Upgrade 2009
A common theme in nearly all the world religions is that if you are a good person are kind etc., you will be
rewarded by a nicer future life (in paradise, re-incarnated in an higher level, etc.) In my case I have achieved this
happy state without needing to die. More appropriately my sound system has been re-incarnated into an higher
level of being.
In the first half of 2009 I saw on Audiogon a magnificent pair of QUAD ESL 2905 (18 months old) for about half
from its full retail price. But the adds said for sale only in US the seller being in Florida. So I admired the add
every day for a week expecting at any moment for it to disappear rapidly.
But no the add was still there. I had plans to actually buy a pair next year for my 50th birthday. But I consider
myself to be privileged to have a job in computer science which resisted that evil recession.
rewarded by a nicer future life (in paradise, re-incarnated in an higher level, etc.) In my case I have achieved this
happy state without needing to die. More appropriately my sound system has been re-incarnated into an higher
level of being.
In the first half of 2009 I saw on Audiogon a magnificent pair of QUAD ESL 2905 (18 months old) for about half
from its full retail price. But the adds said for sale only in US the seller being in Florida. So I admired the add
every day for a week expecting at any moment for it to disappear rapidly.
But no the add was still there. I had plans to actually buy a pair next year for my 50th birthday. But I consider
myself to be privileged to have a job in computer science which resisted that evil recession.
So I decided to contact the seller and a flurry of e-mails followed to work on the details of our
transactions. One problem is that the two transport crates for them are huge and the packaging includes
the wooden pallet typical for shipping large loads. They cannot be moved by the FedEx and UPS of this
world, a freight company needs to be involved. And then I had to find my own custom broker and to
become and amateur importer (to pay duty fees). Of course adding shipping, taxes etc. I probably ended
up paying about two third of full prices.
I am not superman (I weight 63kilos with my hair wet) and I spent several hours of efforts to get them
out of their packaging just by myself (and of course being careful not to break anything). But I had
also to move them a small set of stairs down the basement toward my listening space. There was no
way I could do this alone so I had to wait for my wife to arrive to help me lower them step by step and
put them in place. I hope they do not need repair before a long time! But all these efforts were worth
it....
transactions. One problem is that the two transport crates for them are huge and the packaging includes
the wooden pallet typical for shipping large loads. They cannot be moved by the FedEx and UPS of this
world, a freight company needs to be involved. And then I had to find my own custom broker and to
become and amateur importer (to pay duty fees). Of course adding shipping, taxes etc. I probably ended
up paying about two third of full prices.
I am not superman (I weight 63kilos with my hair wet) and I spent several hours of efforts to get them
out of their packaging just by myself (and of course being careful not to break anything). But I had
also to move them a small set of stairs down the basement toward my listening space. There was no
way I could do this alone so I had to wait for my wife to arrive to help me lower them step by step and
put them in place. I hope they do not need repair before a long time! But all these efforts were worth
it....
.I will start by describing listening in stereo to the Piu Jesus from Rutter's Requiem (on Reference
Recordings). Wow, it was not sounding bad at all on 988s, but on 2905s the image is larger and
deeper. When the harp is playing there is a much better feel for the size of the instrument, the tactile
feel of the strings being pinched. There is a better separation of the soloist the orchestra and the choir,
in particular the choir is much clearer and delineated behind the orchestra. The QUAD ESLs are famous
for their sense of details and this is even better on the 2905. It is like the music emerges from a
perfectly neutral background and thus each little sound by contrast in clearer. The 2905 are like precise
laboratory instruments with the addition of a musical soul.
According to QUAD's literature the 2905 have the same sensitivity (at 86db at one meter for 1 watt I
should say same insensitivity!) than the 63s and 988s. But they sound louder (maybe more in term of
presence and image size than in simple loudness). So I recalibrated my system using Audissey MultiEQ
of the DTC 9.8 and effectively the 2905 have been adjusted to 2db less that the 988 they just replaced
(of course I mean to achieve the same reference level on the same pre-amp, amp combo Audissey
judged that 2 less db of boost were required).
