Quad (IAG) service experiences. Thumbs down from me . . .

[Opti-cal]

Hi all, I'm just wondering what everyone's relative experience is with Quad servicing or IAG Group as they are known.

I'll start from the beginning.

Around three months ago I sent my Quad 57's in for a full service (after waiting a month for them to allocate me a slot).

I delivered them in their Quad boxes with Quad inserts so as to avoid any courier mishaps.

Sure enough a couple of weeks later the speakers were collected and I paid the roughly £600.00 bill for the service including two brand new treble panels, transformers and boards.

A couple of days into listening (and probably just as they reached full charge) one of the speakers had a very audible transformer hum. As the work was covered under warranty I sent it back but Quad said this was normal (what!!@*~) and I would have to pay an additional £200+ for a new bass panel (as this was the culprit apparently). I did say this should have been picked up in the original service and that the speaker should be silent but they argued me down and said I was just being picky and most people live with the "small amount of hum".

I wasn't pleased at all about this but as I am usually trustworthy of people I stupidly paid and went along with their assessment.

The other speaker then within a couple of days of the other being returned developed a very audible ticking (leaking) from its treble panel. Again, I spoke to Quad who said they would have it back but they doubted it was anything to do with the treble panel as they have "never seen a brand new one go wrong" so quickly.

A couple of days later they informed me it was indeed a faulty treble panel (as I suspected) and they replaced it free of charge as per their warranty.

I received the speaker back and yet again the same audible ticking (leaking) was present. I have now returned the speaker for a third time in a couple of months and Quad won't be sending it back until they have found the exact issue.

The speaker has now been with them for two weeks the most recent time and their email responses have simply turned into one word answers. When I politely asked them if there had been any progress this week, the service manager (Rob Flain) simply replied back "No".

In addition to all the above they implied I had damaged the grill on the speaker by packing it incorrectly. I have had to use a courier service the last couple of times as I simply don't have the time or petrol to keep traipsing up to Quad every couple of weeks. I pointed out to them if they were done properly in the first place they would never have been in a couriers hands to begin with. When I informed them I packed the speaker in their own box with their own inserts (the same as the previous times) they relented and agreed the damage was probably sustained during carriage and they would "look into" fixing it.

To say I am at a loss is a gross understatement. I have given them well over £800 for a service that was not carried out correctly in the first place and since it seems they have not bothered to check the speaker properly each time, wasting my time and generally treating me extremely poorly.

They even have suggested its my equipment causing the issues. For the record I am using low powered 5-20w tube amps with high quality power supplies/cables etc. The exact same setup is driving my Quad 63's without a single issue so the only variable left is the speakers themselves.

I'm sorry for the long explanation but this is one of the worst hifi experiences of my life and is making me question if owning these speakers (or at least getting them serviced) is worth this level of aggravation.

I feel truly robbed by Quad and their reluctance to resolve my issues seems quite unbelievable.


I just wondered if anyone has had any similar experiences and how they have dealt with them in the past?

I'm not a confrontational person but if something like this occurs I'm willing to involve third parties as I have time stamped video evidence of the issues along with an email trail documenting all of the above.

I would be satisfied with the speakers working as they should (even though they have had at least an extra £200 from me) or a refund for the service and I will take the speakers elsewhere.

I concede Quad are supposedly working on the faulty speaker now as per their warranty and they won't let it come back until they are satisfied it is fault-free, I'm not complaining about them still having the speaker exactly. I have just completely lost all faith in this particular company.

It's a real shame as contrasting experiences from people regarding the old "Quad" company are just that. Excellent service usually.

Any advice, experiences or help is much appreciated.

Cheers guys and gals.

Chris

[struth]

keep your cool, and continue to press your case. they will have to follow guidelines no doubt and dont know you from adam, hence will be checking your story sticks.
Some faults are hard to track down, especially if they dont always manifest themselves straight away. They may be soak testing them.

[southall-1998_mk2]

Sorry to hear that, Chris. Have you spread this news on other forums?

S.

[Opti-cal]

keep your cool, and continue to press your case. they will have to follow guidelines no doubt and dont know you from adam, hence will be checking your story sticks.
Some faults are hard to track down, especially if they dont always manifest themselves straight away. They may be soak testing them.

