They don't really need 30. I use to use a Dynaco Stereo 35 power amp which had 17.5 watts a channel and my friend, who has a pair I sold him in the mid 70s, uses a rebuilt Heathkit with 8 watts. The Marantz 8B in triode, which was 12-15 watts [ I think, it has been a while], was also very good. Stability is the main thing as the impedance curve is extreme [ under one ohm in the top end]. The original Quad tube amps are being produced again but are not cheap. I never found the 57s very sensitive to differences in amps and I used them from 1964 to the time the 63 replaced them.
Power handling capability of original Quad esl 57s
After many years of hearing about how wonderful the original Quad esl 57s are, I finally found a near mint late serial number pair. I'm in audio heaven! I used to own the 63s and the 989s, and these are much better ( in the sweet spot).
Now my question: what is the power handling capability of the 57s? There seems to be some confusion here. According to the original manual, it is safe to use any amplifier as long as it does not produce more than 33 volts at any impedance. This is an interesting specification because it does not differ from the 63s.
Ok, let's do some math. At 8 ohms, 33 volts into 8 ohms gives us
33^2/8 = 136 watts! At higher imoedances, power must drop, so at 30 ohms, the speaker can only take up to 30 watts.
Now my question: what is the power handling capability of the 57s? There seems to be some confusion here. According to the original manual, it is safe to use any amplifier as long as it does not produce more than 33 volts at any impedance. This is an interesting specification because it does not differ from the 63s.
Ok, let's do some math. At 8 ohms, 33 volts into 8 ohms gives us
33^2/8 = 136 watts! At higher imoedances, power must drop, so at 30 ohms, the speaker can only take up to 30 watts.
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- 14 posts total
- 14 posts total