[bellicon]

Might there be anyone on Long Island or in the NYC area who has Quad 57s, 63s, 988s, 989s or newer?

Or any Acoustat 2s, 3s, or 4s?

Or any Open Baffle speakers, be they Lowthers or

http://manzanitaaudiosolutions.com/products.html

or http://www.pureaudioproject.com/

http://aespeakers.com/oz-by-ozone-design-with-acoustic-elegance-lo15s/

….or you name it.

I’ve googled for hours but can’t find any possible local owners.

Flying’s a problem, so traveling hundreds of miles is not an option.

Willing to pay a reasonable fee for an hour session.

Thanks

[OzarkTom]

Keep checking Audiogon and searchtempest for local sellers. Here is one on Audiogon in NJ with modded Acoustats for $800.

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/planars-acoustat-model-2-mh-electrostat-2016-10-24-speakers-07731-howell-nj

[jarcher]

If you can come down to DC, I own BOTH ESL57's (restored by the best in the business) AND 63's (stock). AND at the shop I work at 10 minutes away we have new 2812's.  Chinatown buses are only $50 RT NYC-DC.  Train is best if you got more $ - especially Acela which is a dream.

When you go planar you can't go back.  Don't get better than that!

Otherwise there's Robyatt Audio somewhere in NYC area I believe that tends to carry resorted 57's (from same restorer I had mine done).  He showed them at RMAF and NYC show last weekend.

[faxer]

I have the new GT Audio 3 planar speakers you are more than welcome to hear them
I have owned or listened extensively to Widoms, Genesis, Quads, Maggies MBL Accustat King Sound Perfect 8, Apogee and Martin Logan
The Gt's by far excell above all
No crossover equals better more detailed sound revoloutionary planar technology
There is a video on GT Audios website and the dealer on Long Island that carries them Sound Insight Facebook High End Audio where Kemper Holt Gives them a rave review

[jarcher]

"The Gt's by far excell above all"

VS a Quad?  Not by a long shot buddy!

In relative terms for cost nothing beats a magnepan.

[OzarkTom]

The Acoustat' X's and Monitors with the DD OTL servo amps blows any Maggie away,

[jarcher]

Didn't say Magnepan  was the very best in absolute terms, just the best in relative value terms. Hard to argue with that when  you can get a new pair for $600-$1500. Nothing else out there new get to that kind of resolution and transparency for that little money. Planar or conventional.

[orientalexpress]

Quad 57 had the best midrange of any speakers i heard.I use mine for nearfield listening. no headphone came close .

[SteveFord]

Magnepan is still in business which is a plus.
Maybe I need to get out more but to my ears the 20.7 is the best speaker I've ever heard.  The 3D effect was just stunning.
How about a smaller version, Wendell?

[OzarkTom]

I saw a pair of modded DD OTL X's on Audiogon for $1750 last month. And these were in NY.

The Maggie 20.7 is good, but no Acoustat X or Monitors.

[faxer]

jarcher ,

It was not my intention to get in a pissing match with owners of other speaker brands.
Only to state my opinion, which the OP may find useful, since they were looking for places on L.I. to audition planar speakers.

My personal experience with Quads.....
They were considered the benchmark of audiophile speakers
And like a vintage car they offer a certain style or feeling they give their owner.
They have a classic look, they don't take up a lot of space and fill a room with that wonderful planar brand of sound we enjoy so much.
Why then did I sell mine ? In part...Lack of dynamics and impact.
Stats can do a lot of things , but moving a lot of air is not one of them.
The excursion limits of the diaphragm and limits of voltage applied to the stators mean they run out of steam on dynamic material.

The GTA3R speakers have a sound as pure as the Quads, they have no crossover elements in the planar panel and are directly driven from the amp. The planar drivers have a much greater excursion and drive than the Quads, resulting in a jump factor the Quads cant match.
Just play something like the Kodo drummers or Sheffield drum track and you will see what I mean.

When considering the purchase of expensive speakers,  which the Quads and GTA's most certainly qualify,
I want it all... purity, speed, resolution, imaging, sound stage and lifelike dynamics
In my opinion The GTA3R's do it all.
You are welcome to audition them. 

