• RE: I hate my Quads! - kentaja 14:22:10 02/07/24 (3)
  In Reply to: RE: I hate my Quads! posted by Zombie on February 07, 2024 at 12:18:48

  Yes I have done hundreds of pairs and sold hundreds more EHT boards for DIYer.
  
  I used to flip the board up to get to the backside to remove R13 and install a new resistor but that is a pain.
  
  Now I just cut R13 from the board. R13 is located next to VDR1. The board has silkscreen component numbers.
  
  Install a 1/4 watt 110K resistor to the yellow EHT wire from the transformer that is closest to the front of the speaker. The other end goes to the ground connection rivet on the board.
  
  
  

  ---

  • RE: I hate my Quads! - jonsan 12:41:03 02/08/24 (2)
    In Reply to: RE: I hate my Quads! posted by kentaja on February 07, 2024 at 14:22:10

    I had never heard of Quad increasing the voltage on the panels and that contributing to their lowered lifespan so thank you Kent for your information.
    
    I was always under the impression that the main mode of panel failure on the ESL63 and later models was due to adhesive failure between the diaphragm and stator, even with the newer models. Can you discuss this failure mode and has it been alleviated over the years?
    
    The ESL63s are my favorite speakers of all time but I gave up on them after getting panel failures maybe 10 years after I had all of them replaced. If your refurbs have long term reliability then I will be on the lookout for a pair done by you.
    

    ---

    • RE: I hate my Quads! - kentaja 14:29:28 02/08/24 (1)
      In Reply to: RE: I hate my Quads! posted by jonsan on February 08, 2024 at 12:41:03

      Yes the primary reason the panels have failed in the past is the glue not holding up long term. How long the glue lasts has been a bit of a moving target over the decades. Fortunately QUAD solved this problem 12-15 years ago. I have seen zero issues with glue failures from speakers produced from say 2010 to today.
      
      The glue holds up nicely for ESL-63 production from the mid-80s to early 90s. Rarely do I see problems with speakers from the period. Before that and after I can guarantee the glue is shot even if the speakers are still working. 98 series had major issues with glue failure as well as early 05 production.
      
      The secondary failure mode was excessive bias voltage on the diaphragm. ESL-63 production from the early 80s to early 90s rarely suffer from this issue. Once QUAD started to raise the voltage in late 63 production through 98 series production this has been an issue.
      
      I use a high performance glue that holds up well I haven't seen any issues with panels I have rebuilt nor have I seen damage to the diaphragm from over voltage. I use a high performance glue and drop the drive voltage. I have rebuilt about 3,000 panels.
      
      The current production QUAD panels are excellent the best they have ever produced. I am confident enough in their quality I now offer them to my customers as a service option.
      
      Building an electrostatic is a tough business the reason few companies have succeeded in the long term. And the QUAD ESL-63 design is a particularly difficult speakers to build. QUAD made changes over the decades to ease production and in some cases the changes they made did not work well in the long term. The glue in particular is a challenge since that is probably the most labor intensive part of production. The glue is manually applied to the stator support matrix and this is a lot of glue and a lot of time to get it done.
      
      
      
      
      
      
      

      ---

      • RE: I hate my Quads! - jonsan 18:24:23 02/08/24 (0)
        In Reply to: RE: I hate my Quads! posted by kentaja on February 08, 2024 at 14:29:28

        A lot of good information, thank you.
        

        ---

Post a Followup:

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:

Kimber Kable

---

[ Top of Page ] [ Contact Us ] [ Support/Wish List ] [ Copyright © 2024, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]

---

[ General ] [ Speakers ] [ Tubes ] [ Vinyl ] [ Digital ] [ Hi-Rez ] [ Video Asylum ] [ Cables ] [ Tweaks/DIY ] [ Music ] [ Films ]

---