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Home / News / Icon – Quad II Classic Integrated

Icon – Quad II Classic Integrated

Proof that valve-powered hi-fi need not be impractical or blingin'

It’s a valve amp, innit?

Blimey, you’re getting better at this. Yes, it’s a valve-powered hi-fi amplifier, but rather a special one.

Oh, here we go…

Don’t scoff. I’m not talking about all those arcane arts used to refine sonics to the nth degree – although there are plenty of those involved. No, I’m talking more fundamentally. This is an integrated amp, for starters, which means it’s just one box to control volume and power the speakers.

Doesn’t sound new

No, integrated valve amps aren’t a new idea. But rarely have they been so compact and beautiful – in a rather ’50s way, inspired by the legendary Quad II mono power amplifier with which it shares many design elements. Nor have they often featured, as this Quad does, a phono pre-amp for plugging your turntable directly into it, regardless of whether you use a moving magnet or posh moving coil cartridge.

And it costs more than my record collection?

Yes, but mainly because you listen to the kind of nonsense that’ll be filling charity shops in 10 years’ time. Just £4500 will buy you a slice of high-end hi-fi that’ll more than likely be pumping out superb sonics well after you’ve checked into that big record store in the sky.

Also

Retro Chic – Quad II (1952)

Icon – Sagemcom Sixty

Hi-fi Top 10

Profile image of Dan Grabham Dan Grabham Editor-in-Chief

About

Dan is Editor-in-chief of Stuff, working across the magazine and the Stuff.tv website.  Our Editor-in-Chief is a regular at tech shows such as CES in Las Vegas, IFA in Berlin and Mobile World Congress in Barcelona as well as at other launches and events. He has been a CES Innovation Awards judge. Dan is completely platform agnostic and very at home using and writing about Windows, macOS, Android and iOS/iPadOS plus lots and lots of gadgets including audio and smart home gear, laptops and smartphones. He's also been interviewed and quoted in a wide variety of places including The Sun, BBC World Service, BBC News Online, BBC Radio 5Live, BBC Radio 4, Sky News Radio and BBC Local Radio.

Areas of expertise

Computing, mobile, audio, smart home

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