All
QUAD
Website:https://quad-hifi.co.uk/
Est. year: 1936
Location: UK
Peter Walker founded Quad in London in 1936, first as S.P. Fidelity Sound Systems and within the same year as The Acoustical Manufacturing Co. Ltd. Its name comes from the Quality Unit Amplifier Domestic of 1951. Quad's name rests on the ESL of 1957, the first production full-range electrostatic loudspeaker, and for a run of amplifiers including the QUAD II, the 303 and the 405 that shaped British home audio for decades.
Range & what it's known for
The current range covers the ESL 2812 and ESL 2912 electrostatics, both launched in 2012 and now offered in X versions, plus the Revela and Z-Series loudspeakers. Electronics include the Artera series, the QC Twenty Four valve preamplifier, the QUAD 33 and 303, PA-One and VA-One headphone and integrated units, and the ERA-1 headphones. Two engineering ideas define its history. The ESL-63 of 1981 used concentric annular electrodes fed through delay lines to behave like a point source, and Walker's current dumping circuit, presented to the AES in 1975, powered the 405.
Who owns it and where it's made
Peter Walker moved the company to Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, in 1941, and Huntingdon is still the home of Quad engineering, service and development. Verity Group bought Quad in 1995, and in 1997 it became part of International Audio Group (IAG), whose sister brands include Wharfedale and Mission. Production later moved to Shenzhen in China, where the group has its headquarters, while design and service stay in Britain. Peter Comeau has led acoustic design since 2009.
The lineup in this catalog
Electrostatic loudspeakers and amplifiers. Quad pricing here starts near GBP 2,000 for electronics up to well beyond GBP 15,000 for the largest ESL systems.
Who it's for
Quad is the place to go for electrostatic panels from the company that put them into production, or for classic British amplifier designs in a modern form. Artera electronics and the Revela or Z-Series speakers are the usual entry, valve fans can add the QC Twenty Four and II-series amplifiers, and the ESL 2812 and ESL 2912 sit at the top for owners ready to plan a room around a large panel.
Range & what it's known for
The current range covers the ESL 2812 and ESL 2912 electrostatics, both launched in 2012 and now offered in X versions, plus the Revela and Z-Series loudspeakers. Electronics include the Artera series, the QC Twenty Four valve preamplifier, the QUAD 33 and 303, PA-One and VA-One headphone and integrated units, and the ERA-1 headphones. Two engineering ideas define its history. The ESL-63 of 1981 used concentric annular electrodes fed through delay lines to behave like a point source, and Walker's current dumping circuit, presented to the AES in 1975, powered the 405.
Who owns it and where it's made
Peter Walker moved the company to Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, in 1941, and Huntingdon is still the home of Quad engineering, service and development. Verity Group bought Quad in 1995, and in 1997 it became part of International Audio Group (IAG), whose sister brands include Wharfedale and Mission. Production later moved to Shenzhen in China, where the group has its headquarters, while design and service stay in Britain. Peter Comeau has led acoustic design since 2009.
The lineup in this catalog
Electrostatic loudspeakers and amplifiers. Quad pricing here starts near GBP 2,000 for electronics up to well beyond GBP 15,000 for the largest ESL systems.
Who it's for
Quad is the place to go for electrostatic panels from the company that put them into production, or for classic British amplifier designs in a modern form. Artera electronics and the Revela or Z-Series speakers are the usual entry, valve fans can add the QC Twenty Four and II-series amplifiers, and the ESL 2812 and ESL 2912 sit at the top for owners ready to plan a room around a large panel.
