Qualio IQ owners, still happy?

Hey 0zzy62,

In the next couple of weeks I will be getting in for review Qualio IQ SE for Stereo Times. I'll let you now what I think when I have some time to evaluate them.

Teajay (Terry London)

Thanks Terry. Hope to have my pair by the weekend.

Steve Huff has been hyping them lately … which gives me pause 

Yeah I know Huff is pretty ridiculous. I bought them in spite of his review, not because of it.

Sure, some reviewer's may gush over a product, but he did compare and contrast several loudspeakers which is something new age reviewer's will not do...

Wig

Yeah, he did do that.

Definitely interested in your initial impressions as I'm loving what I see about these loudspeakers... 😊

Wig

They will be going up against Verity Audio Parsifal Ovations, so they will have their hands full, so to speak......

😊👌

Wig

Day two with the Qualio IQ. Damn impressive just about describes them. I haven’t found the chink in their armor yet. Seem to do all types of music with aplomb and gusto.

Do you guys have standard IQs or the Ultras? Haven't seen reference to an SE version which @teajay mentioned.

@ozzy62

They are going to get even better after those capacitors burn in and the driver surrounds get more exercising...😊

Wig👌

Mine are the standard version. They were used, so already broken in.

Wow, That's a pretty new model to pick up used....Why did the original owner sell them ...He couldn't have had them for very long....I haven't noticed any used ones on the market.

Not sure why he sold them, I didn’t ask. There was another pair on audiogon a couple of weeks ago but they sold pretty quickly.

These speakers really intrigue me. I went to a friend’s house today to listen to the Ultra model. Man, that soundstage is phenomenal. The only thing that bothered me was the midrange was slightly anemic. Could be his amp, but other than that it’s one of the best speakers I’ve heard south of $20k. I’m soooo tempted to order their ultra version with Gaia feet. But maybe better to wait for a used one. 

@arafiq

Thanks for your insight; sounds like you can tune to your liking with components, cables or for me and the old school audiophiles, tubes 😊

Wig

@ozzy62 can I ask how much did you get them used for? also which country are you based in? I am in Dubai- trying to find them- used is going to be tough but still looking...

regards

Manu

@dxbwineguy I sent you a PM. I don’t like to discuss price in the forum.

I’m sure you can get them factory direct for the retail price inclusive of shipping to Dubai. Whatever you do, make sure you get the Gaia II footers. They make quite the difference.

@arafiq what have you heard north of $20k that you feel beats the Qualios and why?

@ozzy62

So far, how are the Qualio IQ stacking up against your Verity Audio Parsifal Ovation?

Thanks,

Wig

arafiq what have you heard north of $20k that you feel beats the Qualios and why?
 

I said ‘south’ of $20k. I don’t think it beats $25k and above. But that’s based on one 3-hour listening session only. 

@wig

Both are very good speakers. Here is how they differ.

The Parsifal is very refined and relaxed. Great imaging and very engaging. Dynamics are very good, but not great. Very forgiving to bad recordings, so very easy to listen to.

The IQ is very open and detailed, especially the midrange. It will play louder than the Parsifal and is more dynamic. It also pulls you into the music, but in a different way. It's a "sit up and take notice" kind of sound. Not as kind to bad recordings.

So two different approaches to music reproduction. Only the listener can decide which is best for them.

@ozzy62

Many thanks!

Wig👍

@ozzy62 thanks for sharing the feedback. Would you say the midrange is relatively thinner compared to your Parsifals? When I heard the Qualio speakers at my friend's place I felt the midrange (lower midbass area to be more precise) was just a tad bit more anemic than other speakers I've heard. It very well could be his amplification or room though.

I don't find the midrange of the Qualio anemic or lacking at all. In fact, it has more texture than a lot of speakers, which makes them sound more real. The Parsifals have a smoother midrange and I guess some listeners would prefer that.

Thanks, @ozzy62 I have a suspicion it's my friend's amp or room acoustics then. Qualio remains high on my list of speakers I would like to own. Really love how the Qualio Ultras look but not sure if they're worth the $5k premium. Will keep an eye on the used market.

@teajay 

Do you have the speakers in for review yet?

I got my speakers last weekend- regular IQ with Gaia II feet as per the recommendation of @ozzy62  They arrived 2 days after another set of speakers came in (Omega Junior XRS). The Omegas moved to another system and the IQs are running against/with Klipsch RP 8000F II.

