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Seeking $15,000.00 speaker to replace Quad 988's

My system consists of Thor Audio TPA 150 el-34 tubed monoblocks, a Thor TA-2000 premamp with phono(tubed),
Cary 306/200 which I use as a transport and Thor Audio DC-1000 tubed Dac, VPI scoutmaster turntable with a clearudio discovery cartridge, Richrad Gray power conditioner, an Audio Physics
Minos Subwoofer and a pair or Quad 988's.
Quad positives:Great for piano, voice and small groups such
as chamber music. With a voice or piano you swear the piano or voice was in your room.
Quad negatives:Bass does not extend low enough.
No illusion of an entire orchestra on stage. The Quads shrink the musical presentation. Lacking in dynamic contrasts. They also soften many instruments. For instance the tambourines in Tchaikovsky's Capriccio Italien instead of sounding sharp like in a dynamic speaker, they sound
rounded out and softened.
My issue: I am told that only an electrostatic can deliver the clarity that a Quad can deliver. I have looked into the Sound Labs but even with their new impedance modification I do not think my amps can drive them.
Will a speaker like a Vandersteen 5A, Kharma 3.2 give me the clarity of the Quads with the dynamic contrasts, and
the illusion of 90-100 people on a stage and not 10. I know I'm asking for a lot but I don't want to replace the Quads and take a few steps backwards in doing this. The Quads have lived with me for over 1 and 1/2 and they do some amazing things, but is there more for the approximate price guideline I have suggested.? I guess as a music lover and audiophile you are always searching for that additional something. Has anybody out there found someting that might work with my sysytem that gives me that
something more?
kjl
nrchy's avatar
nrchy
2,124 posts
 
Have you considered the Dali's? I have a friend who went from Planers to Dali's although his were a little pricier than what you mentioned. I wonder how the Euphonia's would sound with your system.

You are going to have some give and take changing from the Quads to a dynamic speaker, but there are some good options available.

I like the Kharma Ceramique 1.0 They are only rated down to 25Hz but they can rattle the walls in my listening room.

I hope that helps a little or presents a few more options.
sbank's avatar
sbank
3,378 posts
 
I went from Quad ESL63USA's to Merlin VSM-MX, and couldn't be happier. The Quads were used as a reference for the midrange sound when the Merlins were designed. Many Merlin owners are former 'stat owners, and they mate particularly well with tube amps.
The Kharmas are certainly respected, but when you search the archives and read the "Kharma 3.2 vs Merlin" thread, it makes it clear that both these companies are doing plenty of things right, and have loyal following.
For me, value for my $ is an important criteria. That swayed me towards the Merlins. The tons of enthusiastic reviews on audioreview.com didn't hurt either.
You often hear about former Quad owners going back to them and their love/hate relationship with their Quad ESLs. I understand their pain, but don't find myself missing a thing. Cheers, Spencer
timo's avatar
timo
610 posts
 
Look at the Von Schweikert line of speakers.
mejames
986 posts
 
kjl what size is your listening room are their any speaker placement restrictions? What volume levels do you need?
rooze's avatar
rooze
632 posts
 
What size is your room?...if you are looking for a speaker that can recreate the illusion of 100 people on a stage, then you need a room that can support that illusion. If you have a 12' wide typical listening room, with the speakers 7' apart, you have about a 14' wide stage to create your illusion, assuming that your speakers throw an image outside of the physical boundary of the speaker.
If you are looking therefore to recreate larger scale orchestral music with some degree of 'believability', you will need to be setup with more space between your speakers, and ideally more space around them (sides and rear) to help build the image.
If you have the space, then something like the Magnepan 20 series might be what you are looking for. They can be picked up for $6k or so used, but I can't say for sure that they'll work with your Mono's, since they are pretty power hungry.
What you are striving for is not unreasonable, but your room will be the biggest constraint, in my opinion.

Rooze
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