Rating
Reviewed by:
Wempie Pauned
(Casual Listener)
Review Date
December 18, 2008Overall Rating
 4 of 5
Value Rating
4 of 5
Used product for
More than 1 year Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5,
1.00 votes
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Review 1 of 38
Price Paid:
$150.00
from Jakarta - Indonesia Summary:
Quad ESL63 sound very close to original sound, no coloration added and the most interesting is non fatiquing for hours of listening. Strengths:
Especially vocal may be the best, instrument almost no coloration added. Able to reproduct some missing tones on cone speaker, especially fast tones. Weaknesses:
Low sensitivty and need high power amplifier to drive to match the listener's listening level. At high level volume in high humidity may cause spark on the panels. Limited bass level at large room. Similar Products Used:
Magnepan MG?
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Rating
Reviewed by:
franksmith
(Audio Enthusiast)
Review Date
February 21, 2005Overall Rating
 5 of 5
Value Rating
5 of 5
Used product for
Less than 1 month Visitors rate this review
4.43 of 5,
7.00 votes
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Review 2 of 38
Price Paid:
$1500.00
from last owner Summary:
I had many speakers in the last 5 years mostly totem, elipson, klipsh. On some occasion i got to listen to esl-57 and esl-63 and they slowly grow in me. Each time i was amazed by them. One of the best setup i ever heard was based on esl-63 with good stands in a very big basement. More i was searching for my sound, more i was interested to electrostatic speakers. In another hand i was affraid of the high cost maintnance and reliability of the quad and find some flaw on mangnepan speaker exept on very high-end ones. I finaly I found a good deal and take my chance on a recently rebuilded pair who seem to sound good in the very small seller room.
At home it was simply a revelation, any speakers i even own was simply forgeten in a couple days of listning. With position tweaking (lot of space on the back and from sidewall), rising them 14 inches and using the 16 ohms tap on my amp and I'm now in my nirvana. They certainly don't lack in bass, the mids are sweet as hell and instruments really sound like they should. All thoses years that i wanted them but was too afraid to buy a pair ...
Thoses speakers are for real music lover, not for excesive purist. Strengths:
If you can affort them (including possible reparation), you can live with what i describe in weaknesses, I cannot see anything like them that I heard in shows and stores and don't cost more than my car. Weaknesses:
Large, need big room, need to be rised from the floor. Dipolar, can be hard to position and may need absorbant panel behind them. They need very stable power with a lot of reserve. I use a old mcintosh amp with superb result at raisonable price. Similar Products Used:
Nothing with standard driver if you are in that kind of sound except some back loaded horn designs.
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Rating
Reviewed by:
kb0000
(AudioPhile)
Review Date
May 26, 2004Overall Rating
5 of 5
Value Rating
4 of 5
Used product for
More than 1 year Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5,
4.00 votes
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Review 3 of 38
Price Paid:
$1600.00
from eBay Summary:
My first pair of ESL-63 speakers were the original International Monitors, serial # 5000s. These were purchased in England years before a modified ESL-63 was sold in the USA as the US Monitor.
After 22 years, one of them developed a leaking capacitor which makes weird noises, and I replaced it with ESL-63 USA Monitors (serial # 21,000s), an upgraded version of the originals. The original ESL 63 was the best speaker ever made, especially for classical music. The US Monitor is better, being a bit more open.
These speakers are not fussy unless they are over powered. If you have pop music induced hearing loss, you won't like them.
Quads roll off from 40 Hz (which is pretty good bass unless you are a hard rock nut), and a little low base boost makes sense, but running the Quads through a crossover is not a good idea, it only makes things worse. I built my own subwoofer with its own amp that rolls off -6db between 30 and 40 Hz, and the signal is terminated at 40 Hz. That way. in only adds bass in the region where the Quads roll off without taking anything away from the Quads. Strengths:
Awesome imaging, inner detail, transient response, and vast sound stage. Most like real music of any speaker ever. Weaknesses:
These ain't cheap. Go to eBay after searching the web for how to tell a fried panel. Similar Products Used:
MacIntosh, Quad, Adcom, Tandberg, Berning, Crown, and Marantz amps.
Magnavox, Sony, JVC, CEC cd players. Ariston 400 turntable/Ortofon OM-40 mm cartridge.
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Rating
Reviewed by:
mchpeters(Unregistered User)
(AudioPhile)
Review Date
July 5, 2003Overall Rating
5 of 5
Value Rating
5 of 5
Used product for
More than 1 year Visitors rate this review
4.20 of 5,
5.00 votes
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Review 4 of 38
Price Paid:
$3000.00
from Philadelphia, PA Summary:
I purchased my new Quad ESL 63s with "Stand and Deliver" stands in late 1979, along with a Janis 15" W-1 Subwoofer and crossover/amp. In 1988 I traded them for a pair of ESL 63 USA Monitors. They have always been driven by Audio Research M100 tube monoblocks and an ARC SP-9 hybrid preamp. After 14 years, this system continues to thrill me with the transparent, holographic delivery of beautiful music, especially with the acoustic classical and jazz performances now becoming available using the new DSD SACD recording. The Quads deliver astonishly real(true) voice, piano and woodwind sound, and with a well-blended sub do not seem to slight the musically deep bass notes on the DSD disks.
I have an all-digital Meridian home theater surround sound system, which is really great for movie sound as well as music, but it can't input the DSD multichannel SACDs, so I prefer my Quad ESL63/tube system for stereo listening to these super-fidelity recordings and other good analog source material like Direct-to-Disk and high quality vinyl.
Over these many years, I have had no problem with the speakers deteriorating. Strengths:
Transparent, "open window" reproducers of the natural timbre of acoustic instruments and voice, if faithfully recorded.
Beautiful mid-range fidelity.
Wide,stable soundstage. Weaknesses:
Lack the "punch" of dynamic speakers. Difficult to blend-in a dynamic subwoofer.
Require a lot of space around the speakers. Similar Products Used:
VPI T.T., Souther Linear Tracking Arm, Koetsu MC Pickup, Sony SCD-777es SACD
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Rating
Reviewed by:
Edmund Rigby(Unregistered User)
(AudioPhile)
Review Date
June 23, 2003Overall Rating
4 of 5
Value Rating
5 of 5
Used product for
More than 1 year |
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Review 5 of 38
Price Paid:
$0.00 Summary:
Arguably (but please don't) the best speaker ever made - including the 988 & 989.
I respond to Juan Romero's review of June 18th ,2003. I agree with everything he said except his comments re the ESL57. I heard these several years ago but cannot remember how they sounded (as part of an HQD Mark Levinson system). The comments from persons who have heard both seem to divide fairly evenly with respect to which gives the more transparent midrange. Check out MT Audio Design at http//user.tninet.se. He has extensive experience with both.
BTW, I have never heard them sound jumbled.
Your comments about the stator elements separating from the frame because of glue deteriorating are well taken. My experience has been much worse than the 10 or so years you mentioned. I have had failures on the order of a different one every 6 or so months. It may be the humidity here in Nassau. I have learned to repair the panels however. Address info on your repair source would be much appreciated as I am on the look out for better tools to effect such repairs. Strengths:
Satisfying natural sound Weaknesses:
Damnably unreliable (especially if you live in a humid clime).
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4.82 of 5