The system is mainly Eversolo DMP A6 (standard) streamer - Topping D70 Pro Octo (DAC)- Vincent SV200 (Amp). Sometimes I replace the Vincent with the Gato Amp 150AE.

Overall impressions of the IQ: mine and a few other friends who have come over to listen to them: fill the room, very clear on vocals, pleasure to listen to. The crispness (or is it crispiness - is that for food?) of the sound and the vocals is just awesome. Really enjoying. They come very well packaged. 2 wooden cabinets (cupboards would be more apt)- 60kg each. Everything has its place including the Gaia feet. Takes a bit of effort to open the cabinets and assemble them- however worth it.

Comparison to the Klipsch

The Klipsch give them a run for their money. IQ wins but just about. More on the vocals. Klipsch better on the bass. Basically if it is a vocal focused song then IQ otherwise the Klipsch.

Love both of them. I am in a happy and more importantly after a long long time- a satisfied place. Satisfied enough that Dubai has its first large high end Hi-Fi show happening and I am not attending. 

Didn't compare them to the Omega's. Will try over the next few weeks. On a lark also bought Rethm Bhaava's - that are on the way from Chennai, India. Would love to comparison all four.

I would be interested in your opinion of the Rethms. Their speakers have been on my radar a time or two.

soon. should have them by mid next week. 

@dxbwineguy 

Good to hear the IQ are sounding good right out of the crates; they will sound even better after those capacitors hit 250+ hours...

Wig🎵🎶

Did end up going to the Hi-Fi show in the Dubai. Saw and heard a lot of speakers. Wasn't paying attention to amps that much.

Stand-outs:

Cantor from Germany

Acoustic Energy (509) from the UK

Scansonic MB1 from Denmark

Axxess L1 and L3 from Denmark

And one which I had never heard of: Davies from France

There were many others. They were however great/excellent as expected, or too expensive or not good. KEF, Jade (Poland) etc.

The Klipsch give them a run for their money. IQ wins but just about. More on the vocals. Klipsch better on the bass. Basically if it is a vocal focused song then IQ otherwise the Klipsch.

I'm not sure if that's good for Klipsch or bad for IQ.

After capacitor burn-in and many days of woofer exercising, the low frequency will become tighter and more impactful as time goes along

Wig

The Qualio's are still satisfying. Every change made in the rest of my setup are clearly audible with this semi open baffle speaker.

@dxbwineguy 

Anything to report with more hours on the speakers. I would assume they have pulled away from the klipsch speakers quite a bit by now.

@ozzy62  the IQs are good, very good. Great to listen too. The Klipsch are too- though a bit harsh. 
haven’t done much listening last few days. Waiting for the weekend. Looking forward to the Rethms too. 

Keep listening, it gets better. The IQ with a beefy amp gives up nothing to my former Lascala IIs, and betters them in many areas. I just wish they could be driven by SETs, like the LS. But using a heavily modified SMc amp really makes them sing and eases the pain of not using low powered tubes.

@dxbwineguy @tubeguy76  Agreed, given the fact that IO being five times pricier than Klipsch 8000F II.  Based on what I had auditioned in the past (in show), I  was impressed and definitely would think the IO is a much better performer sonically. 

However, per 6 Moons, the IO is measured down below 30 hz in a relatively big room (see below), with a significant dip in 35-50 hz range.  That dip will more than likely cause less weightier response in bass region in the actual listening space.  Weird behavior.

@lanx0003 yes those measurements correspond to my listening experience. The IOs are not that good in bass. Superb for vocals as I mentioned earlier. 
A few minutes ago I received another speaker- Axxess L3. Beautiful. Huge on bass. I have just listened to them for 2 minutes for now. Will let them break in.

My thoughts on the IQ were similar when using 150 watt tube monoblocks. But using the high current SMc modified DNA 0.5 changed that opinion.

@ozzy62  how does one figure out if an amp is high current? I have a Gato AMP 150 and an Akitika GT102 Z4.

A good indication is if it doubles power as it halves the load.

Twice the power at 4 ohms from 8 ohms.

Your Gato amp comes close. The Akitika is probably not a good choice with the IQ.

thanks @ozzy62 I don't use the Akitika with the IQs. Either the Gato or I have a smaller amp- Vincent SV200. Doesn't satisfy your criteria- though I love the amp. Hybrid- lovely sweet sound. Belies it size.