QUAD | ESL-2912 Electrostatic Speaker

ESL

Electro Static Loudspeakers
QUAD's founder, Peter Walker, was a true visionary who revolutionised the world of hi-fi loudspeakers in the 1950s with the original Electrostatic Loudspeaker. Setting new standards in the quality of music reproduction in the home, the ground-breaking design featured full-range electrostatic loudspeaker technology and shattered preconceptions of what hi-fi speakers could sound like. QUAD has since continued to refine and improve upon Walker's design, earning a reputation as one of the finest audio brands in the world, with one of the greatest hi-fi innovations of all time.

Such is the technology employed in the QUAD Electrostatic; it is scarcely updated. The last iterations came in 2005, followed by the ESL2912 and 2812 in 2012. This, the latest and current model, represents QUAD’s finest electrostatic speakers to date. The minor and major refinements employed in the 2912 and 2812 always impress both seasoned ESL fan sand newcomers alike. QUAD’s reputation as a leader in the world of audio is well-earned, and the ESL is a testament to the company's unwavering commitment to quality and innovation.

Electrostatic ‘panel’ speakers differ from the more common dynamic driver type in that they use an ultra-thin electrically charged diaphragm suspended in an electrostatic field to create sound waves, instead of woofer cones and tweeter domes that move back and forth by a coil in a magnetic field. The diaphragm in QUAD’s ESL speakers is made of a layer of stretched Mylar, which is ten times thinner than a human hair and so light that it nearly approaches the mass of the air to which it is coupled. Consequently, there is no inertia inherent in the speaker’s moving parts, and the diaphragm can accurately respond to musical detail and transients. The precision of an ESL is unmatched.

There are few loudspeakers that can play a 1kHz QUAD ESL square wave clearly and precisely!

The QUAD ESL speaker features highly charged stator elements situated on both sides of the diaphragm. These elements are connected to a power supply that provides 5kV of EHT (Extra High Tension) charge. This helps to control the movement of the diaphragm and maintain a high voltage charge at the diaphragm to ‘stator’ interface. This leads to ultra-low distortion of the sound produced by the ESL (see fig. 2 in the images).

The latest ESLs have multiple electrostatic panels - four in the 2812 and six in the larger 2912. Each panel is carefully crafted by specially trained operatives led by a team of British engineers who have over 100 years of combined work experience under the QUAD umbrella. The QUAD ESL speakers uniquely use two inner panels that have concentric rings of electrodes. This allows for pinpoint imaging from apoint source, resulting in accurate stereo imagery for all listeners. The panels are held in a high-mass structure of tensioned aluminium extrusions connected to stainless steel supports, ensuring optimal transmission of sound energy and supremely accurate transient performance (see fig. 3 in the images).

It’s not only the major improvements that enhance each version of the QUAD Electrostatic. As one would anticipate from a model with such prestige and unmatched performance, it is the intricate details and years of refined experience that contribute to the quality, thrilling detail and sheer excitement that one will experience with the QUAD Electrostatic Loudspeakers.