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Conducting a survey of former Quad 57 owners. Please fill out the form and repost:1) I used to have Quad 57 ESLs, but now I have _______.
2) What I like about my new speakers is _______.
3) What I don't like about my new speakers is _______.
4) What I miss most about my Quads is _______.
Here's mine:
1) KEF 105.2, modified with protection circuitry removed, new front panels, and a 10" Vifa woofer.
2) Quad-like transparency, but with more dynamics, a wider listening field, and no fear of blowing them up if the volume is too loud....or worrying about costly repairs or maintenance.
3) Nowhere near as romantic and euphoric a listening experience as the Quads. Can be harsh with the wrong program material...but then again most speakers are that way.
4) The Quads were pure magic....completely and totally fatigue-free without a trace of harshness.
Follow Ups:
A dynamic speaker that comes closest to the qualities of an electrostatic transducer plus it has real dynamics and bass!For years I was contemplating going into the world of electrostatics but thanks god I found ATC.
1) Still own the 57's but they're in storage as I'm overseas on assignment for a few years. Now use Mordaunt Short Performance 6.2) The most transparent moving coil design I've ever heard - extended and airy highs, lightening fast bass response and beautifully integrated top to bottom.
3) Not a lot - Not quite the equal of the Quad's midrange seductiveness, but, oh so close!
4) What I miss - Low listening level bliss - no other speaker can match 'em for transparency and smoothness at low listening levels. Of course I also miss the questions from visitors to the house - "what the hell are those things?"
I don't honestly think I'll ever get rid of them. When I go back home, I'll pull them out, service them and set them up in a tube based 2nd system and I know I'll do plenty of late night listening to these favourites.
There are still plenty of refurbished '57s for sale
1) I used to have Quad 57 ESLs, but now I have a horn system: EV T350, JBL 2450 with 400Hz Tatematu wood horn, Altec 515E in Tatematu NS-150 cabs. Marchand active crossover and triamped.2) What I like about my new speakers is dynamics, effortlessness, efficiency, flexibility, transparency, huge soundstage, ability to use flea-powered amps.
3) What I don't like about my new speakers is the extreme sensitivity to program materials. Some bad recordings are unlistenable. The horns just amplifies the most minute details. I am hearing details in recordings that I have never noticed before. The horns also occupy a lot more space.
4) What I miss most about my Quads is their unique appearance, the transparency, and the way they make almost everything sound good. What I don't miss is the dynamic compression, the narrow sweet spot, the high maintenance (I have changed different panels over time so that the Quads that I sold had no original panel left !), the sensitivity to humidity (a problem in Hong Kong), the lack of deep bass, and my paranoia when I playback my uncompressed master tapes of live concerts.
Hi AdrianYour experiences are nearly identical to mine. Can you please tell me what amps you are using on your horns.
Cheers. Doug
1) I used to have Quad 57 ESLs, but now I have had a good many speakers after the 57s, I kept looking for the Magic. First I stacked the Quads, then a sub, then a ribbon and then I tryed some horns, then finnally the Audio Note AN Es, but I was about to buy a refurbished pair when I found the Ikonoklast model 3s.2) What I like about my new speakers is they do everthing the Quad 57s did just a little better. With Vinyl they will play louder than 57s, they don't arch, and they are more extended in the top end.
3) What I don't like about my new speakers? Not much
4) What I miss most about my Quads is the light show when I played them to loud, just joking, but I think what I miss most are the memories.
jrn,The Ikonoklast 3 looks very interesting. How do they compare to your AN E's in terms of transparency and realism? Is your review going to be published soon on Dagogo?
Thanks,
O
Those memories are what always brought me back to the 57's. There were nights of magic with the quads that were never equalled with any other speaker - no particular sonic attribute one could name, but rather the organic, pure, unadulterated "whole-ness" of the entire experience (true audiophiles are likely to miss this alltogether). There is something about the speed of electrostatic response combined with the complete detachment of the sound from the speakers that drills to the core of a music lover's heart. I can think of particular nights of magic dating back 20 years now - where I remember exactly what I was listening to, what it sounded like, and how it made me feel at that very moment - as if it were yesterday.I convinced myself for brief periods of time that I was content with other speakers - including the Quad 989's - but it never lasted. Imagine my surprise when I moved to a condo with a 23x13 room 2 years ago and got even better sound than I ever had in the previous 18 years with Quad ESL's - this room just works magic (probably because the Quads are between rooms and therefore have no wall behind for 8'). I've had my Quads in probably 15 different rooms over the years and it's by far the largest determinant of sound quality - I'll take a Quad 303 in a good room over Atma-spheres in a bad room any day - thus is the life with Quads. But Quads in the right room will retire you from the chase, and will assist you in nailing down your sources VERY fast - you won't be changing them like socks either. Since I got to my current room I've changed nothing, and never will again. I'll never move now! Nor will I ever have another speaker.
You'll be back - you all will (insert evil laugh here). When you've been even FIVE years with your new speakers, then let me know - THEN I'll be impressed! I'm at 20 and counting - assuming I live to 74 it will be a total of 50 years - I have no doubt my 1969 Quads will outlive me.
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1) I used to have a Morgan 4/4, but now I have an Acura.2) What I like about my new car is I don't get snowed on when it snows or rained on when it rains. And I can carry stuff in it.
3) What I don't like about my new car is it doesn't corner as well and it's way less cool.
4) What I miss most about my Morgan is I could pass Corvettes on curves.
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1) I used to have Quad 57 ESLs, but now I have an Audiostatic DCI.2) The Audiostatics have much better soundstage height because it is much taller line source. The restricted soundstage height of the Quad ESL drove me spare, I did a lot of my serious listening sitting on the floor or short stool, otherwise I missed out on the sweet spot! And on aesthetic note, the Quads were frumpy, their width overpowered my listening/living space. the Quads simply cannot match the understated elegance of the Audiostatics.
3) After equalization, there is nothing to dislike about the Audiostatics, the Quads sounded more romantic or should say sweeter but the gap has been dramatically narrowed with equalization.
4) The Quad ESL sounds so romantic, it renders piano, my favourite instrument, wonderfully, I have kept a pair around, when space permits I will set them up again in a second system.
Music making the painting, recording it the photograph
1) see my main system
2) similar to your answer
3) nothing
4) smaller than my main speakers. I still own the Quads but rarely use them.
Best regards,
although never being an owner of the 57's. My buddy has them and on some music (acoustic & most jazz) they are without a doubt magical and could actually bring tears to my eyes. Although when listening to AC/DC they're not the speaks for me.My Tannoy D700's have some similar qualities, but of course I'm running SS amplification and the 57's were all tube driven.
What I like about the D700's
-Beautiful near field listening.
-No harshness in and by themselves.
-Not as euphoric, but enough to draw you in.
-Able to play high volume without sounding just "louder". I've had comments such as "wow, there is more music, but not necessarily louder"
-Able to play ALL music well.
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