Of course (as several other reviewers before me) it is time to mention the biggest difference of the
2905s compared to their illustrious predecessors. They play lower in terms of frequency, but also in
terms of being more muscular in the lowest frequencies. So in fact this creates an significant difference
on rock and jazz recordings. For example of the famous time on the Pink Floyd Dark side of the moon
SACD the bass guitar chords have a lot more weight. For the first time I have managed to saturate my
listening space (and also a bit my ears so I need to be more prudent with sound level). Same thing on
jazz album in particular on the bass (I mean “contrebasse”) which is glorious. I have already heard
Sonus Faber Stradivarius hommage playing a jazz recording with a lot of bass playing and I have a
similar impression on the 2905. I had fun (on a CD this time “Gettin' to it” on the verve label) with
Christian McBride at the bass. On the last track which is a delicious bass solo the 2905 have
reproduced all the details of the pizzicati and the hard bow's attacks and the “slam” when the large
instrument gets to its lowest notes.
I have oberved similar results on large orchestral music in multi-channel such as Berlioz's Requiem
conducted by Sir Norrington (that was already sounding very well with my previous set-up). The
playback has taken added richness particularly in the massive sections. The sound gets bigger and
bigger without loosing any focus, the brass are majestic and the low percussions are strong and focused
the choir is still clear in the background with no distortion. It is like having magic in the air. I would
not buy more 2905s unless I move into a palace I have reached the maximum sound output my listening
space can take (mmmmmmmmmmm maybe with some acoustic treatments......).
The fact that all my speakers (not counting the martin logan sub) are now QUAD ESLs enhance all my
favorite multi-channel music. In my beloved TACET recording of the Beethoven septet there is added
clarity and dynamic but in particular the violin is finally perfect. The violin is between the left speaker
and the center and up to now there was always an imprecision, but finally everything is in place and the
violin is perfect as is all the other instruments around me. Of course the dynamic range is increased
and the overall sense of space and air between the instruments is event better. For Opéra of course
QUADs are great for human voices particularly sopranos. All my speakers are working in harmony to
produce a wonderful natural reproduction of voices. And my good old QUAD 63 as a center channel
blends very well with its two big brothers particularly when a vocal soloist is singing fully centered.
I am re-reading what I have written and I want to explain that the QUAD 2905 are not always sounding
“bigger” than the 988 or 63s they can do it when it is required. But on smaller scale music they can
sound like their smaller brothers with a bit more presence and detail. So for example in stéréo with my
favorite clarinet player (Karl Leister) playing the Brahms clarinet quintet everything is in place and
refined no exaggeration of the instruments size. On the Beethoven quartet for strings on TACET DVD-
A the violins on the front are perfectly in relation with the cello at the back. The violin is not 1.6 meter
high by 1 meter wide. I think this is the advantage of the point source characteristics of the QUADs
(concentrated rings create a delay effect on the highs in the middle panels). So even with their large size
the 2905s can reproduce the sweet sound of a recorder and the small size of the instrument. On that
point I think the QUADs are unbeatable.
After weeks in a state close to Nivarna my human reaction (that I have seen often on audiophile's
forums where people extol the qualities of their latest buys) is asking myself why everybody that can
afford them are not buying a pair of QUADs? I can answer this question myself. Different people of
course listen to different music style and even inside a certain genre of music (like classical) people
listen to very different things (e.g. solo piano .vs. Opéra). Also the available space will be very
important (the 2905 would not work very well in a room less than 6 meters long). But in the end the
most important factor is the ears (and the brain that comes with them!) of the listener. In my case I
know I am sensitive to instrument colors, micro-details and the projection of the sound of the different
instrument in the recording space. This is why for me the QUAD 2905 are the best speakers I have
ever heard and I have trouble convincing myself that they are in my own house! But I would respect
somebody that after a serious evaluation would choose Wilson's Sophia or B&W 802 or Magnepan 20.1
(to name only 3 other great speakers out of many). In the end these choices are personal and make
high-fidelity a fascinating subject. But in my case I have found what I wanted and I am completely
happy with this choice.
