Audiophile DIY Shackman Electrostatic Tweeters, Speakers, Spare Parts, Refurbishing. Valve-Tube Amplifiers for High-End ESL-Loudspeakers, DECCA Spare Ribbons, Loudspeaker Bibliography
!! For infos on repairing/refurbishing services of your Quad, B&W ESL loudspeakers, scroll down to the very bottom of page !!
or follow the direct link to Shackman-reromanus ESL REFRESHing/REPAIRing/UPGRADing Site for Bowers & Wilkins DM70, QUAD 57/63, Shackman, Decca-Kelly/London and any other type or brand of loudspeakers
If you are about to have a DIY project/repair/refurbishment, look at the below gallery of some SHACKMAN DIY products
or go to SHACKMAN-ESL-DIY-CATALOGUE - the complete Shackman reromanus product Listing
Heavy Duty Technical Foils/Films for ESLs
The original SHACKMAN stators. They can be used to build your own Shackman AS MHT-85-R tweeters.
Some "production stock" of SHACKMAN diaphragm types "On the roll", e.g. Mylar C and Hoechst PP PHP
As one can see on the photo above, one pair (up to a quad) of Shackman panels is stretched simultaneously. The microphone is controlling the overall resonance frequency of the stretching system, including counterweights and stretching weights.
HOECHST PHP POLYPROPYLENE FOIL.
Low shrink film
Perfect thickness uniformity
Perfect tensile strength
Pretensilized in both directions
1-side C-treated for better gluing and coating
Sonicly clearly fits much more the needs of special audio applications than e.g.PETP or other kinds of technical film
Latest Hoechst new high-technology acoustical foil for best audio reproduction.
Main technical data for planar and ESL applications:
Young =5.900!! e = 2,2 !! tand = 3x10E-4 !!
Definitely, time has come to have a new look on the true suitibility of film materials for ESL projects. The 50's, 60's and 70's of ESL technology are !history!
Time has come to throw over board some antique stories and to stop harping on over and over again, what endlessly has been cribbed without reflection since decades by nearly every one
Hoechs OPP - foil is famous for its revolutionary low inert distortion and highest possible resonance damping.
Formerly innovatively used as copolymere PP-diaphragm material in high-end speakers or monitor loudspeakers like famous BBC's Spendor, Rogers, Harbeth (Harwood), Chartwell and so on. Later copied by allmost all speaker producers worldwide.
THIS FOIL IS VERY MUCH MORE SUITED TO FIT THE NEEDS OF ACOUSTICAL APPLICATIONS THAN e.g. PETP , LIKE FOR EXAMPLE DUPONT'S MYLAR
Using this film very clearly audibly results in a more "natural" and less "electrostatic" sound reproduction. It lacks very much of a kind of "Eigenklang", which so very often gives limits to true high-ended reproduction of music by any kind of diaphragm material.
It very simply leads to natural , though analytic sonic impressions.
Try to get reproduced the "F-Dur Dreiklang" of any kind of waterfall or some kind "aeolic harps" and you will know what we are talking about.
More info on
Shackman-Catalogue.
for complete Shackman reromanus product listing or
our ESL-DIY repair site
Very Low Conductivity "VLC-Coating" of an ESL Diaphragm
In 2006, after lots of inquiries from ESL enthusiasts and long internal discussions (mainly because of the problems, a potential DIYer faces by applying the liquid correctly to the surface of the fully stretched untreated PET/PP-membrane), we decided, nevertheless, to open to the world of DIYers a "Profs" commercial intrinsic PA-Coating Type-H for all kinds of ESL diaphragms - without giving away our knowledge.
This (Very Low-Conductivity) VLC-coating is more or a physicist's product rather than a chemist's product. That is why it is stable, sure and reliable from 10E8 up to 10^11 Ohms under average environmental circumstances. It offers an ideal surface resistance for all polarisation voltages on all types of ESL films. Also a Type-L coating liquid is available for possibly needed lower surface resistivities from 10E6 up to 10E9 Ohms. A kind of pre-treatment liquid can be used but it is not at all a must. Both types are reliably and successfully used in Shackman Dynastat ESLs since more than 20 years.
