QUEST IMPRESS

2025 Product Launch and Brand Update

On Wednesday 13 August, I had the absolute pleasure to attend Quest’s 2025 product launch and rebrand at Quest HQ, held within Australian distributor Group Technologies Training and Demonstration facility in Melbourne.

Quest speakers are everywhere; look up next time you’re in a café, restaurant, pub, nightclub, museum or anywhere else there’s music. They’ve been engineered in Melbourne for over 20 years and have grown to be an international brand with a loudspeaker for every application, and amplifiers to go with them. And a lot of it is still built here too.

Who said Australians can’t manufacture competitively?

Quest invited consultants, integrators, and end-users from around the country, and Group Technologies hosted with their customary class and flair. After a networking and drinks session, we were ushered into the excellent PA demo room and were treated to one of the best new product presentations I have ever seen, globally.

“This is a very special day for us, as we launch two new ranges, and a significant upgrade to an existing product line,” said Quest co- founder Mark Ladewig in his introduction. “It’s been a global effort to get a project of this size together, and it’s thanks to the expertise of many people from all over the world, who have contributed their unique talents across multiple disciplines. We started work on some of these products back in 2020, and we’ve spent thousands of hours on R&D and design.”

Director of Sales Shane Cannon took over and got right into it, introducing us to the upgraded MX6 and MX8 loudspeakers, and their new addition, the MX4. They’re all two-way weatherproof loudspeakers, IP55, or IP65 with an included connector cover fitted. The model names are totally straightforward, the MX4 has a 4” woofer, the MX6 a 6” woofer…you get the idea. Then Shane unleashed an audio demo of the MX8s, without subs, and no 8” in a plastic box has any business sounding as good (and as loud) as they did.

Shane went on to announce two new models of pendant speaker, one with a 4” and one with a 6” woofer. In addition, an intriguing new product that is a variation on their existing MX6C ceiling speaker, with the addition of a PoE amplifier with a Dante/AES67 input, that can also power another MX6C.

The next reveal was updated QXD four channel power amplifiers, with the addition of Dante/AES67 and DSP. The DSP is impressive at this end of the market – 32-bit, 96kHz sample rate, FIR filters, parametric EQs, compressors, and dynamics. They’re built to play nice with major players like Q-SYS, and have a host of power saving green features.

Shane then debuted the Qi Series of timber cabinet loudspeakers designed for installations, including two weatherproof models in the most commonly deployed sizes of 8” and 12”. Two compact companion subwoofer models, a 12” and an 18” were also released. We were then treated to a demo, starting with the QI5 5” and working up to the Q15 15”, with sub. The QI15 pinned me to the back wall with a heavy EDM track and stayed utterly clean while doing it. Very impressive.

General Manager Anthony Touma closed out the show with an update on Quest’s clean, cool new website, new logo, and marketing strategy, with an increased emphasis on assisting consultants and integrators to pitch and present to their clients. He also teased Quest simulator software that will help them do this.

Best of all, every new product in the presentation is either in production or already shipping, with the whole range available by October. Support Australian manufacturing and get quoting!

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Main Pic: Shane Cannon