Planar Speaker Asylum: RE: ESLs can they be done on a budget? by mark in colorado

I'm afraid the short answer is "no", or probably not. Generally speaking, a thousand bucks will get you an old set of esl-63s that either need repair or will shortly. Properly rebuilt, a set of 63s should give twenty years of faithful service. Many older Quads that have developed a problem have been sent to QS&D, the factory approved service center, and have had the offending panel replaced. The problem is that each speaker contains four panels, so with a pair of old Quad 63s, you have eight panels that could go any time. This is what frustrates people and makes them dump their old Quads. In my opinion, the only reasonable way to approach this is to have the speakers completely rebuilt including all eight panels, which will run in the neighborhood of $1800 when done by Electrostatic Solutions. Then you should have a set of speakers ready to serve you for decades. If you buy an old pair for $800-$1000 bucks (sometimes less) you still have a remarkable bargain as you have a set of speakers that are, in many areas, state of the art for under $3k. Quads unlimited currently has a completely rebuilt set that Wayne is asking $2500 for. This is an incredible bargain. But for a thousand bucks? You would almost certainly get a pair on their last legs which would soon need repair and leave you frustrated. Just my 2 cents.
Mark