Your thoughts on the Quads please.

[JIT]

These seem to be highly regarded so would just like some opinions please?

Up until recently i had Tannoy R3's as fronts but due to moving they just looked massive in my new room and so i'm now using Tannoy R1's all round along with the RC centre, a Denon 3805 receiver and Servo 15.

Now thinking about the Quads although i haven't heard them yet, would these be a definate improvement over my R1's?

Thinking about 12L's, L Centre and 11L's for surround or could i get away with using 11L's for fronts instead?

Any opinions please?

 

[Kazman]

Hmm, I think the best thing to do would be to audition them, I have not heard your Tannoys so couldn't possibly comment, what I DO know is that the Quads sound fabulous!!

Should be on everybodies audition list for those looking at speakers in that price bracket.

They should work ok with the Denon too.

 

[yant]

Agree with Kazman, the Quads are excellent speakers.

The most noticeable advantage of the 12L over the 11L is that the larger cabinet will help it to produce lower frequencies. Since you are running a Servo 15, you should have plenty of low frequency coming from elsewhere. You may still prefer the overall sound of the 12L but bass extension for movies is probably not a problem for you.

Yan

 

[fama]

The QUADS are excellent,my only caution would be that
in some ways they are "too good" for home cinema
and deserve to be hooked up to a decent hifi set up to
hear them at their best
I have quad 11L all round plus centre,but I also plug
the front pair into a stereo setup.
The Tannoys mentioned in a thread above are also excellent and a mega bargain at £60 each

 

[JIT]

Agreed, i do need to hear them for myself.

My setup is -

Arcam DV88+
Denon 3805
Servo 15

 

[wannabeav]

Probably nothing that hasn't already been said but...I have the 11L's for fronts on av amp and as L+R for stereo amp with a seperate set of cables. Sound from them is fantastic and, even in a large lounge, they seem to cope pretty well. I spent some time placing them and the clarity is excellent, the bass - although not massive is punchy enough, the sub takes care of that anyway. The trouble I'm having is the centre - think Kazman has convinced me to look at the Quad centre though unless something else jumps out.

 

[Ed Selley]

Another bit of positive feedback although I feel the urge to go against the grain and point out in smaller rooms or with a subwoofer, there is no reason at all to choose the 12L over the 11L as the latter actually sounds sweeter in the mid than its bigger brother with less boxiness. The 21L irons out most of these faults however.

 

[JIT]

Lots of great feedback, thanks.

 

[caerendil]

I recently purchased a set of Quads and Arcam gear after auditioning alternatives like the Monitor Audio. II wanted a set up that would work well for stereo, DVD audio and movies. The Quads were the best all round choice. I really liked their sound, not too in your face, they just reproduce what they are asked to. Some other speakers I tried sounded more "exciting", (sorry for the terminology) but less accurate.
There's certainly no substitute for listening tests.
In the end I went with 21L fronts instead of the 12s. I prefered the sound and I have quite a big room.
All in all, extremely happy.

 

[_Cal_]

Can you guys, specifically caerendil, define what you mean by big room?

I (only) have a pair of 12L at the front, and I am considering upgrading them to 21L when I complete the 5.0 setup.

From an acoustic point of view, it's not just volume, but actually tha shape and aspect ratio that matter. I have a 30m^2 room (333ft^2), where the width is almost twice the lenght, and that is the second worst possible configuration of room, right after the square room.

 

[caerendil]

My room is L shaped, the vertical bit being 4.5m by 7m (and that is where the gear is) and the horizontal bit being about 4.5 by 3.5m

There are a lot of reflective surfaces like glass so it is less than ideal. I'd doubt that any of the quads would be undersized in your room or mine for that matter. The main decision behind my purchase of the 21s was the sound.

 

[Falp]

I heard the 11L with Denon 3805 + Primare DVD source and they sounded great, very neutral and transparent...

 

[NMyTree]

I have the Quad 22L and absolutely love them.

Just picked up a pair of second-hand Quad 12L and after four days of playing them, I love them too.

But let your ears be the judge. Audition them and see how you like them.