promising Posted July 15, 2008 Posted July 15, 2008 I am torn between the B&W 685 and the Quad 11L2. The music I listen are pop, new age, light Jazz, e.g. mariah carey, norah jones, backstreet boys, ronan keating, josh goban..etc.. Having done an audition once with above 2 speakers and Marantz pm7001 amplifier. I feel that the B&W produces an authoritative bass, and great presence. The Quads on the other hand have great detail and tranparency. The vocal of Quad are better than 685, but I favour the brand and styling of the B&W. Any suggestions or comments please? Appreciate if can get some help here. Thanks ! Jason
Speedsun Posted July 15, 2008 Posted July 15, 2008 Hi bro....bear in mind speakers tend to sound "beautiful" in shops but perform differently at your room.....The B&W is an all rounder speakers which suit more of HT....The famous Quad 11L is more musical sounding compare to 685 which suit more for Stereo listening...but since u give so many ticks to 685's score card maybe u can settle for it....No point ask the rest of the forum members for opinions since yr heart is longing for another "babe" already :P Btw u can do a search in the Forum for a topic on "under 1k Speakers Shootout" which many forum members gave their reviews on the speakers u mentioned than from there u consider..Enjoy Yr Music Cheers~(",
DJQ Posted July 15, 2008 Posted July 15, 2008 well bro simple. the brand, the looks, the Sound. which in line is the most impt that will and suppose to last. we age but so does the speakers themselves too. i believe as time goes the speakers run in... the sound it gives settles in. both models equally good.
SiriuslyCold Posted July 15, 2008 Posted July 15, 2008 how about Paradigm? have you heard Monitor Audio? or Vienna Acoustics? ;D
tuffatore Posted July 15, 2008 Posted July 15, 2008 Paradigm - u go ask Siriuslycold. Sure everything about Paradigm is good. Monitor Audio - u go ask petetherock. Sure everything about MA is good. B&K - u go ask Jason Yeo. Sure everything about B&K is good. White Van model - u go ask me. Sure everything about White Van model is good. B&W - u go ask HT102. Sure everything about B&W is good. In fact only the 80x series sounds musical. The lower 6xx series and Monitor Audio are harsh (bright) to my ears. But to petetherock, MA is musical and my Totem Forests sounds like diarrehea (sic) to some. same for all brands. Someone who own them sure say good one, bo own for what? Trust your ears and your pocket.
basspundit Posted July 15, 2008 Posted July 15, 2008 if you're an alcohophile....after a couple of drinks, all music sound good, therefore get cheap audio systems, spend wisely on quality booze ;D and cigars!
promising Posted July 16, 2008 Author Posted July 16, 2008 Thanks everyone for the input ! actually I am looking for the speaker for MUSIC, my buget is quite low (speaker $1000 + & amp $500+). ppl always say thay good speaker need expensive amp, then the combination will over my buget. (e,g Dyna 52) I am not limited to B&W and QUAD. So any other good combinations for my buget? For vocal, pop, new age, light Jazz, piano, sax, such kinds of music. btw, if i choose Quad 11L2, can recommend AMP to me please? Thanks!
promising Posted July 16, 2008 Author Posted July 16, 2008 oh btw, I listen to soft music (as listed above) more, not much rock and massive bass ones. someone recommend Epos M5, haven't tried before. ppl @ adelphi said this one need expensive AMP. May I know what amp u guys recommend for M5? how much for this combination? How is compared to QUAD 11L2? Please comments. Thanks!
SiriuslyCold Posted July 16, 2008 Posted July 16, 2008 other peoples' recommendations are merely pointers at which way to look, or start listening. if there's a sound you already like it doesn't really matter how one speaker compares to another unless other issues like budget and WAF come into play Wife Acceptance Factor - especially if your listening room is in a shared space with your significant other, he/she may not like the way some speakers look....
promising Posted July 16, 2008 Author Posted July 16, 2008 other peoples' recommendations are merely pointers at which way to look, or start listening. if there's a sound you already like it doesn't really matter how one speaker compares to another unless other issues like budget and WAF come into play Wife Acceptance Factor - especially if your listening room is in a shared space with your significant other, he/she may not like the way some speakers look.... I like what u say about WAF :) my girlfriend, a designer, feel that 685 is a little bit ugly, while 11L2 in bird eye maple looks better, haha. my buget for the speaker is $1k (prefer amp for the speaker not very expensive one), do u guys think Quad 11L2 worth $8xx? (685 is $10xx for reference)
HoSaybo Posted July 16, 2008 Posted July 16, 2008 Not too sure but I though I saw that the Quad is selling for ~$700 (maybe promotional price) in a shop in SLS.
steelben Posted July 16, 2008 Posted July 16, 2008 btw, if i choose Quad 11L2, can recommend AMP to me please? Thanks! I used to own Quad 11L 1st version. If you want to choose an amp to pair with Quad11L, I strongly suggest you to consider NAD! I had heard the 11L+NAD C370 combo at a friend's house (small listening room), the transparency and its airy sound was just amazing! It's like the whole hifi "disappeared" in front of you! The sound was even better than some other "expensive" setup at the showrooms. Of course, I'm talking about the 1st 11L but I think there shouldn't much difference in the 2nd version.
promising Posted July 16, 2008 Author Posted July 16, 2008 Not too sure but I though I saw that the Quad is selling for ~$700 (maybe promotional price) in a shop in SLS. still remember which floor ? :)
promising Posted July 16, 2008 Author Posted July 16, 2008 I used to own Quad 11L 1st version. If you want to choose an amp to pair with Quad11L, I strongly suggest you to consider NAD! I had heard the 11L+NAD C370 combo at a friend's house (small listening room), the transparency and its airy sound was just amazing! It's like the whole hifi "disappeared" in front of you! The sound was even better than some other "expensive" setup at the showrooms. Of course, I'm talking about the 1st 11L but I think there shouldn't much difference in the 2nd version. Thanks ! i will try this combo later :)
machim Posted July 16, 2008 Posted July 16, 2008 My original plan is Quad 12L2 with marantz, but after listened to AE floorstand spkr, changed liao ;D Think you can try AE Neo 3 to pair with marantz amp
hifiluv Posted July 16, 2008 Posted July 16, 2008 I used to own Quad 11L 1st version. If you want to choose an amp to pair with Quad11L, I strongly suggest you to consider NAD! I had heard the 11L+NAD C370 combo at a friend's house (small listening room), the transparency and its airy sound was just amazing! It's like the whole hifi "disappeared" in front of you! The sound was even better than some other "expensive" setup at the showrooms. Of course, I'm talking about the 1st 11L but I think there shouldn't much difference in the 2nd version. :o :o i like yr review. yes matching is the key. so if u deciding between the 2, bring ur amp down for an audition, ;)
HoSaybo Posted July 17, 2008 Posted July 17, 2008 still remember which floor ? :) 1st floor. only one shop having quad.
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