Yet another pair of ESL-57 come alive !
- Thread starter yairf
- Start date
Darren
So gentle when he tries to understand.
Mini Maggies? That sounds intriguing. Tell us more if you can please?
One Thing panels, bass and treble, are not the same as the originals. But I am told you can specify that you don't want their 'improvements' and perhaps you then get something closer to the original. It seems as if the original sound of the 57s is being slowly lost, as replacement work is not faithful to Peter Walkers' original design. Pity really, but perhaps inevitable as materials change and memories fade. Many of these units are fifty years old........nice that so many are still in use.
Robert
Tapehead
They have a newer panel which is slightly cheaper than the established OTEC and that might be closer to the original. Not sure if you can ask them to supply something 'unimproved' though. When i told them I didn't like the the OTEC I asked if they had any original panels removed during their upgrades which still measured as 'good'. They did - and I bought a tested pair for £80 each. Much, much better IMO and they measure fine, extending to 20khz with plenty of output.
The OTA bass panels are less of an issue IME and sound ok when mixed with standard Quad treble panels.
So I'd recommend asking OTA to supply tested and working originals.
I'm sure much of the issue is down to the panel coating which is carbon on the OTA (and some other) panels where the originals used soluble nylon - with much higher resistance.
Incidentally, if anyone does swap an OTA panel back to an original, remove the charging resistors fitted by OTA for their lower resistance panels.
What? Is there somebody trying to 'improve' Strads? The point that is being made is that One Thing produce a treble panel which doesn't mirror the original. Indeed, when HiFi World tested the One Thing 57s, they measured a treble rise of 13db! To be fair, the panels supplied by the German firm who bought the original jigs from Quad also don't really sound like the originals.
I know because I have used panels from both suppliers, and have also had access to very well preserved originals. Indeed.I've been listening to originals, on and off, since the late 60s.
As for what can be done...well, I've been working on the assumption that if enough enthusiasts made their views known, some company would make more effort to get it right. Bit optimistic perhaps. I gave up on the 57s for just this reason. Perhaps others will have more luck.But think of any mechanical/electrical device after fifty years. It's a small miracle they still work at all ! Anyone who has got original panels which measure well, would be well-advised to cherish them.
It's just occurred to me that this situation arises quite often....think of valves, where nos is so sought after, because new versions are thought (accurately or not) to be inferior. Glad I'm not into vintage cars..that must be a true nightmare