Quad ESL 57 buying advice, please

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savvypaul
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Re: Quad ESL 57 buying advice, please

Unread post by savvypaul »

Hi Andrew, I'd be up for you picking up a set of amps and then coming over when you're set up.

I do need to know more about the clamp that OTA have fitted, though, just to be sure that it doesn't present an issue to the amps.
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Re: Quad ESL 57 buying advice, please

Unread post by Bencat57 »

Hi Paul

I am not the right person to be able to advise the technical details of what is fitted so I would suggest that you contact Andrew Jones of AQuadThing Audio who has done all the work on my speakers .

https://aquadthingaudio.wixsite.com/5763/contact

If you ask him what has been done then he can give proper technical details . If what you find out is okay with you then we can make some arrangements after that . If for any reason even if only a slight doubt on your part then my thanks for your offer but I understand why you would not want to go ahead .

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Re: Quad ESL 57 buying advice, please

Unread post by Bencat57 »

Adding this to this thread as information for those considering or interested but accept that this not probably the best place for it .

As I have indicated I own and use a pair of refurbished (by AQuadThing Audio) . I have used them with a Krell KSA 50 , an XTZ A100 Class A Amp and currentky a Croft OTL 3 . Now my hopes were that the Croft would be the ideal match and it is a very good and beautiful sounding amplifier . However from the start there is something between the Quads and the Croft that just does not match and while the sound is excellent there is a distinct lack of drive and lots of tracks just do not go loud enough .

Very frustrating . My Quad system is the only current non active one I have at home so I have needed to test my various NVA power amps due to an issue with my three way active which has resulted in me sending the 4 x KEF 103 speakers away to be be looked at and refurbished so they look nice .

But it may well be that the speakers are not the only issue so today as I had borrowed a pair of 500 Watt Class D Monoblocks too try with the quads and see what lots oof power would sound like which Andrew from AQuad Thing said was what was needed. At the same time I tried each of the NVA Power amps I have 2 x 20A latest spec , 1 x 30A much older spec , 1 x 60A again older spec .

Well the Class D worked fine and sounded okay but surprisingly not that dynamic or loud . The 60A showed that it had a fault and this is going to have to go back to NVA for repair/upgrade next week and then wait till they have the time to look at it . The 20A both worked fine and would drive the quads to quite surprising levels .

Then the biggest shock of all plugged the 30P in and from the first note the difference with all the other amps I had tried was just so noticeable . The sound was relaxed and natural with really great separation of instruments and voices . A clarinet now had that breathy woody and delicate sound which is almost liquid in quality . I have no idea why but this 30P just suits the Quads volume is not an issue so when lower recorded tracks come on there is plenty of control left to turn thing up but at the normal levels I am listening to there is just not any feeling you want to have things louder as they just seem right .

Now this is going to be on the one hand fantastic as I have now stumbled on a musical pairing that will encourage me to put this on more and not wander off and listen in other rooms . However the other issue is now I have nothing that I can use the the Croft for so despite it being a superb and really excellent amp I will need to get things together and sell it.

It will also be very interesting when I get the 60 A repaired / upgraded if that offers a similar or even better pairing than the 30 P . I know from chats with Richard that he used Quad ESL for early design of the NVA Amps and he always said that NVA amplifiers work well with Quads . I can confirm at least for the 30P this is very true . I am keeping my fingers crossed that the 60P when worked on can be even better as that can then just be inserted in to my main system and I can use the 2 x 20P and 1 x 30P for my active system .

If I had the money it would be nice to get the M600 in place but sadly not at this current stage of my life . I may also find that the 30P and Quads are just the sweet spot for both items and offer the best pairing we will have to wait and see. I promise I will get back and make comment on what the 60P has done and how it sounds when I get it back .
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Re: Quad ESL 57 buying advice, please

Unread post by Bencat57 »

Okay just a follow up I collected my NVA P60 on Thursday but that is a very small part of the story but will leave that to other times . When I say I picked up my P60 amp that is probably not that true . After the work NVA has done there is very little of my amp left that is not replaced or new . According to Paul and Mark this is now the equivalent of the current brand new P150 so not really the same little beast i sent back for repair . MY thanks go to Paul and Mark for all their work and help over this little sage they have been all you would ever want as a company backing up their product and making sure the customer is not only happy (which i very much am) but is also treated in a respectful and great way . All I can say is that if you buy from NVA then you have no worries you will be fine

Now to tired to put the P 60 in place with my Quad ESL 57 on Thursday as I collected the amp from Durham and at my age long drives wear me out . So Friday out cam the XTZ P100 and in went the P 60 . Decided to be sensible and once it was playing left playing with Radio Paradise at a low level and just got on with things sticking me head in every now and then to make sure it was still working. Then about 15.30 sat and listened to it . Sound is just what I have been looking for natural and powerful imaging was just so much better than with the XTZ . Strange to relate the NVA sounds very similar to the Croft with a really sweet and powerful midrange and bass what there is of it on the Quads is just right and fits the rest of the sound . It makes music with nice timbre and notes have a texture so you can hear what strings are being used and how they are being played. Vocals are just what I want real voices which are easy to follow and enjoy . Even gave Ace of Spades by Motorhead a little outing and was amazed at how powerful it could sound . The P 60 sounds much better than a P 30 more powerful and more in control . I am very happy and spent most of Friday night listening and then spent a few hours more on Saturday listening again . If you have a pair of Quads in particular the 57 then you really need to hear an NVA amp on the end of them . Richard used the Quad ESL 57 when he was first making the NVA amps and he made an amp that drives them really well and controls them which is not an easy thing to do as I found out to my cost with a series of amps that came and went .
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Re: Quad ESL 57 buying advice, please

Unread post by Bencat57 »

I have not updated this for a while and I have made some quite big changes which has changed things . Firstly I have to admit to not ever getting this system working the way I wanted it to , or perhaps more imagined it would . So much so that I did not use it as much as I should plus I was a little nervous about letting others hear it .