Recordings). Wow, it was not sounding bad at all on 988s, but on 2905s the image is larger and
deeper. When the harp is playing there is a much better feel for the size of the instrument, the tactile
feel of the strings being pinched. There is a better separation of the soloist the orchestra and the choir,
in particular the choir is much clearer and delineated behind the orchestra. The QUAD ESLs are famous
for their sense of details and this is even better on the 2905. It is like the music emerges from a
perfectly neutral background and thus each little sound by contrast in clearer. The 2905 are like precise
laboratory instruments with the addition of a musical soul.
According to QUAD's literature the 2905 have the same sensitivity (at 86db at one meter for 1 watt I
should say same insensitivity!) than the 63s and 988s. But they sound louder (maybe more in term of
presence and image size than in simple loudness). So I recalibrated my system using Audissey MultiEQ
of the DTC 9.8 and effectively the 2905 have been adjusted to 2db less that the 988 they just replaced
(of course I mean to achieve the same reference level on the same pre-amp, amp combo Audissey
judged that 2 less db of boost were required).
Of course (as several other reviewers before me) it is time to mention the biggest difference of the
2905s compared to their illustrious predecessors. They play lower in terms of frequency, but also in
terms of being more muscular in the lowest frequencies. So in fact this creates an significant difference
on rock and jazz recordings. For example of the famous time on the Pink Floyd Dark side of the moon
SACD the bass guitar chords have a lot more weight. For the first time I have managed to saturate my
listening space (and also a bit my ears so I need to be more prudent with sound level). Same thing on
jazz album in particular on the bass (I mean “contrebasse”) which is glorious. I have already heard
Sonus Faber Stradivarius hommage playing a jazz recording with a lot of bass playing and I have a
similar impression on the 2905. I had fun (on a CD this time “Gettin' to it” on the verve label) with
Christian McBride at the bass. On the last track which is a delicious bass solo the 2905 have
reproduced all the details of the pizzicati and the hard bow's attacks and the “slam” when the large
instrument gets to its lowest notes.
I have oberved similar results on large orchestral music in multi-channel such as Berlioz's Requiem
conducted by Sir Norrington (that was already sounding very well with my previous set-up). The
playback has taken added richness particularly in the massive sections. The sound gets bigger and
bigger without loosing any focus, the brass are majestic and the low percussions are strong and focused
the choir is still clear in the background with no distortion. It is like having magic in the air. I would
not buy more 2905s unless I move into a palace I have reached the maximum sound output my listening
space can take (mmmmmmmmmmm maybe with some acoustic treatments......).
The fact that all my speakers (not counting the martin logan sub) are now QUAD ESLs enhance all my
favorite multi-channel music. In my beloved TACET recording of the Beethoven septet there is added
clarity and dynamic but in particular the violin is finally perfect. The violin is between the left speaker
and the center and up to now there was always an imprecision, but finally everything is in place and the
violin is perfect as is all the other instruments around me. Of course the dynamic range is increased
and the overall sense of space and air between the instruments is event better. For Opéra of course
QUADs are great for human voices particularly sopranos. All my speakers are working in harmony to
produce a wonderful natural reproduction of voices. And my good old QUAD 63 as a center channel
blends very well with its two big brothers particularly when a vocal soloist is singing fully centered.
I am re-reading what I have written and I want to explain that the QUAD 2905 are not always sounding
“bigger” than the 988 or 63s they can do it when it is required. But on smaller scale music they can
sound like their smaller brothers with a bit more presence and detail. So for example in stéréo with my
favorite clarinet player (Karl Leister) playing the Brahms clarinet quintet everything is in place and
refined no exaggeration of the instruments size. On the Beethoven quartet for strings on TACET DVD-
A the violins on the front are perfectly in relation with the cello at the back. The violin is not 1.6 meter
high by 1 meter wide. I think this is the advantage of the point source characteristics of the QUADs
(concentrated rings create a delay effect on the highs in the middle panels). So even with their large size
the 2905s can reproduce the sweet sound of a recorder and the small size of the instrument. On that
point I think the QUADs are unbeatable.
