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[chrisgixer]

Anyone familiar with these?


Now don't be a wise arse and go off googling, well you can but say so if you did. I just wondered if there's any hifi buffs and general interest on here.

Have acquired a pair of said items. 57s or are they 55s. Doesn't seem to matter, having googled

[VXL V6]

Way out of my league. Mind you, all of my HiFi separates have been stored in the parents loft for the last eight or so years so maybe when Mrs VXL and I finally find another house she might just let me..... ......no she wont let me lets be honest and my amp couldn't do those speakers justice.

[chrisgixer]

There's talk of more peerfull amps blowing them. As I recall, as my Dad has a pair, they are more known for their subtle detail than outright house shaking. Loud no doubt, but not as loud as the size might suggest. He's always VERY careful not to give them too much welly. Although that might be due to their age.

[biggriffin]

They build them round these ere parts(or did) along with mission aswell,

[D]

Have you actually got a pair of ESL57's?

What are you driving them with?

[Bigron]

I nearly had a pair of those back in the 70s, but went for Tannoy Yorks instead, simply on bass performance after protracted auditioning at audio fairs.
The Quads are bipolar speakers and radiate from the rear just as much as from the front, so need very careful positioning to get their full, if limited, bass performance; but their detailing is second to none.
They really have to be driven by a Quad amplifier, as they present a very complex load and not all amps remain stable when driving into them. I suggest a Quad 33/303 pre and main amp combination.
Quad became aware of these short-comings and launched the replacement ELS63 (guess in which year?) with an improved electrostatic section in a phase-delayed concentric-ring configuration for even better detailing, plus fast-acting protection for the speakers in the event of overload.
They will still never achieve "Meat Loaf" friendly volume levels, but your neighbours will love you and if you are more concerned about the music for itself rather than showing off, you will be a happy bunny - Quad are all about the music.......

Ron.

[chrisgixer]

Have you actually got a pair of ESL57's?

What are you driving them with?

A fork lift at the moment

Kettle leads are currently missing. Only thing I have is a home cinema amp.

...or later, possibly a Beosound 9000??

[chrisgixer]

I nearly had a pair of those back in the 70s, but went for Tannoy Yorks instead, simply on bass performance after protracted auditioning at audio fairs.
The Quads are bipolar speakers and radiate from the rear just as much as from the front, so need very careful positioning to get their full, if limited, bass performance; but their detailing is second to none.
They really have to be driven by a Quad amplifier, as they present a very complex load and not all amps remain stable when driving into them. I suggest a Quad 33/303 pre and main amp combination.
Quad became aware of these short-comings and launched the replacement ELS63 (guess in which year?) with an improved electrostatic section in a phase-delayed concentric-ring configuration for even better detailing, plus fast-acting protection for the speakers in the event of overload.
They will still never achieve "Meat Loaf" friendly volume levels, but your neighbours will love you and if you are more concerned about the music for itself rather than showing off, you will be a happy bunny - Quad are all about the music.......

Ron.

Thanks Ron. I can't tell exactly what model they are, as the name plate on the back gives no clue. black grills though.

[Bigron]

If they look like room heaters and you feel as if you could stand in front of them and warm your arse, they are the early ones!   

Ron.

[chrisgixer]

Yep, radiators.

 Not the early 55's but late 57's going by this. Year of manufture? Think I see a pattern forming.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quad_Electrostatic_Loudspeaker

[Bigron]

Yep, they are the "face-lift" models; the originals were a sort-of goldy/browny mixture.
What amplifier/pre-amp do you plan to use, Chris?

Ron.

[Kevin Wood]

Very nice, Chris.

They sound extremely good, with a couple of caviats, IME.

They don't go that deep in the bass department, but the bass they do do is so fast and tight you might not care. You might prefer to run a subwoofer to help them out in that regard according to taste and what the room can handle.

They need a bit of space around them and the "sweet spot" where the stereo image is best is quite small.

They can be awkward to drive, so a decent amp is a must.

Don't overdrive them.

The diaphragms can need attention occasionally, as can the high voltage power supply.

Be happy to take a look over them if you are nervous about firing them up.

They are a bit of a marmite thing, but well worth a try at getting them sounding good.

If you don't like them, give me first refusal.

[chrisgixer]

Yep, they are the "face-lift" models; the originals were a sort-of goldy/browny mixture.
What amplifier/pre-amp do you plan to use, Chris?

Ron.

Only have a Sony strdn1040

Suitable? Don't want to over power them.

http://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/av-receivers/str-dn1040


....I don't actually know if they work. Do they have thin membranes or some issue? Polythene?

[Kevin Wood]

Did I mention that I have a quad 405? 

[chrisgixer]

Very nice, Chris.

They sound extremely good, with a couple of caviats, IME.

They don't go that deep in the bass department, but the bass they do do is so fast and tight you might not care. You might prefer to run a subwoofer to help them out in that regard according to taste and what the room can handle.

They need a bit of space around them and the "sweet spot" where the stereo image is best is quite small.

They can be awkward to drive, so a decent amp is a must.

Don't overdrive them.

The diaphragms can need attention occasionally, as can the high voltage power supply.

Be happy to take a look over them if you are nervous about firing them up.

They are a bit of a marmite thing, but well worth a try at getting them sounding good.

If you don't like them, give me first refusal.

Ayup. Kevs on.

As mentioned earlier, my Dad has a pair. Either side of the fire place. B and o amp iirc. Huge great thing.

He had a pair of acoustic research speakers. Little corner shaped things, weighed a ton. But no2 son blew them with said amp.