Linn Owners

Electrostatic speakers

Andyt916

Wammer
Wammer
Oct 27, 2020
984
1,513
113
Hertfordshire, UK
AKA
Andrew
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
If size is a problem 2805s are smaller & £1200 which looks cheap to me and sound nearly as good as 2905s.

Quad ESL 2805s | eBay

Mark at Missing Link had a pair for years & they drove his large listening room nicely

Dimensions: 1040mm x 695mm x 385mm.

30cms from the front wall may be an issue here. However, they do look very elegant, and I must say I do like that rug....

 
  • Haha
Reactions: BarneysDad

Paulssurround

Space Explorer
Wammer
Oct 11, 2018
3,991
4,295
148
Vancouver
AKA
Paul
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
Probably not quite that long ago, as the 30.7 has only been in production for about 5 years.
You could be right, I have lost track of time.  😊

‘The Magneplanar 30.7’s were pre-production, and I believe Wendell from Magneplanar took them on an extended road show around North America 

 
  • Like
Reactions: Elad Repooc

Bertox

Newbie
Wammer
Dec 10, 2018
40
29
23
Back in the late '80s I had my first 'audiophile' experience: a kind of initiation. And it was good.

The guy had a Sondek at the beginning and a pair of Quad 57 at the end of the chain. Those 57 were naked, on stand. Good sound? No, music. Unforgettable!

But you need much more than the suitable room I, by the way, don't have. You need to live alone, without pets and other human being, just the way the guy lived.

 
  • Like
Reactions: Paulssurround

Jail4CEOs2

Well-Known Wammer
Wammer
Dec 2, 2018
1,989
1,287
148
Taiwan
AKA
LG G2 65 OLED
HiFi Trade?
  1. Yes
I think it was @hifipm who first showed me the earliest quad electrostats in the seventies...I think driven by a quad pre and amplification? I do remember the incredible sense of air and space they provided on that day.

 

ThomasOK

LP12 Whisperer, Lejonklou importer
Wammer
Oct 19, 2018
2,044
4,166
133
Westland, MI USA
AKA
Thomas O'Keefe
HiFi Trade?
  1. Yes
Back in the late '80s I had my first 'audiophile' experience: a kind of initiation. And it was good.

The guy had a Sondek at the beginning and a pair of Quad 57 at the end of the chain. Those 57 were naked, on stand. Good sound? No, music. Unforgettable!

But you need much more than the suitable room I, by the way, don't have. You need to live alone, without pets and other human being, just the way the guy lived.
That is only if the Quad ESLs are naked as there are nasty voltages inside.  With the normal grills front and back they are quite safe for both people and pets.

 

Bertox

Newbie
Wammer
Dec 10, 2018
40
29
23
That is only if the Quad ESLs are naked as there are nasty voltages inside.  With the normal grills front and back they are quite safe for both people and pets.
You're right, Thomas.  The 'official' Quad 57 (w. grills) are safe. If I had room for them, I would buy a 'dressed' couple. On the contrary, I'd try them on stand, just like those the guy had built for them. They were around 40 cm. high.  

 
  • Like
Reactions: Paulssurround

al2002

Wammer
Wammer
Jan 27, 2013
253
9
33
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
A friend has just picked up a pair of Quad Electrostatic speakers ESL 63's and he is raving about them. I asked him about bass and he said its not bad at all - I had always heard that bass was minimal. I have never heard a pair of electrostatics (and since he lives 300 miles away I won't hear his any time soon) but know they have quite a following. Anyone have any experience that they would like to comment on? If they are that good why don't you (I) hear more of them?
 I’ve had Quads since the late 1970s. First a pair of stacked 57s, replaced  in 1981 by a pair of 63s.  Still own 63s with the Gradient SW63s. 

The ESL-63/ SW-63 is A superb  combo having a low distortion, uncoloured natural sound with precision imaging. In addition, the reproduced sound field has a marvelous sense of envelopment due to the dipole radiation pattern. This is a set of virtues that most conventional passive box speakers cannot match.  Bass is adequate, certainly better in quality and depth than  internet talk would have you believe,  mid 30Hz for a bare 63.

Cons: will not play at head banging levels, will require periodic panel replacement, muted highs,  no really deep bass without a sub. 

As Peter Walker purportedly said: “There are Loud Speakers and there are Good Speakers; Quad make Good Speakers”. And bloody good they are too, IMO.

 
Last edited by a moderator:

TomBl

Newbie
Wammer
Oct 9, 2018
51
27
38
Carmarthen, Wales.
AKA
Tom Bloomfield
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
A friend has Quad electrostatic speakers, pretty ancient now. He loves them.

He told me that they were a lot better after an overdue service.

He introduced me to the sub-woofer , which is how I got one.

 

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
113,444
Messages
2,451,263
Members
70,783
Latest member
reg66

Latest Articles