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Quad S-2

Recently acquired a pair of these speakers to replace my trusty 14 year old Castle Richmond 3i's.  According to the manual they need 50 hours run in before sounding their best. I've got about 30 hours on mine to date, but am already really impressed with them and they are a significant upgrade on the Richmond 3i's, which were very well regarded in their day.  I haven't owned or heard many speakers in my lifetime for comparison, but these do sound extremely good to my ears and are highly regarded by the few owner reports that I've come across.  So, I'm a little puzzled as to why they don't appear to be very popular, at least I rarely see them mentioned on hi-fi forums.  I wonder if the reason could be that Quad are not a go to speaker brand like KEF, B&W or Dynaudio to name a few? Or, perhaps more likely, that people, especially those in the UK, tend to shy away from what was originally a UK manufactured speaker that is now a part of the IAG group and manufactured in China? Then again, the answer could be simply that the S-2 simply doesn't appeal to many folk, perhaps due to a dislike of ribbon tweeters?
moffer
twoleftears's avatar
twoleftears
5,318 posts
 
http://http//www.quad-hifi.co.uk/product-detail.php?pid=32 

These look promising, but I can't figure out why the stated low-end extension is so high....47Hz???


moffer OP
24 posts
 
Thanks milpai, I’m really enjoying the S-2’s they are cracking speakers. I’m not at all bothered by the lack of press they get or how many people own them. I was/am just curious how such a great little speaker is not more popular than it appears to be. I see what you mean about setting them up properly...I’m surprised how an inch or two difference of toe-in can affect the sound. My old Castles were never this fussy about positioning. Anyway, I think I’ve finally got ’em as good as I can with just a couple of degrees of toe-in and near 2 foot from rear wall to front baffle.


gawdbless's avatar
gawdbless
1,235 posts
 
Its a good Indication of Quad gear in the US by the amount of responses you will see to your post.
milpai's avatar
milpai
2,420 posts
 
Np @moffer. Would love to see your system setup here on the Gon. I believe ProMusica in Chicago carries the S2 and it sounded pretty good when I heard them.
Yes, with those ribbon tweeters, try to be as precise as you can. You will be rewarded with excellent sound. I recently purchased the Bosch GLM 30 laser measure, and trust me, I was about 1/2" to an inch off using tape measure, trying to measure 6 feet into the room to the front of the speaker face. With laser measure, it is not only easy, it also places the speakers at perfect distance from walls on back and sides.
abasia
16 posts
 
I have heard the S and Z series and eventually settled on the Z1s. It's not going to be a popular because it is not an exciting speaker. It's the type of speaker that you probably won't bring home if you only spend 10-20 minutes auditioning, but the choice would be clear if you really take your time to listen to all of the details and dynamics. It's also one of the more analytical speakers, and at that price point, most people would go for accentuated bass and highs, or focused vocals. But yeah, if people took the time to listen, they will find Quad speakers to be very revealing and satisfying.

My youtube vid review of the Quad Z1s https://youtu.be/kEca-2rjLik
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