Quad S-5 Floor Speaker (Pair)

Description

Quad has always prided itself as providing the complete solution to music lovers. Each Quad component marries perfectly to other parts of the hi-fi system and is designed with one target – to be ‘The Closest Approach To The Original Sound’. Quad S Series loudspeakers fulfill that objective admirably. Sporting a new ribbon treble unit aligned, through sophisticated crossover networks, to Quad’s advanced bass-midrange drivers, each and every loudspeaker in the range delivers all the nuances and passion of the original performance.

A tower speaker designed by and for listeners

As the largest member of Quad’s S Series family of speakers, the S-5 is easy to like, both for its handsome styling and spacious, free-flowing sound quality. Clearly, this speaker’s design process included a lot of listening. This is a hybrid speaker featuring a ribbon tweeter and a cone midrange and woofers. It can be challenging getting different driver types to “sing as one,” but the S-5 lets you relax and focus on the music.

Quad’s ribbon tweeter lets the music flow

The S-5’s ribbon tweeter produces sound in a way that’s simpler and more direct than the more common dome tweeter. In a dome tweeter, the signal from your amplifier drives a voice coil, which is connected to the dome-shaped diaphragm, but only around the circumference, so a bit of musical information may be lost.

In a ribbon tweeter, the metal ribbon is suspended in a strong magnetic field. Basically, the diaphragm is the voice coil, so it’s always under the control of the music signal from the amplifier. Because the ribbon is directly driven by the amplifier, its resolution of musical detail is extremely high.

Ribbons have always been prized for their pure, clear sound, but they haven’t always been very rugged. Quad’s ribbon tweeter is made from a lightweight metal alloy that is strengthened by a thin layer of polycarbonate. This sandwich construction makes the tweeter robust enough to handle high-powered amplifiers.

The S-5’s tweeter delivers outstanding transient response and reveals loads of musical detail. The sound is “fast,” but consistently smooth. The ribbon tweeter’s shape radiates sound in a wide horizontal arc, while its vertical dispersion is purposely limited to avoid floor and ceiling reflections. That means there’s room in the “sweet spot” for more than one person.

A bass delivery system with precise control

The S-5’s dual 6-1/2″ woofers get a big performance boost from three ABRs (Auxiliary Bass Radiators). These passive, rear-firing bass units support the woofers, extending the S-5’s bass response. Although you might be tempted to position the S-5s right up against the back wall to minimize intrusion into your room, you’ll get more open, natural sound by moving them at least a foot out from the wall.

Quad’s history of innovation

Founded in 1936 to build public address systems, Quad introduced two of the most important speaker innovations of the past century: the first ribbon-based home speaker, in 1949, and the first full-range electrostatic speaker, in 1957. Today, Quad speakers and electronics are still designed and engineered in England, and are manufactured in China.

Specifications:

3-way Floor-standing Speaker

Enclosure type – ABR
Transducer complement – 3-way
ABR – 3 x 165mm
Bass driver – 2 x 165mm Woven Kevlar®
Midrange driver – 100mm Woven Kevlar®
Treble driver – 45 x 12mm true ribbon
Sensitivity (2.83V @ 1m) – 90dB
Recommended amplifier power – 40-200W
Nominal impedance – 6Ω
Minimum impedance – 3.2Ω
Frequency response (+/-3dB) – 42Hz ~ 23kHz
Bass extension (-6dB) – 35Hz
Crossover frequency – 570Hz & 3.2kHz
Cabinet Volume (in litres) – 72.4L
Dimensions (H x W x D) – (1070+55) x 205 x (330+30)mm
Weight – 25.32kg each