Your sense of the 9Ls matches my experience of the 11Ls -- except that, with the right electronics, the imagining of the 11Ls is superb. Vocals are great, very smooth top to bottom, and bass, while understandably limited, is tight and musical. I found that they work best with amps that emphasize transparency (Music Hall and PS Audio) -- not as good with the Naim Nait I have now (so they're in the closet).
I love my little Quad 9Ls;will I like bigger ones?
On a whim I bought a pair of little Quad 9L desktop speakers for my computer and I'm shocked at how much I like them. I am tempted to try a bigger pair up the line for my main system.
The 9Ls on my computer have a balanced sound from top to bottom with no shrillness, grain, or boom; not much deep bass but a pleasant, well-incorporated bass that seems to fit just right. Vocals are beautiful, and the soundstage is small but the relationships between the parts of the music, even in mono from my computer (even youtube),
are evident. This is a stress-free speaker that is very refined but not overly dull or blunted. Most important (to me), nothing seems be unnaturally pushy. With other desktop speakers (with tone controls) I was always turning down the treble to tame the digital glare or brittle upper highs. The 9Ls have not tone controls, and thankfully, none are needed. (I use Cardas Golden Cross ICs).
Are the bigger Quad cone&dome speakers similar, or are the 9Ls just the sweet spot in the line? (I see that the other Quads have mixed comments, but I was wondering if others could comment or confirm what I hear in the 9Ls. Thanks in advance.)
The 9Ls on my computer have a balanced sound from top to bottom with no shrillness, grain, or boom; not much deep bass but a pleasant, well-incorporated bass that seems to fit just right. Vocals are beautiful, and the soundstage is small but the relationships between the parts of the music, even in mono from my computer (even youtube),
are evident. This is a stress-free speaker that is very refined but not overly dull or blunted. Most important (to me), nothing seems be unnaturally pushy. With other desktop speakers (with tone controls) I was always turning down the treble to tame the digital glare or brittle upper highs. The 9Ls have not tone controls, and thankfully, none are needed. (I use Cardas Golden Cross ICs).
Are the bigger Quad cone&dome speakers similar, or are the 9Ls just the sweet spot in the line? (I see that the other Quads have mixed comments, but I was wondering if others could comment or confirm what I hear in the 9Ls. Thanks in advance.)