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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 4 responses by shadorne

shadorne's avatar
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shadorne
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Luke,

What you report about the Quad mid range sounds accurate to me. I suspect you may tire of the deficiencies in the bass and lack of dynamics eventually, not a one night stand however, but give it a few months and you may be pinning for some realistic sound levels.

If you are enamoured with mid range then I am curious if you have considered ATC's? They will not be as perfect in the mid range as the Quad but the little you lose in mid range perfection you stand to gain in bass, dynamics and a much larger listening sweetspot. (all round performance that might be enough to stop your penchant for short affairs...)
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shadorne
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Luke you said
Within minutes i heard more from a recording than i ever had with any other speaker I have knowm.

Here is a review of the Quad ESL63 by J Gordon Holt.

He states "First of all, these speakers have inner detail like nothing I have ever heard!" and "this is one of the smoothest [frequency response] through the midrange that I have ever measured."

That kind of praise coming from Holt means they are indeed amazing! No doubt about it.
shadorne's avatar
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shadorne
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You are in heaven! I hope the honeymoon lasts. I have not seen the recent HI-FI World article but wondered what you thought of the Gordon Holt article I linked to above?

Also do you not agree with Newbee that this speaker forces you to recognize/concentrate on what they do so very well partly from the absence of competition from dynamics, bass and treble? "Idiot Savant" is perhaps derogatory but an apt term nonethless for a speaker that does only one thing really well.

Just curious or perhaps this thread will remain best as a eulogy to the great Quad ESL 57, rather than any meaningful discussion.
shadorne's avatar
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shadorne
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Is Quad ESL57 most amazing speaker of all time?

Since this question appears rhetorical perhaps it seeks a circular answer?

How about this;

The most amazing speaker of all time is one that you keep and use as your main speaker in your system for all time.

So prove it by not making this another ETC ETC ETC in your long list of failed attempts at finding a great speaker.
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