Quad ESL-2905

[opusover21]

Anyone sat in front of these new boys??...the slightly smaller ones at £5k are a bit more room friendly.

[Davewhityetagain]

opusover21 wrote:

Anyone sat in front of these new boys??...the slightly smaller ones at £5k are a bit more room friendly.

yes very very nice like them a mid to die for and a bass I could live with :dude:

[opusover21]

what was the set-up Dave? the smaller ones would i guess be the better seller?

[Davewhityetagain]

opusover21 wrote:

what was the set-up Dave? the smaller ones would i guess be the better seller?

exposure cd and amplifier smaller ones i think would sell better due to price and getting into average size UK house

if i was buying Electrostatics I would get the "german quad" to build me a brand new pair of 57s or a fully serviced pair of 57s from one thing audio

[Alex A]

German Quad?

[mighty ant]

opusover21 wrote:

what was the set-up Dave? the smaller ones would i guess be the better seller?

I'm told that te 2905 sells twice as many as the 2805, and people then have to send 'em back 'cause they can't get them in the house - according to quad delivery men. I had a demo of 2805 with ARC CD: ARC Pre (SP16?) and Nagra VPA. I'm a lover of Quad ESL and these were superb with bass to die for. When I asked for a change to Krell FBI amp they sounded as though they had lost all life and died. In my valve setup they are the cats whiskers, but the I like jazz and classical music, not heavy metal or hard rock, so won't suit a lot of people.

Finally they are bigger and more imposing than the ougoing 988 and 989, be warned, but the also look alot better!

Anthony

[Davewhityetagain]

Alex_A wrote:

German Quad?

http://www.quad-musik.de/



Yes they bought the machine from Quad UK to make the panels


http://www.quad-musik.de/html/quad_esl57.html

4700 Euro a pair

[Alex A]

Didn't Quad UK never make a penny on the ESL-57 at higher real prices than that?

[Davewhityetagain]

Alex_A wrote:

Didn't Quad UK never make a penny on the ESL-57 at higher real prices than that?

UK price of 57s was not expensive I bought my first brand new pair about 1980

[hifinuts]

Yes I sat in front of both :nerd:the smaller is not too impressive in my opinion and sounds worse than the ESL 63. The larger although impressive I'm wasnot too keen on the base response and prefer the overall sound of the ESL 63. Of course both of the new speakers were listened to in showrooms and not at home where I'm sure they would sound quite different.

They're construction would seem far superior to the original ESL however.

[PAG]

opus,are you changing the Virgos?

[opusover21]

Hmmm maybe...I'm changing to valves at some point and i'm a speakers first kinda guy..looking at a number of things at the moment..possible AP Avanti III's, Quads were just interested in...if nothing else it confirms just how good the Virgo's are...but wont look into a suitable valve amp until the speakers are found as i prefer the sweet low powered valve amps...why do you ask..pm me if you want..

[JANDL100]

Alex_A wrote:

Didn't Quad UK never make a penny on the ESL-57 at higher real prices than that?

I'm pretty sure that was the -63.

I suspect it led to the demise of the brand in the UK.

[JANDL100]

I heard the 2905 in a system with Burmester CD006, a pair of EAR 509/II and I forget what the pre was .... EAR again I think.

Quite a small room - listening seats about 6-7 foot away from the speakers I would guess.

I've never heard Quad-63 variants sound better !
Very nice - clear, articulate & decently 'alive' and deep fairly solid bass. Go figure ... !

These days I find the original 63 to be fairly bland, a little clothy-coloured & grainy. I owned 63's for about 7 years and I know ALL their vices - I can't stand them now! These 2905's were pretty fine. I could almost bear to live with them.

All about system synergy I reckon - they need a lot of valve watts to make them sing, is my guess.

[enbee23]

opusover21 wrote:

Hmmm maybe...I'm changing to valves at some point and i'm a speakers first kinda guy..looking at a number of things at the moment..possible AP Avanti III's, Quads were just interested in...if nothing else it confirms just how good the Virgo's are...but wont look into a suitable valve amp until the speakers are found as i prefer the sweet low powered valve amps...why do you ask..pm me if you want..

I happened to hear Avanti IIIs (the pair that are for sale on here) and a pair of Virgos in quick succession at the weekend. To my ears, the difference in performance was readily apparent and would be a very worthwhile upgrade. The Avantis are in superb condition too.

And no, I'm not on commission

[mighty ant]

Davewhityetagain wrote:

Alex_A wrote:

Didn't Quad UK never make a penny on the ESL-57 at higher real prices than that?

UK price of 57s was not expensive I bought my first brand new pair about 1980

Dave,

They were a king's ransom in the late 50's as they were £25 each! Come to think of it I seem to remember that all Quad gear was that price - so stereo setup of speakers pre & power amps was a massive £125.

Anthony.