Trying to Grant!

Keeping cool . . . always good advice.

I work in the service industry myself and appreciate that sometimes these nightmare jobs (and customers) do pop up. I know its probably just a combination of me being unlucky and perhaps catching Quad at a particularly busy time. I know they certainly wouldn't be doing it on purpose but it is extremely frustrating. I think it was the one word reply of "no" without any update or explanation that sparked me to write the original post.

[Opti-cal]

Sorry to hear that, Chris. Have you spread this news on other forums?

S.

To be honest I don't really frequent that many other forums, certainly not in an active capacity (as AOS is the best obviously!).

I don't really want it to turn into a PR smear campaign and was probably a little rash to reference anyone in particular but I just don't know where to go from here!

Deep down I know I'll have to let the dust settle . . . . man I miss those speakers though . . .

Thanks for the suggestion - certainly an option to consider.

[southall-1998_mk2]

To be honest I don't really frequent that many other forums, certainly not in an active capacity (as AOS is the best obviously!).

I don't really want it to turn into a PR smear campaign and was probably a little rash to reference anyone in particular but I just don't know where to go from here!

Deep down I know I'll have to let the dust settle . . . . man I miss those speakers though . . .

Thanks for the suggestion - certainly an option to consider.


You have every right to be openly explicit about your bad experience. I'd go spread the word if Quad treated me like that!

S.

[Opti-cal]

You have every right to be openly explicit about your bad experience. I'd go spread the word if Quad treated me like that!

S.

Fair enough, I may have to reevaluate my "nice(ish) guy" approach . . . .

Probably give them until next week to come up with something as like I say they won't be doing it on purpose (I hope).

Bottom line is I've paid for something they have failed to do again and again. Then charged me extra for something they missed. The more I think about it the more I think you're right Shane.

[Light Dependant Resistor]

Hi Chris
You are despite the hiccups, in good hands with Rob Flain being involved. He has been with Quad as long as I can remember, and knows
every product backwards. I am sure they will have your difficulty sorted. Robs advice is worth bottling to put it mildly, so listen to what they are saying.

[struth]

Trying to Grant!

Keeping cool . . . always good advice.

I work in the service industry myself and appreciate that sometimes these nightmare jobs (and customers) do pop up. I know its probably just a combination of me being unlucky and perhaps catching Quad at a particularly busy time. I know they certainly wouldn't be doing it on purpose but it is extremely frustrating. I think it was the one word reply of "no" without any update or explanation that sparked me to write the original post.

yup, it was poor form on his behalf. Most managers of service depts are, alas, not pr men but engineers, and they are usually not good at pr.;)

[Opti-cal]

Hi Chris
You are despite the hiccups, in good hands with Rob Flain being involved. He has been with Quad as long as I can remember, and knows
every product backwards. I am sure they will have your difficulty sorted. Robs advice is worth bottling to put it mildly, so listen to what they are saying.

Thanks Chris.

That's reassuring. But the insinuation I have been at fault a) for the issue with the speakers and b) for the damage to the grill in transit, was not welcome or indeed correct.

Like I say the issue I have forked out an additional £200 for, should have been picked up during the first service and my equipment is driving other Quads without issue.

I respect experience as I have my own within the servicing industry. But this many times for an identical issue would not be considered an acceptable level of service.

My experience with Quad is what it is, I hope Rob will sort it but so far they have come up well short each time.

To further empathise if Rob is indeed an ex-engineer/technician (as I am) then I can confirm dealing with customers is a pain in the a*@$.

Thanks for the reply.

[Firebottle]

Hi Chris, as a '57 owner I sympathise and am sorry to hear of your troubles.

I know these speakers inside out so am curious to know what causes the hum. You say the 'boards' were also changed, do you mean the high voltage (multiplier) boards?
If there is any leak on the panels then the high voltage is pulled down a bit due to the very high impedances involved.
When this happens you can get a small hum on the panel, noticeable when you put your ear to the speaker.

One of mine has this very slight hum, inaudible away from the speaker, but I know there is a slight leak. I fitted aftermarket high voltage boards that have a neon light in series with each panel. This flashes at very slow rate if there is leakage and flashes faster if the leak is greater, one of the lamps in my speakers flashes every 1.5 seconds.

