Quad Z Series is the premier moving coil speaker range from Quad – the originators of ‘The Closest Approach To The Original Sound’. After taking a different approach to ribbon tweeter design using a unique sandwich formation, an exceptionally robust, high power speaker has been engineered, yet with the delicate sound conventional ribbon speakers are known for.
Unlike conventional dome treble units where the voice coil ‘motor’ is attached separately to the diaphragm, Z Series ribbon is both the diaphragm and the motor system. The result is a unique combination of delicacy, smoothness and hear-through performance that helps make your music sing. While taking influence from the unparalleled success of the ESL speaker, the ribbon itself is engineered to be extremely light and thin, which delivers the startling accuracy and wide coverage Quad is famous for. In Quad's flagship series, the larger 90 x 12 mm true ribbon creates an even higher sensitivity and bandwidth which means better dynamics and an even smoother integration with the midrange frequencies.
The bass driver features Quad’s woven glass fibre cone geometry. Combined with the double-roll-surround this again controls breakup modes, enhancing micro-detail in your music.
The bass section utilises an acoustic filter bass reflex system. This section uses a double chamber filter that eliminates “chuffing” found in inferior loudspeakers with conventional ports. This also maintains a natural and unforced reproduction right down to the lowest frequencies of a symphony orchestra, producing Quad's signature sound as found in the iconic ESLs.
Available in piano lacquered black, white, or rosewood, the skillfully veneered, one-piece curved structures make the focal point of any living room.
The history of Quad is one of technical achievement in the field of sound reproduction. It is a story that began with the Quad 1 amplifier, which brought the benefits of 15 years knowledge and experience in professional audio and industrial products to the task of making the most accurate domestic audio amplifier of its age.A few years later, in 1953, the product which set the standard for amplifiers was the Quad II Power Amplifier, the time of Queen Elizabeth’s Coronation and the year in which Mount Everest was finally conquered. This amplifier pioneered the principle of cathode coupling through the output transformer to reduce harmonic distortion to almost negligible levels. Such was its clear superiority that this model remained in production for 18 years. Three years later, in 1956, Quad demonstrated the first true full-range electrostatic loudspeaker. This remarkable product (known later as the ESL 57) used a virtually mass-less plastic film as a moving diaphragm between two charged plates. Compared with moving coil loudspeakers, the ESL 57 was free of unwanted colourations and distortions. This landmark product remained in production, virtually unchanged, for 28 years.
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