Well I took delivery at about 7.30 am today. For starters they are in immaculate condition. Also they weigh a lot less than the Tannoys (which I stand no chance of moving out the room singlehanded). Batteries have died in my camera so still no pics.
First impressions. Well all the cliches ring true.
1. It's not exactly that they don't go 'loud', it's more that they lack the high energy bass that you get from a really big cone. Loud enough for normal listening, but just not geared towards huge bass transients. Not a 'rock' speaker then. As expected.
2. Very detailed and both the mid-band and timing are pretty special. I've been blasting out Blue Train, Round Midnight and the first Hunter's Loaf album and it all sounds quite wonderful. On the latter, you can almost hear their shoes creaking. Certainly a bit more open sounding than the Tannoys, esp in the upper mids, BUT it isn't night and day. In fact I'm coming to the conclusion that the Tannoy Gold may be the best all rounder I've ever heard. I'll throw some nasty electronica at them next and see what happens.
3. Sound stage seems a little more reigned in than the Tannoys. This may be a placement issue. I've got then about a meter into the room and about 7 feet apart which is what I thought was recommended. I have a nasty reflective floor which may not be helping. I'll have a play.
I'm liking these a lot. If I had to pick, I'd probably still take the Tannoys since they are more versatile and don't lose out by very much in the areas where the Quads excel. Fortunately, for now at least, I don't have to make the choice! More will follow when I have batteries.
