Quad to the core

摘要

It was 15 years since I had interviewed Ken Bunting, in charge of Quad's service department, but back then it was to pick his brains about the company's history. Early this May, I had the privilege of repeating the interrogation, on the occasion of Ken's retirement. Off to the wilds of Cambridge, where I found him on his last day, in a busy-as-ever service area with everything from Quad ESL63s to valve units being repaired - contrary to any rumours or worries that the company had abandoned its legendary back-up division. Ken started at Quad on the 16th of March 1970. 'It was my first job in audio, hired as a Service Engineer. I'd trained with Pye Philips, so I was in communications, working with RF, so my first real job with the company was to work on AM tuners and tuner alignment. There was no service department in 1970 - that was being set up. I was head-hunted really: they were just starting the department. They were still building the room.'