This weekend a friend offered me a pair of Quad electrostatic speakers and a Quad amp.
I think at least one of the speakers has an extremely early Serial number.
How much it is to service these components?
Is it best to use Quad for this?
Hello, Jim. When Quad were based in Huntingdon , it used to be possible to book a date in advance, drop off the speakers in the morning, and collect them later in the day. Thatâs no longer possible.
There used to be a UK-based company called One THING AUDIO BUT I HAVENT HEARD OF THEM IN YEARS>
SO YOUR BEST BET WEILL BE TO CONTACT MANFRED STEIN OF QUAD MUSIKWIEDERGABE IN GERMANY>. THEY"RE ON THE NET
MY APOLOGIES FOR THE RAMPANT CAPITALS< BUT I CANT TURN THE BLOODY THINGS OFF
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Thank you, Skeptikal. Okay, problem seems to have sorted itself.
Apologies, JD, just ask me, if you need more info. Manfred is very helpful, but mention my name (Graham Livingston) and this Forum, and heâll get where youâre coming from.
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Have you ever had yours Serviced?
Who was that done by and how did it go?
Also, what amps do you have?
Why do people often use valve amps with quad ESLâs?
What is the normal service interval for quad speakers?
And what do you Think about the idea of having 2 speakers from very different time periods?
No, I bought them ânewâ from Manfredâs company in about 2006/7. They have never needed a dayâs attention, so tales of the ESLâs fragility are nonsense!
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Why is the word new in inverted commas in that post?
Some parts, such as the grilles and the Mylar film for the transducers, are brand new and made on site in the Factory, whereas other parts such as the ridiculous Bulgin electrical sockets for mains power are refurbished (as I think that new production of these ceased a long time ago).
The speakers were certainly as ânewâ as you could buy them when I did so about 15 years ago.
Quad services all the electronics and modern speakers still in Huntingdon and their services are much cheaper than Naimâs. Also you donât need to go through a dealer. Just ring the service dept and discuss with them. They have a fixed price plus parts approach and the fixed prices are really low.
I donât know whether Quad still service older electrostatics there, but I suspect not. However there will for sure know whether anyone in UK does service them still and if you can avoid the considerable expense and inconvenience of sending them to Germany and getting them back through UK customs, then that would be a good plan, however good Grahamâs friend is at fettling Quad speakers.
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Whatever is at Huntingdon (which I thought that the current Chinese owners of Quad had shut down years ago), they canât work on ESL57s.
Manfredâs company in Germany has all the original Quad equipment for that.
They do all servicing there for IAG brands including specifically Quad. I last used them to service a Quad amplifier about two years ago but a friend has just got an FM4 tuner back from them about three months ago.
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I have no idea about other IAG brands.
They canât fix ESLs without the equipment - which they no longer have!
That is of serious concern.
In fact, it sounds like a service nightmare.
Especially if the proper equipment for servicing ESL 57s resides in Germany.
I would still give Quad a ring and see what they suggest. This is what IAGâs website says about servicing. I doubt that they will touch the ESL 57, but of course Quad does still manufacture and sell electrostatic loudspeakers.
One Thing Audio still exist if you google them, sadly the original owner died not so long ago but I gather his brother is carrying on the business, theyâre based in Coventry
According to a very experienced friend of mine (who died in the first year of Covid-19 
) and had two sets of 57s, the Quad ESL 57s provided the finest reproduction of music, ever. He had all Naim amplification, so obviously, he knew what he was talking about.
I miss him still âŚ
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Do you know what amps he had?
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It may be worth speaking to Naim about this. In the past it was possible to have what was called a âQuad modâ, which turned down the maximum output voltage of the Naim amp, so that it didnât âfryâ the delicate membranes inside the ESL.
It was always said that the old NAP160 was a perfect amp for a pair of ESL57s, because the maximum power output couldnât damage them. I read an article about this over 20 years ago. Perhaps someone whoâs adept at net searches could find this?
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Yes I do. He had a NAC72 and one of those original bolt-down chrome bumper amps with the output transistors hanging out the back. He was a bit of a purist, but really knew his stuff.
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I just rang Quad.
They can service them within 2 weeks â max. ÂŁ200 labour, max ÂŁ1200 parts, and shipping.
They fit a protection board so that you can use most or all Naim amps with them - this latter point to be discussed with Quad if you need an explicit answer to it.
You can drop them off in Cambridge or post them to there.
They no longer service some early Quad amps.
They recommend a service every 10 years.
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