[this_is_vv]

though living in apt where kids come some time i dont see i can have an High volatage speaker running,

But recently i went to capital audio fest many people i met recomended quad esl 57 one gentlemen was kind enough to give me his number and ask to stop by his house next time when i am at that area...

and after reading about it i can clearly say my curiouslity has increased....not one memeber i have seen been disappointed by it..

any directions i can read about these or some one around NYC can let me me demo these beasts... thought to just ask...

V

[J-Pak]

They're great speakers, one of my favorites!

What else did you want to know about them?

[JohnR]

I sold mine... problem is that they will all need refurbishing by now...

Also, a bit of a challenge in the domestic acceptability department... and I have 15" OBs...

[DTB300]

I remember reading where Tone Audio just got a pair of refurbed 57's and plan on using them in their new audio room.

http://www.tonepublications.com/blog/the-quad-adventure-begins/

[TONEPUB]

I sold mine... problem is that they will all need refurbishing by now...

Also, a bit of a challenge in the domestic acceptability department... and I have 15" OBs...

LOL....

So your wife or girlfriend doesn't mind drivers hanging out in mid air on a sheet of MDF, but she'd object to a nicely refinished 57's?  That's a keeper....

So far the new/old 57's have passed muster with most friends wives, but everyone has their own taste. 

[randytsuch]

I sold my set many years ago, mainly due to their poor WAF.

You need a fairly wide room, and they do take up a lot of space.

They have some comprimises, but most speakers do.
Very directional, basically a one person (maybe two) speaker because you NEED to be in the sweetspot.
Lacking some in the high and low ends, high end never bothered me, but low end did.  I tried a sub at some point but never really got good integration.  But I was young at the time, should be able to do better now, but you need a really fast sub.

Having said that, it does some things VERY well, great soundstage, very transparent and detailed.  They have a "magic midrange", might be why I concentrate now on mids and don't worry about the lows and highs as much.   I wish I could have kept mine, but such is life.

Randy

[this_is_vv]

i am still Intrigued .....looking for mroe comments...

[chrisby]

I sold my set many years ago, mainly due to their poor WAF.

You need a fairly wide room, and they do take up a lot of space.

They have some comprimises, but most speakers do.
Very directional, basically a one person (maybe two) speaker because you NEED to be in the sweetspot.
Lacking some in the high and low ends, high end never bothered me, but low end did.  I tried a sub at some point but never really got good integration.  But I was young at the time, should be able to do better now, but you need a really fast sub.

Having said that, it does some things VERY well, great soundstage, very transparent and detailed.  They have a "magic midrange", might be why I concentrate now on mids and don't worry about the lows and highs as much.   I wish I could have kept mine, but such is life.

Randy

kinda hafta agree with Randy on this one - over the past 40 years, I've owned a pair of these (1971 - powered by 33/303), and had numerous occasions to hear stock, reconditioned and even maxo-tweaked out / stacked etc configurations, powered by everything from Quad II to ARC D70 (tubed) to Quad303 /405, Marantz 250 & 500 (Solid state)

as heretical as it may be to criticize such a benchmark icon, which they undoubtedly are, these speakers have limitations that can be  overcome, but at the expense of dollars and space 

but you should let none of this dampen your interest, and upon listening, perhaps your enthusiasm - like a lot of planars, and for a lot of reasons - they're not for everybody

[TONEPUB]

Agreed.  As much as I enjoy the 57's they are not my main system.  There's no way I could really use them to evaluate components with their shortcomings, but what they do, they do incredibly well.  It's a luxury that I'm glad I finally have the time to take advantage of.

If you want full range stats, think about Sound Labs.  Their speakers are fantastic.  None of the limitations of the Quads.

[BruceSB]

Hi Tonepub
Everyone says SoundLabs are great including you!
May I make a suggestion that you review one of them.
Maybe a nice middle of the range model may be good because I think that not a lot of people could afford/house the top of the range models.
What do you think?
Bruce

[JohnR]

LOL....

So your wife or girlfriend doesn't mind drivers hanging out in mid air on a sheet of MDF, but she'd object to a nicely refinished 57's?  That's a keeper....

So far the new/old 57's have passed muster with most friends wives, but everyone has their own taste.

I owned my 57s for a lot longer than you've owned yours. And as other people also have said, the size/shape can be a problem. The OP is in an apartment, so it's probably a very real issue. Sorry for bringing some reality to the proceedings.

