Quad lounge

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The Quad electrostatic speakers have been in continuous production since 1957. There's a point of view that they are the best speakers ever made. Cleverly, electric fields induce a 3 micron-thin membrane to vibrate to create a very realistic, albeit bass-light sound.

Ok, there have been some changes (not all would call them improvements) over the years.

I got a set of ESL 63s earlier in the year on ebay. I knew they needed work. They sound excellent - well one of them does. The other clicks and pops as 10,000 volts short across the stators. The guy selling them had TDL speakers the size of coffins in his living room. Mmm - mahogany. Perhaps he will be buried in them? I thought they sounded horrific.

Anyway, we took them home, and lived with mono for a while, but its time to go stereo.

Helen likes the sound, not so sure that they fit with our decor. Well, in fairness they are each about the frontal dimensions of a washing machine. Must have taken a bit of gumption on the part of the average British audiophile to wedge them into the average British living room.

Happily, Quad still service these babies. Mine are 25 years old, some of the earliest ESL 63s made. No problem.

This is an arriviste speaker, in Quad terms. A few years ago I picked up some Quad II valve amplifiers from a garage sale on the way to pick up a newspaper and some croissants. They were forty years old. Again, no problemo.

So, as we are heading off to visit the factory in Huntingdon to get them sorted out.

If you book ahead, they do a "while you wait" service. As I expect to have each one of the (six?) panels changed, you'd think this would take a while. Nope - in by 8 (8!), you'll be out by lunchtime. Apparently.

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