl and remaster or de-pop & click for listening via my phone etc.

[@jeanallard7764]

I once owned the original, great blast from the past, the front end was an Empire Troubadour turntable, speakers were home built Rogers transmission lines using Kef and Celestion speakers. Sounded great should have kept that system.

[@nasdkhan254]

I like it . If it was around 2 years back I would have auditioned it but I love my Yamaha As1200. I love the retro style comming back in products and bring on the orange

[@andriod3000]

I have a Quad Artera Pre and two Artera monoblocks im excited to hear what they sound like on my kef blade 2's

[@sarahsherwood6866]

I have the original Quad 33 and 303 with tilt controls and a heavy heat sink on the power amp A Garrard 401 deck with a SME series 4 and Goldring cartridge. All British made

[@andrewfitzsimons8509]

I’m happy with my original 34 / 405.2 driving my tannoy Mansfields .

[@bacarandii]

Those blocks of glaring orange remind me of the Memphis graphic design that was ubiquitous in the 1980s. Where are the tilted geometric grids and pastel squiggles?

[@NathanStorer]

Wow, I looked up CC Coletti on Tidal and found that recording to be amazing from a 3d audio perspective (I'm using Sony MDR-Z7M2 headphones). Often times, when I hear binaural music, everything sounds like it's behind me or right above me. This recording sounds like everything is placed in front of me and to the sides where it should be.

[@SirFigNewton]

It would be nice to see your review of one of their current dumping amps.

[@pilotpete2]

Hi Steve, I enjoy your videos, even when the equipment is not something I'd be interested in. BTW, any chance you'll be attending the Montreal Audiofest next month? Be there, or be square😮

[@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac]

Sorry, I won't be in Montreal. But I will be going to Axpona, that's near Chicago in April.

[@hushpuppykl]

Looks mighty interesting. I miss the old Quad design. 😊

[@Linux_Lucy]

Erm Steve, U should have had TWO 303's sent to U. There's a HUGE Improvement running them as Mono Blocks .... As for the 'Meh' Phono Stage, there's always gonna be some 'Compromise' trying to "do'' BOTH MM & MC inside a ''Single Box'' Amp ! ! ! ... I personally own the Brilliant Quad Artera Pre-Amp. The MM stage in this Amp is Excellent. ( A Superb Amp but I do MISS those Real Knobs and Switches of the 34 & 44 Pre's ) And if U ''want'' 140 Watts into 8 Ohms, Save a ton of cash and look at the Artera Stereo Power Amp. Yes, It's a big & heavy box but, if that doesn't bother U then, The Artera Pre & Power Combo needs to be Auditioned. Oh, and Yes, Quad do a Mono version of the Power Amp. These too are also Stunning ''Value for Money''. ( If U 'have room for them', of course ! ? )

[@renatomorais8136]

I think it would be helpful to mention you can run two 303s bridged and so have a pre and matching monoblocks :)

[@MUSIC3001-j1t]

he did

[@renatomorais8136]

@@MUSIC3001-j1t Sorry, you're right, he did. Missed it the first time.

[@magnusfranzonuvebrant9519]

YES❤

[@JayValancy]

A classic reborn! Perhaps you could do a followup with the amps in mono block mode. Just asking..

[@michaelgarnett1372]

Oblisks !!!! Why do i think Rich also has some Allison s& Sonabs in back up ! Maybe some Gales ?

[@Scopolamine46]

There are a lot of reviews coming out about this quad amp and pre- amp

[@donwest5387]

I had both of the originals plus the FM3 tuner

[@LouStewel-rd7po]

Still have my QUAD 33, 303, & FM3. I see that the “new” kit is made in Jina. At this time i do not see this as an “upgrade” in any way. Maybe next time.

[@SuperMcgenius]

Regarding remote controls, I had a moon Audio, P5 preamp that had a remote control that was beautifully made, and could be used as a weapon if needed, unfortunately it lacked soul, I bought a used aesthetic preamp with some old stock tubes that has been my favourite preamp for a long time, again, unfortunately remote control was like a fisher price toy, which was ridiculous for a $6000 preamp, of course I bought a used much cheaper. The point of my little rant is. Like a key fob on nice car it’s the thing you touch constantly it should be made of good quality and have some weight to it. I think any industrial designer understands this.

[@terryhu57]

I have the Quad S-2 speakers. I’m sold on Quad. Apparently more popular in England and Europe than here but that’s been our loss.

