This is insane...the Quad ESL

Kcin

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I have good experience with Wayne Picquet on multiple restorations of panels. Others , however claim not to have good experience with delivery or lack there of. I have never not received exactly what I have paid for. YMMV and all that. I'm using the Picquet panels now and have done 3 different panel sets with him.

I must say that I have had the EU panels, The UK panels New Old stock ESL panels, locally manufactured panels and the Picquet panels out perform all of them in many ways.

Gary Jacobson's site reviews several panels as well and comments on each re-builder.

As far as Sheldon Stokes, he wrote the guide on how to restore for the DIY community and he has always had the time to answer any questions I had via email even if I was not spending money with him. You have to respect that. I consider him an expert.

Electrostatic Solutions appears to have a great reputation as well , however, I have never done business with them.

Good luck. IMG_1802 (Small).JPG
 
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awsmone

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I can only comment on mine, but I believe the componentary is pretty similar

1. Leg height upgrade, I much prefer better bass and tonal adjustability
2. Protection circuit this is a must
3. New drivers you may or may not need these,
4. New transformer and resistors and Hv caps probably need replacing
5. Fine grade Mylar which increases output

These are all doable, and only improve reliability

Others to consider

Removing repadding, I have tried both and like it with the padding behind in my smaller bed room , but in a very large room, there are advantages of removing it

Change or removal of front grill, I assume this will give benefits sonically, but the speakers looks pretty weird

I don’t because I have a toddler currently


I cannot comment on the gentlemen who do this is North America ,

I have only heard Electrostatic solutions Quads

They offer all these upgrades

I have heard 4 different versions of their Quads

I do recommend the lighter Mylar if you want to play loud

I am seeing over 90 dB continuous at the listen8ng position of 10 feet from speakers in a 18 by 21 foot room with 15 foot ceilings !

I have started to play with mine and dial them in and for personal listening they really are wonderful, and for the price amazing

Please do consider what amplifiers you will use with them, as they do need a sympathetic amplifier matching, doesn’t need to be powerful, but must be able to handle them

If you don’t already have a suitable amp, then consider this as part of your purchase

Hope that helps

I have no association with electrostatic solutions
 
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cdk84

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Dec 19, 2015
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Hi Kcin, Hi Awsmone,

Each of your answers is extremely helpful. Thank you so much.

When I've made further progress I will report back.

Happy, Musical listening everyone. I am grateful that you shared your ESL experiences.

David
 

gian60

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Apr 17, 2016
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For owner of Quad 57,
the Italian shop www.audioantiquary.com

has in stock new in original box
esl 57 panel for midbass and high
panel rectifier block
complete power supply
din power supply

All for esl 57,you can see the website
 

Kcin

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Minor surgery today on the Wyetech 211c single ended amp. Believe it or not, this is one of the most sublime combinations with the ESL.

From the picture you can see it is almost the width of the ESL and weighs about 120lbs or 55Kg. Wrestling with it is a work out.

IMG_1665.jpg
 

awsmone

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Apr 6, 2014
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Minor surgery today on the Wyetech 211c single ended amp. Believe it or not, this is one of the most sublime combinations with the ESL.

From the picture you can see it is almost the width of the ESL and weighs about 120lbs or 55Kg. Wrestling with it is a work out.

View attachment 45657

What are the OTLs you what tubes are they using
How do you find them with Quads?

I had experience with OTLS many years ago and always had a yearning to retry

I know Art Dudley and Robyatt favour the miyajima 2010 monoblock OTL

Is 16 Watts or so what’s enough ? For quads, I have the big Weston’s which are over 100 watts and te quads seem to just lap it the juice I was very surprised
 

Kcin

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I use a Futterman OTL which has been refurbished. It is very nice. The 16w SET was a surprise but works well with the ESLs.

As long as you have the protection boards, ESLs do like PP power 100w is not extreme.
 

awsmone

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Very interersting

I agree about the protection boards a must to see what the ESL is capable of

I have two pairs , one with , and one without, I blew the unprotected pair .....treble panels
 

Kcin

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One of the best PP amps on the ESL was the Audio Research M100. The small Heathkit EL84 amps do not have the slam but sound very good and as mentioned the MC225 is very nice as well.

My favourites are the Wyetech SET 211 and Futterman followed by the Mac. I am not particularly fond of the 6550 for the ESLs as they are so revealing in the critical midrange and that tube, for me, midrange is not the strong suit. I have literally tried dozens of amps on the ESLs including my refurbished pair of Quad IIs IMG_0844.JPG IMG_0843.JPG
 
I found these speakers don't like SS amps at all...or hybrids...basically anything that is a voltage source because for most of the range they are high impedance speakers. They like current sources that can swing voltage. A Lamm ML1.1 would probably work better (90 watts of tube power). A KR VA350i also worked well on them but nothing did what this otherwise unimpressive Golden Tube Audio amp could do on them. It was like that amp was just waiting for a speaker like that.


