Quad ESL 57s: What Amp Makes them Sing THE Best?

I am hoping to buy my first pair of expertly restored Quad 57s this year. One Quad 57 owner I know whose been extremely generous with his time and expertise said he thinks that 45 and 2A3 amps would sound great, but no where near enough power. But that KT88, GM70, GU50, indeed all Pentodes may have the wpc but don't sound nice with Quads.

Needless to say, its also common knowledge that due to the 57's wild load impedance LOTS of solid-state amps make the Quads sound too bright and/or too thin in the midbass, much less whatever lower bass the 57s can do.

And yet loads of you Quad 57 owners have racked up many happy years, even decades-but driving them with WHICH amps?? And please, please be specific and honest about their performance!

Large billowing sound stage in all dimensions, where on most recordings everything seems to happen in an area that extends equally higher and wider deeper than the speakers.

Superb 3D imaging with lifelike spatial placement of vocals and instruments. Full of ease and airiness around the players, with subtle nuances of vocal qualities and breathing patterns and guitar wood tom head timbres.

Vocals, piano strikes, string plucks and snare drum strikes, come forward (or bring you in) to create a dynamic and holographic effect, as if you had been transported into the live venue.

Lifelike, midrange with stunning female vocals and all harmonics of all instruments delivered with effortless realism.

Midrange that gets the most out of the Quads-BUT without undo forwardness.

Airy, tinkling, sweet sounding highs with good to excellent extension but no brightness or etched textures.

Very smooth subtle, liquid, clean and real sounding highs. Cymbals take on more weight, substance and air around them.

Extended but controlled micro and macrodynamic detail. An amplifier that allows you to understand more about each instrument as a whole and how it interacted within the recording venue.


Clean, fast, well-defined, controlled, deep robust bass, with ample grip and weight, and that extends below the response of the Quads themselves. No exaggerated midbass or lower bass tones.

Tonally accurate enough so you think you’re in the event, yet with some degree of “warmth”.

Sound that was smooth and detailed, with natural sounding textures.

And with delicate airiness, crispiness and dryness of tone and timbre.

Able to deliver its full frequency range at low levels for late night listening.

Honestly, now-are you getting ALL of this with WHAT amp driving your Quad ESL 57s??

 

Marantz 8b with NOS Mullard X2 EL34's

Every single thing you just described.

 

Berning EA-230 is one of the better choices for the Quads.

Scott

 

The Berning 230's been out at least since 2011, when I read Dick Olsher's review, so maybe I could afford a used one by now. But a Marantz 8B? I could imagine what that would go for at audiogon, if anyone would even sell theirs. And it really does it all for the Quad 57s?

Blast that horrid load impedance; no doubt the cause of at least half of this amplifier madness.

 

How about a Quad 303? It's a solid state amp rather than tubed amp but it mates well with the ESLs. 303s can be had for about ~$300 used and their are many existing mods and upgrades, as well as 303 restoration services available.

Scott

 

I have a restored Quad 303 and IMO it does about 1/3 of what the OP has listed in his very detailed sonic wishlist. The 303 would be nice and all but wouldn't make them "sing the best" IME. Unfortunately the best costs just a bit more, but in the long run is worth every penny.

 

Roger Modjeski designed the Music Reference RM10 for his own 57s. The RM10 and the 57s are a very popular combination.

 

With that laundry list, I'd recommend a bag of weed in addition to whatever amplifier you eventually settle on.

 

Berning 270 is the main amp for my Quads (see profile). You will get a nice mix of tube vs solid state sound. But really, they're Quads. So many amps will sound great...

I would disagree on the comment about pentode amps not sounding great with Quads.

SET would not be a good choice.

 

For solid state I would add Naim to our host's recommendation.

 

I found Quad 57 unlistenable irrespective of any amp being used due to their beaming effect, I did have later Quad ELS for many years, but now much prefer good transmission line speakers

 

I have spent 25 years on this very subject.
The very best is the Radford 15 watts or the Quad IIs
but both matching pre amps are poor, so for the best sound a modern valve
pre like Croft, Copland, or Audio Note.

I could write a book on all the experimenting I have done.
Above is a very short answer.
Leaks also do a great job.

The only s/s amp to use in the Nait 2

 

with 57s.are you sure Steve? these speakers expect about 20watts and no more, or you'll arc the panels
modern clamp boards fix some of this, but I can't see how a S/S amp of 400w can be the answer.

Or were you just kidding?

 

6moons audio reviews: RoadTour 17 »

this is THE one to get. Many think it's the best valve amp ever made

 

Yes, the Quad 57’s dreaded “head in vise” HF range ~1 foot lateral sweet spot. It is tragic that after all of these decades no DIYer have found a way to banish it for good.