If the speakers are perfect there should be NO hum.

[Opti-cal]

Hi Chris, as a '57 owner I sympathise and am sorry to hear of your troubles.

I know these speakers inside out so am curious to know what causes the hum. You say the 'boards' were also changed, do you mean the high voltage (multiplier) boards?
If there is any leak on the panels then the high voltage is pulled down a bit due to the very high impedances involved.
When this happens you can get a small hum on the panel, noticeable when you put your ear to the speaker.

One of mine has this very slight hum, inaudible away from the speaker, but I know there is a slight leak. I fitted aftermarket high voltage boards that have a neon light in series with each panel. This flashes at very slow rate if there is leakage and flashes faster if the leak is greater, one of the lamps in my speakers flashes every 1.5 seconds.

If the speakers are perfect there should be NO hum.

Hi Alan,

I believe the multiplier boards were indeed the ones changed (they look brand new anyway if they are the green ones visible from the rear).

The leak was not subtle, audible from my listening position around 10-12ft away and certainly interfering with quiet passages of music. When the buzzing came in it also unbalanced the speakers noticeably. It started every 10-15 seconds until it was almost permanent a few days later. It also got noticeably louder.

If the sound was only audible when that close to the speaker I could live with the issue most likely. However the other speaker is 100% dead silent as in have to check if its actually turned on quiet!

I just want both speakers to be this way, at least until I've got a few months of solid listening out of them, then occasional inaudible (from my listening position) leak is somewhat understandable given the fragility of the panels and the voltages involved.

I've had 3 pairs of 57's before in various states of condition. Some had dents and spill stains on the panels but all were a less leaky than this particular speaker. They had slight hum and occasional ticking but not audible from my listening position.

I certainly expect a freshly serviced pair to be perfect, at least for a while.

Haha, if I had your boards I would be watching them like a hawk!

[Bencat]

Hi Chris

Reading this has been lucky for me . I recently sent a pair of Quad ESL 57 speakers to A Quadthing Limited for a full refurbish which included the replacement of four Bass Panels , wiring tidy and Grill spray from Bronze to Black . I had planned (except for the colour change ) to get this done by Quad but was told quite clearly that they were currently to busy to accept any new repair work and I would have to wait six weeks.

A Quadthing were recommended to me by someone I knew on another forum who also uses these speakers and rather than wait I decided to get them done outside the Quad fold . Work took around four weeks (mainly due to Christmas Holidays falling in the middle) and was carried out to a very high standard . The speakers now sound as good as any I have heard and Andrew of A Quadthing assures me they will last for many years without any further attention. Total cost for all of this was £670 which in my view was good value (Quad were looking for nearer to £1000 and then additional) .

I was really anxious about using a company and service outside the original mfg company but I now find out that Quad do not make any of there new ESL 57 panels but get them from One Thing Audio who also use Andrew of A Quadthing for panels . I would highly recommend A Quadthing for any Quad ESL speakers , but for the ELS 57 units I would say you will get better service and as good if not better quality replacements from them .

[phoenixpete]

I had my 57s refurbed by Andrew about 6 years ago, mine had the full service, new treble panels wiring etc with widgets and protection boards. They are still silent and sound sublime.
I just realised “ silent and sound sublime” can’t be right but you know what l mean��
Sorry you are stuck in quads hands now really so hopefully they will come good.

[Opti-cal]

Hi Chris

Reading this has been lucky for me . I recently sent a pair of Quad ESL 57 speakers to A Quadthing Limited for a full refurbish which included the replacement of four Bass Panels , wiring tidy and Grill spray from Bronze to Black . I had planned (except for the colour change ) to get this done by Quad but was told quite clearly that they were currently to busy to accept any new repair work and I would have to wait six weeks.

A Quadthing were recommended to me by someone I knew on another forum who also uses these speakers and rather than wait I decided to get them done outside the Quad fold . Work took around four weeks (mainly due to Christmas Holidays falling in the middle) and was carried out to a very high standard . The speakers now sound as good as any I have heard and Andrew of A Quadthing assures me they will last for many years without any further attention. Total cost for all of this was £670 which in my view was good value (Quad were looking for nearer to £1000 and then additional) .

