Revamped Quad 33 preamp and 303 power amplifier are 1960s Hi-Fi icons reimagined

Hi-Fi specialist Quad has reimagined two pivotal audio components from the 1960s for a new generation of music lovers.

When released in 1967, the Quad 33 preamplifier and Quad 303 power amplifier delighted audiophiles with their breakthrough transistor-based designs. Now, 57 years later, Quad has reimagined these classic components, bringing them up-to-date while preserving their iconic sound and aesthetic.

The new 33 preamp and 303 power amp will be instantly recognisable to enthusiasts, staying true to Quad’s distinctive industrial design. 

First seen at Munich’s High End Audio Show earlier this year, the duo have been re-engineered with contemporary sensibilities.  

Ongoing demand for vintage Quad models on the second-hand market speaks volumes about their status in the Hi-Fi community. With their subtle warmth, dynamic range, and refined detail, the original 33 and 303 were seen as a fusion of the clarity of transistor amplification with the comforting richness of valve amps, a quality the new models strive to elevate.

The new 33 preamp and 303 power amp will be instantly recognisable to enthusiasts, staying true to Quad’s distinctive industrial design…

Design evolution: classic meets contemporary

In redesigning the 33 preamplifier and 303 power amplifier, Quad’s team, led by design chief David McNeill, sought to respect the form factor and aesthetic of the originals. The new 33 remains compact, featuring a sleek matte silver finish that replaces the original’s taupe-like grey.

The interface honours the 1967 design, with a volume knob and three rotary controls positioned just as they were, though these controls now have new functions. Meanwhile, the orange accents of the original have been thoughtfully reimagined. Today’s 33 includes illuminated orange buttons with LEDs, an LCD display with adjustable backlighting, and a backlit standby button, blending heritage styling with modern usability.

The 303 power amp retains its distinct vertical orientation and classic heatsink fins, upgraded with a squared-off design and ten fins instead of eight, enhancing both cooling efficiency and visual appeal. The Quad musical note symbol is etched into the top surface of the unit as a final flourish.  

Advanced tech for the analogue enthusiast

While the new Quad 33 and 303 retain their original all-analogue signal paths, they’ve been reimagined to offer enhanced fidelity and reliability. The new 33 has an entirely new circuit design, complete with a low-noise custom toroidal transformer, several reservoir capacitors, and regulated supply rails, all of which ensure that it delivers clean, precise sound. 

Audio controls have also been updated, replacing the bass, treble, and slope controls with bass, tilt, and balance adjustments. The tilt control, a signature feature from Quad’s later 34 model, offers a more sophisticated tonal adjustment by rotating the entire frequency range, giving effective control over the tonal balance without altering the volume.

Quad has also upgraded connectivity, replacing the original DIN sockets with modern RCA and balanced XLR inputs and outputs, adding a phono input with adjustable gain for MM and MC turntable cartridges, and supporting other modern conveniences like a 6.35mm headphone jack and an IR receiver for remote control. A USB data input has been added for firmware updates.

The 303 power amp has been similarly updated. The circuit retains its original Class AB design, albeit fine tuned with modern components, for lower distortion.

It now delivers 50W per channel into 8 ohms, making it capable of driving a broad range of speakers. Notably, the amp also allows for bridged operation, enabling users to connect two 303s for a 140W per channel setup.

On the rear, the 303 is equipped with gold-plated binding posts for speaker connections and supports RCA and XLR inputs, alongside a 12V trigger input for easy, automated power-up when paired with the 33 preamp.

The 2024 editions of the Quad 33 preamplifier and 303 power amplifier are priced at £1,199 each, and will be available from mid-November.