QUAD ESL 2905 / 2805


am pondering over a pair of Electrostatic Quad ESL 2905/2805 to pair with my BAT pre / power (all tube).

Wondering abt the suitability of such pairing and also worried abt reliability issues of these new generation ESL 2905/2805 supposedly made in China - having hear how many has issues in 3 months frm delivery.... albeit perhaps the older batches...

any experiences / comments welcomed...
art80342

Showing 1 response by tricon_dave

I loved my 2805s and used a McIntosh 275 (75wpc) and McIntosh C2300 preamp. The match was great with plenty of power in my 12 X 24 X 8 room. Over the years I used other lower power tube amps which also worked well.

But in the two years I owned them (bought them new), I had them in for repair 3 times, even though I never drove them beyond 80 - 85 db. It was not panel failure, which is common from over-driving them, but electronics failures. Poor soldering, shoddy workmanship, etc. It is a real shame, because they are great sounding speakers. The warranty is only one year.

The dealer I bought them from has since dropped the line due to so many reliability issues with both the 2805 and 2905. I've since moved on to other electrostatic speakers with a much better reliability record.

If I was to do Quads again, I would get some rebuilt 63's or maybe even 57's, from one of the reliable companies here in the US that does the rebuilds.

Dave