Dmitry Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 Bought a pair of old not-working Quad 57s, very reasonably. The professional rebuild is rather expensive, and I wouldn't want to go that route until I heard the 57's for myself. How would you describe the sound of these, comparing to our Khorns? I keep reading about the incredible midrange that the Quads are famous for... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiet_Hollow Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 My listening experience has only been with Magnepans and Martin Logans...so my apologies in advance if you feel that extending the experience to Quads is not justified. My take: 1. Not enough nuts. They don't do realistically loud levels unless you're within a couple feet of the panels...which equates to a wholly unrealistic listening experience anywhere else in the room. Which is a shame, because they sound great at low levels, transients are expressed very accurately, and the first thing you'll find yourself reaching for is the volume knob in search of the gestalt.[] Sure, you can just sit closer to them, but there's a limit to how close the panels can be in proximity to each another before they start interfering with one another.They will not light up the room with energy and finesse like horns can. 2. Dipolar dispersion usually equates to a "phasey" sound in the typical indoor listening environment. In a small or un-treated room the backwave ends up interfering a lot with the front wave and equates to a permanent concert hall like sound or ambiance effect. Which is okay I guess if everything you listen to is supposed to sound like Sunday morning sermon in a cathedral, but dry mixes will never truly sound intimate IME. Depending upon how you interpret sound, in this scenario you might actually get disorientated after a short while while your ears are continuously trying to sort out where the sounds are supposed to be coming from. For me, it only took a few minutes of listening, and the sound field made me physically uneasy. Something like a minor dizzy spell.[N] OTOH, in a highly treated room with a good 100 watt amp, playing relatively laid-back material, they can be very satisfying to listen to. [Y] Compare that to your K-horns which can do the same with easy listening material, but can also reach out and put a dry, uncompressed snare drum hit right in your lap.....from 15 feet away. And how about that ability to paint a mid-bass Picasso across the entire front wall of the room? [H] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seti Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 Bought a pair of old not-working Quad 57s, very reasonably. The professional rebuild is rather expensive, and I wouldn't want to go that route until I heard the 57's for myself. How would you describe the sound of these, comparing to our Khorns? I keep reading about the incredible midrange that the Quads are famous for... Very different critters.... I've always wanted a pair of 57's but they are rare in the southern us. It is now your missoin to listen to both and tell us. I like the Quads but didn't like them loud. I am not sure what condition they were in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moray james Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 Dimitry: you need to take the advice given by Seti, you need to listen to both. Any Quad 57 which has not been rebuilt by a professional is not really going to tell you very much as it is falling apart and it matters not if they play they do not play like new not even close. You might try to find a rebuilt pair to listen to or even check out a new pair of modern Quads just to get a sense of what they can do but the new ones are not exactly the same as the 57's. I have had two sets if 57 and one set of 63 US monitors. I prfered the 57's but that's just me. Everything depends upon you and what you liike so no amount of advice will tell you what you need to know. Quads are special speakers and so are Khorns only you will know which you like best. Both will make physical demands on you and the roon you use them in. Go find some and listen. You might also see if you can find a pair of Klipsch CF3 or CF4 to listen to as those are also gems in the Klipsch Crown. In addition they will mke the least demands upon you in terms of room positioning but will require the largest amp of the group. The Quads will also require a very stable amp to sound their best the Khorns will be the easiest to drive of the group. Good luck and please keep us posted as to your journey. Best regards Moray James. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 The 57s only need a good 15 watts. I don't know if you found Sheldon's site for repairing Quad ESLs, but he gives all the details to do it yourself if you are so inclined. I know of him for his Dynaco ST-70 power supply board. http://quadesl.com/quad_refurb.html Love to hear a pair sometime. Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiet_Hollow Posted April 4, 2013 Share Posted April 4, 2013 The 57s only need a good 15 watts. [:$] Showing my inexperience with the Quads vs. the Planars, which digested nearly any amount of power the owner could throw at them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted April 4, 2013 Share Posted April 4, 2013 I'm only tossing out what I have read. Too much and they will arc, making the sound awful and possibly damaging them. I always thought they needed a LOT of power, too. Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmitry Posted April 4, 2013 Author Share Posted April 4, 2013 I'm only tossing out what I have read. Too much and they will arc, making the sound awful and possibly damaging them. Bruce AFAIK, that isn't the case. But I don't know much about them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmitry Posted July 21, 2015 Author Share Posted July 21, 2015 These Quads have been sitting in my [very dry] basement for 2 years now. I've decided to let them go, since I don't see myself spending $3,000 for the professional overhaul. They are beautiful speakers for sure, the most individualistic I've seen. The bronze patina alone is just so warm. Alas, they will need to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djk Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 Great speaker for LGWG music. (little girl with guitar) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.