Quad Electrostatic Speakers...

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Robin

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The premier electrostatic speaker company in the United Kingdom, "Quad" apparently is releasing a new electrostatic speakers the 2805 and the 2905. These new Quad ESL's were displayed at the latest CES 2006 Show.

http://www.audioholics.com/ces/CESspeakers/QuadESL2805.php

What do you think of these new Quad speakers? Quad ESL's have been around for a long time. Has anyone had any here ever owned Quad ESL's?
 
How can anyone know anything about these until they've heard them? Quad ESL 57 (their first model) were great. They provided a very clear window on the sound. Some people used them in stacked pairs. Their bass response was somewhat lacking. The old ones were made in England. Now they're made in China. Withhold your judgment until you've heard them.
 
Robin said:
The premier electrostatic speaker company in the United Kingdom, "Quad" apparently is releasing a new electrostatic speakers the 2805 and the 2905. These new Quad ESL's were displayed at the latest CES 2006 Show.

http://www.audioholics.com/ces/CESspeakers/QuadESL2805.php

What do you think of these new Quad speakers? Quad ESL's have been around for a long time. Has anyone had any here ever owned Quad ESL's?


interesting. i have quad esl-57's driven by McIntosh tube hw from the same vintage. i like them. i've always liked them and i'm listening to them right now :)

a few comments on the article. the aerofoil strut is interesting, but comes across to me as a bandaid to a problem introduced by their frame material choice. My CLS panels, about the same dimensions as these new quads, are plenty stiff with their oak frames.

i was also intriged by the comment Quad’s design goals have always been detail resolution, stereo imaging, and lack of colouration. as the first quad ELS was designed to be a mono speaker. While the detailing, and neutrality of the speaker is phenomanal, the speaker was designed to produce a window to the sound as if you were standing outside the auditorium listening through an open door or window.

Seeing vintage pictures of predecessor models, I often wondered how people could stomach such bulky speakers in their living rooms. is interesting as the quad 57s attract more interest from visitors than most things audio in the house. certainly the 7 MLs downstairs in the HT are impressive, but the 57s with their retro radiator look attract just as much talk as the see-through CLSs.

but his thought that for once I heard an ESL whose stereo image didn’t disappear a few inches away from the money seat. susses it up. the author is not a fan or ESL speakers or has just not heard them set up properly.

perhaps the quad sales reps set them up correctly at CES, or perhaps these quads are designed to appeal to the "box speaker" masses.
 
RENAMED

http://blog.stereophile.com/ces2006/011006quad/
I'd heard a lot about Quad's upgraded ESL-989 speakers, renamed the Quad 2905 ($11,500/pair), so I dropped by the company's exhibit at the Alexis Park to check out these electrostatic floorstanders.

When I arrived, IAG America's Larry Shafer was listening to 2905s driven by Quad electronics. Smaller 2908s sat by. The new Quads sure looked sweet! So, too, was the sound, which was just as pleasing as my Quad '989s in my own listening room.

Julian Maddock, Quad's technical expert, assured me that the 2905—the model number combines the year (2005) and the panel size (9)—uses exactly the same circuitry and measures identically to the '989 in both time and frequency domains. This was refreshing—a manufacturer who upgrades his product but announces that the more expensive, newer version tests just the same as the old one!

So, what is new here? The ca-$2000 upgrade was done to strengthen the panel by reducing the speaker frame's "cantilevering" action while playing music. The new design is "centered on tensioned aluminum extrusions coupled to a stainless steel support structure." Structural rigidity was increased further by adding aluminum side bars that frame the cloth grille, a black-piano-lacquered wooden top plate, and a thin strut that runs perpendicularly down from the speaker top to latch behind onto the base, and a larger and heavier base plate. The aerofoil profiled tensioning strut reduces bending motions in the panels—and their chassis—while the speaker is reproducing music.

Finally, Quad listened to the laments from owners about the old-fashioned, tiny speaker terminals, and upgraded them to accommodate heavier spade lugs. .
011006quad.jpg
 
Robin, this site has some interesting reading re Quads

http://www.onethingaudio.com/

They need lots of space behind them (something we're all kinda used to from ML's), but a fully restored pair of '57's would give most contempory speakers a run for their money.

Regards
 
RE:
http://www.martinloganowners.com/fo...read.php?t=1147

I missed that thread, cool.

How about a perforated projection screen that is actually a stat panel?

I'm not sure how sucessful the Quad's were in that large space. Perhaps filling it up with masses of people would of sucked up all of the sound.

I'd like to find out if anyone has made a proper stat PA system. Then I could put to rest that issue I have; in which all live music is amplified via cone and horn drivers.
 
Movie Theater - Stat PA System...

kach22i said:
RE:
http://www.martinloganowners.com/fo...read.php?t=1147

I missed that thread, cool.

How about a perforated projection screen that is actually a stat panel?

I'm not sure how sucessful the Quad's were in that large space. Perhaps filling it up with masses of people would of sucked up all of the sound.

I'd like to find out if anyone has made a proper stat PA system. Then I could put to rest that issue I have; in which all live music is amplified via cone and horn drivers.
kach22i,

Prior to starting the above thread I really looked hard for any information on Public Theaters / Movie Houses that may have tried Stat's in their theaters, nothing... :rolleyes:
I did Internet seach's galore and I never found anyone who had even tried a Electrostatic PA system, unitl you posted Quad's attempt. I want to thank you for sharing the information... :D It looks as though Quad used individual stat panel Quad Mono Block amplification for each panel?
 

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