Quad 989/2905 all around qualities

Hi, for some reason i didn't try the sub woofers yet.
Probably a pre-judgement and some negative opinions around.
After i heard the ML hybrids this idea came back to mind.

Are all those active sub woofers ?
Because otherwise i guess i will need a bi-amping...

It might be the way to go if newer Quads don't have what i am looking for. You're right. I should try it regardless of prejudgements.

Some feel the ESL-67 had a better midrange but I've come to find they feel this way because of the lack of low frequency reproduction. Having little bass, and accentuated midrange, there nothing else to draw their attention away from it. It's the masking affect, a natural occurrence in which a sound covers another over, as perceived by a listener. Personally I prefer the 2805 by a margin. Bass is important for my listening. Without it, there is no foundation.

As far as the Klipsch La Scala goes, they are very bright, forward and aggressive. Bass is not very deep. They are a power speaker, quantity over quality. With mods they can be very good but for $6000 I'd take the Quad.

Legendary Sound Labs are the only thing that will top the Quads, but you MUST have the room for them and they will not tolerate cheap gear. Sound Labs go deep and throw sound wide so room treatment is a must. You will, however, be rewarded in spades with a soundstage and depth like nothing you have ever heard.

Do you feel like the ESL2805 have enough bass ?
I would expect it to be very similar to 988 and theoretically to 63 in the low end because they still use 4 panels (no extra bass panels, those only added to ESL2905 or 989)

To my ears they sound very, very similar in all respects. The 988 was an updated 63 with better electronics. I don't own the 63s but have heard them repeatedly. I have not yet had the chance to hear the 2905, unfortunately. Some people experienced quality issues with their late model Quads, but then again the earlier ones were not immune either to their foremost British design and craftsmanship flaws...

The big thing with Quads is they don't last forever, now with shops cashing in the their marketed reputation form years ago. They "someday" will need to be repaneled, keep this in mind because it's not cheap from a refurbisher, (despite being a simple and cheap precess that takes nothing more than a couple hours once your jig and expander/stretcher are in place).

Given the choice at this price point, I would buy the new Quads, 2805 or the 2905 (like I say, haven't hear this bigger model).