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A Legend Reborn as Quad Launches its First-Ever Integrated Valve Amplifier
Quad has announced the launch of its first-ever integrated valve amplifier. The Quad II Classic Integrated follows the same design principles as the original Quad II mono power amplifier launched in 1953, evolving this bone fide classic into a fully integrated stereo amplifier for the very first time.
Designed by Quad founder Peter Walker, the truly iconic Quad II helped to define the
modern concept of high-fidelity sound in the 1950s. Quad has kept the legend alive with the current Quad II Classic, a faithful reproduction of the original valve monoblock with build quality and aesthetics lovingly updated for the modern era. The new Quad II Classic Integrated takes the concept a step further, fusing stereo pre-, power and phono amplification together within a single, beautifully designed chassis.
Like other recent Quad valve amplifiers, the Quad II Classic Integrated's circuit design is the work of Tim de Paravicini, a man widely acknowledged to be the UK's foremost valve amp designer. His design is faithful to Peter Walker's philosophy of cathode loading onto the output stage and fundamental simplicity of design, ensuring the new amp delivers the same wealth of detail and exquisite tone as its famous predecessor.
For Tim, the challenge was to deliver an amp that embraces Quad's design heritage and status as ‘audio royalty' - after all, Quad is the only hi-fi brand to have received the Queen's Award for Technological Achievement - whilst also acknowledging the requirements of valve amplification in the 21st century. The amp had to delight the Quad faithful - even those who would raise eyebrows at the very concept of a Quad valve ‘integrated' - whilst also attracting new custom to the Quad brand. It had to be compact, robust and easy to maintain, delivering genuine Quad quality in a single, convenient chassis.
The result is unmistakably Quad in its appearance, yet it is also pleasingly petite, with a footprint of only 210x380mm. It stays true to the original Quad II monoblocks in its push-pull KT66 output configuration and single-tap output transformers, yet it's actually twice as powerful - it's conservatively rated at 25W per channel. This increase in power owes everything to Tim's ingenuity, and the lessons learnt in the 57 years since Quad's revered classic first came to be. The fact that Tim has succeeded in combining stereo power amplification, preamplification and a phono stage of such innate quality in a chassis of such modest dimensions speaks volumes for his remarkable powers of valve amp design.
"The amp section had to be more powerful, and it had to be compact enough and user friendly enough to attract new customers," said Tim, commenting on the desire to create a Quad valve amp fit for the 21st century. "The output valves are run more conservatively, yet it produces a genuine 25W per channel. It goes loud without going to pieces. The HT is increased but the critical-voltage-to-screen grid is lowered to enhance reliability."
The Quad II Classic Integrated's preamp section delivers three line inputs, plus full tape monitoring. Every detail is engineered to the highest standard; even the built-in phono stage is of higher quality than many costly standalone devices, ensuring that every musical source, from vinyl to digital, is delivered with exceptional panache.
Indeed, the Quad II Classic Integrated sounds scintillating, whatever you feed it. Silky
smooth yet exquisitely detailed, it combines delicacy and poise with power and authority, showing an all-round ability that's as comfortable with driving rock or a full-tilt orchestra as it is with the space and texture of an acoustic ensemble. It captures the energy of music in effortless fashion, revealing the true character of each instrument and voice within a soundstage that's rock-solid and three-dimensional.
2nd February 2010
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