Both "Very Low Conductivity" VLC-Coating types are ultra light and ultra thin, mechanically stable, stick well to films and withstands permanently any high-voltage charging currents. They are easy to handle, as they stick well - very important - to the PP/PET/PVDC films. Essential acoustico-mechanical foil properties remain unchanged. The desired and necessary longevity is the result. Download the application manual with more technical information here.
As perfect as can be.
The coating production is controlled by "absolute" measurements of surface resistivity and diaphragm charge with "real voltages" up to 5000 volts with Dr.Thiedig Milli-TO 2 including latest "normalized" high resistance/low current ring probes and Keithley Electrometer/6105-Adapter with Fluke Solid State High Voltage power supply
More info on
Shackman-esl-diy-catalogue.
for complete Shackman reromanus product listing or our
ESL-DIY repair
site
New Tools for ESL EHT contact area
These tools consist of a conductive double sided sticky tape and a 12µ one side gold metallized PE-foil with a high-ohmic coating on the opposite side for optimizing constant charge capabilities of push-pull ESLs
Using these tools will result in a permanent non corroding, ever lasting EHT HV contact. N.B.: These tools are part of our "VLC Coating Liquid" offer.
New Tools for Stretching and gluing a diaphragm
reromanus metallized ESL stretching tape for very large panels w/o jig and reromanus ESL foil 2K-adhesive for PP and PE
More info on Shackman-esl-diy-catalogue. for complete Shackman reromanus product listing
Driving a DIY ESL
The SHACKMAN step-up transformers. The MHT-type PCB-version on the left, a discrete HT-Type on the right.
reromanus V-Typ MHT OTL ESL tube amplifier for driving directly (without output transformer) ESL tweeters or headphones
More info on
Shackman-esl-diy-catalogue.
for complete Shackman reromanus product listing
SHACKMAN-reromanus ESL repair/fixing and refurbishing service
!! For more details of repairing your beloved ESL loudspeakers, please go directly to Bowers & Wilkins DM70 Refresh/Repair/Upgrade Service site !!
Gallery of Bowers & Wilkins DM70 repair
or go tothe special site loudspeaker-repair-service/DM70 for detailed information
or go to our special site loudspeaker-repair-service/DM70 for detailed information
Gallery of QUAD ESL-57/63 repair and upgrade
or go to the special loudspeaker-repair-service/refurbish_quad.htm for detailed information
The ESL 63 still are one of the best loudspeakeres ever built. But all Quad ESLs should be checked and renewed/refurbished regularly in order to avoid common failures due to aging of the materials of that time. The sound is becoming duller and duller. Sparking and hissing occurs But doing so regularly in a ten years interval will result in a crystal clear like new Quad sound quality.
or go to the special loudspeaker-repair-service site for detailed information on ESL57 and ESL63
QUAD-ESL-63 Modifications/Upgradings
There are many tales about upgrading the Quads including a thicker power line. We do not follow most of these activities.. But at least one modification/improvement should be done while restoring an ESL63. That is changing the input network's electrolytic capacitors. Electrolytics change their attributes during time, including the capacity itself.
In one of the photos above you see a reromanus modification/upgrading with 3 pieces of 400V MKP QS "AUDYN" type film capacitors (yellow) in parallel with a "Wondercap". The idea of changing the wire resistor to a film type resistor makes not that much sense unless all other resistors in the NF-signal path right before the step up transformers are not changed as well. We recommend to keep the hands off from those resistors.
Gallery of QUAD ESL-57 DIY repair and upgrade
!! For more details on DIY repairing of your beloved ESL loudspeakers, please go directly to Bowers&Wilkins, QUAD Refresh/Repair/Upgrade Service site !!
Immediate questions? eMail: reromanus Repair Info
If you cannot visit us
Unsere Werkstätten Our workshops
Click on the pictures for full size