So I decided that I needed to stop this and get serious and rethink what I was doing . I in the end removed the MiniDSP DDRC 22D from the chain . So now it goes Allo Digione Signature Player - BNC SPDIF out to Mutec 3+ USB reclocker then AES Out to dCS Purcell/Delius pair and in to NVA 60P and straight to the Quad ESL 57 .

What this meant was I now had to do the hard work on getting the Quads as well placed as I could in the room . My room is in truth not really big enough for the Quads in that I am not able to get them as far from the back wall as is ideal and given these are dipole speakers that can be an issue . Careful placing listening and adjusting over a long afternoon was not nice to do but worth the effort. There may well still be more to get out of the placement but that will have to wait for another day .

Result is for me at least a relief and a pleasure . This is the best my system has ever sounded and frankly it is wonderful . I finally have what I was thinking this could be and can now easily just sit and listen without thinking about what I might change or adjust . A friend Graham who has heard my system quite a few times has listened to the new set up and he agrees that it sounds a whole world better than it has to date. I am now not ashamed or even worried about others hearing it and what they might say or think . It is wonderful and gets me playing more music downstairs rather than tucked away with my three way active .
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Re: Quad ESL 57 buying advice, please

Unread post by CycleCoach »

If two Quads are good, are four Quads better?
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Re: Quad ESL 57 buying advice, please

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Here in Finland, one chap made triple stack 57.
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CycleCoach (Sat Feb 11, 2023 10:43 am)
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Re: Quad ESL 57 buying advice, please

Unread post by TheMarlin »

I’ve owned and heard loads of Quad ELS57’s. They’re an absolute favourite, but I’ve rarely had the palatial room size required to do them justice.

They like to be one third of the way into the room, and a bit back from the side walls. They just don’t work well in the homes I’ve owned. I think I need to work harder, and get a house to do them justice.

I’ve heard loads with the ‘one thing audio’ upgrades, clamps etc. Heard upgrade by other companies etc.

Everything you do to improve them makes them sound worse.

I pleaded with a friend not to send his off for the upgrades espoused by various Hifi forums. He did anyway, and they came back sounding strangled and restricted. A day doesn’t go by when he doesn’t kick himself

If you find a set in genuine unmolested condition, maybe get them serviced by Quad, but otherwise leave well alone, and enjoy one of the best speakers ever made.

I ran mine with a Radford STA25, Cohan Hall cables, and a Rel Stadium, mostly using a Garrard 401 with SME 5 and a Japanese MC Cart, name escapes me. Also used a Pavacini tuner with a huge Ariel in the roof. BBC live concert broadcasts, sounded just awesome.

Alas, marriage, kids, and several house moves put paid to that system.

Anyway, don’t mess with ELS-57!!
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Re: Quad ESL 57 buying advice, please

Unread post by savvypaul »

After looking for one nice pair of 57s for a few months, we bought two pairs in two days, with the 'inspired' but slightly mad idea of stacking them at the WAM show.

Mark got a pair from another hifi forum and I ended up with these (below) from Andrew at AQuadThing. They've had a couple of Quad services in their 50 odd years, and clamp boards fitted, but nothing '3rd party'. They 'came up' very quickly (within 5 minutes of being switched on), and have excellent balance. Andrew, who has been listening to 57s for over 50 years (and servicing / refurbing them for a fair chunk of that), reckons they as close to original factory measurements as any pair that he has come across in the last 10 or 15 years years. They sound even better after being on for 24 hours, at home. They are not modern hi-fi, but, wow... vocals... like the singer is in the room and you can reach out and touch them. Exceptionally natural, zero fatigue.

I'll be rejigging the room a little in order to get them a bit further apart, but they've been easier to fit in (and get sounding really good) than I had anticipated. At the moment, they're nearly 4 feet from the front wall, and I'm listening from around 10 feet away...

Image
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Re: Quad ESL 57 buying advice, please

Unread post by TheMarlin »

Try moving the another foot forward. Also try popping a VBH tape/box under the rear leg.
Friends used to swear by if back in the 90’s

Do you have a subwoofer running with these? Find/loan a Rel. Was a great pairing, thought takes a while to dial them in ‘just so’. I had Rel Stadium for years, but friends also had great results with a Strata. Try one of you can. You ideally want one with a crossover that’ll cut these low end frequencies from the ELS, and free them up to concentrate on what they’re best at.

I’ve not used ELS 57’s in my system since the turn of the millennium, so thoughts on how to get the best out of these may have changed since my days.
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savvypaul (Sun Feb 12, 2023 12:47 am)
Modded Belles A150 MK2, P90SA, & NVA SSP cables, and LS5.
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Modded Lenco GL75 with Saturn arm, heavy custom plinth. Nagaoka MP500.
Nottingham Audio Hyperspace + heavy kit, + Origin Live Conqueror + Koetsu Black
Tom Evans Micro Grove MK2 MC phono
Bluesound Node2i (x2) both with latest power upgrades.
Topping D90MQA and Topping D90SE
Audiolab 6000 CDT transport.
All NVA cables

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