QUAD Z Series, Owner'S Manual

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Quad Z Series is the premier moving coil speaker range from Quad – the originators of
‘The Closest Approach To The Original Sound’.
It was way back in the mono days of 1949 that Quad launched its first loudspeaker – the
Corner Ribbon. The Corner Ribbon offered something special, a particularly clear and
detailed upper midrange/treble performance from a large and delicate ribbon driver.
Plaudits abounded from the press and everyone who heard the Corner Ribbon. The
Gramophone observed that the Corner Ribbon’s ‘…smoothness, naturalness, and fidelity
of reproduction has yet to be surpassed and, with very few exceptions, even approached.’
And that was in 1949! So, the question is, can Quad engineers replicate this performance
today, or even surpass it? The answer, not surprisingly, is YES.
One of the problems with the original Corner Ribbon was that the ribbon unit was very
fragile and handled low power only. As we know, Peter Walker, Quad’s originator, moved
quickly on to develop the world’s first full range, push-pull Electrostatic speaker.
So, to make a ribbon unit that handled today’s high power amplifiers was no mean task.
The Z Series ribbon accomplishes this by utilizing a composite ribbon sandwich substrate
that is far more robust than earlier designs and immerses this ribbon in an exceptionally
strong magnetic field to yield ultra-high sensitivity.
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 music sing.
In the Z series floorstanders this advanced ribbon unit is married to an equally high
performance midrange driver with a unique double-roll-surround especially designed to
control edge breakup and give equal transparency to the all important vocal range.
Both midrange and bass drivers feature Quad’s woven Kevlar cone geometry, now
matched by the double-roll-surround for the same smoothness and clarity offered by the
ribbon treble unit. The bass section, similar to the original Corner Ribbon, utilizes an
acoustic filter bass reflex system that maintains the natural and unforced reproduction
right down to the lowest frequencies of a symphony orchestra.
And, of course, putting it all together is a phase-compensated Acoustic Butterworth
crossover that is the result not only of Computer Aided Design but also hundreds of hours
of critical listening tests using all types and flavours of music.
We don’t need to describe the skilfully hand veneered cabinets as just to look at Z Series
will give you a taste of how the furniture quality woodwork will look in your living room.
Quad Z Series – beautiful performance and looks combined, for ‘The Closest Approach
To The Original Sound’.