Hi,

Once a year or so I think about getting back into ESLs and even though the prices on vintage Quads seem to be on the increase I'd be interested in the thoughts of members here who have experience with or are interested in classic ESLs from Quad, ML (CLS, CLS II.), SoundLab, etc. I guess my preference would be for a rebuilt ESL-57 or 63 based on the ones I've heard, but I've always wanted to listen to some of its competitors. Any fans here?

k

I'm a great fan of the vintage ESL's with the Quads high on the list of those that I've heard but the Stax models are very interesting as well. They are a hassle though to get working correctly but so worth it in the end.

klh 9's

soundlabs (with the direct drive tube amp)

martin logan's

dayton wrights (with piezo tweeters)

esl56's tripple stacked with decca ribbon tweeters

esl63's

crown esl's with 15 inch dynamic bass drivers

beveridge

had them all, still have the esl63's

How did you like the KHL Nine's, Kevin? There is a set that I have my eye on but the shipping will be a fortune.

I heard the Beveridge speakers and amps (it was a complete system) in the late 70's. I was sitting in the sweet spot when an audiophile LP was playing. It was someone playing a xylophone. The sound was so real I could smell the wood. The big problem with Beveridge's, besides their size and price, was that the sweet spot was literally one person wide. If you were in it, everything sounded perfect. If you weren't, everything sounded strange.

How did you like the KHL Nine's, Kevin? There is a set that I have my eye on but the shipping will be a fortune.

And replacing the electrostatic tweeter is going to be next to impossible, and i

know of no one that is reconditioning those things. Still a very sweet speaker.

And replacing the electrostatic tweeter is going to be next to impossible, and i

know of no one that is reconditioning those things. Still a very sweet speaker.

There is at least one company that refurbishes the Nine's (and has some original drivers for them) but they are in the US and shipping is murder. I wouldn't hesitate to jump on either a Stax F-83X or ESL-8XBB though.

Btw. For those that want proof that Sony did once make very cool gear, look up SS-R10...

a set of F83's sold in Australia recently - not sure of the final price.

I'm guessing they weren't cheap... They will all need to be refurbished due to the design so that makes them even more expensive.