Countless pages have been written about this Quad ESL57, short the electrostatic , other electric drives of the same family (Quad ESL63, ….) And its inventor.
As electrostatics, they have quickly gained a prestigious reputation for their authentic sound after the market launch.
Would not it be the subject of amplification and aging …….
Peter Walker came in the post-war years on the phenomenal idea of using a thin, electrically conductive membrane between 2 loading surfaces (stators) to use the electrostatic principle (known for a long time) for sound generation and thus to produce a sound transducer in series.
Until the 90s, this loudspeaker was built by the company Quad largely unchanged and has a large fan community.
Today, the center for refurbishment and new production in Germany is located in the Eifel (Quad Germany) .
Due to the lightness of the membrane ( Mylar A 35 micrometer “thick”) a nearly instantaneous sound generation became possible.
What the developer could not have guessed that through the decades later become possible amplifier technology, this system should first properly “play” his skills. The quad comes in the flowering years !!!
Already elsewhere I have pointed to the key experience of listening to this system.
It was THE eye-opening experience.
Since then, this transducer has not let go of me, and I think I have found in my chain the perfect end member.
However, he is also a mimosa and may be treated as such.
Careful installation , care of the slides, operation on the right electronics , all he likes.
What he does not like are high volumes, too low positioning, unsuitable amplifiers, …… ..
More on that later.
The following pages deal with the careful processing of this famous system while preserving the external and internal state.
With modern materials – especially thinner foils – not only value preservation but an increase in quality is possible, which is not only audible but also measurable.