Guttenberg and Quad Electrostatics


When Steve Guttenberg admits to his many years of previous ownership of Quad Electrostatics it reminds me of someone who sheepishly admits to once being in a cult. I’ve never heard Quads, but it seems like he went 180 degrees to super dynamic horns. Did he rave about the sound Quads for years?
afisher
Dunno. I have a pair of Quads I bought in 73-74 that I had refurbished a couple years ago that run in my second, vintage system. And I switched to horns in my main system from a pair of Crosby modded Quad 63’s back in 2006 when I finally signed up at this forum after using it over the years as a non-participant.
There’s a lot to be said for coherent midrange. Augmenting the horns turned out better than augmenting Quads, at least for me, at the time (I had a mini HQD system running at one time in the ’80s with a pair of Decca ribbons--still got ’em and various subs). Could not match the character of the Quad.
With the horns I’m cheating since I’m using a hybrid to begin w/-- Avantgarde Duos, which use an integrated woofer system to get bass. But they don’t go very low and if you try and get them to play low loud, they mismatch the horns. However, when you dial in the woofers to match the midhorn, and then match the woofers to additional subwoofers (in my case, a pair of 15" sealed cabinet with DSP running only on the subs), you perform what is in essence a sonic magic trick. It works.
As to the cult like reverence for the old Quad, I'm still in. They present an amazing sonic picture within their limits, which are, admittedly, significant. They are worth hearing, and in my estimation, sounded better than the 63. I haven't heard the most recent version of their electrostat but the original remains a classic for a reason. Owners who had them and sold them buy them again. Or, like me, never get rid of them. I stopped using them in 1990 when I bought the Crosby modded 63 and promised myself when I crated them that some day, I would have them restored. They are a great listen, particularly with the "right" material-- not exactly an all arounder.