Amp for Quad ESL 57

Quite true, you don't often see EAR items for sale second hand anywhere...for once you own them, you come to appreciate how very special they are at dare I say it, becoming musical instruments,however there is an EAR 859 on the'Gon right now, and with a few tweaks this amp is very special and ideally suited to the 57's...a real sleeper in fact

Ggavetti,What a pair of incredible speakers you have.I have owned a pair of Quad 63s going on 25 years, since overhauled. I drive them with Atma-Sphere model 60s to very good musical results.However,Coolhands advice on the E.A.R. is something I will have to look into....Thanks Coolhand....

This may be a bit cross-grained (pardon the pun) but I have tried my PK 57's with Berning's ZH270, Bel Canto Ref 1's and an old pair of Naim 135's. The Naim immediately let me relax and listen to the music more than the others. The Berning was more sparkly. The Bel Canto's did not have as much control of bass notes as the Naims did but had more depth perspective. All were driven by a minimalist tube pre.

Curious to hear which you decide upon.

I never tried Naim 135's. It's an interesting thought, although I am more in the tube camp. If I could find a used one, I'd probably go for the EAR V20...perhaps I'll wait until I see one. My Mac is actually doing a pretty good job (I am among those who think Mac's are underrated).

I have heard mentioned by people who have tried it that the Audio Note P2 SE amp is a fine match with the Quad ESL 57 speakers. It was characterized as a match made in heaven. I've never heard that combination although I would love to as I have owned a P2 SE for twelve years. In my experience it is a very reliable amp as I have never had a single problem with it in the time I have owned it.