QUAD Elegan 1 and Elegan 2: Two New Speakers Worth Knowing About
There's a particular kind of quiet confidence that runs through everything QUAD make. No flashing lights, no unnecessary complexity — just considered engineering applied to a specific problem. The new Elegan range is a good example of that instinct at work.
Two models: the QUAD Elegan 1, a compact two-way standmount, and the QUAD Elegan 2, a three-way floorstander. Both designed by Peter Comeau, both available in matt black or walnut veneer, and both — if the engineering translates to listening — likely to make a strong case at their respective price points.
Why Kevlar, and why now?
QUAD have been working with woven Kevlar cone drivers for twenty-five years. That's not a marketing footnote — it's the kind of material familiarity that actually makes a difference in the fine-tuning of a driver. Kevlar's appeal is well understood: it's stiff enough to resist breakup at higher frequencies while remaining light enough to move quickly. The result, when the geometry and damping are right, is a cone that does what it's told rather than adding its own character to the sound.
Both the Elegan 1 and Elegan 2 use Kevlar throughout, save for the shared 25mm fabric-dome tweeter. In the Elegan 2, that dedicated 12.5cm Kevlar midrange driver sits in its own internal chamber — a detail that matters, because a midrange driver sharing an enclosure with bass drivers is fighting a losing battle against cabinet pressure and resonance. Isolating it removes that problem at source.
The Elegan 2 in detail
The Elegan 2 is the more ambitious design. Twin 16.5cm Kevlar bass drivers work alongside the isolated midrange unit and the fabric-dome tweeter, with QUAD's Airflow port system managing low-frequency loading. Bass extension reaches 32Hz — useful headroom for anything with real bottom-end weight, from double bass to kick drum.
Both models use a high-frequency waveguide around the tweeter, which QUAD say optimises dispersion and smooths the transition into the midrange. It's a small thing that tends to make a meaningful difference to how a speaker performs off-axis — important if you're not always sitting in exactly the right spot.
Heritage
The Elegans are positioned as spiritual successors to QUAD's L Series, a line that earned a solid reputation in the early 2000s. Peter Comeau's involvement is worth noting — he has a long track record with speaker design, and the philosophy here reads as straightforward: well-chosen drivers, controlled cabinet loading, and geometry that works in real rooms rather than just measurement chambers.
What to pair them with
Both speakers are well-suited to QUAD's own amplification — the Quad Artera Stereo makes an obvious and tidy pairing for either model, keeping the system within a single design family. For those who want separates, the Quad Artera Pre opens up further options. The Elegan 2, with its greater bass extension, also rewards a more powerful amplifier if you're listening at higher volumes in a larger room.
Hear them at Martins Hi-Fi
Dave, Chris and Tim are on hand to advise on the Elegans and how they fit into your wider system — whether you're starting from scratch or adding speakers to an existing setup.
Martins Hi-Fi has been in Norwich since 1968. Elizabeth Gould runs the business today, and we stock only brands we have heard properly and stand behind. You can hear both the Elegan 1 and Elegan 2 at our Norwich showroom — contact us to arrange a demonstration before committing.
Contact us at info@martinshifi.co.uk, call 01603 627010, or WhatsApp on 07554 687137. You can read more about how we work on our Why Martins Hi-Fi page. We are at 85–91 Ber Street, Norwich, NR1 3EY.
