Best speaker match for Quad 405/33

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Apologies if this has cropped up before -I tried without success to find any satisfactory answers- but as the title suggests, I am looking to replace a pair of speakers to partner my Quad 405 amp and 33 control unit, which will soon be serviced and upgraded by Quad. I understand I need 8ohm impedence minimum.

If I had to generalise, I would say I mostly listen to fairly well produced rock (Wilco, Bonnie Prince Billy, Nice Cave etc) although there is a fair bit of jazz and electronica in the mix too.

It could be the speakers (Rogers Compact floorstanding) but to me the system att he moment is a little bass-flabby, and needs a little more treble help to sparkle. The upgrade may help that, but I would like a more modern, open, detailed sound.

Any suggestions appreciated.

Hayden

 

[Anonymous]

ranchslider:
Apologies if this has cropped up before -I tried without success to find any satisfactory answers- but as the title suggests, I am looking to replace a pair of speakers to partner my Quad 405 amp and 33 control unit, which will soon be serviced and upgraded by Quad. I understand I need 8ohm impedence minimum.

If I had to generalise, I would say I mostly listen to fairly well produced rock (Wilco, Bonnie Prince Billy, Nice Cave etc) although there is a fair bit of jazz and electronica in the mix too.

It could be the speakers (Rogers Compact floorstanding) but to me the system att he moment is a little bass-flabby, and needs a little more treble help to sparkle. The upgrade may help that, but I would like a more modern, open, detailed sound.

Any suggestions appreciated.

Hayden

If you really want to find some speakers that work well with your Quad 405, a bit of an upgrade to it will open more doors. Use the money you'd otherwise spend getting them serviced to contribute to some upgrade work; not as expensive as you think!

Netaudio and Dada amongst others can do some new amp boards and PSU that will remove the need to worry about impedance. A PSU upgrade will help the bass along, providing more grunt, control and definition. It will also remove the concern of speaker impedance load. The amp board upgrades will help introduce more detail, including treble sparkle, especially if you get the top end op amps like the Burr Brown OPA627s.

From there you can match anything that takes your fancy, perhaps some AVI Neutrons or EB Acoustics EB1 or EB2. You might actually find that the upgrade to the amp resolves all of your improvement desires.

Netaudio comes highly recommended and David Pritchard can do all of the work for you.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for that igglebert. I had looked into the upgrading and have read some of your previous threads regarding the netaudio upgrades which have sounded interesting.

Do you know if the standard Quad service consists of any modernising of parts (capacitors, resistors etc) or do they merely swap like for like when they are worn out? I guess what I am wondering is whether there would be a significant sonic improvement or rather a better preserved more reliable amp. It might be that I need to go down the road of upgrade although I would be wary of changing the character of the amp too much. It's hard to judge, as I have only ever owned the amps as old units and therefore can't fully appreciate their original intended sound I suppose.

As for the EB1 and EB2. I would order some tomorrow for a demo if it wasn't for the doubts surrouning waiting times. Seems a hot topic! They do sound great.

Cheers again.

 

[Anonymous]

ranchslider:
Thanks for that igglebert. I had looked into the upgrading and have read some of your previous threads regarding the netaudio upgrades which have sounded interesting.

Do you know if the standard Quad service consists of any modernising of parts (capacitors, resistors etc) or do they merely swap like for like when they are worn out? I guess what I am wondering is whether there would be a significant sonic improvement or rather a better preserved more reliable amp. It might be that I need to go down the road of upgrade although I would be wary of changing the character of the amp too much. It's hard to judge, as I have only ever owned the amps as old units and therefore can't fully appreciate their original intended sound I suppose.

As for the EB1 and EB2. I would order some tomorrow for a demo if it wasn't for the doubts surrouning waiting times. Seems a hot topic! They do sound great.

Cheers again.

I'm not sure. I called Quad to ask this some years ago and they suggested that they won't change anything unless it isn't working properly.

When I upgraded my Quad the sound became more natural, detailed and extended, much like the Quad 909. When I had it running as an original it sounded quite hard in the treble and midrange, and very light-weight in the bass. It wasn't good when used with my easy to drive Spendor SA1. The upgrade made it right. That's just my experience and I've heard some other mixed experiences.

If you're anywhere near me (not miles from Peterborough and the A1), you can try mine.

The original Quad 405 was designed to drive the Quad electrostatics, with current restricting (dumping) to avoid blowing them. Thus, used with more demanding speakers you start to get into trouble, running out of current and thus losing the drive-unit control. The 405MK2 was better but a modern upgrade will make it a far more capable amp.

EDIT the Quad 909 has up to 22A peak current, the Netaudio MK3 has 20A.

 

[Anonymous]

So, aside from the upgrades, any other generally agreed suitable matches for the 405 unit? Other than the electrostatics?

 

[caddyhound]

My neighbour drives PMC Gb1i's with his Quad electronics and produces lovely sounds.Well worth a demo. Floorstanders but small enough to be acceptable.

 

[Al ears]

I seem to recall a mate of mine running Proac Studio 140's with his set-up (same as yours I'm pretty sure). They are very easy to drive.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for that. Have been having a look at the suggested speakers and they both look great. I guess I should have defined some parameters, what with being in limbo in my housing situation. It's difficult to know what sort of room I will end up setting these speakers up in, which will obviously be a factor. I can't imagine I will have a dedicated listening room any time soon! So floorstanding I would prefer, but truth be told I would gravitate towards a small floorstander or something sitting on a stand.

So if I was to limit things by saying I'm probably after a medium sized speaker under £500 second hand? Is that an impossibility to get something decent for that? igglebert mentioned the EB1 or EB2 which come into that range (almost).

 

[Anonymous]

Hi,

I have been using a pair of Rogers LS6 's with my Quad 44 and 405-2 for more years than I care to remember.

I have recently heard demonstrated some modern speakers including the PMC GBI1i's and found them comparable to the Rogers in tone and more detailed.

If I were you I'd try some used older (and cheaper) quality speakers from the past before comitting to a huge new outlay.

Speakers were less efficient in years gone by, so your Quad will be better matched to old stuff than many modern speakers. Rogers, Spendor and Tannoy are all worth a listen, each with their own characteristics.