ronsound Posted September 14, 2012 Posted September 14, 2012 Hi all! Been in touch with Richard McDonald about amp designs etc. Great guy to talk to, with lots of knowledge and experience with amp designs and lives in South Australia. Very interesting! His latest design "The Quasimodo" amp sounds very impressive and great value for the money. He reminds of Edward from Adelaide Speakers, but with amps. Just wondering people out there who have experienced his amps, and what they think? Curious Audio Ron!
Demondes Posted September 14, 2012 Posted September 14, 2012 Hmm never heard of him, but that may say more about me than him Ha Ha. does he have a website or amp brand name. I did google and find this article referencing him and sunn amps. Which seem to be used by guitarists http://www.fender.com.au/sunnamps/history.php
Volunteer sir sanders zingmore Posted September 14, 2012 Volunteer Posted September 14, 2012 Is he tagstrip on SNA?
Nigel Posted September 14, 2012 Posted September 14, 2012 I think he may still have a few hamburger outlets .... 1
mrdave Posted September 14, 2012 Posted September 14, 2012 I think he may still have a few hamburger outlets .... That could be his brother Ron... 2
tagstrip Posted September 14, 2012 Posted September 14, 2012 (edited) O.K. I'll 'fess up - 'tis yours truly! Yes I do make the Quasimodo amps- and no, I do not have a website as it's mainly word of mouth- usually from other owners. I have no interest whatsoever of making large amounts of cash out of this miniscule enterprise. My good (long suffering) wife makes much more dosh being a cleaner than I ever will (or intend to!). The greatest pleasure I have is having a happy, or even ecstatic, customer. Hugh Dean, who has been an invaluable help in sorting out my design, should take much of the credit for the Quasimodo's really nice tube- like sonics. He is the real "Einstein" of the amplifier world imho. But, as a lot of folks Know, Hugh is an absolute gentleman of the highest order, and completely humble about his abilities which are of a much higher order than mine. I did come up with the concept of the odd output stage that Hugh uses in the Naksa 70 modules, but usually Hugh is the one with the really good ideas, but there's a lot of idea swapping that goes on between us when he drops in for a visit. (I'm from his good ol' country town!) The Richard McDonald mentioned in the prior post is definitely not me! Heck, I run for the hills if anyone even asks me "I have this guitar amp, could you possibly..........? "Arrrghh! Keep it away from me!" is the screamed reply as I disappear over the nearest horizon. Hugh Dean at the moment is presently recovering from a really nasy stroke that nearly took him out, and he's having a difficult time even trying to speak- which is really quite sad. It's going to be a long haul for Hugh to get over that tramua, but I have spoken to him on the phone, and he's very slowly improving as far as I can tell. Edward of Adelaide Loudspeakers has put in an order for a Quasimodo amp, so that should be at his outlet in a few weeks time, so those in South Australia will be able to hear one readily as all previous Quasi's were all privately owned , of course. For those interested, the Quasimodo is a line stage amp, rated at either 25, 40 or 80 watts per channel into 8 ohms or nearly double into 4. It is not direct coupled and is totally hard- wired with no p.c.b.'s. Anyhow that's enough of that- I most definitely don't want too many orders- no really! The amp takes a full week to build and thoroughly test and I'm no good if rushed. One order every couple of months would suit me fine. Besides, occasionally I will receive an earlier model back to have the very latest tweaks retro fitted. O.k., so now the cat's out of the bag. I'm an old school two- channel "Hi- Fi'' nut who bought his first true system back in '72- Marantz 1030 amp, J.H. turntable with a Sound tonearm, Ortofon VMS10 and a pair of Peerless 8" two way speaker kits with the original classic cone tweeters. Cheers, all. Edited September 15, 2012 by tagstrip 3
ronsound Posted September 15, 2012 Author Posted September 15, 2012 That's the true Richard McDonald! .... So lets get back to some normal responses about Richard McDonald's Amps ..... Any impressions would be greatly appreciated from any owners of his amps. Ron-Quasimodo! 1
