QUAD Z-3 Floorstander Speakers Black ex Demo (pair)

The QUAD Z-3 Floorstander Loudspeaker is only second to the new flagship model Z4 and both are part of the seriously impressive ribbon loudspeaker range. These are not an "also-ran" range of speakers and are the result of decades of research and experience in manufacturing high-end speakers.
Overview

Beautifully designed and available in three different finishes like piano lacquered black, white, or rosewood, the skillfully veneered, one-piece curved structures make the focal point of any living room. After taking a new approach to ribbon tweeter design using a unique sandwich formation, an exceptionally robust, high power speaker has been engineered, yet with the delicate sound conventional ribbon speakers are known for.

The Ribbon Tweeter: Unlike conventional dome treble units where the voice coil ‘motor’ is attached separately to the diaphragm, Z Series ribbon is both the diaphragm and the motor system. The result is a unique combination of delicacy, smoothness and hear-through performance that helps make your music sing. While taking influence from the unparalleled success of the ESL speaker, the ribbon itself is engineered to be extremely light and thin, which delivers the startling accuracy and wide coverage Quad is famous for. In the flagship series, the larger 90 x 12mm true ribbon creates an even higher sensitivity and bandwidth which means better dynamics and an even smoother integration with the midrange frequencies.

Transparent Technologies: The bass section, similar to the original Corner Ribbon utilises an acoustic filter bass reflex system. This section uses a double chamber filter that eliminates “chuffing” found in inferior loudspeakers with conventional ports. This also maintains a natural and unforced reproduction right down to the lowest frequencies of a symphony orchestra, producing our signature sound as found in the iconic ESLs.

Crossover Network: You don't see this, but the crossover network or circuitry inside each enclosure is a key factor in any speakers performance. The all-new designed crossovers were painstakingly designed with feedback from a large team of audio specialists across the world to produce emotional vocals, an astonishingly vivid sound stage and a smooth blending of frequencies. The highly stable off-axis response means they maintain realism in a wide spectrum of listening environments – because everyone’s listening room is different.

Speaker Terminals: On the back, in lieu of the gold-plated binding posts you’d expect from a high-end speaker, are some interesting copper binding posts with a matte gray finish. Quad has the luxury of rethinking their speaker wire binding posts because they don’t buy parts off the shelf; they design, tool up, and make every part. The four posts in strict vertical formation are biwirable and come with large, sturdy bridges that have very little flex. Because Quad are using bi-wiring terminations for all Z-Series models, it is our recommendation that you go down that path and use matching speaker cable.

Cabinets: The cabinets or enclosures as some call them are gorgeous by anyones standards. You may take it for granted that making curved speaker cabinets is an easy process. Quite the opposite is the case.As well as being time-consuming with a lot of manual labour, they are horribly expensive to make. In fact one well-known brand that we sell abandoned the process simply because of cost. However, the rewards to the listener are worth the serious monetary investment. The non-parallel panels reduce 'standing waves' which are an annoying problem that every speaker maufacturer has to address if they want tight and accurately pleasing sound. Also invisible to the naked eye is the comprehensive bracing that has been positioned to minimise harmonics.

SPECIFICATIONS

    Design: 3-Way, 4-Driver Floorstanding Speakers
    Enclosure Type: Bass Reflex
    Transducer Complement: 3-Way
    Mid Range Driver: 150mm Black Glass Fibre Cone
    Bass Driver: 2 x 175mm Black Glass Fibre Cones
    High-Frequency Driver: 90 x12mm True Ribbon
    Input Sensitivity: 89dB
    Recommended Amplifier Output Power: 60-250 Watts RMS
    Peak Power Handling: 120 Watts
    Peak SPL: 110dB
    Frequency Response (+/-3dB): 50Hz - 20kHz
    Bass Extension (-6dB): 45Hz
    Crossover Frequency: 450Hz - 3.6kHz
    Cabinet Volume: 34L
    Dimensions (WxHxD): 965 x 267 x 340mm
    Net Weight: 19kg each
    Finish: Piano Rosewood
    Country Of Design: England
    Manufacturer's Warranty: 5 Years.