I wonder if I’m the only person here to remember Monty Python’s dead parrot sketch. I can’t remember the precise words used, but at some point Bolton is mentioned, and Eric Idle (I think) says to John Cleese that the Norwegian Blue parrot is tired and shagged out, having flown to the pet shop from Bolton.
This statement is questioned, to which Idle says that it was a palindrome. Cleese drily points out that the palindrome of Bolton is “Notlob”!* Cue general hilarity!
I think that the secret to the sound of the QUAD33/303 combo was that it was quite severely restricted at the top and bottom of its range, and of course it was a perfect match for a single pair of QUAD ESL57s - less so with the ESL63s, which really needed the extra power from the QUAD 405 power amp.
A single pair of ESL57s were pretty perfect when used with the original Naim NAP160, which was never in danger of arcing and destroying the Mylar (plastic) panels used in the ESL57s (although Naim used to offer what was called the ‘QUAD mod’, which turned down the maximum output voltage of the amp).
The NAP160 is long gone, but I imagine that the NAIT50 would be a classic match with a pair of ESL57s from QUAD Musikwiedergabe near Koblenz in Germany, which can still make a brand new pair of ESL57s in a variety of grille colours.
I’ve heard ESL57’s driven by Naim amplification and although they’re not really my cup of tea I was hugely impressed by them. I heard the 33/303 way back around 1980 driving LS3/5a’s. Again the LS3/5a’s aren’t my cup of tea - as much as I’ve tried hard to like them for their undoubted fine qualities - but I remember the combination sounding quite lovely. I also really like the looks of the 33/303 and the LS3/5a’s - I know this shouldn’t really be a reason for wanting them but I always felt I’ve missed out!
I have a stacked pair of ESL57s in my main system, and a pair of Falcon LS3/5As powered by a NAIT50 in my ‘small’ system in my living room.
Very different loudspeakers, but both genuine classics from over 50 years ago!
A friend from my university days, longer ago now than I care to remember, had a 33/303 combination, but for the life of me I can’t remember what source or loudspeakers he had.