Mr.Morricab, with all due respect your statement that ESL's57 " don't like hybrids"... "because they are high impedance speakers"... does not correspond to all the truth, at least if one considers the excellent stereo amplifier CROFT model 7 R (regulated). It is a hybrid design with valves taking care of the 1st stage amplification and very high quality SS BUZ 900/905DP MAGNATEC Mosfets delivering the output, regulated HT with a 300VA torroidal PSU, with 50/55 watts per channel (input 12AX7 or - in my case - 12AU7), that easily drive my two pairs of stacked quads esl 57s. TUBE CAD Journal on "Hybrid Amplifiers" April/May 2001 :"The common approach is use tubes for voltage gain and MOSFETs or transistors for current gain. This arrangement appeals to our sense of fairness: tubes are happiest with voltage and woefully current limited; solid-state devices are current ebullient but fearful of over voltages. An exaggeration this, but not without a kernel of truth. Which solid-state device should be used in the output stage? The transistor wins in theory, but the MOSFET wins in practice is the quick answer. The transistor has a much greater transconductance which makes for a greater gain, which in turn allows for more feedback, which ultimately lowers more distortion. Yet, the MOSFET is used in most professional, high-power amplifiers because the MOSFET does not blowout as readily as the transistor does. Furthermore, the MOSFET is almost always used in hybrid designs due to its reputation for being more tube like in sonic character and because its gate represents a high impedance that is theoretically easier to drive than the transistor's base." ( http://www.tubecad.com/april_may2001/index.html )

Chris Beeching ( http://www.quadesl.com.articles/quad _stacking.html) says that "Also, by connecting them in parallel the overall impedance curve is considerably flatter, and hovers around 8 to 12 ohms rather than the 15-going-on-30ohm curve for a single panel", so your statement, I understand, regarding "hybrid" amps do not apply to a pair of quads ESL 57 when stacked in parallel, specially when driven by good "hybrid" MOSFETS amplifiers...anyway, MOSFETs being "CURRENT EBULLIENT" are happy with this "high impedance..." speakers...

In the TUBE's simplest configuration, triode amplifier, the plate current is function of grid voltage, as drain current is function of gate voltage in a MOSFET

The MOSFET, on the other hand, is less sensitive to shifts in the bias voltages, as it has a much lower transconductance. Furthermore, MOSFET output stages always require a much higher quiescent idle current, which increases the percentage of Class-A operation in Class-AB mix, which is all for the good, as the first watt of power is sonically the most important watt. Add to these benefits the advantage of virtually no thermal runaway, and the MOSFET appears to be the clear winner/.

MOSFET advantage TUBES in all aspects:
-Very higher transconductance (two magnitude order, typically 3,5 mhos)
-Direct load coupling (transformless) this mean higher bandwidth, less distortion, more damping factor.
-Better gain bandwidth product.

-Power bandwith one magnitude order higher than TUBES.
-Easy paralleling.

CROF PORTO 001.JPG
 
Last edited:

mpcrnc

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Feb 28, 2011
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Who did you get to do the rebuild and where did you get the leg extensions? I have PK's old steel frame and was looking to replace them with something more attractive. Mike
 

awsmone

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Well after many weeks of satisfying listening I took the advice of others and hauled my Lamm m1.2 up the stairs and onto the Quad ESLs
After some fiddling with the bias settings and very slight speaker adjustment
I sat down to a pretty stunning presentation clarity and timbre were excellent with tremendous raw power wow
 

mullard88

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Jun 5, 2010
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awsmone, take two more steps:
1) replace the power cords of your Lamm amps with the best MasterBuilt power cords
2) replace your speaker cables with the best MasterBuilt speaker cables
 

Audiophile Bill

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Mar 23, 2015
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awsmone, take two more steps:
1) replace the power cords of your Lamm amps with the best MasterBuilt power cords
2) replace your speaker cables with the best MasterBuilt speaker cables

Why Masterbuilt versus the plethora of alternatives?
 
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mullard88

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Hi Audiophile Bill,

I have not tried the entire plethora of alternatives.

Using the MasterBuilt Ultra power cord with my Lamm 1.2 extended the bass I heard from my stacked Quad 57s.

The Quads' clarity that can be enjoyed in the sweet spot is extended to the entire room when I installed the MasterBuilt Ultra speaker cables.
 

Audiophile Bill

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Mar 23, 2015
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Hi Audiophile Bill,

I have not tried the entire plethora of alternatives.

Using the MasterBuilt Ultra power cord with my Lamm 1.2 extended the bass I heard from my stacked Quad 57s.

The Quads' clarity that can be enjoyed in the sweet spot is extended to the entire room when I installed the MasterBuilt Ultra speaker cables.

Ok
 

awsmone

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Apr 6, 2014
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Thanks for the suggestion

I actually am using cobbled up bits I have lying around to make this system, as its a third bedroom system

I am using MIT speaker cables and DIY cables I have made which are actually very good.

I had the lamm m1.2 sitting idle, and am using a Mutec usb reclocker and Meitner DAC8

I think the Masterbuilt would be more than the entire system in cost

However the Lamm m1.2 was a big step up

Last night I pulled out a cloned Audio note M7 I have, and was amazed at the step up in all aspects of the sound, as I think the tubes on my SET pre are pretty well had it, and are a thousand dollars to replace

I don't want to get too analytical with the system, as its for reading and streaming, I have the big rig and dedicated room down stairs

But the tone clarity timbre dynmics were very listenable and enjoyable

They also seem to drive the Lamm m1.2 better and don't clip as early which was interesting
 

awsmone

Well-Known Member
Apr 6, 2014
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Canberra Australia
Well since I added the lamm m1.2 I started to think I was delusionsal
Especially after I put on same bias setting for quads as suggested by JA

I had an audiophile buddy and his wife who between then have been managers at Sydney Opera house , Perth concert hall, and Lwellyn hall in Canberra so they know a thing about live classical music

They heard the Quads and went OMG, that’s amazing, and my buddy wanted to know if he could get my second pair !

The look on his wife’s face when I played Sera una Noche was priceless as she looked very sceptical when she saw them
 

mullard88

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Jun 5, 2010
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I am not surprised awsmone. The Quad 57 and the Lamm 1.2 are synergistic. The Lamm 1.2 is also synergistic with the Quad 63.
 
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