What speaker to replace ESL 63?

Detlof & Frap: Actually anything by that quartet is exceptional. They have also recorded the Mozart String Quartets which was just re-released. As good a performance as I have heard.

Without a doubt the best speakers I can suggest to replace them with are the Piega P-10's. The have ribbon tweeter, a ribbon midrange and cone woofers. This is easily one of the most coherent speakers I have ever heard. It is much better than the Quads in the midrange and has some of the best bass available. The dynamics are also top notch. It is the first speaker that gives me the best of cones and ribbons.

They will surprise you!

Detlof: How broken-in were the P-10's you listened to? The Piega's I have did not become magical until about the 400th hour. They sounded real good out of the box, but improved by a wide margin with break-in.

I do not own the Quad's, but listened to them recently at a friend's house who compared my Piega's with her Quads. She agreed with me and bought a pair of P-10's.

I would have agreed with you about the 63's with my last breath until hearing the P10's. I may have been a bit "exhuberant" in my "much better" statement, but they really are that good. The break-in period is a rough one and everything improves with playing time on them.

Jennifer Crock of Jena Labs fame owns Entec modified Quad ESL 63's and after hearing my Piegas, bought a pair. She has made it clear to me and others that she has never heard a more coherant speaker.

Frap & Detlof: It appears that we have similar tastes. I too am a huge chamber music enthusiast and appreciate the reproduction of this genre through the Quads. They have been very speacial for many years. At one point, many years ago, the finest sound I had heard.

BTW, Pick up a copy of Haydn's Opus 76 on Astree performed by the amazing Quartuor Mosaiques. Simply fantastic.