Quad ESL amp power requirements
the_eleven -- Sat, 07/29/2006 - 15:13
Could someone please clarify for me the exact type of amp that makes a set of Quads "sing".
Is it correct that the Quads are not very "efficient" in terms of db/watt?
What does it mean that an amp is a "high current" design?
Are the original Quad amps tube or solid-state?
Any other considerations?
Which Quads are you talking about? ESL 57s, ESL63s, or the newer Quads? Proper amplification depends on the model.
The original Quad amps were tubes. But Quad also made excellent solid-state amplifiers (and still does).
Both.
Are the ESL 63's different in their requirements than he 988/989's?
It is the 57s (the "old" Quads) that are substantially different. Unless modified, the 57s don't have the protection circuitry of the "new" Quads and are easier to blow up than the 63s. (They are also more limited in the amount of voltage they can handle before arcing.) Do remember that both the 57s and the 63s were designed B.C.D. (before CD), when the expected source was a record player, a tuner, or a tape deck. With their deeper frequency response in the bass and wider dynamic range, CDs can blow up old Quads (and sometimes 63s) on hard bass transients (like timp or bass drum strikes). With record players, tuners, or tape decks as sources, as long as you stay within Quad's recommended power limits you should be all right with 57s. (With CD/SACD sources you will have to keep a very close eye on volume levels and make sure that you don't play too loud or use an amp that can generate more voltage than the speaker can handle on hard transients). With the 988/989s (and to a lesser extent the 63s), you should be all right with any source within Quad's recommended power limits.
Outside of Quad's own products, one amp that is a famously good combination with all Quads is the Naim NAIT5i.
Jonathan is quite right about the ESL-57. A good approach is to install a clamping circuit, which is what Quad has used on the ESL-63 and their more modern replacements. (The clamping circuit schematic is available online or try somebody like Wayne Picquet or Sheldon Stokes).
It's really the tweeter panel on the ESL-57 that really is prone to "arcing."
With the clamping circuit installed on my 57s, I've NEVER had a problem with arcing, even when using pretty powerful amps.
However, you could try the lower powered Quad tube mono amps and not worry. They do make ALL the Quads "sing."
I really liked my Crosby Quads (ESL-63s modified by Jerry Crosby) with Quicksilver 8417s, but finding 8417s has become very difficult. They roll off the highs and have a loose bottom end, but the midrange is pure heaven.
There are many other amps that work well with the Quads, including many of the old tube classics like Marantz 8Bs, etc. On the transitor front, the Bedini 25/25 was said to be great, but I never heard that combo. I did hear stacked Quad 57s with Mark Levinsohn ML2s, I believe (the 25 watt, Class A monos). The sound was terrific.
I have a set of 988's driven by a McCormack DNA-1. This is a solid state amp rated at 185wpc. I have experienced no problems with this set-up, of course I don't "crank it up" either.
I have been thinking of switching to a pair of Atma-Sphere MA-1 mkIII or MA2-mkIII. Any recommendations concering these amps? Would they mate with the 988?
BAT VK-D5SE
Pass Aleph P
McCormack DNA1 Rev A
Quad 988s
Pure Note silver cables throughout
At the 2007 CES, the Quad 2905s were being driven by a prototype of the new Quad II-eighties. These are tube amps are designed by Tim Paravacini and they made the 2905s sound glorious.
Here's another that seemed like definite overkill with the smaller ESL 2805s but produced one of the best sounds of the show: The Wavestream Kinetics amplifier.
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