arkticfox Posted October 4, 2012 Posted October 4, 2012 Not sure if this is helpful, but I was having a chat with Ed from Ascension speakers in Adelaide who has just got himself the 40w version of Richards amp (with a few extra tweaks) and he said his Summoners sound amazing with it (I think Richard tuned it to sound very valve-ish for him). Maybe talking to him would be an idea if you want a learned opinion, Certainly having just bought a pair of Summoners myself I am seriously considering one of Richards amp just on Eds recommendation (if the guy who builds the speakers gives it the thumbs up then who is a simple layman like myself to argue) Certainly talking to Richard is an educational and enjoyable experience (even if you get lost half way through the conversation!) Hope that helps, Sam
ronsound Posted October 30, 2012 Author Posted October 30, 2012 Not sure if this is helpful, but I was having a chat with Ed from Ascension speakers in Adelaide who has just got himself the 40w version of Richards amp (with a few extra tweaks) and he said his Summoners sound amazing with it (I think Richard tuned it to sound very valve-ish for him). Maybe talking to him would be an idea if you want a learned opinion, Certainly having just bought a pair of Summoners myself I am seriously considering one of Richards amp just on Eds recommendation (if the guy who builds the speakers gives it the thumbs up then who is a simple layman like myself to argue) Certainly talking to Richard is an educational and enjoyable experience (even if you get lost half way through the conversation!) Hope that helps, Sam Had a listen to Ed's "Quasimodo" a couple of weeks ago, to my ears better overall sound than his SGR poweramp! connected to Adelaide Speakers at Ed's place. Valve like midrange, clean highs, more extended bass, great detail! Ron-quasimodo!
ronsound Posted October 30, 2012 Author Posted October 30, 2012 (edited) I have recently brought my own "Quasimodo" from Richard McDonald. Been Talking with Richard for a while (Great guy - lots of knowledge and overall great to deal with him). I call him "The Edward of AMPs!". When I received my "Quasimodo" in the Mail, I was amazed of the care and time that Richard has taken to pack and send the amp. Many, many phone calls from Richard to check on the condition of the amp on it's arrival and listening impressions. The amp is very similar to Ed's (from Adelaide Speakers), But: has a Smaller Transformer, and slightly more open sound at top end. 40watts like Ed's NOTE: I will take my amp to Ed's (hopefully soon, when Ed's has time to have a listen), to compare mine with his Quasimodo. Quasimodo vs Quasimodo! So far: Valve-like Midrange, clean highs, nice detail, lots of bass and very dynamic! Dynamics are better than my Marantz SR7002 (which is rated at around 100watts per channel - 7 channels AV Receiver). Midrange more valve like, which is a big surprise for me, as the Marantz is very smooth on midrange. Still working on the BASS, as I have moved to a new home, with a new Music room to setup. Lots of Bass-Traps and then even more in all four corners, then I will test the amp and continue to the audio journey. The Marantz was thinner in the Bass regions, especially in the upper bass. The current music room is enhancing the upper bass of the Quasimodo. .... Impressions will continue as I tame my music room ....................... stay in touch ........... Test at my home using: Laptop (running Foobar/jplay OR Mediamonkey) -> V-Link -> Emotiva DAC-1 -> Quasimodo -> AS Monitor M823PR 3-way Standmounts Recently Brought an Audio-GD 11.32 DAC - will try in the mix (once room is tamed!) using V-link and native USB-32 to 11.32 .......... Ron-Quasimodo Edited October 30, 2012 by ronsound
rantan Posted October 30, 2012 Posted October 30, 2012 Hi Ron. Just curious. Did you ever go ahead with the purchase of the Weston Acoustics amplifier you had ordered in the recent past? 1
ronsound Posted October 30, 2012 Author Posted October 30, 2012 Hi Ron. Just curious. Did you ever go ahead with the purchase of the Weston Acoustics amplifier you had ordered in the recent past? No, I never went down the "Tube" Journey .... But in saying that ... Now, I have the "Quasimodo", I am getting a "Tube-like" sound in the midrange I have been looking for. Ron-Tube-like!
