Quad is back with something new—but with a face you might recognize. The new Quad 3 integrated amplifier brings together classic design elements from the 1960s with a full suite of modern tech. It follows the buzz created by last year’s reimagined 33/303 pre/power combo, but this time, it’s a one-box solution made from scratch.
Yes, it looks retro. But under the hood, it’s built to handle everything from vinyl to high-res digital streaming—and just about anything in between.
At first glance, the Quad 3 looks like a piece of gear straight out of a mid-century living room. That’s not by accident. The team behind it, including longtime Quad designer David McNeill, leaned heavily into the look of the original Quad 22 and Quad 33 models. You’ll see a familiar two-tone grey finish, rotary dials that sit flush with the front panel, and Quad’s signature orange accents. Even the horizontal LCD display is backlit in that same orange hue, giving it a warm, throwback glow.
But while it may look like it belongs in a ‘60s bachelor pad, the Quad 3 is all about today’s audio landscape.
Quad built the 3 to play nicely with both analog and digital sources. On the digital side, you’ve got:
If you’re more into spinning records or plugging in older gear, no problem. The Quad 3 includes:
There’s also a pre-out, gold-plated speaker terminals, a USB-A port for firmware updates, and even a 12V trigger input/output for syncing with other components in your setup.
The Quad 3 delivers 65 watts per channel into 8 ohms and uses Class A/B amplification with what Quad calls Complementary Feedback. Without getting too technical, that design helps the amp stay cool and stable while delivering clean sound. Power comes from a 235VA toroidal transformer, and each stage of the amp has its own low-noise power supply to reduce interference and keep the audio signal as clean as possible.
The digital engine is powered by the ES9038Q2M Sabre DAC, a well-regarded chip known for handling demanding high-resolution audio. It supports:
Whether you're playing from a USB stick, streaming over Bluetooth, or watching a movie through HDMI ARC, the DAC handles it all.
One of the more unique features of the Quad 3 is something called the Tilt control—a concept introduced by Quad back in the early ‘80s. Instead of adjusting bass and treble separately, the Tilt control adjusts both ends of the frequency spectrum together. So you can make the overall sound warmer (more bass, less treble) or cooler (more treble, less bass) without messing with volume or clarity.
There’s also a standard bass adjustment that lets you nudge the low end up or down by 3dB, plus a balance control. All of these are handled via rotary encoders on the front panel, but they operate in the analog domain, not through digital signal processing. That means you get the benefits of modern control while preserving the character of analog sound.
Quad has added a few small but useful touches that make day-to-day use easier:
This is the kind of amp that fits just as easily into a minimalist desktop setup as it does into a full living room system. Whether you’re into vinyl, streaming, or a bit of both, the Quad 3 aims to make it easy to switch between sources and tailor the sound to your space.
The Quad 3 hits the market in mid-June 2025, with pricing set at $2,799 in the U.S., £1,249 in the UK, and €1,499 in Europe. It’ll be available through authorized Quad dealers and high-end audio retailers.
The Quad 3 isn’t just about reliving the past—it’s about using that design heritage as a springboard to create something that works in today’s audio setups. It may look like a throwback, but it’s ready to handle your digital library, your TV, and your favorite records—all from one box.
And yes, that orange glow is still very much part of the experience.
