Cary 805c and Quad ESL-63 Combination?

I had Cary 805B's on US Monitors for @ 5 yrs. Very good match. NBS spkr cable sounded great between them.

Hi,

If the Quads are the speaker you will be using then the 805C should be no problem at all. Quads only like to see about 50 to 100 watts and the 805C is a big 50 watts compared to similar solid state amp.

The Pass Aleph series work well with the 63s. I use the Aleph 5 to good effect. I listen primarly to classical and adult rock. I use Nordost Flatline cable. I have tried many other solid state and tube amps but have settled on the Pass.

I am using Cary 805C's with Quad ESL63 USA Monitors and have found this to be an excellent combination; provided, however, that you want to keep the volume reasonable. I drive my ESL63s full-range and at moderate volumes in a medium-sized room. A friend of mine drives his Quads in an actively bi-amplified system that cuts off the low bass fed to the Quads. This should dramatically reduce his need for power. He still has problems living within the limitations of 55 watts. So, be warned if you like to listen loud or have a cavernous room.

To me, the 805C's have fantastic warmth and beauty in the midrange. If that is what is important to you, you should feel free to go the way of the 805C's.

I had a less positive experience combining 805c's and ESL-63s. I run mine biamped with Vandersteen 2wq subs, but the issue I encountered was more with the treble. It seemed very dead on top. I love 805c amps (I've heard them on other systems) and I really love Quad ESL-63s, but together they did not work for me. I assumed it was some sort of impedance issue with the electrostatics, but if others have found positive results, maybe it was something else. Just thought I would share my experience. I will not sell my Quads so I reluctantly traded 805c's to a friend for VTL amps that sound fantastic with my setup. I will always have a warm place in my heart for those Cary's though... so nice.

Forgot to mention that the Cary's blew me away with their "big" sound and huge dynamics. 50 watts sound like 200 watts, and I don't mean 200 solid state watts. I mean they sound like 200 tube watts. Comparable dynamics to the 200 watt VTLs I now have. Must be those beastly transformers.

Too funny... I misread the date of this thread. What's 15 years between friends? ha ha