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In Reply to: RE: Quad ESL 2912 vs. ESL 57 posted by AJ on June 18, 2017 at 19:24:38
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Made in China is totally irrelevant if the manufacturing specification and quality control is good - as it is with Quad. For the price of 2912 (or earlier 2905), you get a sublime system at a relative bargain price.
These are in a quite different league than the early Quad models such as 57. Those old designs need considerable bass reinforcement which the newer big models don't and new models play loud, although they still need lots of watts.
Peter
Now if China did have an equitable trade balance with the US I would not be whining.
However the trade imbalance is killing American jobs in ways we may actually never recover from. Since now it seems American companies have mostly moved production to China.
So I will NOT buy some 'made in China'. period.
And yeah, seems for some products I am just stuck with not buying anything anymore.
Then I can do without.
Everyone can choose whether to buy or not to buy anything. Imbalance of trade should not be a reason though. For years the Japanese were building excellent quality stuff for less that it would cost to build in UK or US, but I guess you have a camera - where was it built? Not in the US I'd bet a penny to a pound! They were simply more efficient than the Germans and other camera builders.
The Chinese are filling the gap left by the Japanese who are making their money in more sophisticated ways. They are doing things "by number" that can be done with relatively little skill. The designs of much of what the Chinese build is American or British, but it's cheaper to assemble in China. Provided the quality control is there - and it will be with British or US companies controlling Chinese production, what's not to like?
If you could get the workers in US or UK to do these assembly jobs for a relatively low wage, these companies would remain in their home countries. In UK, we just can't get our own citizens to do these jobs, or picking vegetables, etc, so we farm out these jobs to Chinese-manned factories, or we get immigrants from Eastern Europe (and I guess you get Mexicans or Puerto Ricans) to pick our vegetables.
If you really want to pay 50% more for your camera or hi-fi just to have them assembled in the US, you probably still can. If you were the owner of a US company offering hi-fi to the world market, would you assemble in a US factory? Probably not if you wanted to sell your stuff at a sensible price or in sensible numbers. Sadly, a fact of modern global life.
Quad production may by in China now, but they are still based in Huntingdon, England where their design team, service centre and marketing teams are based.
I have no qualms whatsoever in trusting Quad to ensure that I get a quality product - wherever they choose to build it. The price of their top-of-the-range 2912 electrostatic is highly competitive at £8000 including 20% tax. It's refreshing (to normally ripped-off UK buyers) that the price of the 2912 in US is €14000!
Their is a HUGE difference between what happen with Japan and what is happening now with China.
Japan is a 1st world country and a democracy. China is neither.
Quad may appear to be based in Huntingdon but it is just that appearance. They are a wholly owned Chinese company.
> Their is a HUGE difference between what happen with Japan and what is happening now with China.
Is there so much difference China now compared with Japan 50 years ago when they slaughtered the camera and motorcycle industries of the West? Their cameras and mcs were better than those they were competing with. I suspect we'll consider much the same with top quality modern Chinese production in years to come.
> Quad may appear to be based in Huntingdon but it is just that appearance. They are a wholly owned Chinese company.
And are current Quads in any way inferior compared with ones built in Huntingdon? No.
The quality of the goods coming out of Japan was not the point. Big difference between 1st world democracy and 3rd world totalitarian state.
As for the quality of the current Quad offerings they are good a step above the typical Chinese made dreck but not nearly to the same level of engineering and overall design excellence of the UK/Walker designed/produced products.
The newer Quads play no louder than the 63 they are the same speaker. Nothing about the design has changed beyond the frame structure and cosmetics.
The ESL(57) will play 100dB+ with protection circuits in place and enough power. Plenty loud enough.
For curiosity, do you have sound output for ESL 57 with Gradient woofer crossover at 150Hz? I think it should a bit more than 100dB, right??
Why is it that the 6-panel Quad 2912 don't play any louder than the 4-panel 2812 (or the ESL-63)?
I thought that the max SPL was defined by xmax (max diaphragm displacement) and Sd (diaphragm area), and a larger Sd could lower diaphragm displacement, hence make the speaker to play louder. Obviously this is not the case, as Quad states the same maximum output for the two systems.
Any comments?
Per.
That is not how the 63 design works.
The additional panels are part of the outer ring. The output of the outer ring is quite low compared to the inner rings. What you get with a couple more panels is a larger baffle maybe another 1-2Hz in extension but not more output.
> What you get with a couple more panels is a larger baffle maybe
> another 1-2Hz in extension but not more output.
Is that right? A larger baffle (if that is all I get) could be had for much less money than adding active panels!
It would be interesting comparing a 4-panel Quad sitting between wooden panels the size a 6-panel Quad and a proper 6-panel.
Per.
You do get some additional power in the bottom range of the speaker with the additional panels. A bit more weight and authority if you will. The question becomes is this an improvement a step in the right direction? For some the answer will be yes for some the answer will be no.
There are no free lunches. Everything comes with a price. The additional panels do indeed give the speakers some additional power in the bottom but I think you sully the midrange and top end to some extent. Nothing bad it is still a Quad in every sense.
