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Upgrade from Quad 11L?

My current setup:

Music Hall cd25.2
Music Hall a25.2
Quad 11L
Onkyo T-9 tuner
Audioquest Alpha-Snake interconnects
No-name 12-gauge speaker wire

The 11Ls just replaced Paradigm Mini Mk3s. A big improvement: I love the Quad's detail, clarity, and pace. So much that I'm contemplating an upgrade to Quad 12Ls (if I can find the old version) or Quad 12L Actives (which I know I can get; the MH a25.2 would serve as a preamp).

My sense is that the system as it stands is well-balanced, and I'm actually very satisfied with what I hear. So I'm trying to decide whether this is an itch I should scratch. My suspicion is that I should stand pat and think about long-range upgrades rather than tinker now, but input would be helpful. I listen to all kinds of music, but Wilco and Radiohead are playing most often. Thanks.
afranta
magnumpi205
504 posts
 
Have had a sub hooked up to 12Ls and found them easy to set up.
Have a MH25 cd player tubed by Dan Wright, great sound.
Missed the speaker cables issue. Would try:
Kimber 8tc
PNF Symphony
Audio Art 5s
Could add a substantial improvement in sound for a reasonable price. Match with Kimber Hero or PNF interconnects for more improvement.
Audio Advisor has great sound panels for under $100.
"Get better Sound" by Jim Smith should help work you through this, also.
afranta OP
180 posts
 
Bluetack I can do. Thinking about Isopods or Herbies Footers (as Jgiacalo suggested) under the cdp and amp, too. (The metal stand means that I need something soft, I think.)

As for a sub, Chazz suggested a HSU VTF or Aperion 8. Any other ideas?

And thanks again for all the helpful suggestions.
timrhu
2,779 posts
 
Not sure of your budget for a sub but I used (and still use) a James EMB-1000 with the Quads. This sub has been fairly easy to mate with the various speakers I have owned. Especially after I set it on a 2 inch thick maple block. Very clean bass, musical without the muddy boom boom. Look at my system for a pic of the sub.
Also skeptical that cable swaps will "dramatically" change your sound.
Agree with you on the new Wilco album. haven't listened to it enough to rsnk it among their other albums but it is promising.
Post removed 
knownothing
1,709 posts
 
Here is a suggestion for isolating your CD player on the same structure as your speakers.

Operating under the assumption that vibration is bad, differentially affects your CD transport and digital components, and that the vibration is coming through the structure of your rack - I would get the largest, hardest and heaviest chunk of hardwood you can find that will fit in your rack under your CDP, a maple chopping block is a good place to start. Place your CDP directly on the block and place the block on several Black Hole sorbothane dots (http://www.tweakshop.com/BlackHolePods.html) between it and your rack. This will isolate your CD player from the rack, give it some extra mass to both resist external vibration and a place for its internally generated vibration to dissipate.

A place to start that has worked very well for me in a rack system that is far from ideal and placed by necessity closer to my speakers than I find ideal. You can experiment with isolating your amp as well using vibrapods or Herbie's footers, but I find my solid state CD player is much more sensitive to vibration than my solid state amp. Tube amps may be a different story...
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