Quad ESL-2905 Brochure
E l e c t r o s t a t i c L o u d s p e a k e r s
2 8 0 5 - 2 9 0 5
E S L
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The
Quad ESL
Contemporary Electrostatic loudspeaker design
The new ESL-2805 and ESL-2905
loudspeakers are Quad’s latest
reference loudspeakers and like their
predecessors should be regarded
amongst the finest loudspeakers in
the world today. In areas such as
transparency, and lack of colouration,
they are without peer.
For those with a passion for music,
Quad ESLs can create a window on the
recording - every nuance and subtle
detail preserved and reproduced with
unerring accuracy.
Perhaps their most striking ability is
to create a holographic soundstage
- in which each voice and instrument
occupies a precise location and is
easily discernable within even complex
pieces.
To live with a Quad ESL is to
revolutionise your appreciation of
music. The pleasure of rediscovering
previously forgotten recordings and
enjoying the real beauty of the music
without colouration is often the start
of a love affair that lasts a lifetime.
It should be noted that whilst movingcoil loudspeakers are the norm, the
physical principles upon which they
work are fatally flawed - and not even
the latest advances in materials science
can address their shortcomings.
Quad alone has sought a different
path - to push the boundaries of
electrostatic technology to the point
where our ESLs are closer to the ideal
loudspeaker than any other.
Quad’s patented panel technology
results in a combination of the speed
and accuracy only possible from an
electrostatic loudspeaker; together
with the imaging and soundstaging
only possible from a theoretically ideal
point source; and the coherence and
continuity of a single drive unit.
With possibly the lowest distortion
of any loudspeaker, the ESL can be
enjoyed for hours on end without
fatigue; never adding or subtracting
from the original recording. Even at
low volume levels, they retain the full
detail and drama of the music.
In short, the Quad ESL technology is
unique in its clarity of sound, lack of
distortion, lack of interference and
continuity of response.
The ESL-2805 and ESL-2905
loudspeakers are the absolute pinnacle
of that technology. Engineered without
compromise, they are destined to
become modern classics.
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Quad products stand alone in the hi-fi
world - renowned for their longevity;
quality of build; and consistently high
standard of performance. Our awardwinning service department regularly
maintains products over 50 years in
age. Products which still bring their
owners immeasurable pleasure.
Quad products are designed with the
single aim of reproducing recorded
music as accurately as possible.
Simplicity of use and elegance of
design are purely consequential to the
application of sensible engineering
principles.
We have never sought to design
statement pieces or style icons, yet
almost every Quad product has
become regarded as such.
The
case for a
closer
approach...
A moving-coil speaker consists of a
wire coil suspended inside a magnet.
When an audio signal passes through
the coil a varying magnetic field is set
up which interacts with the magnet
and causes the coil to move back
and forth. A cone (or in the case of
high frequency speakers, a dome) is
attached to the coil, which compresses
and rarifies the air generating sound
waves.
Because large speaker drive-units
cannot reproduce high frequencies
well, and small ones cannot reproduce
low frequencies at all, practical hifi loudspeakers use two or more
drive- units connected via a ‘crossover
network’ which divides the frequencies
between the bass and the treble units.
Additionally, because even a large
bass- unit is very small compared to
the length of a low-frequency sound
wave, some form of box is needed to
prevent the waves from the back of
the cone cancelling the sound from
the front.
Moving-coil speakers have undeniable
advantages of cost and ease of
manufacture, and the cabinets can be
designed in many different shapes,
sizes and finish. However, the cabinet
is also a prime source of colouration
in the bass region. Additionally,
because the cone of a bass-unit is large
and heavy, it cannot start and stop
instantaneously. Some of the energy is
stored and releases over time, causing
smearing and ‘boom’ in the bass. In
the cross-over region, where not only
are the masses between the drive
units hugely dissimilar but so are
their dispersion patterns, this shows
up as unevenness of response and
a confused image, precisely in the
critical area where the ear is at its most
sensitive.
The moving-coil conundrum
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