This is Part 2 of my review of the ElectroStatic Solutions QUAD ESL 57s using the PureAudio ONE Integrated Amplifier. As I mentioned in Part 1, the introduction to this series of three posts, I will be writing about how these speakers sound with both the PureAudio ONE amp and the Butler Audio Monad monoblocks.
The PureAudio ONE has been one of, if not the biggest surprise, for me as a reviewer. In late August of last year, I reviewed the PureAudio ONE Integrated Amp. I expected it to sound good from what I had heard at the California Audio Show. What I would have never guessed was that it would be a magical match for my DeVore gibbon Super Nines. In fact, it was so magical that after only three weeks, I purchased it. Then I reviewed the Gershman Studio IIs and discovered that the PureAudio ONE wasn’t just magical with the SuperNines. Still, the biggest surprise was yet to come.
The Robyatt Audio Room At Capital AudioFest
Robin Wyatt was at Capital Audiofest playing Kent McCollum’s restored QUAD ESL 57 loudspeakers driven by the Butler Audio Monad monoblocks. The sound in this room shocked me, and I wasn’t prepared for what I heard. They seduced me into going back repeatedly to hear them. Even after I got home from the show, I couldn’t stop thinking about that sound. So I gave in, and I bought the show pair. I also worked out with Robin to review the Butler Audio Monad amplifiers.
Now, back to that surprise. I got the QUAD ESLs three weeks before the Butler Audio monoblocks arrived. So, I got out the First Watt Sit 3 and the sound was glorious in the midrange. However, they were missing the scale and surely the bass that I had heard in Robin’s room. So, I got out the Pass Labs XA30.8. Again, the sound I heard was excellent, but it was not as involving as the sound I heard at CAF.
Having owned QUAD ESLs that had arced from too much power, I was a little nervous about playing them with a big 100-watt transistor amplifier. What a mistake! The sound blew me away when I hooked them up to the PureAudio ONE. It was better than I had ever dreamed a single pair of QUAD ESLs could sound.
The Musical Experience
Sharing this experience with a friend, I said, “It’s the most amazing thing. There is perfect quietness and then all of sudden there is music behind the speakers. It’s wall-to-wall music and air, and there is layer after layer of music. The bass and lower midrange are rich and alive sounding. You can hear how far it is from one drum to another or from the cello to the basses. I had never heard anything quite like this, and the truth is, I don’t remember ever hearing a lot of layering of the bass of a stereo system.
When most audiophiles talk about a great soundstage, they seem to want pinpoint imaging. They talk about how exciting it is to hear a voice or another instrument coming from a foot or two outside of the speakers. I’ve heard them talking about strings floating around in some black velvet space like some modern paintings that show strings and notes but no instruments or musicians.
What I’m Looking For
The truth is, I go hear live jazz at SF Jazz, and more often than not, it sounds more like a good mono recording, which should have good air and space by the way. Air, space, scale, and the sonics of the venue are exactly what I’m looking for when I sit down to listen to my system.
This is exactly what I get with the PureAudio ONE and Kent’s QUAD ESLs. I can hear the venue and the layering of space better than I have heard before from any system. It makes up part of the magical listening experience that this amp and these speakers achieve.
I also listened to the QUAD ESLs with the Pass Labs XA30.8 and the First Watt SIT 3. The sound with both of these amps was beautiful in the midrange. One of the best things about these QUADs is that you can play them with a much more powerful amp and it makes a significant difference in their sound. So, I chose to review them with the two 100-watt amps.
Tonality, Timbre, and Harmonics of the PureAudio/QUAD ESLs Combo
Many modern speakers that are priced into six figures and are made of space-age materials struggle with all three of these areas of music. For the most part, they have very powerful, very tight and very deep bass. These speakers have unbelievable dynamics and jump factor. The exotic midrange drivers, tweeters, and super tweeters let you hear every last detail. They can wow you and be very impressive sounding, and if they are what you are looking for, that’s great and probably put you in the majority.
When I think of tonality, timbre, and harmonics, I think of speakers like those from Audio Note, DeVore, the classic Tannoys and yes the QUAD ESLs, especially the ones from ElectroStatic Solutions. The combo of these QUADs with the PureAudio One produces some of the most realistic harmonics and timbre I have ever heard. I think this is why so many people who heard Robin Wyat’s room at CAF last year left the room in love with the system but finding it a little hard to say why. By the way, Robin was using Kent’s QUAD ESL57s with the Butler Audio Monad monoblocks. I will be writing about these monoblocks next.
Wrapping Things Up
If you are willing to live with bass down to only forty, this combo can give you the most musical bass I have ever hear. This combo can also give you music that sounds more like real music than any other system I know of, but I have yet to listen to the Butler Audio monoblocks with the QUADs. Still, even if they are better, they cost $9,000 more than the PureAudio ONE and you will need a preamp, another power cord, and another pair of interconnects.
This combo with the PureAudio ONE costs only $16,000 and includes speakers, amp, and preamp. Plus you only need one power cord. From 16Khz to 40Hz they have the best sound I have ever heard in my listening room by far and away. Yes, the QUAD ESLs beam, they have to be far out into the room and they are rolled off at the frequency extremes. That’s the price you have to pay to get speakers that sound the most like real music in your home.
Retail Price: $6,000 (speakers), $10,000 (PureAudio ONE amp)
I enjoyed reading your review of the Quads. You clearly described the characteristics that have drawn me to electrostatic speakers. They bring a clarity and a sense of realism that is transportive. After years of searching, the speakers that I purchased are the Janszen Valentina active hybrid electrostatics. I believe that you will enjoy listening to them, if you have a chance. Thanks again for the review.
From Jack: Thanks for reading the review. I have heard the Janszens at shows and they sounded very nice. I hope you enjoy them very much. Thanks for reading!