# Latest addition to my studio - Quad ESL 57



## muk (May 30, 2019)

Does anybody round here know the Quad ESL 57? Yesterday I was so lucky as to score a splendid pair in a great deal. They are very special speakers indeed. Chamber music, orchestral music, and the human voice sound astonishing. The quick response and low distortion make for a natural and pure listening pleasure. The downside is that they take up a lot of space in listening position. Luckily they are not deep, and so can be put out of the way easily.

Apparently these speakers were used by the BBC for a while, and some of the classical recording engineers use them at home for personal listening pleasure. I completely understand why. Very excited about this.


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## burp182 (May 30, 2019)

Lovely things. Position sensitive (both for the speaker and you) and somewhat limited on both bottom end and dynamic range, but, particularly on well-recorded two channel acoustic sources, they create a “you are there” feeling that’s hard to match. 
Congratulations on your find. What are you powering them with?


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## muk (May 30, 2019)

Thanks burp. My space is pretty ideal for them, as the back wall is far away. I am using a Quad 303 amp that was part of the deal.


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## burp182 (May 30, 2019)

I’ll envy you quietly over here.....


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## muk (May 31, 2019)

Hope you'll own a pair as well sometime. As you write, on acoustic music it's the next best thing to hearing it live. I haven't heard any other speakers that can match that experience. Peter Walker really invented a genius design with these electrostats.


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## Elephant (Jun 1, 2019)

@muk If the 57's are working properly, they will be wonderful. If you ever replace the amp, bear in mind that the 57's are voltage sensitive and will arc over if that voltage is exceeded, which means having a power amp with the internal DC PSU within certain limits - the factory will tell you (the 303 is designed to work with them). Give them some love !!
BR
E


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## muk (Jun 2, 2019)

Thanks Elephant, will do. They do indeed sound wonderful, special, and unlike any other speakers I have heard.
I'm aware of the danger of arcing the treble panels. It's no worry in my case, as I don't intend to replace the 303 amp anytime soon. If I did I would be mindful of amp power. More than 50w is not needed foe the 57. On top of that my speakers have clamp boards fitted to protect them from arcing too.


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