Quad 33 Pre-Amplifier

The QUAD 33 Pre-Amplifier

The QUAD 33 Pre-Amplifier stays true to its analogue roots, reflecting a balance between tradition and technological advancements. The premium machined and anodised front panel, along with an all-metal chassis, enhances its modern look while remaining unmistakably QUAD.

Key Features

• Balanced XLR inputs and outputs for pristine sound clarity
• The phono stage supports both MM and MC cartridges for turntable versatility
• Motorised ALPS volume control for precise, remote adjustments
• Tilt, bass, and balance controls for tailored sound
• 3-Year Warranty - Register Here

The external design of the QUAD 33 Pre-Amplifier retains the brand’s characteristic simplicity, but now integrates modern features such as a backlit display, LED illumination, and remote control functionality. The premium machined and anodised front panel, along with an all-metal chassis, enhances its modern look while remaining unmistakably QUAD. Despite its updated digital control system, the QUAD 33 stays true to its analogue roots, reflecting a balance between tradition and technological advancements.

Tilt Controls

The Tilt control differs in that it adjusts both ends of the frequency spectrum together, either attenuating the bass and lifting the treble, or lifting the bass and attenuating the treble in 1dB steps.

Essentially, it rotates – or tilts – the audible frequency range on a 700Hz axis, thereby adjusting the overall sound balance with 'warm' or 'cool' hints without altering volume or adding colour to the sound. This feature is unique to QUAD and offers a subtle, precise, and consistent way to adjust your system's performance and compensate for recordings or environments.

The Tilt control, Bass control, and Balance controls are all composed of low-noise op-amps, electronic switches, and MELF low-temperature coefficient metal film resistors, forming a negative feedback adjustment circuit.

MM/MC Cartridge Compatibility

The QUAD 33 offers improved connectivity with fully balanced XLR inputs and outputs, setting it apart from its predecessors. The new phono stage is compatible with both Moving Magnet and Moving Coil cartridges, allowing seamless switching between the two. The input stage is designed for ultra-low noise performance, using advanced audio op-amps, and includes a high-performance RIAA processing circuit for exceptional sound quality, even during demanding output swings.

The controls of the new QUAD 33 echo the simplicity of the original, with logically grouped functions that are easy to navigate. A backlit LCD screen displays settings and input selections, while motorised volume controls offer both tactile precision and remote adjustment. The addition of bass, tilt, and balance controls allows for fine-tuning of sound without compromising the integrity of the audio. The unique Tilt control, developed by QUAD’s founder Peter Walker, enables precise tonal adjustments by modifying both ends of the frequency spectrum in unison.

Performance and Build Quality

With over 50 years of advancements since the original release, the new QUAD 33 incorporates cutting-edge technology without straying from the brand’s core principles. A custom toroidal transformer, multiple capacitors, and regulators contribute to its superior performance. The robust and aesthetically refined design reflects QUAD’s commitment to both form and function. Built to last, the QUAD 33 maintains signal purity through a direct, short signal path, ensuring high-fidelity audio reproduction while adhering to QUAD’s tradition of ‘the closest approach to the original sound.’

QUAD’s Legacy and Modern Excellence

By revisiting the QUAD 33 and 303 components, QUAD reaffirms its longstanding legacy in the British hi-fi industry, blending authenticity, pedigree, and innovation. This new iteration pays homage to QUAD’s past while showcasing its excellence in modern audio engineering. The QUAD team involved in this project possesses nearly 200 years of combined engineering experience and over 100 years dedicated to QUAD’s unique designs and service, further reinforcing the brand’s enduring commitment to quality.

The Team Behind the Innovation

The development of the new QUAD 33 and 303 was overseen by a team of experts, including Rob Flain and Paul McConville, two of the most experienced QUAD service engineers. Jan Ertner, with three decades of QUAD design expertise, Peter Comeau, the mastermind behind some of QUAD’s most successful loudspeakers, and David McNeill, who has been at the forefront of QUAD’s innovations for two decades, all played key roles. Together, they ensured that the new products could uphold the legacy of the iconic 33 and 303.

Who is Quad?

Quad is a highly renowned manufacturer of quality hifi electronics and loudspeakers, having developed award-winning audiophile-standard products standard for over 80 years, their highly acclaimed reputation is well-earned. The company originally built speakers for public addresses, moving onto domestic hifi following the end of the war. The first commercially available products were the Quad 22 Pre-amp and Quad II Monoblock Power Amplifiers, both of which were on the market for ten years to great success. 

Quad now develop a wide range of hifi products at varying price points, such as the S Series, Z Series, Electrostatic Series of loudspeakers and accompanying amplifier ranges the Vena and QII Series. Quad also built a range of Active Loudspeakers. Quad continue to win the hearts of critics and consumers alike with each release and each product bears the same original design philosophy set out by founder Peter J. Walker; to design and engineer a product that offers 'the most accurate' sound response for the best price.