I am very biased.
Have been a loyal Quad 57 owner for far longer than any other speaker.
They don’t do big dynamics and are a bit frequency limited but what they do is truly natural and lovely. And their transparency is addicting.
However, after almost 70 years, Quad has made a speaker that not only retains the beautiful features of the original 57, they have made a speaker that addresses all the deficiencies. And the icing on the cake is that their 2812 and 2912 modern models have lowered their price by 50%! I got my new 2812X about a week ago.
It retails for $10K. Their dynamics are scary. Their detail is stunning. And they are lovely to look at and beautifully built.
I am one of the first to receive the new X. I was afraid that I would miss the addictive sound of the 57s. But I am putting my 57s for sale. The 2812X is everything I have always wanted in a speaker.
They have yet to be reviewed. But after showing at the CAF, more than one reviewer placed the system with the 2812X as one of the best 5. That system was about $40K. And the other 4 were all above $2-3 hundred thousand!
I am powering mine with a great Dartzeel CTH 8550 MK2 integrated. It is pricy. But I formerly had Atma-Sphere’s new Class D amps. Those would also be a great match for the Quads. And are a steal at $5400.