Quad 22L2

Just a quick update. For the first few weeks, I did not have the speakers bi-wired but after reading that is what Quad recommends, I ordered a pair of bi-wire speaker cables from Canare. Well after listening for the past few weeks, I noticed that the Canare seemed to dampen the sound-highs were less airy and the decay was less, the bass was not as detailed or strong. I even checked that they were correctly plugged and not inverted. So I switched backed to the previous cables and, voila, the detail was back. I am not knocking the Canare but I do wonder if bi-wiring is really worth it? I'll keep it this way it is from now on. Oh, and the original cables were Emotiva. I just think they sound better.

I know I'm jumping in late, but I have these speakers and love them, I paid $800 for them quite a while ago, just after they went out of production. I find their tone pretty neutral, and I think the highs are much softened compared to the metal dome tweeters in the B&W 685s they replaced. Acoustical foam on the walls and a compete power cord upgrade from Cullen Cable, including the power box and the perfect plug, further tame the highs. Soundstage is wide and deep, imaging is detailed, frequencies extended, full sail ahead. Not getting rid of these anytime soon...

I liked them when I heard them, at least at moderate volumes, and thought them to be a product I could live with in teh right application. I would agree that they had a distinctive sound, perhaps not as physically damped an enclosure as many modern higher end designs.

One thing I wanted to share from personal experience with Quads is, the bi-wiring aspect. I used to use Signal Cable Silver Resolution bi-wires with these speakers. They sounded pretty nice. But recently I switched to Clear Day Double Shotguns. I have never heard my Quads sounds so damn good. Of course the jumpers are also from Clear Day. The point is - the better the cables are, the better these speakers sound. Same thing with the components. You introduce a new component in the system and these speakers convey the changes exactly.

I recently upgraded my cables to Audioquests and there is more clarity. So cabling is important. I am still very happy with these speakers. These seem to be perfect floor standers for smaller rooms.