Hi, I was wondering if anybody has an opinion which Sansui amp would do better with Quad ESL-63 electrostatic, the AU-517 or AU-719? (if that is a reasonable question at all)
Do you have both these amplifiers? My opinion would be neither should be used with the Quads. They are a bit too demanding of an amplifier which doesn't mind their "crowbar" type of protection circuit which shows the amplifier a dead short. The speakers are also, in my opinion, too revealing of the faults of a thrity year old mass market amplifier. While the Sansui's might work well on a more conventional dynamic speaker such as a KEF, Paradigm or JBL, they would not be my choice for a pair of ESL's.
Well, may I ask, would I assume that a Quad 405-2 for example might be the one to use? I currently use the Quad II tube mono block but I rather keep them for my bedroom's ESL-57, as originally intended...
The 405 was/is a current dumping amplifier, if memory serves me. That is precisely what Quad intended when they designed the 63's. The 405 would be a far better match than the Sansui to my ears; but the 405 was never considered Quad's best amplifier. The Quad II's would do a pretty fair job of driving the 63's despite the low wattage from the amplifiers. As Ken Kessler stated in the July HiFi News, if you aren't going to embrace SPL's and the deepest bass, the combination is simply "marvelous". I don't know if I would go that far since there are better amps than the Quad II's. But there is some magic to be found in that combination.
Sorry that I'm pushing the matter, but I would like to come to a conclusion as to which amp too try and find for the ESL-63. I guess a Quad 909 would do, but it is way too expansive. The Quad 606, is it a good choice? And then, would the NAD 352 or 372 will also do good?
RW - It's not that my patience has run out, but my knowledge of the Quad amps has run out. I have not heard a Quad amp in over ten years so I can't give much of an impression regarding their quality. However, I would say, as with many classic companies, Quad is Quad. That is meant as a compliment. If you like the classic Quad sound, the new Quad amps don't alter that sound very much. Now be certain tubes are not transistors and don't judge a new 100 watt solid state amp by the sound of the Quad II's. But much of what Quad considers important in sound reproduction is in all their amps to a greater or lesser extent. And, certainly, Quad designs all of their amplifiers around the needs of their best known speaker. I doubt that answers your question but now you've brought me to my second point.
I seldom make product recommendations on the forum. That has been my policy for several years due to many factors I can't control. The most important being I don't know what you will like. I find little value in telling you what I prefer since you and I might hear things quite differently. There are more than enough audio reviewers who use the Quads as their erfernce to get soem ideas what might work well with the 63's. But just picking an amplifier out of the air for someone else to live with is not my strong suit.
The most consistent amps to be run with panels are often the better tube amps. Or, at the very least, amplifiers which have more tube quality than transistor quality. But I really can't tell you which amp to choose. The NAD's are not my first choice on a technical basis. The ESL's would prefer a speaker which is essentially voltage driven rather than current driven. Yet they present a rather difficult load for an amplifier so they will appreciate the ability to swing current into the load when called upon to do so. I doubt the NAD's would like the protection system of the Quads though this can be mitigated by never tripping the protection.
I'm sorry, but as always, the best advice I have is to listen and decide which amplifier you prefer.
Many thanks Jan, I well understand your reluctance and that is what I'd feel in your place. Problem is that in here (ISRAEL), not so many amp opportunities arise, and all in all I have to make a guess and take the risk. My ESL-57 were so, I bought them from the UK, of course, w/o listening to them first. But I remembered their impression on me some 30 years ago...
Anyway, my kind of music is jazz and classic, with some in between, but never spl blowing rock etc'. So I judge (correctly) that ESL (either) are my kind of speakers.
I think I'd stick with the newer Quad amps if you like the sound of what Quad believes is musical. You will not have a bad amplifier by anyone's opinion and they will hold reasonable enough value to resell with little loss should you later decide they aren't for you after all.