Stacked Quad ESL 57

[E-Stat]

The Dahlquists have an interesting history. Briefly, Roger Dahlquist built a pair of speakers ...

Roger? That would be Jon Dahlquist. And they are exceptional speakers that coincidentally use the Advent woofer. I sold them back in the late 70s. Not a big fan of the piezo super tweeter though.

As for stacking them (I have stacked New Advents in the vintage garage system), you pick up 6 db sensitivity.

rw

[jtgofish]

Roger? That would be Jon Dahlquist. And they are exceptional speakers that coincidentally use the Advent woofer. I sold them back in the late 70s. Not a big fan of the piezo super tweeter though.

As for stacking them (I have stacked New Advents in the vintage garage system), you pick up 6 db sensitivity.

rw

The stacked Quads are OK but an awful lot of bother for little improvement.I really think these are overated speakers.I have Crown ES212s that are hugely better in every way and even something like the Martin Logan Clarity is better.

JT

[theaudiohobby]

The stacked Quads are OK but an awful lot of bother for little improvement.I really think these are overated speakers.I have Crown ES212s that are hugely better in every way and even something like the Martin Logan Clarity is better.

JT

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I compared a 30 year old Quad ESL to one of the Martin Logans hybrids a while back, in the same room and same amplifier and there was no contest, the Quad ESL was much better, the Quad was much more transparents and had a much better liveliness to it. A Quad ESL in good fettle is an extraordinary speaker, for my particular favoured genres i.e. classical, chamber, jazz, piano and such like it has few equals. The only other speaker I think of with so fondly is the Sonus Faber Guernari Homage, funny thing it has some of the same limitations of the Quads, so that should give you an idea of my preferences.

[E-Stat]

The stacked Quads are OK but an awful lot of bother for little improvement.I really think these are overated speakers.I have Crown ES212s that are hugely better in every way and even something like the Martin Logan Clarity is better.

To each his own. I favor full range electrostats over hybrids such as both the Crown (RTR) and ML models for their coherency. The Quad 57s are indeed wonderfully neutral speakers. Stacking them provides additional efficiency, low end extension and image size.

After using various Acoustat electrostats for almost thirty years, I purchased a pair of Sound Lab U-1s last year. I find them to offer the midrange purity and coherency of the Quad with the extended bass of the hybrids along with a wider sweet spot.

rw

[jtgofish]

To each his own. I favor full range electrostats over hybrids such as both the Crown (RTR) and ML models for their coherency. The Quad 57s are indeed wonderfully neutral speakers. Stacking them provides additional efficiency, low end extension and image size.

After using various Acoustat electrostats for almost thirty years, I purchased a pair of Sound Lab U-1s last year. I find them to offer the midrange purity and coherency of the Quad with the extended bass of the hybrids along with a wider sweet spot.

rw

E Stat,
Don't get me wrong,I do like the ESL57s.They are certainly one of the best speakers ever made.I have never heard a completely refurbished pair so maybe the ones I have heard were slightly off their best ,although they were in well above average condition and one of the last pair made.I used these for some time in the same room and system as my Crowns and I much prefer the Crowns.For a hybrid design the Crowns are very well integrated.Certainly some of the Martin Logan hybrids I have heard are not well integrated,but I think the Claritys are a well integrated model.The Crowns are just better all round speakers,are not beamy like the Quads,are much more dynamic and can handle more power.They do need a ribbon super tweeter though.The Crowns were much more expensive speakers than the Quads so they should sound better-they cost the same as a family car in 1974!

JT

[theaudiohobby]

The Crowns are just better all round speakers,are not beamy like the Quads,are much more dynamic and can handle more power.They do need a ribbon super tweeter though.The Crowns were much more expensive speakers than the Quads so they should sound better-they cost the same as a family car in 1974!

JT

As someone who has owned 3 Quad ESL 57s in various conditions, now currently running a fully refurbished pair, I cannot agree with your assessment, First, I run the Quad ESL with a 100W amplifier and it does not complain, as for dynamics that is entirely down to amplifier, running them with medium power SET/P-Ps as is suggested is not the way to go, some of those amplifiers may clip gracefully and may make voices sound glorious and but dynamics takes a heavy knock in the process as those amplifiers run of out of puff when power most required in the lower midrange, the issue of beamy treble is more an issue of tired tweeter, EHT and/or poor positioning than any thing else, amplifier choice is also critical here since the Quad ESL deeps to under 2 ohms at the extremes, a wimpy amplifier will not produce any power here causing the speaker to sound midrange heavy. The sweet spot is wider than many reviews lead one to believe, it has limited vertical dispersion but that is limitation is common to Electrostatics, though it is excarbarated by Quads sitting on stock feet. I do not known much about the Crowns to comment.

[E-Stat]

...it has limited vertical dispersion but that is limitation is common to Electrostatics

Not with seven foot tall 'stats like the SL U-1s. Not to mention the nine foot tall Majestics.



rw

[Geoffcin]

Stacked Majestics?!

[theaudiohobby]

Impressive wall...