Source: Press Release, Last Accessed: 2015/07/10

Quad marked their 79th year with an all-new loudspeaker range: the S Series. Each model combines advanced Kevlar-coned bass/midrange drivers with a specially designed ribbon tweeter, paying homage to their first loudspeaker that, back to 1949, was also fitted with a ribbon!
The range comprises two stand-mount models (S-1 and S-2), two floorstanders (S-4 and S-5) and a center speaker for home cinema systems (S-C). Just 285mm high, the S-1 incorporates a 100mm bass/mid cone, while the larger S-2 uses a 125mm bass/mid cone. The two floorstanders sport three-way configurations, coupling a 100mm midrange driver with two 125mm bass drivers in the S-4, and a 125mm midrange driver with two 165mm bass drivers in the S-5. The S-C is a two-way design, incorporating a pair of 100mm bass/mid drivers.
All S Series models sport a bespoke ribbon treble unit, delivering effortlessly extended high frequencies that are audibly superior to those supplied by typical dome tweeters, the company says. The use of a ribbon driver is not new to Quad; in fact, the company’s first loudspeaker was known as the Corner Ribbon, launched in 1949. Back then, ribbon drivers were delicate affairs, easily prone to burning out if overpowered. According to the press release, the new ribbon unit developed for the S Series is a thoroughly modern affair, utilizing the latest techniques and materials. The ribbon itself is a sandwich construction, making it robust enough to handle high-powered amplifiers, and is fully immersed in a powerful magnetic field so that it accomplishes its dual role of being both the voice coil and the sound radiator. The tweeter's well-controlled directivity maintains the sound quality over a wide horizontal arc to cover all listeners whilst its vertical dispersion is tailored to avoid floor and ceiling reflections, resulting in the purest high frequency performance at the listening seat.
The ribbon tweeter is aligned with Quad’s Kevlar-coned bass and midrange drivers through sophisticated crossover networks. While the stand-mount models use rear-firing reflex ports to augment the bass, the floorstanders are incorporating three ABRs (Auxiliary Bass Radiators) in place of a port. These passive, rear- firing bass units support the main drivers to extend bass response down to 35Hz whilst maintaining an accurate and articulate rendition of instrument fundamentals, Quad states.
Beautifully presented with rounded top edges at the front and rear, each speaker cabinet uses a sandwich construction of alternate layers of MDF and high-density particleboard to reduce panel resonance to below the level of audibility. Aesthetically, the look is classically Quad yet subtly updated, available initially in a choice of black or sapele mahogany wood veneers. These will be joined in the autumn by premium, hand lacquered piano white and piano black finish options.

For more information: http://www.quad-hifi.co.uk/

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