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The QUAD 3 is a vintage-styled integrated with 21st-Century smarts

  • Did you know that QUAD stands for “Quality Unit Amplifier Domestic”? I didn’t until a few days ago when the (IAG-owned) British hi-fi company pulled the covers off a new amplifier. The QUAD 3 is a vintage-styled integrated that promises 65wpc into 8 Ohms of Class A/B power from a “custom-engineered power supply”. The German press release didn’t specify a 4 Ohm power rating but Quad’s website says “100wpc”.

    Turn the unit around and we note two line-level analogue inputs and one marked ‘phono’ for turntables running moving magnet (MM) cartridges. Nearby sit five digital inputs: aptX HD Bluetooth, USB-B for computers (supporting up to 32bit/768kHz PCM and DSD 512), coaxial, TOSLINK and HDMI ARC. They each talk to a DAC circuit built around ESS Labs’ ES9038Q2M chip.

    The QUAD 3’s feature set is rounded out by a pre-amplifier output on the back panel (for outboard power amplifiers and subwoofers) and a quarter-inch headphone socket on the front underside.

    In many respects, this new model looks functionally similar to the (also IAG-owned) Audiolab 6000A MKII but stripped of its power amplifier input, a third line-level input and secondary TOSLINK and coaxial sockets. That said, the QUAD 3 borrows the orange display strip and ‘bass’ and ’tilt’ tone controls from last year’s 33 pre-amplifier. It also looks like the QUAD 3 ships with the 33’s IR wand.

    Me? I like the look of the QUAD 3’s illuminated volume control and curved wrap even more than the 33 and its matching 50wpc 303 power amplifier.

    Price? €1490.

    Further information: QUAD

    Written by John Darko

    John currently lives in Berlin where he creates videos and podcasts for Darko.Audio. He has previously contributed to 6moons, TONEAudio, AudioStream and Stereophile.

    Follow John on YouTube or Instagram

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