Quad’s latest loudspeakers promise high-end performance at reasonable prices. Their simple design features two models: the standmount Elegan 1 and the floorstanding Elegan 2. Quad claims each is “painstakingly engineered for optimal performance from its specific form factor.”
As an audio brand, Quad has always prioritized components and engineering. Both new Elegan speakers embody this philosophy with their elegant and simple architecture and clean, crisp appearance.
While newly designed, the Elegans are Quad’s spiritual successors to the company’s L Series speakers, which gained acclaim in the early 2000s. Their conceptual simplicity extends to their limited finish options. The all-black finish mirrors the deep, non-reflective “stealth black” finish of Quad’s ESL X electrostatic speakers, which were launched last year. The walnut option adds a touch of real wood class, complementing the matt black front baffle.
Aesthetically and sonically, the Elegan speakers match Quad’s popular 3, 33 and 303 electronic components. This creates complete Quad hi-fi systems at “affordable high-end” price points. They’re also compatible with other audio brands.
Acoustic Architecture
Designed by Quad’s longtime acoustic design director Peter Comeau, the Elegan speakers feature woven Kevlar driver technology. Kevlar is five times stronger than steel by weight, used in industrial applications like ballistic body armor and aircraft and spacecraft structural reinforcement.
Kevlar is also an ideal material for loudspeaker cones due to its exceptionally high tensile strength-to-weight ratio. This allows for a speaker cone with a perfect balance of stiffness and controlled response. Quad explains that this facilitates precise pistonic behavior over a wider bandwidth, reducing unwanted resonance and improving midrange clarity.
Quad has been using Kevlar for speaker cones since the launch of the 11L and 12L speakers in 2002. In the intervening 25 years, Quad says it has gained valuable experience that it’s applied to optimize cone construction and drive unit assemblies on the new speakers. This expertise has resulted in the Elegan 1 and Elegan 2 being Quad’s best Kevlar-based drivers yet.
The cones are made from lattice-woven Kevlar impregnated with a self-damping resin to minimize distortion. The Elegan 1 features a classic two-way design with a 165mm Kevlar mid/bass driver and a 25mm fabric-dome treble unit. It’s suitable for smaller rooms and near-midfield listening.
The Elegan 2 floorstander has a three-way architecture for an extended frequency response. Dual 165mm bass drivers provide a low-end extension down to 32Hz (-6dB) while a dedicated 125mm midrange driver housed within its own chamber offers clarity and expression in the critical midband. All three drivers use woven Kevlar cones and the same 25mm fabric dome tweeter as the Elegan 1. These larger speakers are designed for larger rooms.
In both speaker pairs, a carefully profiled high-frequency waveguide optimizes dispersion for a smooth transition into the midrange. This controlled directivity ensures consistent off-axis performance, which is crucial for real-world listening environments.
Crossover Design
Meticulously designed crossovers are essential in a good loudspeaker, ensuring the various drivers work harmoniously. Each Elegan model features a specially crafted crossover, meticulously developed through computer modelling and extensive listening tests, to optimize phase coherence for seamless driver integration.
Both models use a Linkwitz-Riley acoustic topology. The Elegan 2 boasts a more intricate three-way configuration incorporating fourth-order slopes for midrange-to-treble integration and second-order slopes for bass-to-midrange. This approach guarantees controlled driver handover, preserving tonal consistency and spatial stability.
Component selection prioritizes polypropylene capacitors with aircore inductors for the midrange and treble sections and high-power laminated cores for the bass. The PCB layout is optimized for signal integrity, featuring short signal paths and controlled grounding. Quad claims this results in a loudspeaker system functioning as a unified acoustic source, rather than a collection of individual drive units.
Cabinet Engineering
The cabinet, alongside the drive units and crossover, constitutes the third crucial element of any high-performance loudspeaker. These core components must be designed and engineered in unison to deliver a cohesive and fully optimized acoustic performance.
Drawing inspiration from the concept of a two-way standmount speaker and a three-way floorstander, the Elegan 1 and Elegan 2 were crafted as individually unified systems, distinct yet optimized for maximum performance across both form factors.
Cabinet proportions are designed for in-room practicality and acoustic performance, especially when paired with the drive units. Internal volume is crucial; the Elegan 1 boasts a precisely calculated 15.5 liters, while the Elegan 2 features 14.5 liters in the midrange and 31 liters in the bass enclosure. These volumes, combined with the drivers and crossovers, create an ideal sonic balance.
High-density cabinet walls, strategically braced and damped, control panel resonance and minimize energy storage. This ensures the cabinet’s contribution stays below the audio signal level. The speakers’ substantial weight – 8.9kg for the Elegan 1 and 27.8kg for the Elegan 2 – reflects their structural integrity.
Bass loading is managed by the QUAD Airflow port system, incorporating profiled geometries to reduce turbulence and promote smoother airflow. Quad claims this results in cleaner, more controlled low-frequency performance with reduced distortion.
Pricing and Availability:
The Quad Elegan 1 and Elegan 2 speakers are available from 24th July 2026 in deep matt black or walnut wood veneer. The Elegan 1 costs $995 / £749 / €999 per pair and the Elegan 2 $1,995 / £1,499 / €1,899 per pair.
Tech Specs:
Quad Elegan 1
- Configuration: 2-way.
- Enclosure type: Bass reflex.
- Treble driver: 25mm fabric dome.
- Bass driver: 165mm woven Kevlar cone.
- Sensitivity (2.83v @ 1m): 86dB.
- Recommended amp power: 30 – 150W.
- Nominal impedance: 8Ω.
- Minimum impedance: 4.3Ω.
- Freq. response (+/-3dB): 56Hz – 24kHz.
- Bass extension (-6dB): 44Hz.
- Crossover frequency: 2.9kHz.
- Cabinet volume: 15.5l.
- Dimensions: 365 x 220 x 300mm.
- Weight (each speaker): 8.9kg.
Quad Elegan 2
- Configuration: 3-way floorstander.
- Enclosure type: Bass reflex.
- Treble driver: 25mm fabric dome.
- Midrange driver: 165mm woven Kevlar cones (x2).
- Bass driver: 165mm woven Kevlar cone.
- Sensitivity (2.83v @ 1m): 90dB.
- Recommended amp power: 30 – 200W.
- Nominal impedance: 8Ω.
- Minimum impedance: 3Ω.
- Freq. response (+/-3dB): 44Hz – 24kHz.
- Bass extension (-6dB): 32Hz.
- Crossover frequency: 480Hz; 2.7kHz.
- Cabinet volume: 14.5l (mid) / 31l (bass).
- Dimensions: 942 x 220 x 340mm.
- Weight (each speaker): 27.8kg.
