Quad ESL 989 Loudspeakers
Before
I go on about my experiences with the Quad ESL 989 speakers I should make
it clear that unlike the army of public who regard electrostatic speakers
with reverential awe, I have never been a lover of
early electrostatic speakers. I admit that the
original circa 1956 models may have been ground breaking
in their day, but by the time I was a young lad
selling hifi they sounded dated. The replacement
model the ESL63 was substantially better, and at
least didn't look like a radiator, but still offered
value for money during a period of hifi growth
when price did matter.
Expensive speakers of all types and from many manufacturers are now much more common, and in many cases a huge number do not, in my opinion, offer value for money.
How do the ESL 989's stack up?
Electrostatic speakers are quite different in construction and performance to conventional speakers with drive units. For details on how electrostatic speakers work see the Quad web site.
Anyone who has heard electrostatics accept they are unlike 'normal' or should I say 'common' moving coil speakers. The reason electrostatics are not common is cost: they are expensive to produce. The traditional view of electrostatics is that they sound great on classical music but lack bass for rock. To work, they require to be on 'charge' which means they have to be plugged into the mains and, as they send sound out from the back as well as the front, they should be kept away from walls for them to perform at their best. They can also be very directional, offering fewer ideal seating positions.
It is with those reservations and 'baggage' that I expected the same problems from the 989's. The first extended listening was in October 2002 when we were exhibiting at a hifi show a few minutes from our store. I offered to spend a couple of days playing my own music in our demonstration room in Bath St. Quad had sent up the new finishes of 989 for us to display in Scotland and I spent two days listening to them. Instead of black (still available) or the elderly brown there is now a 'vintage' style reminiscent of a 1950's speaker and a wonderful modern blue-ish sleek finish.
As a source we used the superb new 99 CD-P cd player into the Quad valve forty power amps. It took only a few moments to decide between the smaller 988's and the 989's. We were going to run with the 989's for the weekend. After only a few moments it became obvious that these speakers had the attributes that electrostatic owners rave about, the transparency, the lack of colourisation. More than this, these speakers had a smoothness and a bass extension which I had never heard from electrostatics before ( perhaps excluding some outrageous and obscenely priced imported models ). After a couple of hours demonstration, I was hooked. These speakers are simply amazing! Over the weekend quite a number of people came into the store directly from the hifi show a couple of blocks away and said our dem was better than anything they'd heard, even beating systems costing 60,000! One customer, an ESL 63 owner, bought a pair. He had waited 18 years until he had heard a better speaker and it was the 989's! Before the purchase I delivered a trial pair and we listened to them in his home; a room about 14ft by 12ft. Anyone who knows the size of the quads will tell you this is too small! I assure you they sounded wonderful.That demonstration pair found their way to Chez Mackenzie for an evening. I experienced that rare feeling of wanting to hear all my discs and records again in order to discover new detail that I've not heard before and simply listen to the music. Sure, these speakers have some of the traditional problems, the most difficult being 'partner' approval ratings, hard to earn beauty points when you look like a monolith from 2001.(Hence, my approval of the new finishes) After demonstrating them to many couples over the weekend, even the most ardent 'you must be joking' was turned into "they do sound good, maybe we could have them" after a few tracks.
These speakers are not cheap in any sense. The new finishes sell for £5000.00 per pair. However they do represent good value. How do I say that? I've heard speakers at £50,000 for which I wouldn't give house room. Real high end hifi knows no limits on price, but value for money is relative. The Quad's do offer, in relative terms to many more expensive speakers, value for money. With projectors and plasmas in the same price range, why should a fantastic speaker not be comparable?
If you ever have an opportunity to listen to these speakers take it. Be sure the front end equipment is good, as they like (and deserve) to be driven with very high quality source. I used the Quad 99cd-p into the valve power amps for the shop demonstration room. It worked well for ordinary levels (using the "variable out" socket to bypass the pre-amp) but for louder levels in a very large room I'd recommend the preamp if you are using the valve equipment as the sensitivity of the valve power amps isn't set at the same at the transistor versions.
The 989's have extra panels over the smaller 988's. This gives more bass, yes, an electrostatic speaker with bass! The bass is detailed, extended but tight. No boom. The top end with suitable ancillary equipment is smooth and almost as if there is no speaker there.Much less directional than previous models, they offer increased power handling, more rigidity and upgraded components in almost every area. Listen to them for an hour and then try going back to a moving coil speaker, it's hard! I have a feeling, although can't prove it that recent production changes have brought an improvement over my earlier listening, or perhaps my personal baggage meant that I hadn't given the time and attention I should have? Ultimately it's been my loss not to appreciate such a fine product.
Whilst the 988's are meant to be a direct replacement for the ESL63's they have been upgraded in much of the same areas as the 989's. The main difference between the less expensive 988's to the 989's is the extra panels on the 989's which transform these speakers into a different animal. In the end, if you are in the market for top of the range speakers, even more expensive than these, then listen to the 989's before deciding on anything else in the market. I've listen to some fantastic speakers but these take some beating.
Colin Mackenzie is a convert. Hear the Quad 989 speakers at our Bath St store, but please phone beforehand for an appointment on 0141 226 5711.
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