[TONEPUB]

Finally got my 57's from Wayne at Quads Unlimited and am very impressed with the sound quality and the workmanship.  Now to build the rest of the system around them....

[SteveFord]

Keep us posted as to what you end up with, please.

[TONEPUB]

Will do...   Even in the last few days, I've tried about 10 different amps.  So far the best result has been the Octave Audio Jubilee Monoblocks, but at 250wpc, they are a bit overkill for the 57's.  In the more realistic camp, the Unison Audio S6 (30wpc SE/EL34) integrated has been offering up really great sound.

Got to get my PrimaLuna monos back from a staff member.  That might be the ticket in triode mode...

Building a second sound room to put this system in, the room is 13 x 16 with a fairly high, asymmetrical ceiling, so the next call is probably going to be to the guys at GIK to start down that path first. Should have pics in a few weeks when the room is done, or at least close to done.

[TONEPUB]

Installing the PrimaLuna Dialog's now.   35wpc of EL34's  We'll see.....

[TONEPUB]

Yep, this is the magic...  Ok with KT88's in Ultralinear, really smooth with EL34's in Triode mode.  That is one of the nicest things about the PrimaLuna's they are so easy to change the sound because they are so versatile.

[roscoeiii]

Any particularly great description of what makes these so fabulous that you can point me too (Or whip up for the curious public)?

[TONEPUB]

Any particularly great description of what makes these so fabulous that you can point me too (Or whip up for the curious public)?

I think what the 57's do better than anything else I've ever heard, (and I've pretty much owned every Magnepan, every MartinLogan, almost every Acoustat and a couple of Apogees over the years) is top to bottom coherence and though a one person speaker, i.e. very small sweet spot, and midrange tonal accuracy that is tough to beat.  The ML CLX has more dynamic capability, but not the sense of delicacy that these speakers do.  The original CLS was very close to what the 57's bring to the table.

You can't play Zeppelin or anything really raucous with these, but if you're listening to vocal stuff, jazz, or moderate dynamics classic rock (Eagles, CSN, Joni Mitchell) the realism is spooky good.  A really good SET/Single driver system does a lot of that as well. Same goes for primarily vocal records, or small scale classical music too.

They disappear in the room in a way that has to be experienced.  And considering that they aren't crazy money in terms of ultimate cost and don't need a ton of power to drive, you could build a system around these pretty easily.

Mine are actually a second system, so the limitations they pose are not an issue.  I still have a dynamic driver, high power, full range system to play everything else.

[a.wayne]

A friend has them stacked and single and once back from Wayne PK he can just about  play anything on his and he is running them with 100 watts /ch @8 ohm ..

Regards ,

[TONEPUB]

One step beyond, the Manley Mahis in triode mode with EL84 tubes are the most musical sound I've been able to coax from these speakers.  Even more three dimensional than the PrimaLunas with EL34s.  I did try a pair of Autoformers with my 845 SET amps, but still no highs to be had in combination with the Quads, so we'll do a bit more experimenting.

But I bought the Manley's today, so they are staying in the system with the Robert Koda K-10 preamp.  New room almost done, and working with Brian at GIK to dial it in all the way.  Pics as soon as gear starts moving in there!

[BobRex]

How do the Quads sound with the Decwares?

[J-Pak]

Great, looking forward to seeing the new pics fully setup

[TONEPUB]

Zen Torii is a great match...

[Rclark]

read the article. Very cool so far!

[OzarkTom]

You might look at what Roger Modjeski is doing with his new tube DD amps. A DD set-up will totally blow you and other amps away.

[TONEPUB]

I would have to get a 2nd pair of 57's to do that with.  Not enough hours in the day.  Honestly, very happy with the current setup.  But would love to investigate someday...

[Unison845]

I first heard the Quad ESL 57 around 1977, and it was not just a pair of Quad, but a massive HQD system from Mark Levinson, 24in Harley, stacked Quad and Decca tweeters, 6 ML2, 4 crossover, and a Gale turntable if I remember correctly. To these days, very few system can approach that system. It wasn't until 34 years later (last year) that I tried to recreate that sonic experience by putting together a similar system and it was written here:

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=95919.0

ML has correctly identified Quad ESL57 weakness and attacked them with the Harley 24in and the Decca, and has brought together a  system to a higher sonic plateau.

What I did is a little bit different is using a 16 Field coil in open baffle for the bass and 5 RTR ESL panels for the tweeter ( I did used a ribbon, but prefer the RTR) Anybody who has listen the my Stacked Quad system was so shocked by the magnificient sound of the Quad ESL 57.

With a stacked Quad system, one can forget about upgrading audio equipment and enjoy music for the next 50 years, I can bet on that.

[Jazzman53]

Now that's PORN!