Requesting Advice on Speaker Upgrade

Speakers... speakers... I've owned JBL's [many, including Professional], Altec's [James Lansing's brother] and Professional, Wharfedales, ESS, Thonet & Vander's [German], Monsoon's, home made speaker's often with JBL parts, and much more.. then bluetooth's like more JBL's and Benq's.. [Benq's are electrostatic's with woofer's]..  floor electrostatics like Acoustat ESL's which were airy..  As several other's here like JBL's and Vandersteen's, I agree, though they're boxed..  

Magnepan's, starting at 600$ for entry level or maybe $250 up used, are very good, and have that airy sound, but lack some bass..[they are dipole speakers, like Eminent Technology's and Monsoon's, sounding superb]. These speakers, sound a bit like electrostatic's, and some like Eminent Technology's use woofers.. You may also look at expensive Apogee's, but their impedance often goes down to 1 ohm, and few amps can drive them. Apogee's and Martin Logan's are a cross, using woofers and often electrostatic mid's and high's, like Monsoon's and Eminent Technology planars or panels..

Recently, in the last few day's.. I journeyed back to Quad ESL's, much like my former Acoustat's.. Without ever hearing a Quad, and with a lot of experience reading about them in forum's [there are whole Quad forum's, discussing 57's, 63's, 988's, 989's and later, often with the comment of "Quad XX is the best speaker ever made"], I ordered Quad ESL's. Much more expensive, even used, because they retain value, and older 57's are several time's more than retail when first made. A large part of Quad's sound, is that they're already powered by in-the-wall chargers, and hence the amp, doesn't take that much to drive them.. around 15 to 25 watts, on up..

My Quad's will be driven by AR tube gear. So when they arrive, I'll get the best sound, Quad's driven by AR's preamp and amp, with sources of FM by Dynalab, CD and computer, using a DAC for analogue listening.. Later I'll add a turntable, but have to research which are best, in these forums..

If you've not purchase yet, Quads, even used, may be best, and retain value.. The rest of your system, can then "catch up" to the Quads.. Later, you can discuss what amps, tubed or SS, drive Quad's best.. No matter what you do, electrostatics, planars, panels or dipoles, will keep calling you back..

bornd

Best luck with your toddler.. soon he'll be a big boy.. Family comes first.. All children deserve the best life their parent's can give.. An innocent childhood..

The Quad's, took me a long time to save, and I gave up a lot of other belongings for them. They are within reach, now. These Quad's are a lifetime investment from here on out, and I'll use them a long long time..

While your saving for Quads, you can decide which parts of your sound system you may replace, trade or sale, Often I think, would I rather have Quad's or the motorcycle [the fictitious motorcycle isn't used much by the family, but everyone will hear the Quad's each day]. Also on non-speaker audio components, before you upgrade a piece of gear, or replace an amp with a different sounding amp..  ask yourself: "Is this upgrade or replacement amp, better than Quad's?"  It's your choice, but world class speakers like Quad's, are not easy to replace with more common fare...

Life is often priorities, and having to decide what you want, over time.. A tough choice, but over time, you can make it..

QUAD 63'S CAME IN

After about a month, the Quad's I ordered from California, have arrived. The long delay was my fault, and UShip's; actually UShip saved me money, as the Quad's needed packing, but UShip was very hard to get used to, as it continually erased their long forms, and sometimes wouldn't allow the proper select box entry [kept reverting to a simpler, WRONG entry].  In the long run, UShip saved over $100, compared to FedEx, though was the 1 month delay worth it?  Later, I'd like a forum on UShip, vs the other carriers as FedEx, UPS, DHL and USPS.

The Quad 63's are pristine, coming close to new; and include factory stands, upping them about a foot.  As I've never heard Quad's before, the difference between them and my JBL system, was not even close.  Magnitudes, would be the proper description. Now, I'd imagine I'll never leave the Quad's.  Playing 3 albums,  classical, Moody Blues live, and In A Godda Da Vida by Iron Butterfly.  The Moody Blues brought out the midrange the best, as I heard all types of sounds, that I'd never heard before.. like a couple of instrument's that had been hidden, some drumming and stage yelling between the performers.. These sounds were separate, and clearly heard, where before on many listens, they were hidden.

Quad's [electrostatics, vs the newer smaller Quad boxes], have a reputation of passing a square wave, that no other speaker can do.  Simply put, passing a square wave, mean's an ultimate fast rise time, that most speaker's can't do. Quad electrostatics, starting with the 63, have a ring of sound, that are delayed, a little in each ring at a time, to approximate the "pebble in a pond", duplicating the exact sound, as nature intend's it.  These ring delays, are designed in loops around the speaker, from center outward, with increasing long and longer delays [controlled by circuitry]. 

Because of Quad's "unearthing" the mids, bringing new, unheard of, sounds, out, I don't think many other speakers could do this, especially with an almost unheard of quick rise time.  If anyone's heard of speakers, that can play these "new sounds", normally unheard, could they post it?

Quad's, the best...