Thanks Patrick! A good read as usual.
I'm not sure that Phil's website is still there. I couldn't find it, even
by changing the spelling etc.
Gee, I would have thought Phil would have so much pride in what he thinks that he'd have to have a website of his own that was maintained properly, and one to give piles and piles of info about Quad-II and tube audio in general. Alas, there is no website. You'll just have to forgive me for typing my sarcastic hope that Phil would have had the website I mentioned. I have "sensus humarius warperiae". The reality is that Our Dear Phil has yet to get around to carefully crafting his own website which would then show an enormous pile of useful stuff about tube audio.
But he does have published articles at the westhost.com addresses.
Those addresses are real and the site is quite large and there is much that is useful to some ppl. I've often visited the site to look at various schematics for this and that and its always handy to appraise what others do to better know what you wish to do for yourself without blindly trying to copy somebody else's schematics. Through the efforts of others, we know them better and ourselves. Through our experiments trying ideas on bread boards and with building umpteen complete amp systems we grow wise, and none of this can happily proceed if anyone takes himself or his ideas too seriously. So while you learn, be prepared to admit along the way that what you thought might have been true last week was just BS, so admit it and move on, and try harder. See the merits, make sure they can be proven. Always look for a better way.
1950s was a time when so many UK audio gear makers rested on their laurels. Competition blitzed them. The Japs gave us Hondas and they went better than the old AJS or Triumph.
I had a two gutless wonder 250cc BSA bikes, then "Matchless" 500 single followed by a 650 ex police bike. They broke down very often, keeping me poor, and off the road when I didn't want it. So bought a spare Honda 100cc which gave gave much better reliability while I flogged it along everywhere I went, often with a suitable nice ****able shiela on the back. Matchless 500cc single would vibrate a lot,had loud exhaust and while it ran even local conservative moral shielas got very excited. But they didn't ****. Ah, such jolly times! Back then, during my Ancient History, nobody I knew could afford Quad gear of any kind. Damned expensive. Few of us had any sound gear let alone hi-fi gear. I quite liked making music with the others in a folk music band for awhile. Great chick puller. But they were all tarts - wanted to **** everyone - not worth serious pursuit. Music was what you did - too expensive to consume. Then for most of my 20s I studied at night after working guts out all day. There was pop music on the AM radio if you had one. I didn't get a TV until I was 28. Didn't last long, and televised pop music was just atrocious noise made by gits who didn't know what real work was. Live concerts were good, maybe I went to 2 during a decade, always high expense for something you cannot touch or keep. I still get by with so little of everything.
I get more joy now on a bicycle. No need for a back seat, shielas have all dried up 20 years ago. I quite enjoy the puzzle of a schematic when I see one or draw one, and now very much enjoy classical music. The Brandenburg Orchestra has put out an amazing number of CDs. Just pick any one and play it over dinner with glass of red. Fantastibulous!
Patrick Turner.