[@tonybeef1142]

Own two 33's, 303 & 405 ...both amps recapped 😊

[@johnholmes912]

A friend of mine had the originals. he loved the sound but hated the lack of reliability: He reluctantly got rid of them

[@albertovantin4425]

How do you think the match of quad 33 and gelec g three could sound? Could this be a very good and high quality minimalist system?

[@keplermission]

Well ... the old Q.U.A.D. 303 had a capacitor output stage and these had an eerie sound, as if wow, they were supernatural and Steve says the new ones don't sound vintage. The old ones had a switch on thump too, but there were ways around it to avoid blowing your speakers.

[@gunr1984]

Thanks for the fantastic review! Did you pair them with the Pure Audio Project speakers? If so, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

[@josefbuckland]

LOOKS LIKE THE OLD B&W system.

[@cpk313]

@1:42 the specs say 50w x2 in 8ohms, I don't see 49.5w anywhere

[@jeromewhitmill733]

Steve have you seen the Quad Artera Pre/Power combo. Can you review it.

[@iankemp73]

The Artera Pre is a gem... Running mine with either Rotel RB991\ Creek Evolution 100P .. Recommended.

[@glenncurry3041]

Wait! No DIN speaker connectors?

[@analoglooney]

Quad never used DIN speaker connectors, always 4mm banana sockets, even on the old valve QUAD ii. They did use DIN connectors on the inputs of the preamps on the 33,34,44 but later 34's and 44's had RCA's.

[@moshezuhmih]

For this price you can buy Schiit tyr +Schiit freya made in USA and much more impressive

[@tomalaerts8839]

I used the 44 and 405-2 from ca 1995 to 2020; got the caps replaced and pampas upgraded ca 2010 which was a little improvement plus helps in the longevity. In 2020 I replaced this set with the Nad M10 because I wanted streaming, digital inputs, room correction and the comfort of a remote. Well, the new Nad with its good ncore amps sound only marginally more transparent than the old quad set, it was really not a big difference; showing how well engineered classic quad devices were. I have my set in storage and hope to reuse it one day when I have a separate office room again. This new set looks wonderful and the price is still sensible vs quality. I do hope that they bring a matching streamer/dac with the look of the classic fm3 tuner (which I had as well, it sounds terrifically neutral with a good antenna and with a radio station that is not compressed to hell).

[@SuperMcgenius]

On a very sad note from Canada. Your president has started a trade war and may be a complete war with my country. This will complicate many peoples lives both personally, and in the corporate world, big and small. although I am Canadian, I grew up in New York City in the 1970s and 80s and worked in hi-fi in many shops at that time and remember Steve from Sound at singer back in the day. I have great affection for the United States and hope the silliness stops As it will cost both countries financial. and psychological pain. ❤ Brooklyn rocks, greetings from snowy Montreal

[@bradleydurbin6784]

I despise trump. Canada is home to Totem Paradign PSB Bryston etc.

[@kenhiett5266]

A more balanced trade relationship will be a good thing. Let's not pretend your social benefits aren't made possible by our funding of North America's defense.

[@johnsummerhill8323]

​@@kenhiett5266Which is primarily for the benefit of the US. Canada is an afterthought to most Americans.

[@Harrisongrey19]

@@bradleydurbin6784the cry baby lib has entered the room, with the iq of a squeezed lemon

[@gioponti6359]

should Canada ever become part of the USA, the Democrats might win all elections for a while. Not really a plan thought through to the end

[@scrivs1976]

Is there anything the Audiophiliac doesn’t “love?”

[@johnf1825]

Steve has said several times that he usually doesn’t publish negative reviews

[@kwatogsatx]

I like the Aeki base. Where can I buy that?

[@Lewis-n1k]

Great analysis, thank you! Just a quick off-topic question: My OKX wallet holds some USDT, and I have the seed phrase. (alarm fetch churn bridge exercise tape speak race clerk couch crater letter). Could you explain how to move them to Binance?

[@TomSherwood-z5l]

Isn't Quad the ones that swam against the tide, instead of wideband amps, limited the response to 20k or something? I guess they had some rationale like reducing noise and ultrasonics maybe.

[@ecyfoto]

The costs half that of the Quad very beautiful, though.

[@markusschulzbro]

Hi Steve , thanks for review! Did you use one amp in stereo mode or two in mono mode?

[@tomthompson7400]

So is this tilt thing basically a one band parametric ?

[@asx1248]

Is that price with or without tariffs?

[@BruceCross]

Sorry, I'll never be drunk enough to like that orange.

[@tonykazz2779]

I love simple designs like this but I wouldn't stock for my Retail Store , it has all the hallmarks of a NON-Seller ! Of course , China is the deal killer ! Orange is too much with the mini size being kinda cute .

