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 3 responses by tbg

The Quad ELSs were really the first audiophile speaker I heard, but those guys sitting on the floor did not really impress me much. They had no dynamics or bass. Many years later when I bought the Quads, I bought two pair and did a frame to hold the bottom one upside down. This was better and having already owned Infinity ServoStatic and KLH 9s, I could appreciate the benefits and liabilities of electrostats. I sold them and continued my quest for a great speaker.

About two years ago the German made Quad 57s appeared at CES. I don't know whether they are still made now. At any rate, I dragged an audiophile friend in to hear them. He was utterly amazed and asked why I had never told him about these. I quietly told him to listen to the dynamics. He said "Oh!"

Considering when they were made, I guess they are impressive.
Jaybo, if you have ever heard the AudioNotes set up by Peter at CES, you would not say this. I tried them myself and could not duplicate what I heard at CES, but this is either me or my electronics, not the speakers.