Quad 909

Any opinions on this amp?

Thinking I might pick one up second hand to see if I like it. At the moment I'm using Meridian 205 monos that I am happy with, but I've always been curious about the Quad stuff...

 

Powerful, ballsy sound with good mids and not so good highs which lack subtlety and separation of more expensive amps. A used 909 is a bargain, and but it is not a giant killer. You will need to pay at least twice as much though to buy an equially powerful but considerably better amp IMHO, used included.

 

totally agree for the money around 500 - 600 pounds second hand they are very good and if you like the sound of the 909 it will last a life time you need to spend a whole lot more to get better i tried loads of amps up to around the 2 grand mark and could not justify the extra cash ended up having to spend more than i wanted to on a set of nuforce monoblocks to significantly better , the quads also hold there value very well so reselling and loosing a fortune is not an issue , great amp , better still try the 606 some say its virtually the same amp at half the money and the same applies they re sell very well if you dont get on ! mick

 

I'll second that too .....909 is slightly better than the 707.... you'd need to triple the cost to get significant improvement imo....rather than just a different flavour.

 

hi forgive me it was the 707 i meant not the 606 , ta mick

 

thanks for the comments fellas I actually already bought one... should be arriving in the next few days

 

Hi,

FYI, I have asked the repair center to remove the QUADLINK in Quad 909. What's a big different you will find. The quadlink caused bad sound on the gear.

Cheers.

 

When you had the Quadlink removed what improvement did you find.I take it you are now using standard interconnects?

 

In my opinion ...when I had a 707 the poor performance via the quad link was the poor cable used ..rather than anything inherent in the 707.....The quality of rca cables I had was way out infront of the quad link.

 

Unfortunately my experience with quad power amps is not so good, albeit with a 405. I replaced the large capacitors in the power supply as the old ones were way past their used buy date and enjoyed a sound improvement, then the transformer began to buzz. I replaced it from quad - cost a fortune. Now 6 months of light use later, one side of the amp blew its fuses as one of the power transistors has died. I am retelling this as a caution in buying older electronics

Quad equipment is very good but it is only made of stock components that have a use by date

 

ooch ...transformer buzz can be fixed at very little cost ...ie a tube of super glue ...I'm assuming its a laminate [square transformer]....

its not for the faint hearted ....as you have to cram a fine slotted insulated screw driver between the plates whilst the unit is switched on !

you locate the buzzing plate or plates and then glue them running super glue between the plates and then letting set....

The only reason you should have replaced the tranny was on a open curcuit failure imo....

yes most hifi use standard parts ...and all parts have a limited life ..for caps this is 100000hrs which is reduced by 50% for every 5 deg c above the stated max value on the cap.

 

should have read .....fine slotted insulated screw driver

 

I have a Quad 909 which were great but and just bought a pair of Maudant Short Mezzo2 speakers. However, I now only get sound form the right hand channell. Changing the speakers over, still produces sound from the right side, any ideas?

Dave

 

that's easy for you to say...

 

the 909 down on one chanel ...check to see if there are two fuses by lifting the lid ...bit of a misnomer as case work is also the frame that all the board are attached ...

if its not the fse give quad a ring ....

you have checked that its not the preamp ? or the cables from pre to power ?

 

powerful, no-nonsence sound let down by poor resolution in high freq.

 

The Quad dealer didn't think it was a fuse, but I'll check it. Have checked the cables and they are fine but haven't checked the pre-amp. Thanks for the advise. Dave.

 

Quad 909 down to 1 channel (left channel not working)

Dave,

So I noticed you had a problem that seems to be the one
confronting me at the moment (and I have rules out the pre-amp
cables, or speakers being the cause by substituting a different
pre-amp, switching cables as well as the left speaker), but I, too
am now suddenly getting nothing out of my very lightly used
Quad 909's left channel. Was it the fuse or something more
serious and was it fixed (and how/where)

Thanks much for any help.

I really like this amp and am not happy that this has occurred.

--Vic.