Monkeyboi Posted October 31, 2012 Posted October 31, 2012 Quasimodo - now that rings a bell. Cheers, Alan R. (Posted from the Qantas Club Lounge - Perth) 1
Guest Hensa Posted October 31, 2012 Posted October 31, 2012 Any pics of the Quasimodo amp in situ? Sounds very interesting.
ronsound Posted October 31, 2012 Author Posted October 31, 2012 (edited) Will give impressions on the new amp, once the room is tamed ..... (As just recently moved to new place). Testing with Marantz amp at the moment (as I know the sound of the marantz from existing music room). Trying Main Speakers diagonally (instead of positioning along wall) in the NEW music room with 2 x levels (one in front of the other, and space between each Acoustic panels) in each corner of the room to tighten the bass and tame the upper bass regions. Now NEW Room is NOW tamer! Ready for some music listening and testing of Marantz vs Quasimodo ($1800 AV amp vs <$600 2-ch AMP) Using Laptop (Jplay mini 64bit) -> V-Link -> Marantz (for testing at the moment). NEXT ..... putting the "Quasimodo" back into the mix. Using Laptop (Jplay mini 64bit) -> V-Link -> Emotiva DAC-1 -> Quasimodo will be NEXT ...... Stay in touch ...... for photos, impressions etc .... PS: Jplay is quite amazing, try it out for free trial (32/64bit) May try Win 8 Pro on my dedicated Music Laptop (main music transport). Running Win 7 at the moment. Edited October 31, 2012 by ronsound
ronsound Posted October 31, 2012 Author Posted October 31, 2012 (edited) Here is a rough drawing of my Set up in NEW Music Room. So far, this setup is the best sounding to my ears. Thanks Richard for the advice of trying Speakers diagonally in the room. The "Quasimodo" 40 Watts Edited October 31, 2012 by ronsound
deftowls Posted October 31, 2012 Posted October 31, 2012 Watching this thread with interest. I'm another Quasimodo owner.
arkticfox Posted November 5, 2012 Posted November 5, 2012 (edited) Hey all, Having just got a pair of Summoners 1093SRTLs and a 40wpc quasi from richard all I can say is that I am freeckin lovin it. The whole system has just started to really open up now. I have some pics on another thread so here is the link, http://www.stereo.ne...ot-too-upgrade/ The case is beautiful brushed aluminium which costs a little more but looks just great, I'm a little annoyed it has to go in the cabinet actually. The amp has a yellow light because there was a Mt Gambier shortage of little blue LEDs, but I kinda like it I call it the special edition! If you want a few more pics let me know and I can post them up, Cheers Sam EDIT spelling Edited November 5, 2012 by arkticfox
deftowls Posted November 6, 2012 Posted November 6, 2012 It's great to see Richard getting some recognition for his talent in building a highly engaging and listenable amp. He's a man who shows great passion in his work, and love of music and audio reproduction has been his motivation, not money. We've been pretty lucky to get a piece of this action, as the last thing he wants is to become an amp-building machine. (Ron, i'm guessing you're the guy that came around and auditioned my quasi before taking the plunge...cheers, Des).
ronsound Posted November 6, 2012 Author Posted November 6, 2012 It's great to see Richard getting some recognition for his talent in building a highly engaging and listenable amp. He's a man who shows great passion in his work, and love of music and audio reproduction has been his motivation, not money. We've been pretty lucky to get a piece of this action, as the last thing he wants is to become an amp-building machine. (Ron, i'm guessing you're the guy that came around and auditioned my quasi before taking the plunge...cheers, Des). Hi Des, Thanks again for the opportunity to have a listen to the "Quasimodo". Yes, I am now a proud owner of one! Thanks again, Ron
thermonicavenger Posted February 1, 2013 Posted February 1, 2013 Own it & love it. One of the best at a stupidly affordable price Very ALIVE sounding
blackangus Posted February 2, 2013 Posted February 2, 2013 Yep,I now own one also and love it to pieces, can't get enough of it. it's a super quiet amp with great detail and warmth. this one is about three years old, I have been in touch with Richard regarding bringing it up to date with the preamp mods.
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