The Quad ESL 57 thread

Not only that, but according to Peter Walker they are there for a reason. They affect the sound.

 

I did the caps, but not the socks. I agree that it's a HUGE difference!

The sock thing is scary if you have pets, offspring or strangers in the house, and they'll look like Skeletor's speakers.

Stephen

 

Congrats on your recent quad purchase.

I own Harbeth Monitor 30's. I bought them from a dealer real close to you in Scotts Valley. The guy let me take home the M30, Super HL5, and the Compact 7SE for an extended in home audition. I kept the M30's.
A lot of ex-quad owners are now owners of Harbeth speakers. The Harbeth newsgroup is full of ex-quad owners.

 

Excellent!

 

By the way, Vinyl-Addict...could you tell me why you chose the Monitor 30s over the Super HL5s? I love the 30s and I'm pretty sure I'll buy a pair soon, but I did want to listen to the Supers first.

 

I sent you a P.M.

 

New ESL Research

Check out the new article by Matthew Lattis in June 05 AudioXpress on ESL design. This is the first installment of several articles. Best regards Moray James.

 

How much juice does it take to drive Quads to reasonable levels? I assume 8-watt SE amps are not suitable. I've always been tempted to get a pair.

 

ESL 57's

I have a pair of ESL 57's, mainly listen to Audio Note AN-SEC Silvers because they work with 300B's, but some of the best listening I've ever done was on the ESL 57's and they are unfailingly musical. They were the first speakers that took me out of ordinary hi-fi and into a different realm. I had very good luck driving them with Audio Note's P2SE, which is a single ended pentode design - 16 watts/channel. Even with the cost of refurbishment, which they usually need they are a bargain, owning and listening to them will be an education. There has been quite a bit of discussion of the Harbeths, I had a pair of Compact 7's and liked them a lot in a medium sized room.

 

Gave up my fully-restored 57s for Audio Note AN-SEs and with only the tiniest regret have never looked back.

I like and respect Dr Quad but I feel that the work Wayne Picquet is doing with the 57s is the best to be found. Incredible.

I'm going to hear a pair of compact 7s tomorrow just out of curiosity; I've never heard a Harbeth.

Audio Note gear requires some effort to find but that effort is well rewarded. I use an audio note soro single-ended amp with my speakers.

 

Please give a listen to the Harbeth Monitor 30's when you are there. The Compact 7SE is a fine speaker, especially for the money, all Harbeth speakers are sensibly priced for that matter.
I guess since I own M30's and have had the opportunity to listen to both Compact 7Se and SHL5 in my system at home makes me partial to the Monitor series presentation, excellent overall tone, sweeter midrange, IMO.

 

A lot is said already on how they sound. I think there is general agreement that they sound excellent. The main disadvantages would be lack of bass and not playing loud enough. I think both are disadvantages have a lot to do with so many ESL 57 out there that are not up to spec. The speaker has been manufactured for over 40 years and not everybody will have taken care over their speakers as they should have done.

When up to specifications a single pair will play as loud as you want in an average room, it will give you the idea of being actually there. In my opinion their is only one better option then a pair of ESL 57's and that is a pair of stacked ESL 57's. A stacked pair will add just that bit extra to make you think that not only you are there but actually very near the stage.

What I miss in all comparisons is the topic price. There may be better speakers then the ESL 57 but they are absolutely unbeatable when price is part of the comparison.

I have had my ESL 57's completely refurbished by One Thing Audio in England and they did a perfect job. They work flawlesly for over four years now. Before the refurbisment I owned them for about 20 years without any maintainance. They worked adequate at the end of this period but they were in need for service. When they returned from England I was completely stunned on how much better they had become. My advice: always have them completey overhauled if there is no evidence that they have been serviced in past ten or so years.

I used to drive them with a simple Quad 303 which worked very nice. Now I use a Quad 909 and this works even better. Also had quite good results with a NAD 270 and 370.

Their is a lot of information on the ESL 57 on The Audio Circuit, a site on audio equipment I maintain. Hope this helps, Hans Zeeuwe

One thing Audio
The Audio Circuit

 

I had a perfect pair for years - and am as expert on these as anything.

If you could , ship them to Classique Sounds in Leceister - he'll get One Thing Audio to fix them up.

The main thing to remember is clamps- these help you use tranny amps - I wouldn't use 12-20 watts of the best push pull power you can find. I don't care what anyone says, amps like nait 2, levinson etc will arc them one day - result...new panel.

Keep them off the floor - get a short pair of speaker stands and put them on.
This will give you more bass

Don't worry about expensive cable or power conditioners.

Don't play them too loud.

I'd recommend Quad II's or the ultimate amp mate for 57's the Radford STA 15 or 25

You need a big room - they need at least 6ft behind them

Don't worry about how close to the side walls they are.

I had to sell mine due to space.

Final warning - these are really antisocial speakers -the sweetspot is only 1ft wide. If two want to listen - you need sit behind each other- cockpit style.

Let me know if I can help further and don't buy from Tranny amp users.

