Quad ESL 63 In Another League Now

(sorry for long post)

Agree with georgehifi that Quad ESL57’s are an icon of speakers (and ESL 63's as well for that matter) and any BS being spread around them needs to be squashed. Why invest in meaningless stuff and even recommend others to do the same on forums like this.

Every ESL63 has a neon lamp that shows that (if in perfect condition) the panels need recharging only roughly once/minute using a fraction of a second current pulse from the HV power supply  -- in other words the panels producing your sound are actually connected to mains and your esoteric and expensive power cord during a fraction of a second every minute. It then must be the mere presence of those expensive cables that produce this vast quality improvement you describe: 

 more natural, clearer, bottom end more dynamic, and so forth, but the lowering of the noise floor, brought forth detail, more natural body, warmth, and a pitch black background, i.e. a grayness or veil in comparison gone, and I mean gone.

I would even say you would get the a bigger quality improvement by buying a bunch of *very* expensive power cords (preferably bi-directional and water-filled) and putting them on the floor infront of your stereo (not connected to anything), since they would at least remove some unwanted floor reflexes.

You can do a quick A/B test by turning off your right channel speaker and connecting a cheap, low quality power cord to your left channel ESL and flip the on/off switch that speaker. In the off stage the ESL will keep its charge for a long time and neither be connected to the lousy power cord nor all the noise coming from your mains outlet.
You will then notice that you can't hear ANY difference att all in sound quality.

Please note I'm not questioning your subjective observations, just our human brains are really lousy in terms of placebo thinking -- if we want to hear something changing, we definitely hear it.

Same thing happened to me when borrowing a really expensive signal cable which my friend said was fantastic. I was extremely sceptical but very surprised when I heard substantial changes --- a more natural, clearer midrange and treble, some veil gone -- making me sit for a few hours, swapping between my favourite CDs.

It then dawned on me that I was listening to CD, and I had connected the new fantastic cables between my preamp and DAC (not the CD)....

If you want to make improve your ESL57s or ESL63s *for real*, I would suggest to do one or more things of the following in the list below (not necessarily the full list, these are obvious):

(every item possible for DIY or using pros like Kent McCallum or Sheldon Stokes, OTA in Europe)

- refurb your panels if older than, say 15-20 years (YMMV)
  -- 57s and 63s

- upgrade your HV power supply --- 57s

- get a proper stand with the optimal height --57s and 63s

- fasten better or even remove some of the obstructing metal screens -- 57s, but only if no children or pets in the house (keep dust covers)

- improve input components (esp. bipolar cap) -- 63s

- replace all crossover caps and resistors -- 57s

- power off your ESLs for a day and then use a pair of good headphones in parallel with one of your speaker connections to check if there is any difference in sound quality (e.g. sibilants on female voices) when connecting/disconnecting the amp to the (quiet) speaker. If it is, upgrade your amp -- 57s and 63s (any speaker really)

- spend LOTS OF TIME trying out the best speaker placement (distance from rear wall, angle and distance to listener, height, and of course room treatment with diffusors and of absorbers.

All of the above items provide REAL improvements, IMHO.
Forget everything about power cord BS, sorry to say.

ESL addict and audiophile for many, many years...

esl57addict
All of the above items provide REAL improvements, IMHO.
Forget everything about power cord BS, sorry to say.

>>>>>If you have not removed the heavy clunky metal grills, removed the suffocating plastic dust covers and placed the Quad 57s on stands, you are hardly a good judge of what the Quads really sound like. No offense intended.

esl57addisct
ESL addict and audiophile for many, many years...

>>>>If time spent in the hobby was a determining factor of knowledge or wisdom all the old fuddy-duddies here would be geniuses.

A little story to add some perspective on this thread...

Several years ago Kent was invited to my home. Why? He and I had a disagreement over at the Asylum (I no longer participate due to what I considered virulent disdain of women) on whether an ESL's power cord could effect the sound. He said no, I said yes. 

I invited him to my home to hear this on the Kingsound King (can't recall whether it was the original King or King III - doesn't matter, as I've owned both and both operate similarly). The bottom line is he acknowledged that he heard the obvious distinction in operation between different power cords. It was tough for him to admit it; he inferred that it was the power supply of the King III speaker, as though it might not be a universal effect. 

Now, I can't speak to the Quad, as I have never owned it or been given the opportunity to swap power cords on one. So, wisdom dictates a neutral stance, not a proclamation - as is the habit of some here - of what can or cannot happen. Perhaps the Quad operates entirely differently and would be insensitive to PCs. Perhaps not. A simple comparison of power cords would tell.

Who cares anyway? The older Quad is an also ran, a crippled speaker, like putting an 80 year old into a foot race with teens. 

Since then I have had the pleasure of reviewing the Sound Lab Ultimate 545 (at the time called the U-4iA) for Dagogo.com. Guess what? It, too, is quite sensitive to power cords. Surprise, surprise. No, not really if anyone bothers to actually TRY changing power cords. If the Quads are not sensitive to power cords, then I consider them even worse than their already quite stilted performance. They would be one step away from junk, imo, as they are so compromised holistically, to add the crippled performance of not being tuned by power cords would make them undesirable as ESL speakers, imo. Frankly, I think they've been surpassed so thoroughly over time that the cult of adherence to them is more from nostalgia than superior sound. They were an amazing product many decades ago. Now? Hardly.  Having heard them several times I wouldn't dream of swapping out the King III for them. They aren't even in the running for SOTA sound. 

I have no interest in debating/arguing my position on this.  

Phillyb, is the smart one. He actually tries things, and realizes it's a waste of time listening to people who don't.   :) 

“I have no interest in debating/arguing my position on this.”

Quote of the Week!  😀

doug

I tend to agree that the Quads are more limited than some of the newer designs, but I dont condemn them outright. I do think that they have the edge over the Kings in a few categories. I have a pair of 63s that I will send to Kent soon to be redone and I will try various power cords on these speakers.

Exactly what convinced you of the disdain of women on the Asylum? I find it odd but predictable that you would see fit to add this tidbit to your post. First the request to not mention weapons in any context and now this makes me wonder how you survive in such a tainted world. Please dont engage with me as such an exchange might prove to be uncomfortable.