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One Thing Audio
Quad
ESL, History
History Interviews Articles Pictures
The following information was taken from the Quad web site (January 2001):
The history of Quad is one of audio excellence. The early products were all firsts of their particular type and cast the mould for the products which would follow for many years afterwards. Quad products are renowned for their longevity, and a journalist recently commented that new Quad products come along slightly less frequently than leap years.
You might think that this would leave us trailing behind other manufacturers, but quite the opposite applies. Instead, every product Quad releases is a landmark, building on the successes of the predecessors, refining and innovating to bring you closer to the original sound.
The company was founded in 1936 by audio master Peter Walker, under the tiltle, the ‘Acoustical manufacturing company’. The company produced ‘Public Address’ systems and compact amplifiers (relatively speaking). In 1949, The company produced the ‘Corner Ribbon Loudspeaker, producing higher frequencies than had ever previously been achieved. In the same year, the QA12/P was launched and the brand ‘QUAD’ was born from an acronym ‘Quality Unit Amplified Domestic’.Shortly after the Quad12/P, the now legendary Quad II was launched, a control unit with two monoblock valve amplifiers.
It was around this time, that a series of concerts were given at both the Royal Festival Hall in London and ‘Carnegie Hall’ in New York. Gilbert Briggs, founder of Wharfedale was trying to prove that recorded music could compete with live music. A capacity audience of 3000, filling the Royal Festival Hall, listened to Peter and Gilbert demonstrate the undeniable clarity and quality of well designed, and well-built hi-fi.
In the period from 1957 to 1966, innovation was fast. Improved broadcasting meant a high demand for quality reproduction equipment. During this time, Quad developed the world’s first ever full range electrostatic loudspeaker, nicknamed ‘Walkers little wonder’ and later called the ESL-57. Many have tried to emulate the Quad electrostatic principles, but none have ever managed to produce a speaker with quite such transparency and clarity.
In 1955 Quad introduced the first electrostatic loudspeaker for home use, the Quad ESL . Later this ESL is called ESL 57 (also ESL 55) to distinguish it from its younger brother, the ESL 63. In 1985 production of the ESL 57 stopped, there were about 60.000 produced. There are still thousands around, playing very well and giving their owners a lot of audio pleasure.
In 1981 Quad introduced a new ESL, the Quad ESL-63. Later Gradient introduced a subwoofer system, the SW-63.
In 2000 Quad introduced a new ESL-system, the 98 series. This serie has evolved from the ESL-63 into a family of models of which the 988 and 989 are the first.
'Audio Amateur' interviews Peter Walker at the Quad Factory in 1978 (Edward T. Dell, Jr. graciously granted permission to reprint this article)(article provided by Christian Steingruber, February 2001)
Wide Range Electrostatic Loudspeakers by P.D. Walker. (provided by Willy Lefebvre, April 2001)
