easyontheears Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 Dear All, Just wanted some opinions on where or not anyone thinks the Quad 909 power amp would sound good with the Cornwall III speakers? The pre amp I use is a Quad Elite Pre. Also, kind of an odd question...what type of speaker cable terminals do they have? I only ask because I have Townsend Isolda speaker cables which have banana plugs on them. And lastly, I listen to a wide variety of music...will these be good for all sorts of music? Thanks for all your help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quadklipsh Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 dear EOTE, i had a quad 303 coupled to my RF3s . they sounded very nice . solid and neutral. with a touch of warmth and there was absolutely no background noise . this amp was far superior to others in its class that i compared to. but after experimentation i realised that it is 70 % pre amp that makes up the shape of the sound that you hear and 30 or 20 % its the role of the amp. i used the same quad 303 amp and paired it to a luxman 505, a marantz 2230, a mitsubishi DA-P7. and all the time the sound change was pertaining to the pre amp feeding the quad 303. but nevertheless , its a great amp. and i suppose 909 would be even better . more power is always better , if the first watts are beautiful. thats my opinion . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cpreal Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 I tried the Quad 909 on my 60th Anniversary Khorns, when I was waiting for my Fi 421a amp to be built. The 909 was dead quiet on the Quad 988 ESL's. Not so on the Khorns. The background hiss was unbearable to me. The 909 is not suitable for a very sensitive speaker like the the Khorn. Even with the preamp turned off (Mcintosh c2300), the noise was too loud. With the Mcintosh preamp and the Fi amp, I hear no noise, hum or buzz at all from the Khorn, unless the volume is turned way up. The Cornwall is a little less sensitive than the Khorn, so it may work, but you should definitely try it first before you spend any money. The Quad is a fabulous little amp, especially for ESL's, but is designed for a less efficient speaker. The Klipsch will amplify every weakness upstream-- hum, buzz, ground loop, everything. My 909 has plastic banana jacks on the back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
easyontheears Posted February 20, 2011 Author Share Posted February 20, 2011 Dear QuadKlipsch Thank you for your insight on this topic. I have a tendency to agree with you about the pre amp...I just think the power amp has a bit more of the percentage than 30/20%...but the actual figures don't matter considering I believe, like yourself, the pre amp is the one that articulates the sound and tells the power amp what sounds to reproduce to the speakers. I am happy to hear that the 303 works well with the RF 3 speakers. My dad's home theatre system is based around the RF 7II speakers, but I have not had a chance to get back to the states (I am located in Edinburgh Scotland at the moment) since he bought his new speaker system. I should be back in the states in the next few months (whenever my wife's visa comes through) and I look forward to trying the Quads out on the RF 7II speakers. It was actually my dad's interest in the RF 7 IIs that got me interested in the Cornwall III (and Klipsch in general), I researched them for him and started to really fall in love. Living in Scotland, and working in the hi-fi industry over here I have listened to a lot of British produced systems ranging from extremely high-end to budget systems...but sadly horn loaded speakers are not to popular over here - especially american made...don't get me wrong, Klipsch have a following over here (as they do in the rest of the world) but it is not a product we sell and they are not readily available. I seriously cannot wait to listen to his system and the Quads through his speakers. Again, thanks for your insight... Take care. Ps...if I remember I will let you know how the audition with the Quads and the RF 7IIs goes...but my memory is always acting up on me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
easyontheears Posted February 20, 2011 Author Share Posted February 20, 2011 Dear cpreal, Thank you for your insight on this topic. It sounds like the 909 might not be the best suited for the Cornwall III speakers. I mentioned in my reply to QuadKlipsch that my dad has the RF 7II speakers, which are only 1 dB less sensitive to the Cornwall IIIs. Do you think that would be a good comparison to make? I should be back in the states in a few months, at which time I will try out the Quads on the RF 7IIs. At the moment, I can only research/theorise Klipsch from a distance, the practical part of the research will have to wait until I am in the states as the brand Klipsch is not readily available where I am currently located. What do you think about the Quad valve amps? I really like Quad and have listened extensively to many other brands (mainly British based brands) but there is something about the Quad sound that really makes my ears say "that is it, that is what I want to listen too". It seems to me, by what you have experienced with the Khorn and the 909 that the valve side of it might be the best path. I guess I will just have to wait until I get back and have the ability to listen to some Klipsch. Do you know if the Cornwall III have banana jacks? Kind of an odd question, but I have only seen the manual online and it shows them using prong/fork speaker cable termination. Thanks again for your insight. Take care. Ps...Just curious...Do you use any mains conditioning products on your system? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quadklipsh Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Dear easyontheears, im glad to learn from your reply that you live in edinburgh and work in audio related business. that should flow in a multitude of systems to audition . you may be getting a lot more oppertunities to check out various british systems than i do . well for me the quad rules big time . i had a number of systems before, but ever since i purchased it ,im settled with its superb sound.it may benefit from an upgrade of parts but im reluctant. everyone here tells me to get it restored to latest components , capacitors and plugs and sockets. but i donot find the energy to do it since it is working very nicely so far . my other amp that i must mention ,the MUSICAL FIDELITY A1 , is class A amp. and is superior sounding in the highs department . and also that it has a very transparent sound . i never found flaw in quad303 , 33preamp. until i heard this M.F-A1 amp.which is more cleaner . quad felt as though a slight mist was on its sound . a thin cotton veil covering the sound perhaps. but thats perhaps coz its pretty old and never been modified . and all the components are in their original condition. maybe if id just muster up energy to upgrade parts for the quad , id be able to to kick some musical fidelity butt! the lows of quad are better . the mids are where quad rules . . but the mf beats it somewhat in the highs which are very velvety sweet,never harsh.the quad gets harsh at higher volumes , but thats where any amp would be getting pushed .and its just 45 watts. i also loved it the moment i saw it , coz of its robust tank like built and looks . the pre amp though is a hideous one .lolz. but i can forgive it. hehe. it just sounds that good. google the other amps , especially the da-a7 mitsubishi diatone . and see for yourself what a mammoth that was and quad 303 ran over it without a sweat!!! did your dad like the cornwalls better than the rf7s ?????? ill be visiting edinburgh if i get my visa , just like your wife ,hehe. i have an exam to take . and then after that ill be free like a hawk. ill try to visit all audio markets. and see the audio world in england. adios .stay posted . its good to have you on forum. stay posted . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ski Bum Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Check out www.quadmods.com. They have some tricks to reduce noise on the 909 and make it more suited to high efficiency, more revealing speakers. I've always been curious about the Quad amps. I'm a bit of a SET fan, and am unsure if its the musical-instrument-like distortion I'm liking, or if its the class A things they do (complete absence of crossover distortion). The Quad amps supposedly have class A output with their current dumping, feed-forward circuit, thus should offer the clarity of SETs, but without the low power, bandwidth limitations, and high output impedance. Please keep us posted on your experience with the 909. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
easyontheears Posted February 21, 2011 Author Share Posted February 21, 2011 Dear QuadKlipsch, Always good to get a different perspective on the audio world...and I think you will find it very good here in the UK...it is one of the industries that the British really excel at...the Bristol Show is this coming weekend and is one of the better ones here in the UK, if not the best. I cannot make it this year...but a few of my work colleagues will be going, so I look forward to their reports. My dad never listened to the Cornwall IIIs...He listened to quite a few at the Las Vegas Consumer Show this year...but his focus was on the RF 7IIs as that is what he was intending to buy. I keep you posted once I have a chance to listen to my dad's RF 7IIs...but sadly it wont be for a few months yet. Take care and happy travels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
easyontheears Posted February 21, 2011 Author Share Posted February 21, 2011 Dear Ski Bum, I have never listened to SET. I have had a look online...seem pretty interesting. Though I have a tendency to lean towards the Quad valve amps...I guess, like most people we stick to what we know...and I have listened to the Quad Forty and Eighty power amps. Your right about the Quad 909...I have listened to the 909 with a lot of speakers but nothing with a sensitivity of 102dB so not sure how it will sound...cpreal mentioned he got hum when he connected to his Khorns...in a few months I will test it out on RF 7IIs when I am back in the states. By the way...of the subject of hi-fi...what part of Colorado do you live in? I lived in Winter Park for two years being a ski bum and living by the seat of my pants...and loved every minute of it...such a beautiful state...Enjoy the skiing... Take care and enjoy the champagne powder... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ski Bum Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 Hello eote- I live in the front range right now. I ski the backcountry for the most part, but also hit the Boat on occasion, and I do have a 5 mountain pass, so Summit is wide open. Love the Boat. There's nothing quite like long aspen glades with deep pow. My only beef with the Boat is that it lacks proper steeps. For those, I hit the Basin, Crested Butte, or Silverton, or hike somewhere out of bounds. I almost got smushed in an avalanche on Cameron Pass a couple weeks ago. (Oh, the things we do for that snorkel deep pow.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
easyontheears Posted February 21, 2011 Author Share Posted February 21, 2011 Sounds like your living the dream...keeping it real...I lost a few to the snow...never was easy to see someone go...but at least they went to the great beyond doing something they loved...I guess we all hope to do so when the time is ripe. Stay safe out there...live to ski another day... Take care. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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