Is Quad ESL57 most amazing speaker of all time?


Just had to try one of these as i had heard so much about it. Enjoyed a lot of old Quad stuff so thought must be good. Recently in my room passed the following speakers, Spendor BC1 spendor SP1, Harbeth 30 and 40's. Reynaud offrandes, audio physic avanti, Audio note ANE spx, Avantagrde duo's(modified subwoofers), tANNOY GOLD DUAL CONCENTRICS, ETC ETC ETC.

Within minutes i heard more from a recording than i ever had with any other speaker I have knowm. The realism and detail due to the fast transients are absolutely astonishing. Ok will not go loud bass a little monochrome, but how could you live without that midrange?? It is that good. I was using jadis JPL pre and a good old cheap Quad 606. I didnot even have the chance to drag out the megabucks Audio Note signature 300b mono's before I blew the treble on one unit. Apparently very common. Only the Audio Note speaker approaches the Quad for sound quality although the audio note gets the emotional aspects spot on, the Quad as good as it is in communicating the emotion is just so scarily intimately accurate. Accurate to the point that it is unrealistic. By that I mean that you are so intimate with the musician or vocalist its as if you got up on the stage and sat beside them to hear details you never would if you were in the audience.

Is there any body else out there who can see where i am coming from??? Or is this just a one night stand??
audiojoy4

Showing 2 responses by mrtennis

hi tbg:

i heard the audionote setiup at ces in the alexis park and visit the audionote room every year. the audionote is not close to the quad 57. i agree with jaybo.

you cannot expect a cone driver to emulate the sound of an electrosat. dispersion patterns are different as well as technology.

while you may like the audionote speakers, i would say, i could tell the difference between the audionote and quad speakers, other things being equal.

would you wager $100 in a blindfold test ??

i don't think you would.
the audionote is not in the same class as the quad 57. as far as timbre is concerned the quad is as good as it gets.

no cone speaker can compete with the quads.

i owned stacked quads for 7 years. i was in audio heaven.

all other speakers, including panels are more inaccurate the quad 57s, in their range.