Art Dudley/Listening

Thank heaven there are people out there who understand Quads from the ground up, and who make it their business—literally—to keep these magnificent speakers in peak running order. If you're considering the plunge yourself, or if you already have a pair of ESLs and you need professional help, here are the folks you should know:

Wayne Picquet does business under the name Quads Unlimited, and his products and services include panel rebuilds, protection circuits, and rectifier blocks, as well as completely rebuilt loudspeakers—ranging all the way to triple-stacked ESLs. I got my treble panels from Wayne, and they're superb in every way. Wayne Picquet is in Longwood, Florida; you can send him e-mail at Wpkae87@aol.com.

Canadian Stewart Penketh offers panel rebuilds and a host of other Quad services. (He's well versed in later Quad models, too, such as the ESL-63.) I haven't seen his panels myself, but a number of people swear by his work. Reach him at Stewart_Penketh@viarail.ca.

Sheldon Stokes is another Quad expert whose work I haven't seen, but whose good service reputation precedes him—and his website is a treasure trove of information and insight.

QS&D is a company known to most readers as the current US distributor for that other great English speaker company, Spendor. They've long been involved in the repair and restoration of Quad loudspeakers, and for a while they imported panels from Quad Germany, as well. Today, QS&D offers general Quad repairs and rebuilds.

One Thing Audio keeps the ESL flame burning in their native England, with panel rebuilds, custom stands, and very-high-quality electronic bits, such as protection circuits and rectifier blocks.

Don't forget those Quad experts whose websites are geared more toward supplying information than products and services per se: Gary Jacobson, Andrew King, and Dr. Quad himself.

And finally, be sure to pay a visit to the official website of the company that started it all.—Art Dudley