After weeks in a state close to Nivarna my human reaction (that I have seen often on audiophile's
forums where people extol the qualities of their latest buys) is asking myself why everybody that can
afford them are not buying a pair of QUADs? I can answer this question myself. Different people of
course listen to different music style and even inside a certain genre of music (like classical) people
listen to very different things (e.g. solo piano .vs. Opéra). Also the available space will be very
important (the 2905 would not work very well in a room less than 6 meters long). But in the end the
most important factor is the ears (and the brain that comes with them!) of the listener. In my case I
know I am sensitive to instrument colors, micro-details and the projection of the sound of the different
instrument in the recording space. This is why for me the QUAD 2905 are the best speakers I have
ever heard and I have trouble convincing myself that they are in my own house! But I would respect
somebody that after a serious evaluation would choose Wilson's Sophia or B&W 802 or Magnepan 20.1
(to name only 3 other great speakers out of many). In the end these choices are personal and make
high-fidelity a fascinating subject. But in my case I have found what I wanted and I am completely
happy with this choice.
Did you ever had the feeling that you are spending too much money on your sound system and that you should stop spending
on it for at least a year and simply have fun listening to good music? After the purchase of the 2905 at the beginning of 2009
this was my plan. Unfortunately during summer I had problems with both my ESL-63s. A rational decision would have been
to simply replace them (there were excellent deal on audiogon for relatively recent pair of 988 for 2K). But I have an
attachment for these speakers that brought me enjoyment for many years. So I sent the first one to the USA were 2 panels
were replaced, the protection circuit was replaced and new speaker binding post were installed. The whole thing including
transport and custom (and a lot of phone calls, and time and custom brokers are thieves).
But for such an high price for the second one I decided to use a different approach. For a similar price electrostatic solutions
(also in the United States) is offering a complete rebuild service (that includes replacing some of the wiring and replacing the
foam on the side that loose elasticity over time). This includes an update of all electronics and an upgrade to 'US Monitor'
components (such as a protection grill with more holes). To add to my woes when the speaker was shipped back the nice
shipping company was kind enough to squish the box and to damage the carefully updated speaker.
on it for at least a year and simply have fun listening to good music? After the purchase of the 2905 at the beginning of 2009
this was my plan. Unfortunately during summer I had problems with both my ESL-63s. A rational decision would have been
to simply replace them (there were excellent deal on audiogon for relatively recent pair of 988 for 2K). But I have an
attachment for these speakers that brought me enjoyment for many years. So I sent the first one to the USA were 2 panels
were replaced, the protection circuit was replaced and new speaker binding post were installed. The whole thing including
transport and custom (and a lot of phone calls, and time and custom brokers are thieves).
But for such an high price for the second one I decided to use a different approach. For a similar price electrostatic solutions
(also in the United States) is offering a complete rebuild service (that includes replacing some of the wiring and replacing the
foam on the side that loose elasticity over time). This includes an update of all electronics and an upgrade to 'US Monitor'
components (such as a protection grill with more holes). To add to my woes when the speaker was shipped back the nice
shipping company was kind enough to squish the box and to damage the carefully updated speaker.
