I recently visited a high¬end audio shop in Mumbai and heard Quad 280S ELSs (Electrostatic Loudspeakers) and it reminded me ofthe father (and inventor) ofthe ESLs, late Peter Walker who was also instrumental in creating the Quad brand. After a long siesta, the brand is back into business and Walker must be smiling in his grave to hear accolades acknowledging his dedication to the field. These full range ESLs with a pricetag of around Rs 4.S1akhs is worth every rupee if you're looking for class and not simply punch and power.

With the Marantz CD700I KI Signature, Mark and Levinson 38S preamp and a pair of Bryston 7BST power amps, all connected via transparent audio cabling - the Quad system was high-end but not exactly an apt match. Still the performance and refinement were immense. This is not a rig for the party makers, but for the people who look at crispness, speed, detail, soundstage, depth and sheer tonal richness in their music. My biggest inhibition about the absence of bass was completely eliminated after hearing its performance.

The bass wasn't coming from a powerful 12 or 15-inch woofer like body so it was not very punchy and powerful, but it was deepenough (down to around 80Hz) and exceptionally quick. The Quads need good breathing space behind them to give bass and open soundstaging so if you have a big room and peace at heart (since you're rich) then this can be the nirvana on earth for you ..

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