Quad 303 speaker recommendation

[Shbrend99]

Hi All,

I've been given a quad 303 and 33 pre amp, just gonna send it away for servicing as its not been run for a long time. I'm going to look out for a thorens turntable . Just wondered If any of you guys could give any tips on speakers that this setup will run well? I'm not a rich man so can't afford to spend a fortune, prob around £300/400 ish and they need to be bookshelf of standmounters (out of the way of sticky children's fingers).

I've done a little research myself and have found two that seem to look good, these are the Tannoy DC6's or the Quad 12l, the tannoys seem to get the best review. Am I looking in the right direction, will these do the quad 303 justice or am I way off mark? I'm no expert in all this and don't fully understand all the figures but just thought some of you guys on here may be able to help me onto the right track. Any help would be great! Cheers.

 

[richardw42]

You migh like to keep an eye on this thread.

[LINK REMOVED - house rules]

as you can see the 303 is very well regarded

 

[Timbot]

Best option is to get your amps serviced, get your turntable then arrange for a demo at your local hifi dealer. Take along a load of records to listen to and see what you think! (Of course you could do with a short list first so that you can go to a dealer's who stocks what you're after!)

 

[FennerMachine]

It might be worth asking Quad, drop them an Email and see what they suggest. I have found them helpful. Just in case you don't already know, you need special banana plugs for the Quad 303 unless yours has been modified in some way and its worth checking what interconnects you need for the Quad 33. I had to get all new ones for my Quad 44.

I have used mine with Spendor SA1 stand mount and Mission 782 floor standers with no noticeable issues.

Timbot's suggestion is good – make a short list of speakers and test them with your kit.

 

[Shbrend99]

Hi All, thanks so much for the replies & advice!!!

Ok this one is for all those trawling the net for information on the quad 303

After hours and hours of research and lots of kind advice, the following is the setup I have gone with:

Quad 303 (free)

Quad 33 pre amp (free)

Thorens TD 160b MK2 new oak plint and lid. (£295)

Sure V15 mk 3 cartridge with VN35 stylus (£100)

SME 3009 series 2 improved tone arm. (£200)

Bower & Wilkins 685's (£350) New.

I am over the moon with this setup..... It just sounds jaw droppingly Devine!! I just thought I'd post this as I'm sure there are lots of people in the same boat as me, looking for info and also trying to setup a really nice sounding Hifi on a fairly low budged. Ok I was luck enough to have the amp and Pre amp given but realistically you could get this setup for around £1000 or even less If you purchased speakers 2nd hand.

Cheers and hope this helps someone.

Bren.