Kent McCullum of Electrostatic Solutions was fantastic and patient through this whole process and arranged for a shipment
back to the USA. He repaired the speaker again and upon its second return I had the pleasure of fighting the s.... Canadian
custom to make them understand that I had already paid once all the custom charges the first time. But in the end all this
process paid of. I could have fun and switch both 63s as my center channel. The Electrostatic Solution one was more
transparent, could play a little louder but the bigger difference was simply a more musical and sparkling sound. So for people
in North America I highly recommend them if you need a QUAD ESL to be repaired. Here is a picture of the back-end plate
with the new speaker binding posts.
back to the USA. He repaired the speaker again and upon its second return I had the pleasure of fighting the s.... Canadian
custom to make them understand that I had already paid once all the custom charges the first time. But in the end all this
process paid of. I could have fun and switch both 63s as my center channel. The Electrostatic Solution one was more
transparent, could play a little louder but the bigger difference was simply a more musical and sparkling sound. So for people
in North America I highly recommend them if you need a QUAD ESL to be repaired. Here is a picture of the back-end plate
with the new speaker binding posts.
So this is the end of the story for 2009? Well no! When I did try the damaged speaker I blew up my audio refinement
amplifier. In our e-mail exchange Kent was sceptical that the damage to the speaker could have caused a short circuit. So
maybe the amplifier was simply close to the end. So I had to do what any audiophile would have done in my place. I
re-allocated part of my budget for a new car (this will wait till next year). So I went to shop for a Bryston amp to
complement the two I have already. I was planning for a 3BSST2 (conservatively at 150watts into 8ohms) but for 2905s the
seller was recommending a 4BSST2 (300 wats into 8ohms) instead. I was sceptical because a QUAD ESL is limited to
around 100 watts before the protection circuit kicks in to protect the panels. But since this audio boutique now also sells
QUADs I was lucky enough to try both amps with a pair of 2805s. And effectively on large scale stuff (think Berlioz
Requiem and organ music) with the 4BSST2 the music had extra expansion and a better control over bass drum kicks.
amplifier. In our e-mail exchange Kent was sceptical that the damage to the speaker could have caused a short circuit. So
maybe the amplifier was simply close to the end. So I had to do what any audiophile would have done in my place. I
re-allocated part of my budget for a new car (this will wait till next year). So I went to shop for a Bryston amp to
complement the two I have already. I was planning for a 3BSST2 (conservatively at 150watts into 8ohms) but for 2905s the
seller was recommending a 4BSST2 (300 wats into 8ohms) instead. I was sceptical because a QUAD ESL is limited to
around 100 watts before the protection circuit kicks in to protect the panels. But since this audio boutique now also sells
QUADs I was lucky enough to try both amps with a pair of 2805s. And effectively on large scale stuff (think Berlioz
Requiem and organ music) with the 4BSST2 the music had extra expansion and a better control over bass drum kicks.
Once back home with the same recordings I could ear that the 2905 goes deeper and project a larger image than 2805s. And
compare to the 3BSST the 2905 sound even faster and more transparent (e.g. from a quieter background level). So for
example on a guitar solo with Pepe Romero playing I hear even better the work of the virtuoso guitarist and the precision of
the initial attack on each notes. And the QUAD are a little bit less constrained dynamically. Of course on multichannel music
now that all my QUADs are Bryston powered the image gained in precision and the feeling of being transported to a different
acoustic space is better. I even had fun cranking the volume on the Dark Side of the Moon SACD which is a pretty good test
for QUADs. The beginning of times (clock and all) is beautiful and I can saturate my sound room with Pink Floyd. So in the
end too much time and $$$ in 2009 but my sound system has made a lot of progress.
compare to the 3BSST the 2905 sound even faster and more transparent (e.g. from a quieter background level). So for
example on a guitar solo with Pepe Romero playing I hear even better the work of the virtuoso guitarist and the precision of
the initial attack on each notes. And the QUAD are a little bit less constrained dynamically. Of course on multichannel music
now that all my QUADs are Bryston powered the image gained in precision and the feeling of being transported to a different
acoustic space is better. I even had fun cranking the volume on the Dark Side of the Moon SACD which is a pretty good test
for QUADs. The beginning of times (clock and all) is beautiful and I can saturate my sound room with Pink Floyd. So in the
end too much time and $$$ in 2009 but my sound system has made a lot of progress.
