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ESL63s and arcici stands

Colinb

pfm Member
Just picked up a pair of absolutely mint ESL 63s with a set of brand new, still in the packaging, arcici stands and super spikes for £500. They came from the estate of a wealthy hi-fi fanatic and look as if they have hardly been used. Lots of the other stuff was still unopened in boxes.Any tips on setting them up on the stands?
At the moment I have just plugged them in and plonked them down, playing without the stands and are sounding great in my 7m x 5m x 4m listening room. They are well away from the back and side walls, 2.5m apart and toed in about 15 degrees being fed by my hackernap, B4, Avondaled Arcam Alpha 5+ and LP12. Any tips on setting them up more accurately?
 
I think you'll hear an improvement when you've put them on stands. What is behind them? If it's just flat wall then it may be worth exploring putting something to absorb the bass reflections. Over time explore different listening positions and maybe other amps. But what you have will, I expect, give you an idea about whether you want to hear them at their best, whether you can live with them.

be careful moving them -- in particular, avoid any twisting! If you turn them off (I don't, ever) don't forget to turn them on (you will!)
 
There are various bits of heavy wooden shelving and my stands unique rack behind. They already fill the room with sound and are cleaner in the midrange and hf than my previous speakers (last ones are B&W matrix 804s, although had lots of others prior to those) so any improvement with the stands and spikes is going to be a bonus.
 
Lovely speakers. I wish I could still use mine, but the available room layouts just don't permit it, plus I have a panel down. Rather like my old Gyro, I can't really justify owning them but I don't want to sell them. Getting them on stands definitely improved things for me - partly due to the height, partly due to adding a little backwards tilt. Some deadening behind them will help with bass as previously mentioned, but I didn't find them super fussy in this respect, provided they were well clear of a rear wall. Not much cop for death metal, but the mid range is unbeatable!
 
Been listening to them a fair amount over the last week and have to say I find that they are ruthless at revealing the quality of the recording. Poor recordings sound just that, but on a good recording I have heard nothing that comes close. Also they are quite capable of reproducing bass that can be felt. On Nils Lofgren Acoustic live they sound phenomenal and on Neil Young Live at Massey Hall they reveal every nuance of his playing and slight pitch changes of his voice when singing. They are definitely staying.
 
not sure i've ever heard a definitive distinction between the 63s and the ESL ... can anyone characterize it?
 


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