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Voyeur
by Pete
Here we have many of the most prized components from a legendary manufacture. Specifically, Pete's Quad system. Pete has fortunately chosen to share with us how he came upon this wonderful grouping of audio components:
I really like the Quads, I wanted a pair of Quad IIs ever since a friend of mine bought a pair some 20 years ago second hand. He sold me his Leak Stereo 20 then (which I still have and is a great amp!). Those were the days when I was still at school (just!). I managed finally to get a pair of Quad IIs about 4 years ago. Luckily I had been preparing for this day (how sad!!) since I managed to stock up of GEC KT66 valves for over ten years before getting a Quad II. I now have about 8 pairs NOS GEC KT66 as spares.
Warning: nerd style story follows...
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When I got my IIs I also decided to design and make my own all valve amp. I used ECL82 (6BM8) output tubes for around 7 watts/channel. Many of my friends scoffed at what was a "non-audiophile" tube as they would have it, however I used a regulated HT supply using a 6AS7G, Ecc83 and 85A2 reference, a pair of EM71 indicators for a level meter, and an ECC83 for a preamp stage. Sowter Transformers wound my custom output and mains to my my spec, then I got a local company to gold plate the shielding. I love the amp (but I'm bias!).
During the design and build of my amp I looked high and low on the internet for every scrap of data I could find, and I bought Morgan Jones' book on How to build a valve amplifier. By a bizarre stroke of fortune, I went to a radio rally in Bristol UK, and unwittingly bumped into Mr. Jones on one of the stands (of course I had no idea who he was until he owned up!). Sharing the stand with Mr. Jones was another fellow who had one GEC KT66 in its box new, (which I bought of course for £30). I casually stated I was looking for some ESL57s, and after the initial laughing (jokes about rocking horse shit etc), he took my name and address. About three years later I got a phone call, and this fellow had two ESL 57s, and a pair of nice Quad IIs, a Quad FM (valve Tuner), and a Quad 22. I bought the lot! The ESLs sounded great but were a little shabby cosmetically speaking. So I bought some new grills/feet etc from that place in Germany, rang up Quad in the UK and asked if they could fit them, they said "we can try".
I took my ESLs on a 400 mile round trip to Quad to have the new parts
fitted, they also fitted spark inhibitors, new neons, and a new PSU in each. The total was about £600 but, since I only asked for £300 worth of repairs they agreed this is what they would charge (the engineer got carried away and replaced almost everything he could!). I got chatting to the engineer since they hadn't quite finished when I returned the same day to collect, they had a pair of Gold ESL57s in for repair at the same time, I commented they looked nice in gold.
The old engineer fellow (who looked like he had worked for Quad for a while), mentioned he knew where I could get a pair of ESL57s in Gold, and Quad can supply genuine
original packaging: I now have a really nice pair of Gold ESL57s, a Quad refurbished pair of black ESL57s, four Quad II power amps.
I then visited a local HiFi shop that I visit about once every two years at most. They had the FM4 tuner and the Quad 34 on sale, second hand , in the box with manuals, and a Quad 44 preamp. Hence I
completed my system.
I then managed to get hold of another Leak stereo twenty, two Leak TL12 pluses, a Leak Varioslope stereo preamp and a Troughline stereo Tuner from the guy who sold me my original ESL57s.
This valve thing for me has got a little out of hand, so I've had to throttle it back recently. I also have a Croft series 4, which a rare-ish modern (1987) valve amp using 6550A output tubes...
Pete's System:
ESL57 speakers
Quad II power amps
Quad 34 preamp
Quad FM4 Tuner
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