My System, circa 1975

[Bill Hart]

Sp-10 Turntable, ARC SP3-a-1, Dual 75a (Quad ESLs not shown).
Found in a pile of old receipts and literature yesterday.

 

[flez007]

Wow!.... I love vintage gear.. and wonder how it will compare with new AR gear of tiday....

 

[Bill Hart]

Wow!.... I love vintage gear.. and wonder how it will compare with new AR gear of tiday....

The preamp would sound pretty juicy euphonic. I replaced it along time ago with an SP-10mkii, which is also in the vein of tube 'rich' but a considerable step up (it too is long gone, in part because it was too noisy to handle low output MC cartridges, but its phono stage is still loved by many). Believe it or not, I still have the amp- i have maintained it, but haven't used it in a while. The last time I compared it to a then new Classic 60, it had nowhere near the imaging or detail, but just sounded old school smooth without being noticeably tubey in the extreme. I also still have the table, which is a mkI, not the more sought-after mkii, and I've considered using it as part of my record cleaning process.

 

[FrantzM]

<snip> ... I also still have the table, which is a mkI, not the more sought-after mkii, and I've considered using it as part of my record cleaning process.

That would be a shame.. For record cleaning duties Anything that spins can be used ... An SP10 , any SP-10 deserves better

 

[Bill Hart]

That would be a shame.. For record cleaning duties Anything that spins can be used ... An SP10 , any SP-10 deserves better

Automated lazy susan for dining room condiments?
I dunno, I don't want to put real money into a good plinth and arm for it, i gather than the mk 1 is not very well regarded sonically these days. I keep in my music room, unused, and it works. Back in the day, it was a serious table. I bought it new. Ideas?

 

[flez007]

Automated lazy susan for dining room condiments?
I dunno, I don't want to put real money into a good plinth and arm for it, i gather than the mk 1 is not very well regarded sonically these days. I keep in my music room, unused, and it works. Back in the day, it was a serious table. I bought it new. Ideas?

Agree with FrantzM here, a VPI cleaner will better serve you (as you surely know)...why not just sell it and invest somewhere else? It is a nice table with room for tweaking

 

[Bill Hart]

Agree with FrantzM here, a VPI cleaner will better serve you (as you surely know)...why not just sell it and invest somewhere else? It is a nice table with room for tweaking

I have an RCM. I just meant that I'd use it- not with fluids- for readying a record for cleaning, perhaps dry brushing.
The table is worth very little. And remember, it's a Mk1. It's the Mk ii that everybody is now using.

 

[mullard88]

Hi whart,

I love your 1975 system! Were your Quad ESLs the 57 or 63? I have kept some very similar pieces. I still have an Audio Research SP3, all original parts except for the tubes that I have replaced with all military grade telefunkens. I prefer this SP3 over all the new Audio Research preamps or line stages. As for vintage Audio Research power amps, I have two units or the D76. I also have two pairs or Quad ESLs, the Mark Levinson stacked 57 and the Crosby modded 63.

 

[Bill Hart]

Hi whart,

I love your 1975 system! Were your Quad ESLs the 57 or 63? I have kept some very similar pieces. I still have an Audio Research SP3, all original parts except for the tubes that I have replaced with all military grade telefunkens. I prefer this SP3 over all the new Audio Research preamps or line stages. As for vintage Audio Research power amps, I have two units or the D76. I also have two pairs or Quad ESLs, the Mark Levinson stacked 57 and the Crosby modded 63.

Hi, Mullard. Thanks, man. I bought my first pair in 1974-ish, they were the original ESL. Funny, when I brought them home, i think the only amp I had in the house was a Phase Linear 700. Needless to say, I quickly built a Dyna-ST 70 kit and surprising, at least to me, it worked! I bought that ARC set-up in the photo in 1975 and had a succession of ARC gear thereafter, including SP-10 mkii, Dual 70mkii and Classic 60. By around 1990, I bought a pair of Crosby 63's, which i still have. I still have the old ESLs too, but they need to be restored.
I always wanted stacked 57's in the ML frame. I still have a pair of Decca ribbons, had a set of Sequerra ribbons, and fooled around with various subwoofers, but never had much luck in integrating the woofers. (I also think the original ESL has a better midrange than the 63, even after the Crosby mod, but I may be in the minority. It certainly doesn't play as loud or as deeply as the 63, i just think it sounds more pure). Where are you located, geographically?

 

[mullard88]

Hi whart,

I am located in the Philippines.

I have not tried integrating a subwoofer with the Quad ESLs. To me, they sound fine the way they are. If you get the chance, try using the Lamm M1.2 to drive the Crosby Quads. Just flick the impedence switch on the Lamm to the 16 ohm position. This combination gives the Quads a very unexpected flavor.

 

[Bill Hart]

Hi whart,

I am located in the Philippines.

I have not tried integrating a subwoofer with the Quad ESLs. To me, they sound fine the way they are. If you get the chance, try using the Lamm M1.2 to drive the Crosby Quads. Just flick the impedence switch on the Lamm to the 16 ohm position. This combination gives the Quads a very unexpected flavor.

So, you know Jack and Jadis, and their gang? Man, I am impressed by the number of serious hi-fi nuts in the Philippines! Mullard, I have the ML2 amps, the SET, which should sound delightful on the Crosbys. I do plan on trying them someday.
Thank you.

