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t isn't often we see atweeter take up more spaceon a speakeis baffle thanits midAass driver ln fact,

I can't think of another example. So

lefs get this out of the way: gdlles off,tie Quad Z-1 does look oddly tophealy until you get used to it, tltat )ooribbon unit and bijou Kevlar-conedwoofer giving dre impression that thiscuny stalrdmounds sonic firepowermight have a distinct upward tilt.

Bigger doesn't necessarily meanbdghter, of course, ald to set yourmind at rest beforc we go any funheryou'd actually be hard pressed to finda standmount with a more nat[raltonal balance than the z 1.

DesiSn supremo Peter Comeau hintsat something more special stili forthe Z Series, sometling closer to drebrand's o1\,n electrostatically deliveredgold standard, the iconic ELS. Andwith the t\'vo-way Z-1 - dre smaller ofthe two standmounts in the four-sffongrange - the outsized prominence ofthe ribbon lends a certain weight tothe claim. While sharing the samecomposite sandwich constructionas the robust yet gloriously fastand tansparent ribbon unit found

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in 2015's S models, the 90 x 12mmbbon developed for the z Series is

twice as tall, granting it even greaterpower handling, bardwidth andsensitivity The increased bandwidth is

especially useful in a two way design,tal<ing some of the workload awayfiom the 150mm Kevlar-weave mid/bass driver and perrnitting smootherintegration between the two units, a

task marshalled by the re-engineeredqossover net\,vork The S Series

models use similar Kevlar coned bass

and mid,/bass d vers, but they don'thave the Z's double-roll cone surroundswhich have been designed to conoolbreakup modes with ciaimed benefitsin accuracy and ffansparency

Quad's'acoustic filter bass reflexIoading' incoryorates a dual-chamberfilter system inside the enclosul e, withthe reflex pon (acrually a slot) exitingvia a specially shaped expansionchamber in the plinth which, in tum, is

filled with resistive foam. The idea isto marry the sensitivity and extensionexpected fiom a bass reflex system

with the clarity and transient attackof a closed box (infinite baffle) design,avoiding the turbulence and 'chuffing' )

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Ouad has certainlypicked a tough pricepoint for the Z-l - notbecause it3 teemingwith would"be hot shotrivals, but because€1,200 puts it grille"to"grille with a standmountwhh a bulletproofreputation for studio-class sonic hon€sty thatgoes by the name of theAIC SCMll, The soundolf points up vividcontEsts, with theATC sounding dder,punchierandmorsanalytical while theOuad is warmer and alittle nore open withgreater high-f requencysubtlety. Two great butverydifferentspeakersthat are oquallyrecommendablebutoffer real choic€, Asalviays, our tip is to trybetore you buy.

dre soft glow side of the spectrum

- the result mightjust sound a tad toocosy and comfonable. An)'thing with afair dose of the clait]1 drive, rhlthmicintegrit)1 textural colour and sheermusical verue generated by the frontend I'm using here should allow theZ-1 to show what it's really capable of.

Confounding expectations raised bythe'polite' personality previouslyassociated with Quad's non-ESLofferings, it doesn't hold back. SteelyDan's Ajc sounds effordessly dlmamicand tactile, Fagan and Becker's .

fanatically polished and horedproduction licks being as faithfullyrendered as the meticulously lop-sidedpacing. Bass is both fulsome and agile,which helps to make proceedings feelfleshed out with plenty of drive andtruly locked do\ ,n tempo during thedrum solo sections. This ffack cansound a litde relendess and up tighton some systems. \,Vhafs needed isa strong but less tighdy coiled springald that easing oftension is what theZ-1 provides, lefting the music breatheand flow in a rhttimically lucid aldsuefooted fashion.

The Z-1's lovely open, fluid midbandand treble provides huge insight,but doesn't punish less than perfectrecordings. So when Anita Baker sings

Sometimes I Wonder IMy, if s the soulriat powers through and although iCs

impossible not to notice, you don't gettoo hung up about the seldom less

than astringent edge to the vocal.Once more there's the foundationalreassurance ofthat smooth, deep and

often associated with conventionallypoted loudspeakers such as this.

The z 1 is the least costiy way intoQuad's flagshiP d)'namic sPealerrange. There's a larger standmount,the f1,500 Z 2, and two floorstanders

- the f3,200 Z-4 towet (see BeautifulSysrem p90) and the slightly smaller12,500 Z-3 (HFC 476). These speakersare luxuriously built with rather lovelynew boat-backed enclosures ftrrtherdistinguished by their cuived, slopingtops and a choice ofhigh-gloss

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finishe". Consnuct"d hom lalers olwood fibre composites witi varyingdensities and strengthened withmultiple circumferential braces, theenclosure seek to reduce panelresonance to below audibility lnternallong hair fibre damping helps absorbunwanted reflections and this, inconjunction with the scattering effectof the curved cabinet sides, is claimedto minimise coloration. On fteexterior, multiple layers of pianolacquer are applied over black, whiteol rosewood veneers. each layer beinShand polished to a face-reflecting gloss

before the next is applied. The depth

13 HFicldce MAY 2017

and intensity of colour is simplysuperb. Yor really will want to wearthe supplied handling gloves toavoid greasy fi ngerprins.

