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1) My new-to-me Quad ESL-57's have three-prong IEC sockets on them, and REALLY long power cords with two-prong (US) plugs. Is there anything magical about these? Can I use spare, standard IEC (three prong female to three prong male) power cords instead? I don't need the long, long cords.2) Based on the little I've read, these are nominally (in the loosest sense of the word) 16 ohm speakers. I realize they're really just large capacitors, so I am wondering -- should I use the 16 ohm taps on my amplifer, or does it really much matter?
3) There's an adjustable primary voltage knob on the power supplies, set to 110V. There's a 120V setting, but the knob doesn't seem to want to turn (and needless to say, I don't want to force it); is there a trick to this... like a child-proof safety cap? Pull and turn?
Thanks for your patience with a planar newbie.
Follow Ups:
nt
all the best,
mrh
I have 988's and they have a two pronged female end and a 3 pronged male end. I asked why and was told that some amplifiers should not be connected to a grounded electrostatic speaker, so the cord is there to lift the ground.
1. No & absolutely. A nice after market 3 ft. IEC AC cord will do quite nicely.2. Theoretically, the 16 ohm tap will give the least distortion (numerically) but I'd try the 8 ohm tap too. For example, the Dyna ST-70 may have a little tighter bass @ the 8 ohm tap.
3. The "knob" (it isn't) won't turn because it has perimeter pins as well as a central plastic locator. Instead remove it by gently pulling toward you. Take your time if you have to pry a little around the voltage selector's circumference because the darned thing can easily snap off.
Sandro Boccara
To answer question # 2, I am using 20 watt per channel tube monoblocks to drive my ESLs and the results are fantastic. The amps only have 4 ohm OPT taps.
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