I was really anxious about using a company and service outside the original mfg company but I now find out that Quad do not make any of there new ESL 57 panels but get them from One Thing Audio who also use Andrew of A Quadthing for panels . I would highly recommend A Quadthing for any Quad ESL speakers , but for the ELS 57 units I would say you will get better service and as good if not better quality replacements from them .

Thanks for the reply Andrew,

glad to hear there are good alternative service centers out there, maybe for the next one hopefully in about 10 years time or so!

I actually bought some freshly refurbished from One Thing Audio, although not directly. I just wanted this refurb to use all original parts and be built to exact Quad specifications but as you say there's not many of the old original panels around any more and they will most likely be using the latest ones. I've heard both and just about prefer the old ones, maybe because I'm used to them, but that's a different matter.

Glad and slightly envious it has worked out for you!

Cheers

[Opti-cal]

I had my 57s refurbed by Andrew about 6 years ago, mine had the full service, new treble panels wiring etc with widgets and protection boards. They are still silent and sound sublime.
I just realised “ silent and sound sublime” can’t be right but you know what l mean��
Sorry you are stuck in quads hands now really so hopefully they will come good.

Wow, 6 years and still silent (between tracks!!).

That's all I want, I've paid through the nose for it and I'm still not there . . . oh well good things come to those etc etc . . .

Doubt I'll hear anything before next week though.

I see you've got a modded Beresford in your sig . . . thinking of getting myself one of his latest ones with mods pre done . . . lovely kit.

Bet your 57's sound lovely!

Thanks,

Chris

[spendorman]

I'm no expert fixing ancient 57's, but my experience was that fixing one fault, another showed up. Had this with both of my pairs.

One of my 63's needs attention now.

[phoenixpete]

Wow, 6 years and still silent (between tracks!!).

That's all I want, I've paid through the nose for it and I'm still not there . . . oh well good things come to those etc etc . . .

Doubt I'll hear anything before next week though.

I see you've got a modded Beresford in your sig . . . thinking of getting myself one of his latest ones with mods pre done . . . lovely kit.

Bet your 57's sound lovely!

Thanks,

Chris
Hi Chris. just found the receipt for the service from aquadthing, dated 24/06/2010 so over 8 years now. They are silent between tracks and sounding awesome. I do leave them permanently powered up as they should be. I have had a lot of speakers over the years and sold some i wish i had kept. Can't see me parting with these unless they put me in a home, or a box. The Kef reference model 3 are my mains for the AV setup. 57's are obviously just in the hi/fi rig.

25257

[phoenixpete]

I'm no expert fixing ancient 57's, but my experience was that fixing one fault, another showed up. Had this with both of my pairs.

One of my 63's needs attention now.

Hi Alex.
What i liked about aquad thing was he kept them and ran them on his own set up for a time to make sure everything was going to be ok. He found a problem with one of mine and changed something before i picked them up " can't remember what it was now" but they have been faultless since. He did tell me they should be checked every 10 years and given a quick service as a minimum.

[phoenixpete]

Wow, 6 years and still silent (between tracks!!).

That's all I want, I've paid through the nose for it and I'm still not there . . . oh well good things come to those etc etc . . .

Doubt I'll hear anything before next week though.

I see you've got a modded Beresford in your sig . . . thinking of getting myself one of his latest ones with mods pre done . . . lovely kit.

Bet your 57's sound lovely!

Thanks,

Chris

The Beresford dac's are great, i seem to be a good customer of Stan's. Got a modded TC7520, moded Caimen and a moded Bushmaster i am using as a headphone amp.

[Bencat]

I would echo what @phoenixpete says Andrew lets you know when you get a quote from him that part of the service is that he insists on a full soak test until he is happy that there is no issues . I know this makes the repair process that bit longer and if like me your were itching to hear your speakers that was frustrating it is good toknow that at least they have been tested and only when they pass muster are they returned. Obviously mine are newy finished but i have to report that they are left on all the time and they are silent when there is nothing being fed to them . Once the system is turned on they remain silent until the music starts .