> The newer Quads play no louder than the 63 they are the same speaker. Nothing about the design has changed beyond the frame structure and cosmetics.
No they're not. The transformers amongst other important things have vastly improved the later designs.
> The ESL(57) will play 100dB+ with protection circuits in place and enough power. Plenty loud enough.
This is a design from so long ago that they can't be sensibly compared with 2912s. They have always been recognised as suitable (and excellent) with small scale music where big crescendos are not featured and bass is relatively absent. Many owners of these have added subs to provide the bass that's clearly absent from these lovely antiques.
All a matter of degree and perspective. There are some that will tell you the ESL(57) is the best Quad ever made.Sensibly compared to the 2912? Absolutely they can be they can be sensibly compared to just about any speaker one can name. They have their limits for sure but what they do well they do as well as they ever have and better than just about any other speaker ever built since including the 63 design. The reason why some still consider them the best speaker ever built.
In terms of bass the ESL(57) working properly has lots of bass down to about 40Hz. If they don't have bottom end then they are not working properly most likely tired and well past their prime.
Even with the additional bass panels and bass output of the 989/2905/2912 there are some that complain the speakers don't have enough bottom end and insist on subs.
Personally I prefer the 63 design but every time I go back to the original I think to myself no this is a much better speaker. This has been discussed since 1981. Which Quad is better the new Quad or the old Quad? I imagine will be having the same discussion 20 years from now.
Edits: 06/21/17
What is the sonic differences between 2912 and 2812??
Plus, if you add a pair of great subs (the GR Research/Rythmik OB/Dipole being ideal), the QUAD 57 will play considerably louder, relieved of playing deep bass.
> Plus, if you add a pair of great subs (the GR Research/Rythmik OB/Dipole being ideal), the QUAD 57 will play considerably louder, relieved of playing deep bass.
Adding subs will only increase the volume of the bass - not the rest of the audible range. Adding subs is an admission that the main speakers are deficient in bass - as we know the 57s are. The 2905 and 2912 are not deficient in bass and, unless you want to listen to excessively loud pop music (why did you but Quads if that's the case), the latter models provide more than adequate bass levels without resorting to subs
Or would that bake most amps favored by quad users?
Adding subs and rolling off the bass will most definitely increase output. All the bass has been removed from the Quad. This is not anything unique to a Quad it will be the same with any speaker. Get the bass off the main speaker and the main speaker will be able to play louder before stress or strain.
Kent is, of course, absolutely correct in saying that removing the bass from the signal going to the 57, or 63, or any speaker for that matter, and adding a sub, will allow the speaker to then play louder, and with less distortion. I thought everyone knew that, but there is apparently one person here who doesn't!
One might argue that the least important part of adding a sub is the improvement in the bottom. It is the improvement in the mids and highs were they make the most improvement.
> One might argue that the least important part of adding a sub is the improvement in the bottom. It is the improvement in the mids and highs were they make the most improvement.
But only if the main speaker is protected from the bass. A crossover needs to be introduced to achieve this at some stage before the signal gets to the main speaker.
I'd agree that, if done properly, perceived loudness of Quads 57s would increase if they are deprived of bass frequencies and a sub is used to handle all the bass, rather than just supplementing and reinforcing the main speaker's efforts.
However, the old criticism always levied at the use of subs raises its ugly head - getting the two speakers to work seamlessly together. The Quad on its own has no such problem. The Quad with a sub starts to have these problems. An attenuated Quad (deprived of bass frequencies) exaggerates the problem. Best perhaps to get a Quad that doesn't need a sub - 2905 or 2912! Which gets us back to the OP's initial question.
The larger Quad does give the speakers some more energy in the bottom but it is not a dramatic difference. For those that like Quads but don't think the bottom has enough will probably not think the large Quad makes much difference. They would still want subs.
I am not interested in the speakers playing louder they play play plenty loud enough for me and for most people that own them. The question becomes how do we get more bottom without messing up what we already love about the Quad.
Using any crossover no matter how it is implemented is going to sully the Quad to some extent you can 'hear' the filter. For those more interested in improved dynamics, increased maximum SPL and additional power in the bottom they may not care about this minor change in the speaker.
Personally I prefer letting the Quad run full range and crossing in the sub around 35-40Hz. If done properly the integration will be seamless even with rather modest subs. You get the additional extension and energy in the bottom without changing the character of the Quad.
The larger Quad still does not have enough weight and authority in the bottom. Compare the speakers to something like a Sound Lab and the problem is immediately apparent. The Quad is adequate in the bottom providing a good musical foundation and for most people this is good enough.
IMHO, adding Gradient SW-D to the Quad ESL 57 is improving the low level details other than just playing loud and more dynamic.
I have my setup with Townshend Maximum supertweeter and the whole thing not a Quad ESL 57 by itself can dream of, of course I am talking about the "staging" and sense of acoustic (nothing and the nothingness).
> I am not interested in the speakers playing louder they play plenty loud enough for me and for most people that own them.
I'm sure that's right for most Quad owners. My comments were in response to BDP24's assertion: "Plus, if you add a pair of great subs (the GR Research/Rythmik OB/Dipole being ideal), the QUAD 57 will play considerably louder, relieved of playing deep bass.