But maybe someone has done it, sort of. Check out what Dover said about adding “Sequerra ribbons”.
Solid State Amps for Quad ESL 57? | Audiogon Discussion Forum »

 

I would think that about the biggest no-brainer possible for those like us, unless you’ve been living or thinking as if on a deserted island for decades, is that next high SPLs (or perhaps even sustained moderately high SPLs), smoking anything is among the best ways to damage your hearing-permanently.

Here’s a list of other things to stay away from.
Ototoxic Drugs | NVRC.org »
Some popular drugs can cause hearing loss - Fortmyersbeachtalk.com | Fort Myers Beach Bulletin, Fort Myers Beach Observer. »

Thanks to all for this wealth of amplifier choices. AND I am assuming that each recommended amp does indeed enable the Quad 57s to realize all of my sonic criteria, yes?

Please qualify your comments, making any substitutions, if needed.

And then please see my next post: Quad 57 ESL: Stands & What Subs? »

Thanks.

 

My Quads are rebuilt with arc protection...both the original and 63. Furthermore, Naim amps and other solid state amps will work with Quads whether one has this protection or not. All depends on the end user and the caution they bring. Would recommend arc protection, regardless.

The amplifiers you mention are very British-centric. Did you try Berning amps? The Berning 270, for example, is impervious impedance fluctuations. Furthermore, one has three choices of amplifier output impedance to suit user taste.

Radford is an extremely well built amp and it's massive amount of feedback means a great match with Quads. However, I find the Berning amps to be superior. This is down to taste and no matter how much experimentation, to state a particular amp is "very best" is simply incorrect.

There is a lot of discussion on the web about amps to use with Quads. There are many other choices than mentioned here and truthfully, there is no "best".

 

Thanks, Mom. I doubt your'e going to blow your ears out with most of the amps being suggested. And who mentioned anything about loud SPL levels?

Plus, it totally helps with deep robust ample grip and microdynamic crisp dry interactions.

 

Who are the best Quad 57 rebuilders in the USA these days?

 

As per my last post, safety first always. Thus, regarding arc protection I’d be purchasing my restored panels from one like ElectroStatic Solutions » or Quads Unlimited » Both install this full protection without question.

Yes, the Berning OTL amps are likely an excellent match with the Quads. David Berning ZH-230 Stereo Power Amplifier (TAS 210) »

No, it were the others here who apparently know well of the British amps; I’ve only heard of the names Leak and Radford. Perhaps not all heavy feedback amps sound bad (the old Futterman’s?), but there are surely amps that will run stable enough with such excess even with the Quads’ wild loading.

Never heard of Croft or Copland. Audio Note? Certainly yes, but probably WAY too costly even used, especially with all of those pricey “Levels”! There are those AN kits or other AN amps from China, though a big AN repair/upgrade firm in NYC claims they use transformers inferior to the UK made ones. But I will keep Naim in mind for Quad-friendly SS amps.

As to any notion of what’s the “best” amp, please recall that like I said in the beginning it would be the amp that best gets the Quad 57s to perform to my sonic criteria, listed above-which I would think would be just about anyone’s. But finding such an amp for the Quad 57s might not be so plain and simple. But that Marantz, one of the Bernings or even those Chinese-issued Audio Notes (if it has enough wpc) might come very close.

 

What about this reissue?

 

Where’s this coming from? In all my years of pursuing solutions to problems and concerns in audio, I’ve never been answered with the suggestion that smoking marijuana-or smoking anything-or doing “recreational” drugs is a reasonable substitute for spending time posting anything here or at diyaudio.com, audiocircle.com, audioasylum.com, audiotalk.uk.co, et al.

I was merely, and based on conclusive medical studies, accurately equating smoking-which is how the drug that you suggested I take is usually ingested-with the hazards of high SPLs. Apparently, you see little if any danger in exposure to either.

But if you choose to continue such ototoxic behavior then I’m sure that at least the hearing aide industry will soon enough love you for it. The best ones I hear are >$6K-as if they are any kind of aural substitute for this priceless gift you clearly take for granted. You might as well compare a $100. soundcard to a DCS DAC.

And as we are essentially a visual culture (i.e. 4K res TVs are dirt cheap compared to what we here spend on audio hardware), even the cheapest hearing aides-unlike eyeglasses-aren’t even covered by most healthcare plans. Take care, son.

 

Hmm, I'm not even at all familiar with the old issue. I know that Radford's a well-established British amp but I'd want to read what users at several forum I frequent have to say about what the original and this amp does for the Quads. Thanks for the tip.

 

I wonder if the 25W/ch Nelson Pass First Watt amps would be good with Quads?