[Opti-cal]

Thanks all,

Quad say they have soak tested them each time but literally the three times they have been returned the problem has manifested itself within a couple of hours. If they were indeed soak tested I can understand why they might have been questioning my equipment but as I say that exact equipment is driving 63's without a single issue. Apart from not sounding as good . . . .

Most galling thing is this particular pair were dead silent before the service. Just slightly low on output. I mistakenly thought, "well if they sound this good now, how much better will they sound after a proper service" . . . .

Yup, always leave them on. As you know they take a couple of days if not longer to fully charge.

[Opti-cal]

I'm no expert fixing ancient 57's, but my experience was that fixing one fault, another showed up. Had this with both of my pairs.

One of my 63's needs attention now.

Yup, seems like a never-ending circle of issues at the moment . .

Fingers crossed my 63's remain trouble free . . .

[Barry]

I have only just stumbled across this thread, and as a great admirer of Quad and their products, have to say I'm disappointed to read of the sloppy service they have given you regarding your Quad 57 speakers.

I bought my 57s some 45 years ago, and shortly afterwards did have occasion to have them seen to. I arranged a visit to Quad in Huntingdon, to have my speakers examined and to have a look around the factory. The courtesy and help shown by the staff there was beyond reproach. My speakers were 'repaired' and have performed flawlessly to this day (I should add that apart from a couple of house moves and a very few power cuts, the speakers have been left energised all the while).

I have always regarded Quad as one of the jewels in the crown of British audio manufacturers, though I sensed Quad were starting to loose their way and have problems in the mid eighties with the introduction of the 67 CD player. The expertise of the service department was not affected and any telephone queries I had with them were always very helpful and polite.

Now of course Quad (along with all the other companies in the IAG) is owned by a Chinese company; but their new designs are, I believe, still designed in Huntingdon (though that might be changing), and the high reputation of their service department was maintained. But the latter cannot be guaranteed as the new owners probably have different priorities.

It is fortunate that there are outfits such as OneThing and QuadThing (new to me), run by Quad enthusiasts who can continue to service the 57s, and I believe that Quad will often subcontract servicing to OneThing, and will use OneThing replacement panels; the treble panel for which however is not the same design as the Quad original. (If you want identical panels you will have to send the speakers to Germany to a company who now owns all the Quad manufacturing jigs.) Even if Quad had sub contracted the work to OneThing, I would expect a seamless service, so it is disappointing to read of your difficulties.

I only hope that the poor service was a one off; certainly it is a blot on Quad's service copybook and is damaging to their reputation. There are other company polices which have been introduced, which to my mind are also detrimental to their reputation - but as I said Quad is no longer the same company it once was. Sadly, I think we may hear more bad reports.

[quadsugdenman]

Having just returned to the forum after a spell working in China I am truly saddened to read of your experiences. I have dealt with Rob Flain over many years and always found him to be helpful and uphold the high reputation that the Quad Service department has enjoyed. As Barry eluded to I hope this is a ‘one off’ lapse but I also worry this may not be the case. Having worked and travelled in China I fear Barry maybe be correct in that Quad’s new owners

[quadsugdenman]

Sorry - to continue
They may not share the same business priorities and objectives. I hope I am proven wrong.

[Opti-cal]

Thanks for the recent input chaps.

The people I have spoken to about the subject echo your sentiments regarding Rob. I know what a detrimental effect it can have when an umbrella corporation come in and demand higher productivity etc. The good skills and people sometimes get left behind and the baby gets thrown out with the bathwater.

I remain hopeful that this is indeed, a one off.

Still no word this week though . . . although I've been put right off asking!

To cheer myself up I've gone and got a bit of a bargain on a modified Ming Da KT88 amplifier . . . . idle hands and all that . . .

Arrives next week.

[hifi_dave]

Having just returned to the forum after a spell working in China I am truly saddened to read of your experiences. I have dealt with Rob Flain over many years and always found him to be helpful and uphold the high reputation that the Quad Service department has enjoyed. As Barry eluded to I hope this is a ‘one off’ lapse but I also worry this may not be the case. Having worked and travelled in China I fear Barry maybe be correct in that Quad’s new owners

"Quad's new owners" took over the company 15 or more years ago and it has ticked along very nicely since. One of the things they insisted on was a proper service department, which they have and in my experience, is very efficient.