Tim

 

with respect to your source- that's b*llocks - the 63's are amazing and better the 57's in many ways - unless you only ever listen to chamber music

Tim

 

NNNNnnnnOOOOOooooo - don't take the covers off- the socks are only on 63s

 

I had a pair of 63's driven by a Berning EA230 triode and then 2 in mono for 60 watts///Sounded tremendous either way. To me, nothing reproduces the voice like the 63's. Its such a palpable, 3D experience...Lots of body. Clarity as well...and I must say, they go quite low and loud for me. I listened to Yes and King Crimson and large orchestral pieces, and didnt feel cheated at all.

Now I have Tannoy Monitor Gold 12's and love them as well,,,but its not as palpable like a giant pair of moving lips when a solo voice or cello sings...but quite close..

 

A 1 amp fuse in the speaker line won't do you much good... the speaker arcs at different powers based on the frequency and humidity...

As for compressing on loud passages, yes they compress on Wagner, but if they're compressing on smaller works, I'd suspect the Scott amplifier, as the Quads aren't as easy a load as Tannoys or Altecs. I've had the worst problems with arcing while using a Studer 15W monitor amplifier in my mixing desk, and the fewest problems with either of my current amplifiers. (New York Audio Labs OTL's and HK Citation II's, which are each around 60WPC.)

I've been using ESL's and ESL63's in my room since 2000, and have not been able to use another speaker since...

Regards,

Dylan Constan-Wahl

 

Assume that a peak of 33 vrms seen by the speaker causes ESL-57 speakers to arc and then the panels become damaged. The peak vrms seen by a speaker is usually estimated by multiplying the maximum loudspeaker load on the amplifier as measured in vrms by the square root of 2. As a very general rule of thumb, that equates to about 35 watts of tube amplification. Hence, it is good practice to use an amplifier that cannot produce such a maximum peak. Then you can play ESL-57s as loud as you like without arcing concerns. In good condition, 102 db at one metre is no big deal for ESL-57s and that IS loud.

Most ESL-57s that appear on the market have been used for twenty years or more, and the panels are tired. As the panels tire, owners ever so gradually over the years turn the power up to get the same volume they are used to, hence, more peak volts rms are seen by the speakers, and with unsuited amplifiers (> 33 peak vrms) arcing eventually occurs.

With a suitable amplifier, arcing cannot occur.

Restore your ESL-57s to factory specification and they will go down to below 40 Hz, stand them on a solid base about 14 inches from the ground and one yard from a back wall and then supply them with a quality analog source. Double bass sounds just like a double bass sounds and there is no problem getting a pair of ESL-57s to rattle the picture frames hanging on the wall and feel low frequency vibrations through the soles of your shoes. Four ESL-57s are something else and six ESL-57s are indescribable. It is also possible to improve ESL-57s to better than their original specification.

After another twenty years (2026) of fabulous listening you should get your ESL-57s restored again to specification for the next twenty years (2046).

 

Radford STA-25 for ESL-57

Don't play them too loud.
Hi Tim,

this is my first post, I think the list is just fine.
Have you compared a Radford STA-25 to an Audio Note P2SE for driving ESL-57's? Quite a few people recommend those two amps for old Quads.
I use a pair of refurbed Heathkit W-5M's and prefer classical (all sorts) and jazz. My Quads are raised 23 inches off the ground. Not a big room, though.
Best,
Thrass




I'd recommend Quad II's or the ultimate amp mate for 57's the Radford STA 15 or 25

You need a big room - they need at least 6ft behind them

Don't worry about how close to the side walls they are.

I had to sell mine due to space.

Final warning - these are really antisocial speakers -the sweetspot is only 1ft wide. If two want to listen - you need sit behind each other- cockpit style.

Let me know if I can help further and don't buy from Tranny amp users.

Tim[/QUOTE]

 

Unless you've got a room 15ft x 12ft minimum, no furniture, no partner or lover, and only like chamber music etc etc - oh and the the treble panel will be knackered.

so no don't buy them.

I miss mine terribly - best speaker ever made IMHO


tim

 

Tim,

thanks for the passionate reply.
My pair has been here since last october and the better half does not quite love them...
BUT: my question regarded the subject which amp you recommend, the Radford STA-25 or the Audio Note P2SE?
I would be glad to know if you have listened to both with your ESL-57's.
I would also be glad to receive replies from anyone who has.
Best,
Thrass

 

Hi,
the two imo and in my experience best cone speakers (Monitor 40 and SP-100) in one and the same post, now that is something! Those are the only cones I could live with after having lived by my ESL-57's. All of those speakers sound very natural.
Best,
thrass

 

Hi,
did you use to listen to orchestral music with the P2SE? How was that? Enough power to do an orchestra some justice in your room?
Thanks,
thrass

 

I owned a pair of SP100s for many years and agree. Lost them in the custody battle, though! I've gone SET/high-efficiency since then, but I still think about Harbeth Monitor 30s and some Naim amplification in the future...

 

I've had them in smaller rooms and they sound fantastic. At the moment they are either side of a chimney breast less than 1 foot from the back wall (toe'd in of course to improve the sweet spot but also to reduce reflections back into the panels) and they still sound fantastic!!

I have a partner, a wife, two young children, two cats and love all kinds of music too.

I've used 50 Watt solid state amps with no problems in 10 years - and the speakers are over 30 years old.

People talk about the Quads like they are just one problem after another but apart from the fights with my wife about keeping them in the lounge they have been a dream.