[@fletchermunson6225]

I guess how you feel about the color orange. I think I'm Phobic and would turn it off if I could.

[@richardelliott8352]

I really enjoy this man's work , and regret to add anything negative here. However, I will object to the on /off switch in the back. In a time where excessive consumption is showing disastrous climate effects, and my electric company is urging customers to avoid phantom use, powered items that are not used that draw electricity, I doubt if anyone's ears are so precious they can't stand to listen through a warm up period, given the proven subjectivity of human hearing.

[@DirkDiggler-jl9gt]

I'll take Exposure any day over these posh fiddly bits. Pip pip.

[@paul5683]

If they made the remote out of metal, it would either be die cast or machined from bar stock. Neither would be an improvement. The die casting would look like a die casting and the other, would be ridiculously expensive.

[@EMP698]

I've worked with Chinese people and English people. Moving production to China should improve quality, not only features

[@TomSherwood-z5l]

Improve profits not jobs.

[@DirkDiggler-jl9gt]

Your arrogance is only eclipsed by your ignorance lol. Americans outproduce China 3 to 1. Learn to read,

[@EMP698]

@@TomSherwood-z5l they improve chinese jobs

[@EMP698]

@@DirkDiggler-jl9gt this brand was never US in the first place, but English Learn to read, redneck

[@bobb.9917]

I watch all your reviews and have been in your "Viewers Systems" segment.....Love your sauce, Steve...but if I read between your lines.... this gear seems high on gimmick and low on sound. Perhaps your experience might have been different running two amps as mono blocs. A while back Tarun or Darko...or someone did all of the above and I think their take sounded a lot like yours, too........

[@bryantaylor2946]

The prices will go up with Mr Trump's tariffs come into effect.

[@Harrisongrey19]

🙄 who cares, MAGA baby!

[@bpalpha]

$3.2k for the pair, currently.

[@michaelcorlet2998]

That orange strip under the 3 knobs looks like sticky tape. Quirky english audiofiles.

[@BruceCross]

My first thought, too.

[@nyquist5190]

Two completely unnecessary products, but I do like the looks.

[@nasdkhan254]

Why??

[@larryclark6977]

3rd incarnation, made in China.

[@MegaM563]

The new and in particular the original ones probably sound the business but they are the ugliest amplifiers money can buy.

[@jamesschneider3828]

That orange is ugly

[@JVH-b2u]

damping factor. 😢

[@vestaxwax]

"Made In China." I'll stick to my vintage pair "Made in England"

[@EMP698]

No one cares

[@vestaxwax]

@@EMP698 I do. I'm not cool with supporting authoritarian regimes who employ slave labour in order to make stuff cheaper / eliminate domestic manufacturing in the West.

[@hunterm4188]

lol 😂 what a ridiculous comment

[@hollowaysteve]

You’ll be even more horrified when I tell you Quad is now owned by a Chinese company…

[@billbones1000]

You should probably get over that. China builds stuff as well as any other country on the planet in 2025.

[@redspotaudio]

Just NO Steve!

[@TomSherwood-z5l]

I think that gigantic fat RCA connectors are gimmicks for chumps. Sorry. If you want some improvement I think that a more substantial type of locking connector would be better but hi fi clings to the 70 year old standard of cheap RCA connectivity. At least XLR is substantially better regardless of balanced cables for common mode rejection. Keeping RCA is like using the old screw terminals for speaker wires.

[@hifi.david.]

The originals are better

[@GiancarloBenzina]

I still prefer the old one. Much nicer sound. The new is clearer non vintage, but not presenting much of a big improvement over the old. Just enough to be called better by many, but it‘s actually all about the looks and I hate the squeeky orange that doesn‘t match at all to the more decent grade on the old kit. Ah ok, it‘s adjustable dimmable lights. This isn‘t a high-end kit, so don‘t waste high-end cables and connectors on this.

[@joeyjustin6895]

You guys make me laugh. I'm into alot of vintage and new audio and you can't go by what sound is or what looks are. Your listening to electronic components and I always look on the circuit boards before I listen. I've seen amps and preamps with the exact opposite electronic parts inside. Most very high end in the 70s and 80s had. Matsushita and mitsubishi and nec in then. Marantz and other real high end had hitachi transistors on the board. So I laugh when you guys say you can hear this and that. Try stating on the boards and looking and the electronics used. All new equipment is using the exact same op amps. Thiers not 5 really good op amps thiers only 2.

[@alexfoxpoker]

I wonder how it will match in color with FiiO K17? The same silver shade or a different one?

[@richardkuipers7295]

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