Can't comment on this case.

[Opti-cal]

Just received and update from Quad.

Sounds like it was an EHT board that was to blame for the leaking.

Just to be safe they are soak testing the speaker for a few more days but hopefully the end is in sight.

Thanks for the comments and advice. I must say the alternatives suggested will probably be ahead of Quad for my business in future however, seeing as both my pairs of Quads have now had a service in the past few months, hopefully it won't be for a while. . .

Will update when they're physically back with me, that's the real soak test.

Cheers

[Old Bean]

Hi Chris,

As a quad owner myself (22>II>57s (HiFi setup), plus 2 x 303s and 1 x 405-2 (AV setup behind Arcam AVR350 pre-amp), and formerly owning 33, 34 and 44s, as well as having a pair of crackly 63s in the spare room awaiting repair and a spare pair of 57s in need of service), I'm curious to know if Quad managed to successfully repair your 57s in the end?

I'd also be interested to know if your poor experience of their customer service has improved with closure (assuming they repaired it) and time?

I'm happy (in fact, prefer) to service the Amps and do repairs to the relatively low voltage (<400V) circuit repairs myself (I love servicing quads), but the ESLs and high voltage stuff are a different beast and I'm not ashamed to say are beyond my current knowledge and skillset to repair. Consequently, I'd value your final word on quad/IAG.

(FWIW I'd love to go work with them in their service department.)

Best regards


Richard

[Opti-cal]

Hi Richard,

its a mixed bag to be honest.

Eventually (strong emphasis), they did come through for me but not before more avoidable slip-ups as a direct consequence of poor service all round.

The saga continued when they posted the 57's back to me for a third time after being soak tested again, this time for two weeks supposedly.
My instructions could not have been clearer to Quad. I wanted to come and pick up the speakers myself and personally hear them with my amplifiers to make sure they would perform under identical conditions at home. I did state however that if they were to be posted they should go to my work address.

After a few of my emails had not been responded to, I turn up at my house to see a large Quad box in my front garden. To cut a long story short they had delivered the speakers back to me (probably with the best intentions) but hadn't made sure to use a proper courier with recorded delivery or any other guarantees.

The large box contained one speaker, there was no sign of the other one. I suspect as it was simply dumped in my front garden for maybe 6 hours+, someone had helped themselves to one with the possibility of coming back for the other. The boxes look quite impressive and have "fragile" written on them and the eagle eyed opportunist may well have sensed something large and heavy my well fetch a pretty penny.

I was livid, I literally could not believe it. All after I had left specific instruction to post them to my work address or I would come and collect them. Either of these options would have been acceptable.

The courier company faked my signature as there was no way I was within 40 miles of my house at that time of the morning when they were delivered.

I threatened legal action but Quad to their credit (which is at an all time low to begin with as far as I'm concerned) did admit it was their responsibility and promised to sort it.

[Opti-cal]

They did, eventually and a few weeks later (you would have thought thy would make it a priority if it wasn't before!) I had a freshly refurbished pair of resprayed 57's.

They were perfect. I went to collect them in a strange trip to Quad as I wouldn't risk another courier where they kind of reluctantly handed them over, not so much as an apology though. They did give me a book on Quad history as a strange kind of gesture though, like I say, it was weird.

I have since sold them, I didn't even want to listen to them to be honest. I got good money from someone in the USA and that was that.

In the mean time I'd fallen for the 63's I had as backup for them. They're a more well rounded speaker in my opinion. Do they have that inner micro detail, not quite but a lot of people think it is still there in the 63's its just the extra response veils it a little. I can see the logic in that.

Anyway, back to your question.

Would I use them again, well if you want full Quad parts (Quad treble panels etc) and are willing to wait until its done and done right then I don't think you have another option. One Thing Audio are good, they do great work but I have heard a direct comparison of their panels that they use and they do sound different from the Quad ones. In my view they didn't have all the magic of the Quads but some people prefer them so there you go, horses for courses etc.

