Absolutely amazing midrange transparency and realism...completely convincing soundstage, both in depth and precision.....from 50 Hz up these speakers are scary good...the best I have personally ever heard!

Won't produce prodigious amounts of bass or very much extension below 50 Hz.

I purchased a used pair of 57's in the early 90's for about $800. I have heard a lot of other speakers that can do certain things better than Quads's (bass, sheer volume levels, etc.), but none that can create the sense of realism and transparency that the ESL-57 presents. I've listened to B&W 801's and 808"s, Thiel's, Vandersteen's, Snell's, Merlin's, even ESL-63's and Martin Logan's, and none of them has been capable of resolving music to the extent that the 57's do! Thay are, simply put, the most transparent natural sounding loudspeaker I have ever heard...period! I must confess that there are many speakers that I have not yet listened to, but have heard great things about; like Sound Lab's and the larger Magnepan's. But as of this writing, I have yet to hear a speaker that is capable of relaying voice and instrumentation with the startling sense of realism that the 57's do.

Similar Products Used:

ESL-63
Audio Static
Emminent Technology LFT4
Maggies

Mid range to die for
Accuracy

None that matter to me.

Back about 1970 I first heard a pair of Quad ESL57s and I remember being unimpressed. They just sounded so ordinary. Many years later I bought the pair I have now and I realized that the fact that they sound ordinary is their greatest strength. They just sound like the real thing. OK, so they are not going to blow the roof off and organ pedal notes need a bit of help from my home made sub-woofer but everything else is just right. I can listen to them for hours and they are do not induce listening fatigue. For voice and accoustic instruments they are just so accurate. And the stereo image is so stable and deep. These things may have limitations but I am more than willing to live with them for the amazing ride they give on just about everything.

Customer Service

For a product designed in the 1950s and made in 1970 the support is fantastic.

Similar Products Used:

Nothing else I have ever had has even come close.

Quite the best speakers I have ever heard

Very large and low WAF.
Can be cantankerous in their old age

These were bought on eBay and the price incudes a complete refurbishing by ESL specialists Quad Musikwiedergabe GmbH in Germany (whom I cannot recommend highly enough).

Is this the greatest loudspeaker ever made? I don't know, but I've heard enough to convince me that it might be. An open, airy and above all EFFORTLESS sound. A common criticism is lack of bass. It's true, they won't do bass on the Richter scale, but what's there sounds so natural and unforced that I throttled back my subwoofer on my other speakers to match.

A word of warning - the last authentic Quad ones were made in the 1980s, so they are all getting on and will occasionally need some TLC from people who know what they're doing. However, they are so addictive that you can't wait to have them back in action. Of course, you can avoid that problem by contacting Manfred Stein at Quad Musikwiedergabe and buying a pair of the brand new ones he makes (QM inherited all the tools for making the ESL 57 from Quad, including the wondrous contraption for stretching the membranes).

Soundstage, clarity, piano and voice (wow), and vocal texture. Horns and fiddle and cymbals are incredible. Try the Housemartins' "Build", Wilderness Road's "Death Dream", Andy Pratt's "Avenging Annie", Little Feat's "Long Distance Love", or 10CC's "I'm Not In Love", or the 2nd BS&T album... you'll be spellbound. Just a wonderful reason to have time alone!

None

Well, hearing the Quads for the first time after 30 years of listening to finer audio reminds me of a Mel Brooks line in an old movie. Brooks' head is screwed on backwards (literally) in one scene and he looks down and asks "How come no one told me my butt was so big?" Same with the Quads. How come no one ever told me to listen to these FIRST! I own a great set of Snell A's, they are amazing. My Grado Reference headphones fantastic. Now multiply it all by a thousand and there are the Quads with a Dyna St-70 and a PAS-3 with a Music Hall MMF-7. Maybe there's another level. But I am fine right here in Quad Heaven.

Similar Products Used:

KEF Reference 4 Snell A, Snell B, Snell C-II Proac

Lovely transparent, transcendent sound. No distortion. Once heard, you will never go back to any other speaker.

None

My current pair of Quads has been in my possession since 1978. For 26 years they have shared my life through folk, hard rock, jazz and classical phases. The same electronics with no modification have run them: a Quad 405 amplifier and a Citation 11 pre-amp. A Sony CDP-302 CD player was added in the mid-80s which permanently replaced the original Technics manual turntable. There is a reason that so many knowledgeable people have stated the original Quads are the finest loudspeaker ever made. For you to agree is to listen - just once will do. The sound is crystal clear, transparent, splendid. There is nothing to come close to the sound of these full range electrostats - not horns, not cones, not magic, not anything. Specifically, sound is so real it's easy to believe the musicians have sneaked into the room with you. If you are a fan of voice, piano, horns or string instruments, put on the CD, close your eyes, and Quad heaven awaits you. There are a few caveats in owning a pair of Quads. They are like an old MG car - British and quirky. Positioning is everything. Obsessive-compulsive types will spend months to get perfect placement. They have solid, clear bass, but if your idea of stereo is a thumping rap party at ear splitting levels, these are not the speakers for you. The arcing and subsequent repairs will empty your bank account. And they can be picky about the type and quality of amplifier and pre-amp. You don't need but 20 or 30 watts a side for full volume, but it has to be clean. The Quad clean sound is a two-edged sword. You will hear every bit of distortion from any sub-standard electronics or even poor CD production. My Quads have never had repair and I believe the reason is the matching Quad amp and the fact we have resisted blasting the neighbors with our favorite music. My husband, a cellist in a past life, also adores these speakers. To blow away friends who come over for dinner, he just puts on something like Madama Butterfly or Linda Ronstadt. They sink into the chair in front of the speakers, down for the count. I have critically listened to hundreds of speakers and can state conclusively that the Quad ESL 57 is the finest loudspeaker ever made.