[OzarkTom]

In today's prices, no doubt the X's and Monitors would be 25K or more. These also have no crossover or transformer. Sometimes transformers are worse than crossovers. Also, no speaker wires needed on these Acoustats.

If you ever want the amps updated to the latest specs, Analogue Associates in OKC will take care of that. They have modded the amps since 1977. That is where bpape had his amps mooded. The Acoustat panels are almost unbreakable.

The only con of these, they are very revealing, but will get you off the audio merry-go-round forever.

http://daveayers.com/images/Audio/Analogue_Associates_Info.pdf

[jarcher]

Sorry faxer - you can't dismiss Quads as "vintage audio" then say you're not trying to spur a "pissing match". We can discuss differences without reducing positions. It's not a debate.

I've heard the GTA3R @ CAF this year. They're very good and I'm glad you like them. But I'd still prefer to pay the extra $ for a pair of 2812s that have a better form factor that doesn't dominate the room. Even if it isn't as dynamic and transparent as perhaps a GTA3R, it still delivers the transparency and musicality I want - and as I don't listen to macrodynamic music (like most people) such as large scale symphonies or rock at stadium levels, these limitations don't usually become as relevant. 

I will concede that in absolute terms the GTA3R may do more than say 63s, 988, 2812s - and in that respect "pisses" further - audio is not consumed in a vacuum and other considerations can have a heavy weighting. One of things I've always respected about Quad speakers and electronics : they're not designed for nor deliver audio perfection but instead are designed to provide quality, musicality and even simplicity / convenience for the music lover. Rega is another good example at lower price points - though their value proposition has become more debatable as they try to go further upmarket.  The compromise are therefore eminently sensible in the best English tradition (even if they are made in China - arguably better than ever - electronic  production engineering not sadly being a stellar English tradition).

[KLH007]

jarcher ,

It was not my intention to get in a pissing match with owners of other speaker brands.
Only to state my opinion, which the OP may find useful, since they were looking for places on L.I. to audition planar speakers.

My personal experience with Quads.....
They were considered the benchmark of audiophile speakers
And like a vintage car they offer a certain style or feeling they give their owner.
They have a classic look, they don't take up a lot of space and fill a room with that wonderful planar brand of sound we enjoy so much.
Why then did I sell mine ? In part...Lack of dynamics and impact.
Stats can do a lot of things , but moving a lot of air is not one of them.
The excursion limits of the diaphragm and limits of voltage applied to the stators mean they run out of steam on dynamic material.

The GTA3R speakers have a sound as pure as the Quads, they have no crossover elements in the planar panel and are directly driven from the amp. The planar drivers have a much greater excursion and drive than the Quads, resulting in a jump factor the Quads cant match.
Just play something like the Kodo drummers or Sheffield drum track and you will see what I mean.

When considering the purchase of expensive speakers,  which the Quads and GTA's most certainly qualify,
I want it all... purity, speed, resolution, imaging, sound stage and lifelike dynamics
In my opinion The GTA3R's do it all.
You are welcome to audition them.

faxer, What subs are you using with the GTA 3Rs? Tubes or SS on the panels?

[faxer]

jarcher,

 Your avatar shows 57's and you mentioned owning "restored" speakers so I assumed you were talking about 57's
which are very much a "Vintage" design.
The '63's are the progenitors of the current Quad lineup so even though the basic design is old (last produced in '99) it has evolved into Quads current offerings so "Vintage" would be a misnomer.

The Quads are an audiophile icon to be sure.
Many people have owned and sold their Quads only to regret their decision.
There is a restoration/modification industry catering specifically to Quads.
That says a lot about the brand.

The Quads, by anyone's definition (including my own) are wonderful speakers, a sweet spot of price,
performance and room friendly design.
Regarding comparison to other offerings, it all depends on what you are looking for.
Some look to well established brands, while others look for what the new has to offer.
I have a 27x16 ft room with OB servosubs and Quads are not dynamic enough in my situation
My hearing has been checked and I  have excellent high frequency hearing
without a crossover and a tranformer in line with the speaker- The GTA3's are more transparent ,open and detailed in comparison to The Maggies and Quads I have heard-That is just my opinion