 

[microstrip]

Hi, Mullard. Thanks, man. I bought my first pair in 1974-ish, they were the original ESL. Funny, when I brought them home, i think the only amp I had in the house was a Phase Linear 700. Needless to say, I quickly built a Dyna-ST 70 kit and surprising, at least to me, it worked! I bought that ARC set-up in the photo in 1975 and had a succession of ARC gear thereafter, including SP-10 mkii, Dual 70mkii and Classic 60. By around 1990, I bought a pair of Crosby 63's, which i still have. I still have the old ESLs too, but they need to be restored.
I always wanted stacked 57's in the ML frame. I still have a pair of Decca ribbons, had a set of Sequerra ribbons, and fooled around with various subwoofers, but never had much luck in integrating the woofers. (I also think the original ESL has a better midrange than the 63, even after the Crosby mod, but I may be in the minority. It certainly doesn't play as loud or as deeply as the 63, i just think it sounds more pure). Where are you located, geographically?

Whart,

Nice to know you also have owned Quads. I attach two scanned photos of my ESL57's third pair being refurbished in my kitchen - just found the photos this weekend.

Before I have owned a pair of stacked ESL57 in an ML frame with the Decca - I got the whole lot from a friend who decided to disassemble an HQD Mark Levinson system. Unhappily I did not have the space for the 24" Hartley subwoofers.

 

[Bill Hart]

Whart,

Nice to know you also have owned Quads. I attach two scanned photos of my ESL57's third pair being refurbished in my kitchen - just found the photos this weekend.

Before I have owned a pair of stacked ESL57 in an ML frame with the Decca - I got the whole lot from a friend who decided to disassemble an HQD Mark Levinson system. Unhappily I did not have the space for the 24" Hartley subwoofers.

Very cool, Micro. Did you do the restorations yourself?
And, what kind of woofer did you wind up using with the Double Quad?
Do you still have them (or any Quad ESLs)?
Thank you for sharing those.

 

[JackD201]

So, you know Jack and Jadis, and their gang? Man, I am impressed by the number of serious hi-fi nuts in the Philippines! Mullard, I have the ML2 amps, the SET, which should sound delightful on the Crosbys. I do plan on trying them someday.
Thank you.

We live about 5 minutes away from each other Mullard was the one who introduced me to Lamm equipment.

 

[mullard88]

Hi whart,

Yes. I do know them. Jadis I've known for more than 25 years and Jack and I have been friends for a few years already. Jack's cousin has the ML2. I just do not know if they will have the same effect as the M1.2 on the Crosby Quads. But my gut feel is that the Lamm ML 2 and the Crosby Quad will be a good match. Have fun.

 

[jadis]

Hi whart,

Yes. I do know them. Jadis I've known for more than 25 years and Jack and I have been friends for a few years already.

Yes, a little more than 25 years have past since I knew Mullard88. And I remember the very first time we connected by phone after knowing that we both shared the audio hobby. And countless audio visitations ensued. I also met Dafos at around those times thru a local audio dealer and living in the metropolis had its advantage that car travel was mostly 30 minutes distance to each other. I met Jack thru our local forum wiredstate.com about 8 years ago and it feels just like yesterday but we had been through so many audio visitations around town plus many years of HiFi Shows in Manila. There are lots of lots of other hobbyists here and it's a great community.

 

[microstrip]

Very cool, Micro. Did you do the restorations yourself?
And, what kind of woofer did you wind up using with the Double Quad?
Do you still have them (or any Quad ESLs)?
Thank you for sharing those.

Yes, I carried them myself - I wish I had the modern audio analysis PC based tools available today when I was replacing the membranes ... But all I could use was a sinusoidal generator and the RS meter.

At that time I did not own any subwoofer - only later using the ESL63 I have tried using a Janis 15" sub. It looked gorgeous.
Although they are idling, there is still a pair of ESL63 in my garage. Just in case one day I become reasonable. For a long time I dreamed about building a system with four ESL63 in a L shaped arrangement, like they use at the SME listening room in the UK. I have tried it in a wide room and it was a success, unhappily my current room is long but not wide enough for this configuration.

BTW, it is a shame no USA reviewer has written about the legendary SME room. As far as I know Neil Gadger from TAS - avguide.com visited the factory, but never wrote about the room.

 

[Bill Hart]

Yes, I carried them myself - I wish I had the modern audio analysis PC based tools available today when I was replacing the membranes ... But all I could use was a sinusoidal generator and the RS meter.

At that time I did not own any subwoofer - only later using the ESL63 I have tried using a Janis 15" sub. It looked gorgeous.
Although they are idling, there is still a pair of ESL63 in my garage. Just in case one day I become reasonable. For a long time I dreamed about building a system with four ESL63 in a L shaped arrangement, like they use at the SME listening room in the UK. I have tried it in a wide room and it was a success, unhappily my current room is long but not wide enough for this configuration.

BTW, it is a shame no USA reviewer has written about the legendary SME room. As far as I know Neil Gadger from TAS - avguide.com visited the factory, but never wrote about the room.

Yes, I never understood how you could double up on 63 given the 'point source' layout; as a proud American, I was aware of SME's room, but you are right, very little attention to it here in the magazines, despite the fact that there were reviews of his tonearm, tables, etc. perhaps partly because Quads are very small in the market here. One of my friends, who is not a hi-fi guy (met him thru cars)- first time I was at his house, I saw that he had old 63s and Entec woofers (often used with the Crosby), so somebody who knew what they were doing guided him. I gave up on woofers for the Quads, but since I still have both old and new pairs, I could, with time and space, assemble something. (I still have a pair of vintage Quad II amps, with old tubes in them, also needing to be checked by a tech).