Quad 989/2905 all around qualities

Hi happy to share thoughts offline in more detail. i would say SF Grands can sound special but only when set up right...Krell Evo402 was the only time i heard this and was quite shocked. The Homage series are closer to the sound you seek...but more expensive.

Agree on magnepan, not quite the transparency when i've heard them, of a quad. ML with the built-in cone drivers have sometimes struggled to get the overall balance right.

BTW, check out hifitradingstation.com. i know the owner extremely well...Apogee Minigrands demo pair. last time i heard apogees, i was pretty blown away at how good they are.

I woul

Well... here are some good news.
I finally got a permission from the local importer and they are sending a new speaker to the local dealer for audition. It will be a cheaper Quad ESL989.
So, by the end of next week i should form first impressions of newer Quads with bass panel.
Also, the same place has Dynaudio Contour and Naim Ovator speakers on display for about the same price as 989.
Unfortunately, Wilson Audio Sophia (2nd hand around the same price tag as new ESL989) was sold a few weeks ago, so can't listen to that one at the moment.
Anyway, this place is a serious one, it is actualy a recording studio running from the old 70s. They were using the old ESL57 back then... They supported me a lot while negotiating the demonstration with the dealer. Surely, they hope to sell... but still it was very kind of them.

P.S. Your post seems to be truncated.
P.P.S Apogee and more high level SF as well as Vandersteens are still on my list, but let's hear the Quad first :-)

Katamapah,

Maybe adding a subwoofer would solve some of the shortcomings you are having, specially on demanding type of music? If I recall correctly, the old Entec subs are quite fast and preferred by many Quad and ESL users. I use Rel Stratta III for my ML CLS and seems to keep pace nicely. You may look at the old Vandersteen sub too (one with several small drivers) which are also known to be fast and mates well with panel speakers.

You have great speakers! Enjoy...

Hi, for some reason i didn't try the sub woofers yet.
Probably a pre-judgement and some negative opinions around.
After i heard the ML hybrids this idea came back to mind.

Are all those active sub woofers ?
Because otherwise i guess i will need a bi-amping...

It might be the way to go if newer Quads don't have what i am looking for. You're right. I should try it regardless of prejudgements.

Some feel the ESL-67 had a better midrange but I've come to find they feel this way because of the lack of low frequency reproduction. Having little bass, and accentuated midrange, there nothing else to draw their attention away from it. It's the masking affect, a natural occurrence in which a sound covers another over, as perceived by a listener. Personally I prefer the 2805 by a margin. Bass is important for my listening. Without it, there is no foundation.