I can get my fingers on quad 2905 for a reasonable price but I guess they are somehow broken have been by sellers house for more then 5 years not playing.
I am a DIYer but have never repaired any electrostats so my question is is it worth to buy them and how difficult is it repair them? Any experience?
Thanks!
I am a DIYer but have never repaired any electrostats so my question is is it worth to buy them and how difficult is it repair them? Any experience?
Thanks!
The big thing to find out is what is broken. Rebuilding the panel themselves is time consuming and not a job for beginners. I used the kit from ER Audio, which I highly recommend. Great kit, directions and support from the supplier. The electrical parts can be a little tricky to diagnios and fix.
The good news is that you can get a lot of help by searching this thread and by asking questions. Many people have rebuilt Quads with great results. I ended up selling them, but there are times that I miss them. They just do some things that no other speakers can do. I love my Vanderstien Quatros, but they don't do imaging and voices as well as the 988's that i had.
The good news is that you can get a lot of help by searching this thread and by asking questions. Many people have rebuilt Quads with great results. I ended up selling them, but there are times that I miss them. They just do some things that no other speakers can do. I love my Vanderstien Quatros, but they don't do imaging and voices as well as the 988's that i had.
* OK, take this with a grain of salt because I'm very biased *
The Quads are wonderful speakers but are more fiddly than other (lesser) speakers like cone and domes, other electrostats, and horns. You may have to deal with panel issues from time to time. If you can fix the panels yourself or have the ability to remove just a panel and have it shipped off to be fixed or buy a replacement, then the speakers are without peer (except for other quads).
Here's the bad news, I've diagnosed the 2905's you want to buy and all the panels need to be rebuilt. How do I know? They all do at this point. I've done a lot of them, and I just rebuilt a set of 2805's the past weekend and the stators came off the supports like overcooked BBQ sliding off the bone.
My main system has 2912's (identical to your 2905's) and my workshop system is based around a set of 2805's. I can tell you that the 2912's aren't 50% more wonderful than the 2805's even though they have 50% more radiating area and 50% more panels to rebuild. They are a small but significant improvement. They are also a lot more imposing in a room, so if you have any hope of your speakers not being a focal point in your room, make sure you chose your model wisely. The 2905's are so big and heavy that the only shipping method is freight (or freight-like services like uShip), you CAN ship a set of 2805s via ups, but I strongly recommend that you don't.
If you do buy them, I'd do some soul searching and see if you feel up to doing panel rebuilds yourself. If you do, the cash outlay is minimal, but expect to spend a few weekends doing it, it's not a quick process. I can do a set of 12 panels in about 24 hours spread over several days, expect it to take a whole lot longer for your first effort.
They can be a great speaker if you can do one of these two things:
1) fix the panels yourself (ideal solution)
2) can take the speaker apart and get the panels out to be rebuilt by someone else
Seriously reconsider buying the speakers if you need to send them whole to be worked on by someone. The shipping costs and logistical nightmare will make you regret the purchase instantly.
If you do get them, I'll be glad to walk you through whatever questions you might have, I've worked on them once or twice...
Hope that helps,
Sheldon
The Quads are wonderful speakers but are more fiddly than other (lesser) speakers like cone and domes, other electrostats, and horns. You may have to deal with panel issues from time to time. If you can fix the panels yourself or have the ability to remove just a panel and have it shipped off to be fixed or buy a replacement, then the speakers are without peer (except for other quads).
Here's the bad news, I've diagnosed the 2905's you want to buy and all the panels need to be rebuilt. How do I know? They all do at this point. I've done a lot of them, and I just rebuilt a set of 2805's the past weekend and the stators came off the supports like overcooked BBQ sliding off the bone.
My main system has 2912's (identical to your 2905's) and my workshop system is based around a set of 2805's. I can tell you that the 2912's aren't 50% more wonderful than the 2805's even though they have 50% more radiating area and 50% more panels to rebuild. They are a small but significant improvement. They are also a lot more imposing in a room, so if you have any hope of your speakers not being a focal point in your room, make sure you chose your model wisely. The 2905's are so big and heavy that the only shipping method is freight (or freight-like services like uShip), you CAN ship a set of 2805s via ups, but I strongly recommend that you don't.
If you do buy them, I'd do some soul searching and see if you feel up to doing panel rebuilds yourself. If you do, the cash outlay is minimal, but expect to spend a few weekends doing it, it's not a quick process. I can do a set of 12 panels in about 24 hours spread over several days, expect it to take a whole lot longer for your first effort.
