hmmm.... 300b valves 15wpc with quad esl 57's?

[SMEagol]

hmmm.... 300b valves 15wpc with quad esl 57's?
Who, me, with my reputation?...

I have some lovely quads, but am downsizing, I'm playing with a 15wpc 300b integrated amp that uses a pair of these valves in total along with a row of four little ones, it seems okay,name withheld to protect the innocent, as it could be really good for all I know.

I spoke to the fella that sold it me and he said it will burn in. Sounds a tad flat right now... more like transistors
Is this a no no, thinking about what an arse of a load esl 57's can be with flea power amps? I never go loud. I'm currently using them on the 4 ohm tap, theres an 8 ohm tap too.

any advice etc....

My Trilogy 958 monobloc amps that uses 4 EL34's per side sounded bloody brilliant with my quads.

 

[anubisgrau]

in more than half a century with audiophiles, i think there are enough of proven synergies with 57s. most of them are pretty cheap s/h these days.... not sure about a "transistor sounding 2x15w 300b" amp....

 

[themystical]

So what is this 300B amp? I am looking for one to use with my AKG K1000 headphones.

 

[macvisual]

57's....amp??

Hi

I've newly aquired bronze (awesome) Quad ESL 57 electrostatic panels, I'm powering them with my son's 5 year old Cambridge Audio A1 amp (25watts) and it sounds utterly amazing! The cost of this amp was around £80 when new from Richer Sounds. I have tried my pair of Primaluna Prologue 7 valve power amps (70 watts) and still the Cambridge Audio sounds far better! I can't believe it.....

I hope this helps you....

Best wishes

peter

 

[SMEagol]

Thanks for the advice Peter, here's where we are...

I'm going to hang on to the amp and sell my lovely quads, I know it sounds a bit bonkers, but I can't take a hit on the very well reviewed amp I bought, and know I should have trialled it first now. I'm haemorraging cash on hifi at the moment. My Trilogy kit loved the quads but I need to downsize in terms of boxes, so I thought this 300b integrated amp would work too - wrong! I blew a significant chunk on this thing and hauled its 75lb ass up four flights of stairs, so I'm blown if I'm selling it!

It sounds mushy and a bit blurred vocally on some stuff, I can hear its potential though, as the imaging is brilliant, it just hates the load as it could get sand kicked in its face by 3 parts of amps out there. After doing some digging on the net a reviewer had the same problem with my pairing. Never Assume (makes an ASS of U and ME) that something will just work!!!

If I had the space and the cash I'd keep everything (quads and trilogys included) for a rainy day and just get that lovely pair of zebrano focals that shrinks selling or something that likes low powered valve amps - doh!

Quads now up for sale - sniff...

 

[bottleneck]

Hi Smeagol, I love my 300b amp, but I wouldn't ask it to power electrostatic speakers.

Through modification you could easily get from about 8w to about 13w, but I doubt that would significantly alter matters, and may devalue the resale value of your amp. People often miss this aspect of modding shop-bought kit.

If you make the decision to keep the amp and lose the speakers - I'd try to audition speakers by Living Voice, Audionote. You may prefer the vintage sounds of Tannoy, Klipsch, Impulse or Lowthers. Some modern speakers are sensitive of course, Triangle, Loth-X for example.

In throwing the life-belt to high sensitivity, many designs sacrifice absolute 'neutrality'. Of course fans would argue that insensitive speakers which are 'neutral' in terms of frequency response are 'coloured' in terms of lack of dynamics. Colouration by omission instead of addition, if you like. It's an old arguement.

Certainly, careful shopping is the answer, or buying second hand for a good price and selling that which doesnt suit you for a suitable price.

 

[macvisual]

Keep those 57's!!

Hey SMEagol

Please DON'T sell those awesome ESL 57's, they are truly magnificent electrostatic speakers, real world beaters!! I have only bought my pair of ESL 57's just over a week now and I am utterly amazed with the beautiful quality they produce....midrange to die for. I have been using Magneplanar speakers for around 8 years now, and the ESL 57's are far better. You would be bonkers to sell them, if you can sort out a good/perfect amplifier partnering for your ESL 57's and just enjoy them for a very long time.... The Cambridge Audio A1 amp I'm using is excellent, pairing with a Quad CDP-2 cd player, soooo musical!!!! I am totally hooked on my new ESL 57 speakers, should have bought a pair years ago. Only my advice chum....

Best wishes

peter
(Quad ESL 57 stats - Quad CDP-2 - Cambridge Audio A1)

 

[SCIDB]

Hi Chris (SMEagol),

Which make and model is the 300B amp? All 300b are not the same. The load of the Quad ESL57 can be unkind to some amps. It's not a power issue because these speakers were designed to work with Quad II were are rated at 12 watts.

SCIDB