> Using any crossover no matter how it is implemented is going to sully the Quad to some extent you can 'hear' the filter. For those more interested in improved dynamics, increased maximum SPL and additional power in the bottom they may not care about this minor change in the speaker.
I agree with you that adding a crossover before the main speaker to deprive it of low frequencies and adding a sub is a daft approach. Much better to choose a speaker that provides the range of frequencies you want in the first place, preferably without resorting to subs - certainly not to crippling the main speaker just to get it to play mid and top a bit louder!
> The larger Quad still does not have enough weight and authority in the bottom. Compare the speakers to something like a Sound Lab and the problem is immediately apparent.
I was also of that view until I listened to a Quad 2905 system, properly powered and well set up. I was astonished at how wrong I was in thinking that all Quads lacked decent bass. I'm sure there are some who think that the sound from these big Quads (2905 and 2912) still needs boosting in the bass, but it's likely to be a minority of owners of these models. I've not heard Sound Labs speakers.
Whoever said that adding the 2 extra bass panels (2912 compared with 2912) adversely affects the mid and top is surely talking nonsense since the extra panels do not in any way interfere with the central mid and top ones which are identical in both models.
All Quads have always had good bass if working properly, set-up properly and powered properly. Nothing new about that even with the new bigger speakers. One gets a little bit more that's all.
Some will want more bass and that is the reason Quad added more panels and it does indeed give the speakers more bass. But like anything there is a price to be paid no such thing as a free lunch. And the additional bass panels do change the overall balance and in some was the change is good and in some ways the change is bad. Just the nature of things.
I find the overall balance, the correctness of the speakers to be better with the smaller models. Funny that is how Peter Walker designed the speakers. I have yet to see anyone truly improve on Walker's work he was pretty good with speakers. He experimented with larger versions of the design and rejected them. Probably because it did not make that big of an improvement in the bottom and overall the smaller one just sounds better.
Some will find the increase bass of the bigger Quads just the right thing others will still find them lacking. In the absolute sense they are lacking in the proper weight and authority in the very bottom even the big speakers.
The '57 have a bass bump around 90Hz, and output falls off quite quickly after that -
having a crossover at 100Hz - or 150Hz if you prefer- removes this signal from the quad, leaving you with signal that the quad operating where it can work its magic- The sub can pick up the bass duties
The '63s have a very different construction for the panels from the '57s - I'll stick with the '57s-
I have no experience with the 2xxx series Quads ...
Happy Listening
Speaker resonance, if working to spec., should be around 65-70Hz. 90Hz tells me the film in the bass panel has gotten old and brittle raising resonance. If the panels are rebuilt the rebuilder used too much tension on the film.
Of course there is little bass below 40Hz and the region between 40-80Hz can have a rather one note quality but it is still quite tuneful and musically pleasing.
Agreed, the bass of the 57 has been found to be a little "wooly" to some owners. Not just rolled off in the deepest bass, but not very clean in the second octave (40Hz-80Hz). Removing that frequency range by installing a simple, single-capacitor high-pass filter---rather than an active electronic x/o, and adding a pair of really good subs for the bottom two octaves, and you now have a speaker capable of playing a little louder AND cleaner. This has been done for decades with great success by many Quad 57 owners.
For those preferring the 988 and 2805 Quads (instead of the 989 and 2905), the money saved by getting the cheaper, extra bass panel-less version will pay for the subs! More bass, deeper bass, and, more importantly, better bass, and the Quad itself will sound better when relieved of having to reproduce that low bass, the upper eight octaves now being more distortion-free.
I agree with you guys but I have the high pass filtering through the digital crossover.
The next thing I'm under consideration is DBX Venue 360 and which has multiple analog outputs along with other features for flexibility while dealing with/complicated setup(e the ESL.
Exactly. If one wishes more bottom to the Quad the smaller one with subs will produce a much better result that the larger version without subs.
The downside of this approach is system complexity. Some people will opt for the larger version just to keep things simple.
The bass is quite nice with the 63 type speaker. Not the last word of course but very good, perfectly integrated and musically pleasing which is the most important thing so I don't have any real desire for subs.
When I want my bass fix I just listen to Sound Labs. They have the best bass performance of any loudspeaker I have ever heard. They have great extension , are perfect in pitch something lacking in in the bass performance of most speakers, and they have bloom in the bass, again something lacking in the bass performance of most speakers. It is this bass 'bloom' that I find most enchanting. This is what it sounds like in the hall.
As incredible as the bass is with the Sound Lab there are some owners that are bass junkies still want more and add subs. Amazing.
I personally prefer Quad ESL 57 / Gradient SW-D combo, and it improves the midrange quality without any stress and retain the transparency at the same time.
I have digital crossover 150Hz @12db for high pass and uses digital amplifier with DSP XO and correction for the Gradient SW-D.
I've listened to my friend system several years ago and he has latest Gradient dipole woofer setup at 150hz with Quad ESL 57
Yes, I agree it sounds louder with protection circuit built in, especially with The Gradient dipole!
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