6
Ask many of the finest recording professionals in the
world what their speaker of choice is as the answer is
surprisingly common. The Quad ESL opens a window
on a recording unlike any other speaker.
For professional musicians and studios, this is an
invaluable asset, for no matter how good a moving coil
loudspeaker may seem - no matter how impressive its
dynamic ability, the laws of physics are such that it
cannot be as fast and accurate as an electrostatic
transducer. An ESL is like a giant capacitor, tracking the
music signal with such precision and agility that using
them is the only real way to know exactly what is on the
recording.
The Quad ESL has been used by Tony Faulkner for many
years. He use the ESL 63, the ESL 63 Pro and now uses a
pair of ESL 989s for his critical monitoring.
Tony has produced over a thousand classical music
recordings using the Quad ESL because he knows he
can trust what he hears - that the very essence of the
performance is being transferred.
Likewise with acoustic engineers - what do they regard
as an absolute reference? Next time you are visiting a hi-
fi show, look for the acoustic engineers - the amplifier
designers - even the other loudspeaker designers. More
likely than not, they will have a pair of ESLs hidden
away in a corner.
Lastly consider the magazine reviewers - the so-called
critics with golden ears who listen daily to a multitude
of loudspeakers - assessing how they perform. What do
they use to compare all other speakers?
Once again, the results are clear. Although arguments
rage between them - Ken Kessler, Senior Reviewer at Hi-
Fi News Magazine awarded the ESL-57 ‘Product of the
Millennium’ back in 2000 and in his mind it has never
been surpassed. Paul Seydor, Hollywood editor and the
man in charge of the absolute sound waxes lyrical about
the ESL 63 at every opportunity, whilst Stereophile
magazine has awarded the ESL 989, not only Product of
the Year in 2004, but Component of the Year as well -
the highest of all awards. The real answer is that Quad
ESLs have always been in a class of their own, each
generation winning new fans and enthusiasts.
‘Going back to conventional speakers
afterwards merely highlights how great
the 989 is’
– Hi-Fi News (July 2000)
The closest approach...