They can be a great speaker if you can do one of these two things:
1) fix the panels yourself (ideal solution)
2) can take the speaker apart and get the panels out to be rebuilt by someone else
Seriously reconsider buying the speakers if you need to send them whole to be worked on by someone. The shipping costs and logistical nightmare will make you regret the purchase instantly.
If you do get them, I'll be glad to walk you through whatever questions you might have, I've worked on them once or twice...
Hope that helps,
Sheldon
They are OK but do have A LOT OF PEERS if you are not conserved "pie with a hole in the middle " vocal , chamber music lover, small acoustic assembles. etc Essentially an old people speaker . I was visiting a local former Quad dealer with stacked 57 and Pass 250 monos in sizeable room . Truth to be told it was kind of mediocre even with classical and the panels were rebuilt. It was very expensive system and I didn't have a heart to tell the owner its a dog **** . To be fair I heard 2805 with Rogue 120 amps and they were respectable with nice full range sound still , kind of dead panel sound of "ether" . Definitely worth to own as a second or third speaker. To put things in perspective I owned Sound Lab Millennium panels and VTL 750 monos and I thought it's a sound fr people who spray their kitchens 5 times a day with antibacterial solution -i.e Retires in Florida
Stokessd and limono have really hit on some important points.
I’ve written about the ESL-57 and 63, years ago; they are really good at some things, but compared to most speakers they are higher maintenance and mandate oddly placed room treatment and fiddly distance from surfaces than some might like. If they become twisted during shipping, that can cause serious problems. The original models were very unfriendly to amplifiers at about 17kHz (luckily there is only 1/10th as much energy in orchestral music in these high audio frequencies) and especially so when they arced. Most people don’t keep these speakers - just read online or talk to people and notice they don’t still own them.
The ideal angle of toe in relative to your seated position is often at odds with the best position for bass reproduction, which is one of their weak points. Their output is a figure-8 pattern, so the room can worsen the cancellation. They can also sound like a blanket is pulled over them, or like talking with hands cupped over your mouth, in that they are very directional.
A friend also had a set of 63s and ran a huge Bryston stack with them and the sound was sorely lacking in dynamics and, you guessed it, extension in both directions.
With all that bad news, their midrange is seamless. That is their magic. If the price is good and the repair is doable, you might love them.
A local dealer had a set of the 2905s, but replaced them with the Soltanus Virtuoso and so did one of his customers. He expounded they were leagues better than the Quads. From what I heard from ER Audio’s Acorn, I’d say it’s possible.
I’ve written about the ESL-57 and 63, years ago; they are really good at some things, but compared to most speakers they are higher maintenance and mandate oddly placed room treatment and fiddly distance from surfaces than some might like. If they become twisted during shipping, that can cause serious problems. The original models were very unfriendly to amplifiers at about 17kHz (luckily there is only 1/10th as much energy in orchestral music in these high audio frequencies) and especially so when they arced. Most people don’t keep these speakers - just read online or talk to people and notice they don’t still own them.
The ideal angle of toe in relative to your seated position is often at odds with the best position for bass reproduction, which is one of their weak points. Their output is a figure-8 pattern, so the room can worsen the cancellation. They can also sound like a blanket is pulled over them, or like talking with hands cupped over your mouth, in that they are very directional.
A friend also had a set of 63s and ran a huge Bryston stack with them and the sound was sorely lacking in dynamics and, you guessed it, extension in both directions.
With all that bad news, their midrange is seamless. That is their magic. If the price is good and the repair is doable, you might love them.
A local dealer had a set of the 2905s, but replaced them with the Soltanus Virtuoso and so did one of his customers. He expounded they were leagues better than the Quads. From what I heard from ER Audio’s Acorn, I’d say it’s possible.
American soft wall houses aren't beneficial for Quads, that's why they complain. If you can get the 2905s cheap, buy them. Maybe the error is not in the panels. Then they would still play. Maybe the protection circuit is blown.
Peter Walker answered some JBL fan: We don't make loud speakers, we make loudspeakers. https://6moons.com/audioreviews/quad2/2905.html
Peter Walker answered some JBL fan: We don't make loud speakers, we make loudspeakers. https://6moons.com/audioreviews/quad2/2905.html
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He also said if one is missing the bass, the solutions is to kick an empty card box when supposed bass notes should appear. Panel speakers have specific presentation. You either like it or don't care for it. If they were all things for all people they would have a dominant position on market and wouldn't be a niche product like they are. Still , for a speaker junkie it's a worthy acquisition to gain a perspective. I like to have a few pairs of different speakers around. If not for that I would probably have a much better system but I just like variety more than a ultimate quality and audio is a hobby only loosely related to music.
Anything is possible, but the adds aren't in his favor that it's anything other than bad panels.
Sheldon