QUAD 22/THE QUAD Ⅱ (Vintage)

摘要

The opportunity to test such a classic amplifier, and in such pristine condition, was a genuine pleasure. As we might have expected of Quad, the 22/11 combination was very conservatively specified, its 15W rating surpassed to the tune of 2×22W/8ohm and 2×20W/4ohm. Such a consistent output suggests our II power amps were configured for a 7ohm load (15ohm was the other option) and this is further indicated by the 8/4/2ohm responses, the 8ohm curve showing a rising HF trend (+0.1 dB/20kHz to +1.8dB/60kHz) while the 4ohm/2ohm traces have a gently declining treble trend. Correspondingly, the output impedance is held below 0.5ohm from 20Hz-10kHz, rising to 7ohm at 100kHz. Incidentally, there's no practical increase in power output under dynamic conditions with 24W, 18W, 11W and 7W delivered into 8,4, 2 and 1ohm loads at ＜2%THD [see Graph 1, below]. So the Quad 22/II is still best partnered with sensitive loudspeakers!