Should I buy Quad 22L's as my first real speakers?

[postjack]

wooooot! after a failed reroute because they couldn't find my parents address, I asked my dad to just go pick it up. He just emailed me and said he got it and dropped it off at my place.

I do need to run by somewhere and get some speaker wire. For my budget HT, I just use some 14 gauge stuff I buy at Best Buy. I was going to use the same stuff for my quads, unless anybody has any suggestions? I don't know anything about the importance of speaker wire, but I imagine its even less important then ICs.

[n_maher]

I do need to run by somewhere and get some speaker wire. For my budget HT, I just use some 14 gauge stuff I buy at Best Buy. I was going to use the same stuff for my quads, unless anybody has any suggestions? I don't know anything about the importance of speaker wire, but I imagine its even less important then ICs.

YGPM

[postjack]

speaker wire is actually a lot more important because it carries much more voltage and current over much longer runs, generally.

I feel foolish for thinking it might be unimportant. Seems obvious when you put it that way. Live, listen, and learn. Thanks all, Nate is helping me out some more back channel.

[grawk]

Or it's less important, because the minor changes in signal impact the larger current swings less by percentage So use your ears instead of logic to determine if they sound better.

[postjack]

Or it's less important, because the minor changes in signal impact the larger current swings less by percentage So use your ears instead of logic to determine if they sound better.

If I get to eager to hear the speakers while waiting for higher quality speaker wire to come in, I might borrow the cheap wire from the rear satellites in my HT just as a stopgap. Then I'd be able to compare and contrast later.

[grawk]

Always compare with good old fashioned lamp cord, as a nice control

Another option is braided cat5

[postjack]

i like diamondoid conductors

can i get mine in canary yellow?

[Dusty Chalk]

My favourite budget cable (non-DIY) is Monster XP.

Beyond that, I'd go Pure Silver Sound, White Zombie, or Anti Cables, I think.

DIY, not too familiar with the options.

My favourite insane cable is Cardas Neutral Reference.

[postjack]

[n_maher]

Does that mean that the post person delivered something today?

[postjack]

Does that mean that the post person delivered something today?

Yes, these cables are beautiful, thank you very much Nate. I'm running the speakers through their paces, and really enjoying them so far.

[jinp6301]

Yes, these cables are beautiful, thank you very much Nate. I'm running the speakers through their paces, and really enjoying them so far.

did nate make you some speaker wire?

[Dusty Chalk]

Does that mean you finally have amplification, speakers, and wires, all set up together correctly? Huzzah.

[n_maher]

did nate make you some speaker wire?

Yup, we hooked posjack up DIY style.

[jinp6301]

Yup, we hooked posjack up DIY style.

look pretty

[postjack]

After a good couple days of listening, I will say that the Cambridge 840a + Quad 22L's + Nate's speaker cables make me happy to be alive. Just gorgeous, beautiful sound that brings out all kinds of emotions in me. Yes I have even danced a little bit here and there.

Speaker placement is oh so crucial. I have them about 7.25in off the wall, any closer and the bass gets boomy and unpleasant. They might could stand to be even further off the while, but for right now I'm enjoying them. Per the 22L's manual, I have them angled just slightly inward toward my listening chair. However, not all my measurements are ideal. The speakers are a scant 3ft apart from each other, whereas the manual suggests seven. But for now, in my situation, its the best I can do. Maybe someday I'll move them to the spare room where I dream of one day building a pure listening room, but for the time being they stay here, crammed in the small office-ette off of my bedroom.

The speakers excel at jazz, classical, and the Grateful Dead. They do well with rock, certainly, but the sound is so balanced across the spectrum that I'm sure a "livelier" speaker could be more involving. But I've had no trouble getting into Genesis, King Crimson, and other proggy affairs.

I'm so impressed with the build quality of the 840a that I'm looking closer at the 840c to replace the Aqvox for my computer-as-source/redbook needs.

[postjack]

The speakers are a scant 3ft apart from each other, whereas the manual suggests seven.

correction: the manual suggest six.

[Dusty Chalk]

The speakers excel at jazz, classical, and the Grateful Dead. They do well with rock, certainly, but the sound is so balanced across the spectrum that I'm sure a "livelier" speaker could be more involving. But I've had no trouble getting into Genesis, King Crimson, and other proggy affairs.

How about Radiohead?

J/K...

[postjack]

i love mah quads. i was just listening to the recent reissue of Joy Division's "Closer" on vinyl and loving the synergy in my system:

Denon DL-103 > Technics SL1200MK2 > Cinemag SUT > Bottlehead Seduction > Cambridge Audio 840A > Nato Crisp Canare Speaker Cablez > Quad 22L

it just sounds lovely. not super detailed or perfect by any means, but drums do crack perfectly, and strangely cymbals sound more realistic and live then in any other setup I've listened to. The DL-103 digs every last bit of bass out of that record, which I love. The Cinemag SUT polished off the DL-103's glary lower highs perfectly, so now vocals just soar from the midrange all the way into the highs with ease and beauty. I've always thought the Quad 22L and 840A go very well together; the 22Ls are certainly never wanting for power.

Anyway, my summer project is to clean out the extra bedroom and move my whole setup in there so these speakers can have some room to breathe.

[luvdunhill]

it just sounds lovely. not super detailed or perfect by any means, but drums do crack perfectly, and strangely cymbals sound more realistic and live then in any other setup I've listened to. The DL-103 digs every last bit of bass out of that record, which I love. The Cinemag SUT polished off the DL-103's glary lower highs perfectly, so now vocals just soar from the midrange all the way into the highs with ease and beauty. I've always thought the Quad 22L and 840A go very well together; the 22Ls are certainly never wanting for power.

pj:

Did you ever write up a proper comparison of the Bugle to your new setup? I'd be surprised if it was 10000% better myself... I think the Bugle can really hang.. Then again, I don't care for SUTs really...

[Duggeh]

I love mah Quads 2.

[postjack]

pj:

Did you ever write up a proper comparison of the Bugle to your new setup? I'd be surprised if it was 10000% better myself... I think the Bugle can really hang.. Then again, I don't care for SUTs really...

I never really did a proper comparison, but I vastly prefer the sut + seduction combo simply because the bugle set on high gain let's off about a pound of hiss. And even then it doesn't quite have enough gain to really get the volume cranked up. Having said that, it is obvious that the bugle sounds great from top to bottom, with better bass then I would expect from battery power. Still it can't match the overall ease of the sut + seduction. What I'd like to do is get the bugle set back to normal gain and run it with the sut to do a direct phono stage only comparison.

[luvdunhill]

I never really did a proper comparison, but I vastly prefer the sut + seduction combo simply because the bugle set on high gain let's off about a pound of hiss. And even then it doesn't quite have enough gain to really get the volume cranked up. Having said that, it is obvious that the bugle sounds great from top to bottom, with better bass then I would expect from battery power. Still it can't match the overall ease of the sut + seduction. What I'd like to do is get the bugle set back to normal gain and run it with the sut to do a direct phono stage only comparison.

very strange. I ran that combo for a while without any problem. How much gain does your linestage have?

[postjack]

very strange. I ran that combo for a while without any problem. How much gain does your linestage have?

I run straight from the phono to the 840a integrated. No pre, no line stage.