Quad 57'S power cables

[Audio Al]

Hello

I am in the process of rewiring my power leads for my Quad 57"

The original leads must be 45 years old :eek: and are the thinnest cables I have seen on any mains electrical power supply :eek:

Se the photos

Also they have 13 amp fuses in the plugs ? is this OK or do they need smaller fuses ?

Any comment welcome

Thanks

[realysm42]

Lol @ them cables; I bet you could get a much better sound by replacing them with something half decent!

[DSJR]

These cables don't conduct any signal, merely the mains to the transformers in the speakers. I can't remember the rating of the old plugs and sockets they used, but a good 6A cable should offer loads in reserve and offer better insulation too.

[Audio Al]

These cables don't conduct any signal, merely the mains to the transformers in the speakers. I can't remember the rating of the old plugs and sockets they used, but a good 6A cable should offer loads in reserve and offer better insulation too.

OK thanks , do I use a 6amp fuse as well or retain the 13amp ones :)

[DSJR]

I'd be inclined to try a 5A fuse myself, but some here would need to try a 13A one to see if they can hear any difference......

[Audio Al]

I'd be inclined to try a 5A fuse myself, but some here would need to try a 13A one to see if they can hear any difference......


OK cheers

[Barry]

There is nothing wrong with your speaker power cables. The Quad ESL consume a mains current of the order of microamps.

So tidy up the wiring in the plug (I don't like the look of those stray strands at the live and neutral terminals), and replace the fuse with one of 3A.

http://theartofsound.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=7150&d=1346769928

Regards (a Quad ESL user of nearly 40 years)

[Marco]

Lol @ them cables; I bet you could get a much better sound by replacing them with something half decent!

+1 (with bells on). Mains cables, for audiophile use, have come a very long way in the last 45 years!!

Marco.

[jaym481]

If you aren't overly arsed about originality, modify the speakers themselves with an IEC socket to replace the Bulgin. Then you can try any "off the rack" mains cable from £10 Maplin to the best of audiophile jewellery.

[awkwardbydesign]

Ah, but it would have to be a cryoed Furutech socket, or similar to get the benefit.

[Reid Malenfant]

There is nothing wrong with your speaker power cables. The Quad ESL consume a mains current of the order of microamps.

So tidy up the wiring in the plug (I don't like the look of those stray strands at the live and neutral terminals), and replace the fuse with one of 3A.

http://theartofsound.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=7150&d=1346769928

Regards (a Quad ESL user of nearly 40 years)
I do tend to agree with Barry here, if you are going to continue using the same cable then you'll need to fit a 3Amp fuse in the plug - to protect the cable!

However, I can't remember the last time I saw a three wire cable in the old colours :scratch: If I was you I'd think about replacing it as frankly, old PVC stiffens & then begins to break up if flexed :rolleyes:

You could do better for a power cable, though imho you don't need to go mad as the speakers draw so little mains current as Barry rightly states.

If it was me I'd renew the stuff & fit a fuse of the correct value to protect the cable in the event of a short circuit :cool:

[MCRU]

its the same bulgin connector as the 303 used and it will take some better cable, customers have reported improvements so well worth a pop in my opinion

silver plated plug £10, silver plated 3 amp fuse £0.99, 1 metre of belden 19364 cable £6.95 or maybe less and soak the bulgin in de-oxit and then dry it of course, well worth the effort IMO

[Barry]

Lol @ them cables; I bet you could get a much better sound by replacing them with something half decent!

No you wouldn't. The mains cables are there to provide the EHT polarising voltage on the ESL membrane diaphragm, nothing more. In theory once the diaphragm is fully charged, no further current is drawn from the mains. In practice there will be a very, very small current drawn, but this is of the order of microamps.

Any sudden power demands made by the speaker during volume peaks, are supplied by the power amplifier, and it is here, not the ESL speaker, where a good quality mains lead may be of benefit.

[Marco]

Sure, Barry, but why not 'dot the Is and cross the Ts', anyway, and replace that piece of shabby old shoestring, with something newer, and quite frankly, more electrically safe?

For all it would cost - even if all it did was made things look nicer! ;)

Marco.

[Barry]

Sure, Barry, but why not 'dot the Is and cross the Ts', anyway, and replace that piece of shabby old shoestring, with something newer, and quite frankly, more electrically safe?

For all it would cost - even if all it did was made things look nicer! ;)

Marco.

There is nothing wrong with the cable per se. Despite its age, it is perfectly adequate for the job (anyway, the old wiring colours sound better! :lol:)

The Quad ESLs are not fused, that is why you must use a 3A fuse in the mains plug.

All that needs to be done is for the actual connections to be tidyed up (re. the stray strands).

[Marco]

One would imagine that there exists a finite lifespan for the electrical integrity of wire, used in cables, and that that lifespan may have expired during 45 years of use, no? ;)

Say what you like, mate, but if they were my speakers, no way would I have that shitey old mains cable anywhere near them!! :nono:

Marco.

[wee tee cee]

I have 63s and have noticed a quite a difference with mains cables on the speakers. I am robbing Peter to pay Paul at the moment by switching the good ones round. Dave is absolutely right, half decent plug/fuse/cable makes a very noticeable difference...... couldn't tell you why though.....
The supra shielded stuff is great IMHO.

[overtsi]

If only the ESL 57 took the same Bulgin as the 33/303 (21mm), then I would not have had to scour e-bay for the larger 32.5mm plugs which they need, and which often suffer from Bakelite fatigue around the screw thread.If only for safety reasons I replaced the 40 year-old original mains cables with a new plug and fuse.

[spendorman]

If this 13 A plug is so old that it has uninsulated pins, probably a good safety tip to replace it.

http://theartofsound.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=7150&d=1346769928