Sound qualityStanding in for my usual AICpre power amplification and ChordHugo DAC is another Chord Hugo

- the larger and more expensive,mains-powered Hugo TT and itsmatching TToby power amp (bothreviewed on p42). It's a potelt,hugely synergistic, dynamic duothat lovers of rosy and romanticamplification will hate. But I have ahunch the z-1 will make the most ofthe resolution and grip team Chord,fed by a CFus CD Xt Signature CDtransport (HFC 386), sefr'es up.

Much like the floostanding z 3, tieZ-1 swifdy displays a lovely ability tosound airy organic and unprocessedso that your focus is immediatelydra\&Tl to the music rather than whatthe speaker mal(es of it. If the Quadis guilty of anything, it's of adding agossamer layer of warmth throughthe midband so the presentation iseven more approachable, renderingaggressive or harsh recordings morelistenable. But it does nothing todiminish the honest effons of theCyrus and Chord to keep thingscleal clean, resolute and on time.

I'd be wary of driving the Z-1 widran amp and sorrce inclined towards

Robustbindingposts allowlor bi-wiring

O 9ox12mmribbon tweeter

O Bi-whebinding poets

O Bass reflexslot

O 15omm Kevlarmid/b€ss driver

nicely tuneful bass underpinning theintensity and emotional expressivenessof the performance with no hint ofboominess or flab, but a great deal ofgrip and control. Special, too, is theability to vanish witiin the bounds ofan expansive soundstage and, with asuitable 'live' recording, easily conveythe acoustic character and scale of avenue and locate the performers andaudience inside with an uDcarnny senseof place and solidity Nor do you haveto sit bang in the middle of the speakersto get good stereo. In fac! you quiddyforget about iiem when the musicstarts, which has to be a good sign.

As mentioned earlie4 tonal balalce isnudged delicately onto the wam sideof the neutral medial but top-to-bottom integration is flawless, andboth tonality and structure keep ittogether heroically if you lean evenquite heavily on dre Chord TTobYspenchant for playing loud, accuratelyconveying the litde power amp'soutrageous confidence and composurefor a 50 watter As it was at thebeginning of the listening session,natural and unforced is the order ofthe day for the Quad Z-1 - the decibelfix is up to you.

GonclusionMost standmount speal<ers in theQuad Z-1's pdce range have an

agenda that seek to capitalise onthe inherent strengths confened by acompact, rigid enclosure and simpletwo-way driver confi gr-:ration. Thisusually manifests as fine midbandcla ty and imagin& rh)thmic suretlicrisp timing and fast, tuneful bassthat lacks weight and extension. Thez-1 tid<s all fie basics in some stylebut, crucially goes further by addingnr.re high-end midband and neblequality to the mix allied to asumptuously deep bass pedormanceguaranteed to quash floorstanderenvy: As such, its sonic talentexceeds its price point by the samewide margin as its build and finish.Hotly recommended o

OUR VERDICTSOUNDQUALITY LIXEI SOUNdg IOOKS

***** and feels absLird ygood ror tne money

vaLUEFoRMoNEY DtsltKE:Ovedv***** euphonrcrront;nds

need not app y

WE SAY: Thp .las<iFsrXXXXX standmo,,nrlnits

****JOVERALL

*****

MAY 2017 lllllH.lc6 19

Q&APeter ComeouDirector of ocouslic desiqn, IAG

Dlh fhis is a hrye hbon taneetetforc snall speal<er. Prcsunably'iE extra bandwidah makFdrivetinaqration less ptoblqnatic fdatwo-wayd6ign?Pc: Yes, the large ribbon is beneficialin reaching down further intothemidrange and allows superiorintegration with the bass/midrangeunit. ln addition, the power responseof the ribbon in-room is a goodmatch to that of the bass/midrangeunit in its upperfrequency range.

The z-1's build quatiay and standardof ffnrbhseernsairost tidicuto.rstygood fot the pfice. How hasthisbeenachievd?Here at Quad, we've always beendetermined to deliver high-endperformance and buiid quality ataffordable prices, and the Z Seriesis no exception. We can dothisbecause we areserving aninternational market, so productionquantities are higherthan one wouldnormally associate with high-endproducts. Also, out purpose-builtfactory manufacturesgg percent ofthe parts inhouse, which enables usto keep costs under control as wellas using craftsman to handfinishour speakers. The Z Series' gorgeousgloss finish is achieved through theapplication of multiple layers oflacquer, each layer polished byhand before the nextisapplied.

could you go into a lia e morcdepth afuut ttl@ dvantagF of adouble"rclt swrcund lP-tween the,Kevt a r -weave cone a nd basket?The common problem with a single,large-roll surround is that it deformsspectacularly under high excursion,affecting the d istortioncharacteristics. Also there is a

reflection effect from theabruptrising edge ofthe surround, whichshows up in the midrange.Thedouble+oll surround, whencalculated and designed correctly,avoids both these issues. Thechallenge is that it isverydifficultto design for good linearityl

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