As for my prototype speakers, they're chipboard, not MDF, as you'd know if you read my articles. The difficulty level is probably too high for you though - more than one spanner.

[SteveFord]

Your landlord might have a coronary if he saw you trying to lug some Sound Labs into your apartment but it could be a good way to break the lease if need be.

Life is too short to squabble over nothing so let us not do it here, please.

[TONEPUB]

I owned my 57s for a lot longer than you've owned yours. And as other people also have said, the size/shape can be a problem. The OP is in an apartment, so it's probably a very real issue. Sorry for bringing some reality to the proceedings.

As for my prototype speakers, they're chipboard, not MDF, as you'd know if you read my articles. The difficulty level is probably too high for you though - more than one spanner.

Actually I owned 57's for quite a few years in the past. And pretty much every other panel speaker as well.

I used the term MDF generically.  Here is the US, "chipboard" is the cheapest building material that you can buy, so I was trying not to be insulting, which apparently has happened anyway.  I've built more than my share of speakers, amplifiers and engines over the years.  I choose not to anymore.  I'd really rather leave it to the experts - as I've never heard an incredible pair of DIY speakers.

I fully understand the need to tinker, but I can't use a pair of cobbled together speakers as a reference component by which to evaluate recordings and judge other components.  One of my car buddies once told me that auto enthusiasts are usually wrench turners or check writers and I guess these days I fall into the latter category and have no problem with that.  I do this for a living, so the last thing I want to do on my day off is futz with an amp or a pair of speakers that don't work.  Sorry, that's not any fun at all.

It always comes down to aesthetics and sharing your space with others.  The room my 57's are in is fairly small, 13 x 16 feet.  It's a dedicated room, so no, I don't have to worry about what to do with them, but I've had some fairly large speakers in rentals, so I don't understand why that's a "real issue."

[OzarkTom]

I took a pair on trade when I was a dealer back in the 80's. I hooked up that little 25 watt Musical Fidelty A1 integated, and it was pure magic.

[randytsuch]

I took a pair on trade when I was a dealer back in the 80's. I hooked up that little 25 watt Musical Fidelty A1 integated, and it was pure magic.

That reminded me of something.  At some point, I tried a little tube integrated, think it as an Eico.  It was magical, made me want to cry.  But, it was an old integrated, and there was no way to hook up a sub, which I was using at the time, so I passed, and eventually got a dynaco 70 for the amp, and used an old NAD integrated for the pre.  Sounded good with the dynaco, but not like the Eico.  So, if you can find the right amp to drive quads with, you get a sound do die for.  Obviously I regretted not keeping the Eico.

Randy

[beanstocks]

When female jazz vocals grab me, I always switch to my ESL 57s gently pushed by a magical triode switched Heathkit tube amp.  Diana K. is "front and center" within whisper reach.  Moderate tube amps with healthy output trannys seem to do these classics justice.  Wonderful midrange and transparency.  Tried selling them--changed my mind.

[this_is_vv]

now i need to demo these guys for sure....i need to more comments welcome please....

[SteveFord]

Assuming no unusual owner abuse, what's the anticiapted lifespan of these?

[J-Pak]

Assuming no unusual owner abuse, what's the anticiapted lifespan of these?

Most pairs of stock 57s will need to rebuilt or refurbished these days. Once they are rebuilt they should be good for another 20-25 years before needing minor work.

[TONEPUB]

I'd say that's right on the money from everything I've researched.

As Randy mentioned, it's really finding the right amp.  I've probably gone through about twenty amplifiers since they got here a month ago, and I would say these speakers are more amplifier sensitive than anything I've ever used. 

Get the wrong amp and they sound flat, 2 dimensional and uninvolving. The right amp is magic.  And especially with these speakers, it has precious little to do with cost.  I've tried a handful of big bucks amplifiers that offered lackluster performance with the 57's. That said, the 70k/pair Octave Jubilee monos are pretty fantastic, but a number of other high ticket amps didn't have the synergy.

One of the nicest combinations so far, has been the CJ PV-12 that I had sent back to the factory for a full rebuild and upgraded CJD Teflon caps, combined with a Pass Aleph 3. Tried a nice HK Citation V the other day and it just sounded flat and dead.  Hooked the HK up to my Harbeths and that was fantastic. 

Be prepared to search for the right amp if you buy a pair of these!  You will know when you get it right.