Actually I have to add - my 63's need to go back to OTA as the diaphragm coating is deteriorating having only been done a few months ago so no companies are immune from mis-haps. In case you're wondering I don't have the speakers in a particularly humid/war/cold environment either. I always use tube amps with them and adhere to the recommended wattage's for both 57's and 63's. I literally could not be more careful with them.

I will also say that I can only accept absolute silence from them in my listening environment, I am relatively near field to them so if they are off in the slightest I class it as an issue. When they have been refurbished and service they should be 100% perfect for at least a few years. I didn't used to be so expectant or demanding but I'm paying (more than) good money for these speakers and why should I settle for less!

If it were me I would arrange a firm date with Quad, I think they still offer a drop in service (they certainly do for panel servicing/replacement but maybe no full overhaul refurbishment). Take them there yourself and pick them up yourself.

I'm sure I must be the most unlucky person to ever venture into their HQ (and I'm sure they weren't unhappy to see the back of me) but mistakes were made and made again and again. Avoidable ones too. A failed panel or faulty power supply can happen, miscommunication and failure to acknowledge suggestion and for want of a better word instruction however, are unforgivable.

If there was an alternative I'd use them but I'm not sure there is really.

[Opti-cal]

It is a genuine shame as they were a great company and a few years ago had a good reputation for servicing work and looking after their customers. Just the feel of the place was one of people coming to the end of their working lives and careers. Maybe they were winding down as a company I don't know but enthusiasm and the general manner of the place was at a real low.

I might have just caught them on a bad day but it didn't seem like anything had changed for a while and would explain why I had to send my speakers back three times and why no one cared enough to read my email or send my speakers back on a proper courier.

Like I say a real shame.

Sorry that was a rather gloomy summery but I feel I should reflect what I saw and outline everything that happened.
I still love Quads though and I hope they can revitalise themselves somehow, at least in the service department!

If you plan it well and ensure very VERY clear communication I'm sure you won't have anything like the troubles I did.
Good luck (I really mean that!).

Cheers,

Chris

[Old Bean]

Yikes! Sorry if I made you relive the trauma there, that does sound like just about the worst experience possible, and I've had a few stonkingly bad experiences myself over the years (most recently receiving two wooden speaker cabinets sent via parcelforce, protected by... a bin liner and brown parcel tape. Needless to say that whilst the speakers arrived, the corners didn't).

Really appreciate you going into detail, i'll certainly make sure to drive down there personally if I ever get the ESLs repaired/serviced. (I'm actually thinking that one of the the 63s may make the perfect centre speaker in an AV setup, but will probably keep the 57s as my main HiFi speakers for the crystal clear imaging - I get a real kick out of hearing 16-ish differently placed Freddie Mercury's singing in harmony on the Prophet's Song, and don't want to compromise it :) )

Got to go, as I have the school run to do, just wanted to pen a quick thankyou before I did.

Best regards


Richard

[Opti-cal]

Hi Richard,

indeed it was a saga to rival most. But, with effort and perseverance it was resolved.

It was actually quite therapeutic typing it all out actually and actually makes any other set-backs seem mild inconveniences in comparison!

Using a 63 as a center channel, awesome. That must be a fairly serious setup you have there to justify that!
I'm really looking forward to hearing my 63's at their best again. It gives me a chance to fettle the other bits of that system which otherwise I would be reluctant to be without for any period of time.

Cheers,

Chris

[Ninanina]

Sorry to hear about your nightmare Chris, I thought Quad were better than that to be honest...


If there was an alternative I'd use them but I'm not sure there is really

I reckon Magneplaner's would be to your liking... I owned 57's for a good while and loved them but I think Maggies are similar sounding but better in my view... I definitely could not get any electrostatic's to work in my room but my Maggies work very well.. I also think that Maggies have a lot less problems than any Quad speaker

Ok Maggies would need more oomph than your current amp, but just a thought...

[Mike Reed]

Just to add my thanks for your blow by blow account, Chris. I have 2905s which are (touch wood) fine, and am always aware that they might have to go back at some stage. I'm under 100 miles away, but would need a larger estate for mine. Thought they did a collect/delivery service though. After 45+ years of moving coil speakers with no prob's, it seems odd that these ESLs don't go on forever.

[Opti-cal]

Sorry to hear about your nightmare Chris, I thought Quad were better than that to be honest...

