Who prefers the Quad 57s over the 63s?

Has anyone done a side by side comparison of a stock 57 vs a 63 with the input cap/resistor circuit bypassed? That will make a 63 smoke like a 57 when overdriven for sure, but is the 63s lack of magic simply due to that lossy C/R combo?

"Not only do the grills rattle and buzz but they block much of the sound. 57s sans grills are much more dynamic, open and natural. Leaving the grills on is OK if you like listening to the radio." -06-23-11: Geoffkait

Strongly disagree , if this is the case your speakers needs refurbishing ...

"Weseixas, why does the 57 win hands down over the 63s in a small room?" -06-23-11: Dracule1

Not sure dracule, it is sized differently was was originally designed to be used closed to the ground in small rooms.

On the occasions that i have had the opportunity to A/B the 57 worked very well in small rooms where the 63 worked better in larger rooms. If your listening space is 12x12 then i would believe the 57 to be the better performer.

I have heard 57's on the ground on stands, single , stacked, triple stacked and whats strange in every situation the sound was different. Going from excellent to really bad...

The first stacked was the Levinson QHD system many moons ago and it was the best for me at the time. Last month i was present at another listening session with modded and redone 63, in a fairly large room (24x36 my guess ) and the sound was very good, excellent sound stage , imaging power and delivery, a bit shy in the low bass ,but good..

The double stack and triple stack ( 57's) take on a different personality, power and pace galore , but lack the intimacy of a single 57 or 63...

Either way , currently modded Quads 57 or 63 are a win win if you like the quad sound and the power is frightening if you are used to older Quads...

regards,

Dracule1,

Just the mids..:)

Hard to say, both are pretty good, the 57 has a bigger sweeter voice, the 63's, better seperation of instruments and voices, a bit more image perfect, with better localization.

.........Tough choice :)

Weseixas, that's would most seem to experience. I listen to a lot of vocals so bigger sweeter voice may be more to my liking, although "colored" to some. I already have a one of the best two way I have ever heard when it comes to imaging and staging and neutrality, but sometimes I wish for a more transparent midrangey speaker that can convey the subtle expressions of vocals. Do you think the 57 is more suited for this than the 63?