Mid-range. INCREDIBLE

none

I had Bose 901 and I thought these are good speakers. How I was wrong. I kicked them out the moment I heard these. I hear things I never heard before . Looking for the ultimate, go for it!!!

Similar Products Used:

EMT948-QUADII -Studer A-730

Ultimate midrange. Emotion. Texture. The best strings, vocals and horns I have EVER HEARD.

No bass under 50Hz, but what is there is perfectly formed. No treble above 18Hz, but one learns to prefer the absence of glare found in box speakers.

I found these speakers used, one being completely disassembled and I've only listened for 3 days so far to one in mono. I'm also using a decidedly low end source and amp, both late 90s Yamaha. I also have a small listening room. Despite all these limitations, the one lowly Quad I have is more pleasing than ANY speaker I have ever heard. I've listened to B&W Nautilus, Wilson Benesch, Martin Logan, JMLab - all of them- and they don't have magic like the Quad 57s. Mine also happen to be an early vintage (in the 4000s) and from what I can tell they are original. Something that lasts this long and sounds this fantastic is a treasure of the world. I can't wait to re-assemble the second speaker for stereo.

Similar Products Used:

None

too many to mention

too few to care

Found a -79 pair in mint condition and fell in love. Being a audiojournalist and a reviewer I have listened to everything, the big high end guns with and without boxes, planars and stats/hybrids. Tought that ESL 63 is the ultimate vechicle to see through music, but was wrong. Two original Quads, GliM M-40S monoblocks, Audio Aero Capitole and Transparent cabling, nothing more needed to reach to the essence of musical expression. OK, acoustically optimal listening room in a wooden house plays a role too, but after several trial and error periods in searching the final match, ESL 57:s are a relief. All the essential aspects of the great sound exist in these legendary stats. Except thunderous dynamics of course, but that does not bother a graying man in his sixties, who prefers acoustic small scale music to head banging noise. But "no bass" -comments make me laugh. Sure, extension is limited to some 45 cycles, but dear Bassheads, load in a CD that contains some well recorded upright and listen to quality instead of quantity. Yes. I have bass quantity loudspeakers too. Active Tannoy Studio monitors (15 inch coax) deliver the goods, but when I decide to enjoy the music, ESL 57:s are surpassed.

Similar Products Used:

none, so if you come across a decent pair, don't think twice.

Absolutel transparency. The speakers just "disappear" and you hear no more or less than the recording contains - sometimes in embarrassingly precise detail.

Original construction a bit shoddy by today's standards. Need custom-made stands and positioning at least 1.5 metres into the room to give their best.

I used to be an orchestral oboist; these days I play jazz piano. I used to sing in semi-professional choirs; these days I just listen. I listen to an ancient pair of Quad ESL 57s powered by a Quad 33 / 303 combi. It all sounds utterly convincing. The bass is all there. Sorry, those of you who disagree, don't let your senses be fooled by the exaggerated bass produced by most conventional speakers: it's all an illusion. My ESLs produce enough bass to kick me in the stomach and liquidise my dinner. It's all a matter of positioning and orientation. Unbeatable openness and clarity (sorry, Quad, you can keep your ESL 989s). I have remodelled them to look thoroughly 21st century, spray painting the grilles and mounting them on decent stands in the process. The result is a pai of speakers that even my 18 year old son goes out of his way to show off to his school friends. The build is not all it would be these days, but come on, get real - these things are nearly as old as I am! NO WAY am I ever getting rid of them.

Similar Products Used:

Quad ESL 63s (I don't rate these, compared to the ESL 57s).

Everything. You hear the music

low bass (subwoofer needed)

Been using the esl57 with a modified leak stereo 20 valve amp, and a home made passive pre, with a stepped attenuator volume control (a must), and stunning £1400 cd player (neutonia optica). did extensive comparison tests with esl63's i bought at the same time and am keeping the 57's, because they are more musical, detailed and i get more emotional listening to them. also, despite having inferior base, this is recitifyable with subwoofers (my next project). as a tip, get good mains leads. simply wonderful speakers at any price. managed to sound good 6 inches from the back wall, tho better still if given more space at the back. playing around with positioning can get addictive! The amp is only just powerful enough for reasonable levels (20 watts) but this system has blown me away. The esl's get prettier with familiararity too, or is this a falling in love kind of thing. oh dear.

Similar Products Used:

esl63