The Quatre Gain Cell, ah...yes. I remember all the horror stories about how unstable they were, and the loud transformer hum. I was always curious about that amp until one day, at a local flea market, I spotted one. It had a silver face plate with one of the top corners bent over backward on the faceplate. I took it home for $10.00.
Totally fearless, I put it into my system (Dayton Wright SPS mk3 preamp, Rega Planar II turntable with Grace 707 tonearm and Grace F9L cartridge, CM Labs 912a power amp, JSE's "infinite slope" top of the line monster size speakers on casters.
The amp powered up instsntly and sounded much better than my CM Labs 912a (but that 912a was a drop dead gorgeous amp with that bronze faceplate and those huge backlit meters, and the oak side panels).
There was a midrange airiness with the Quatre that I hadn't heard from any transistor amps. The openness and transparency was absolutely intoxicating - along with the loud hum I noticed when the music stopped playing.
I opened the amp up and couldn't believe how little was inside. The transformer was huge - and loose. I cut some rubber pads and was able to wedge them under the transformer, then retighten the bolts which were under the amp on the bottom plate. It cut the hum to at least 3/4 of what it was. I also decided to glue cut up rubber computer pads on the inside of the amp at strategically loacated places along the sides and underneath the top cover plate. That reduced the hum to where it was now mostly inaudible, even with the ear placed close up to the amp.
I eventually sold it, but still remember to this day how incredibly transparent and open that amp sounded - along with bass that pounded your chest.
Too bad the company couldn't overcome the early reputation for them being unstable.
Anyone know with what serial number they overcame the instability problem?
Totally fearless, I put it into my system (Dayton Wright SPS mk3 preamp, Rega Planar II turntable with Grace 707 tonearm and Grace F9L cartridge, CM Labs 912a power amp, JSE's "infinite slope" top of the line monster size speakers on casters.
The amp powered up instsntly and sounded much better than my CM Labs 912a (but that 912a was a drop dead gorgeous amp with that bronze faceplate and those huge backlit meters, and the oak side panels).
There was a midrange airiness with the Quatre that I hadn't heard from any transistor amps. The openness and transparency was absolutely intoxicating - along with the loud hum I noticed when the music stopped playing.
I opened the amp up and couldn't believe how little was inside. The transformer was huge - and loose. I cut some rubber pads and was able to wedge them under the transformer, then retighten the bolts which were under the amp on the bottom plate. It cut the hum to at least 3/4 of what it was. I also decided to glue cut up rubber computer pads on the inside of the amp at strategically loacated places along the sides and underneath the top cover plate. That reduced the hum to where it was now mostly inaudible, even with the ear placed close up to the amp.
I eventually sold it, but still remember to this day how incredibly transparent and open that amp sounded - along with bass that pounded your chest.
Too bad the company couldn't overcome the early reputation for them being unstable.
Anyone know with what serial number they overcame the instability problem?