I reckon Magneplaner's would be to your liking...

Ok Maggies would need more oomph than your current amp, but just a thought...

Hi Bev,

thanks for your suggestion. I nearly plumbed for a pair of SMGa's and also some 1.4's but decided on my new babies, the "Grand Masters" . . .

Were I to try some maggies one day I think the Neurochrome 686 (in second system) would be a good match for them, it goes to about 380w into 4ohms.

The speakers are surprising me every day and are really showing the benefits of having proper kit upstream from them. Tube changes in my pre-amp as well as speaker cable swaps/upgrades are all quite clearly audible as better or worse so I applaud their ability to identify changes in my system if nothing else, but there is a lot else!

The sense of atmosphere and realism they bring is taking me from tenterhooks on tense, engaging material, to hammock-like (cocktail in hand) albatross-esque chilled moods on contrasting pieces. I really do now understand the analogy of the hifi/speakers getting the heck out of there and just leaving music hanging for your enjoyment.
Previously I'd only experienced this to a certain extent with electrostatics with limited dynamics, now I have the magic of the imaging and resolution of them but with incredible slam and bass extension when required.

Anyway, I will be waxing lyrical about them on my other thread about new speakers/system etc as I've had enough time with them now to conclude that they are not giving much up to the Quads in terms of what the Quads do. Where they do differ however is in every department where the Quads do come up a little short.

Cheers,

Chris

[Opti-cal]

Just to add my thanks for your blow by blow account, Chris.

You're welcome Mike, like I say it was a somewhat therapeutic exercise for me anyway.

As iterated I'm sure Quad have the best intentions and their work is good once you get them to do it right. In addition they need to test them for enough time to truly test the components of an extremely complicated speaker.

As for their issues with couriers and after-sales care I think I've made it quite clear that these need improving to say the least!

Cheers,

Chris

[Audio Al]

I sent my 909 up to Quad

Waited

and waited

and waited

and waited

4 weeks later made contact and was told these things take time as we do repairs for othe audio brands , and ( From memory )
only have 4 staff members

So I waited

and waited

dito
dito
dito

eventually thinking I would never get it back phoned again and was asked to hold on and I will go and see if anythis has been done yet

Yay it was ready to be returned at the same time I chased them up

Total time away 2 months

[gizze]

I wanted to send my 985 up as I had a crack on the left speaker so wanted new panels all round.
I couldn't get any idea of timeline from them at all, I wanted to know if we were talking days, weeks, months or maybe a year?
But they said it could be any of the above, so I moved them on cheap.

Sounds like a dodged a bullet. Haha

[Barry]

Sadly all the experienced service engineers at Quad's Huntingdon site have either retired or are very close to retiring. Quad was bought by Farad Azima of Mission, along with some other notable established British brands and grouped together as the IAG (International Audio Group). This in turn was sold to the Chinese, as Farad Azima wanted to pursue development of planar loudspeaker NEXT technology.

The Chinese clearly bought it up for "the name", but were keen to develop new products (said to have been designed at Huntingdon), unlike other well regarded names in the IAG: Wharefedale for example. Initially this went well, but some Chinese sourced components (capacitors especially) used were found to be inferior, to the detriment of sound quality and to Quad's reputation.

Quad is no longer the same company it once was - sad to see such a once well regarded company go this way.

[Opti-cal]

I agree it is a shame. However, the impact here is two fold. Substituting parts for inferior ones in the name of profiteering and Penny pinching is common place, especially after takeovers. I'm not justifying or excusing that it's just not unusual.

Where they could have redeemed themselves (or at least shown some pride/professionalism) is within their customer service department. Regardless of takeover most of the management personnel remain. From what I have experienced they didn't put up much of a fight to guard the reputation of a once well respected company. They have survived only because the many people with Quad products rely on regular maintenance of their kit and are loyal to their detriment.

I met a guy in there who said he'd been back 3 times in a month as his speakers still weren't right after waiting 6 months and shelling out 2k overall.

They seem well beyond salvaging and don't even exhibit the behaviour which would warrant it, or encourage anyone to do so.

This being the case I'd much rather see my hard earned going to a more deserving party anyway.