Price Paid:  $450.00 from audiogon.com

Summary:
This review is for Quad 11L. I'm listening to Sinatra as I write this review and cannot express how wonderful these speakers sound. They have a huge soundstage and can handle a heavy vol. load! I opted for the gloss cherry and they look like very expensive units. They are in my study with a Creek 4330 mkII and Nad t550. Sound and build are truly superb. I use PSB Stratus Silver i's in my main system and although the stratus have a larger sound, of course they are much larger speakers, the look of the quad is much more elegant and the sound isn't far off. Like most great speakers, the better the quality of the amp, the better the sound. Take a listen, you'll love them!

Strengths:
Build, Looks, Soundstage, size.

Weaknesses:
None for $450!

Similar Products Used:
Psb stratus silvers and minis, B&W Nautilus 805s, Sonus Faber Concertos, etc.

Price Paid:  $630.00 from Speaker Shop, Amhers

Summary:
This is for the 11L (Yew finish), mounted on Lovan Affinity II stands. These are very capable 2-way mini's, but I guess that by now, with all of the different speakers I've had over the years, I've become somewhat "spoiled" for more output, greater bass extension, and a more refined lower midrange. Thought I could get away with it, but you can't circumvent the laws of physics! But having said that, the Quad 11L's have come as close to cheating Mr. Newton as any "mini-monitor" I've yet heard - especially if you consider the box size, the 5" driver, and the price. For instance, IMO the 11L handily whips the ProAc Response 1SC in many areas, at what - a third of the price? No easy feat that! Just don't drive the 11L harder than I'd say around 50-60 w.p.c., or else they'll get a bit harsh. I think that's in part due to the way they're "voiced", which is to say: stronger output in the mid/upper bass range, which then doesn't leave much room for the mids to remain linear when driven to higher output levels. Too bad Quad has lately discontinued the Yew wood finish: it's superb if you like the orange-brown color. However, when I got these, I was expecting the somewhat more pronounced grain pattern that I've seen on other Yew finishes (ProAc). But I suppose that's picking nits. If you want a very well done mini - by all means get these!! I think they're one of the best values in their size range.

Strengths:
~ Excellent speed, dynamics, and bass range, especially for its size. ~ Images/soundstages very well. ~ Finish is outstanding. Can easily compete with other finely-veneered brands such as Avalon, B&W, JM Labs, ProAc, Sonus Faber, Thiel, Vienna Acoustics, etc.

Weaknesses:
~ Fairly low efficiency. ~ Somewhat hardened lower midrange when pushed.

Similar Products Used:
Speakers owned previously: ~ ADS L990. ~ Apogee Stage. ~ B&W DM 303, DM 602 S3, LM1, Nautilus 803, 804, 805. ~ Boston Acoustics A40. ~ Entec LFX (sub). ~ Infinity RSb. ~ KEF C80. ~ JM Labs C

Price Paid:  $1600.00 from Pemier Audio

Summary:
This is a review for the Quad 22L. Having owned a pair of Klipsch Heresy's for more than 20 years, I have auditioned many, many speakers in the last 5 years, trying to find something affordable that were obviously better at a price that I could afford. I had owned a pair of Quad ESL 63s in the early 80's and loved the sound for some types of music but found them wanting in their ability to really rock (not to mention the fact that they were really a dificult speaker to drive. Enter the new line of in-house designed 22Ls. Wow...Wow...These speakers are revelation. They really go low ...30Hz and they are not kidding...neighbors really complaining now about the sound from down below. I listened to the new Quad 988s and these have almost an eiriie similairity in sound to those much more expensive ( and completely different design) speakers. I cannot say enough good things about these speakers. The highs and midrange are almost difinitive at this price point and the bass is awesome. they are extremely intergrated in their sound. To top everything off, these are probably the finest finished speakers I have seen for under 3K. Truly furniture grade and that is if you have really nice furniture. These speakers are easy to drive ( I am using a Jolida tube amp to drive these and it is more than enough. The midrange and the highs are clean, neutral and sweet, sweet, sweet. The bass goes way, way low and in a very intergrated way with the rest of the drivers. These speakers are very revealing but also very musical. Remember, they have replaced my cherished Heresys and that was no easy feat.

Strengths:
Deep,deep bass...while intergrating an extremely robust midrange and a wide open high range that is very close to the sound of an extraordinary electrostatic design. Incredible build quality and cabinetry...there will be no complaints from the distaff side about the looks of these babies.

Weaknesses:
Somewat hard to place in a room and somewhat sensitive to the electronics that they are matched with.

Similar Products Used:
Quad ESL 63, Klipsch Heresy, Maggies

Price Paid:  $600.00 from demos

Summary:
This review is actually for the new Quad 12L..and after an exhaustive search that includes too many models to list...I have happily reached sonic nirvana for the moment...the new Quads differ drastically from the older 10L/Spendor produced model...and from the newer 3/5a which I also considered...the main improvements:bass,detail,speed,and dynamics...the depth and quality of bass these larger standmounts produce is nothing short of amazing(who says Brit speakers are lean!)...and in general I am not a fan of bass relex designs...but there is no boom,fat,or chuffing issues here...and they go substantially lower than their conservative 45hz specs would indicate...in small to medium rooms...a sub is not needed...and this includes deep bass electronic material...vocals are rendered with an uncanny 3-d realism...on a good recording...they are center staged...with a soundstage a good 2-3 ft above the speakers themselves...however...they do require being farther out into the room since they are rear ported(dual design)...and in the great Quad tradition...they are extremely transparent...and with well recorded electronic music such as Portishead/Massive attack...the speed and syncopation of instruments is staggering...very similiar to their ELS cousins in this regard...dynamic swings in complex arrangements...such as classical...are liquid,fast,and very clean...the downside...they are very unforgiving of poor recordings...all in all...there performance rivals models easily costing 2k or more...and the finish and build quality is world class...if you are looking for a full range monitor...i dont think you could do any better...

Strengths:
SPeed,detail,transparency,soundstaging,and amazing bass performance legendary 3-d brit monitor vocal reproduction

Weaknesses:
Very revealing of poor recordings and associated equipment Rear ported design(but any decent speaker should be 3-4 ft from walls anyways)

Similar Products Used:
Spendor 3/5a,Vandy 1c,Meadowlark Swift,Sonus Faber,Magnepan qr12(nice) B&W 600 series,Paradigm Studio 20

Summary:
10L is a tiny Spendor-designed minispeaker with a tiny 13cm woofer and a tiny soft dome Vifa tweeter. The smallish (325mm x 190mm x 240mm) enclosures are of the infinite baffle variety (so maybe they can be put right against the back wall), and are finished in immaculate yew (taxus) veneer. The binding posts are gold-plated, yet do not support bi-wiring (that's OK with me). Quad specifies the lower bass limit as 55Hz for -6dB, while sensitivity is 84dB/2.83V @ 1m, with a sane and easy nominal impedance of 8 Ohms. As a bonus, Quad matches both speakers of a pair to within 1dB, to assure a good stereo performance. The speakers should be put on heavy stands, and IMHO can easily find a place in about every room.We put them on Atacama SC-24 pillars, and used the same test system as with the Mission 750 review.

Now, the first thing you'll notice is these speakers' musicality: they play music and they play it very well indeed. The overall impression they give is one of poised neutrality. Everything there is in the mix can be heard, and no frequency band ever fights the others. Quite unexpectedly the bass is detailed and tight, and goes deep enough for my tastes.
In fact, it clearly conveys all of the bass notes there are in the music, without overhang, and without boom. The midrange has a warmth and naturality that, indeed, reminds one of the old ESL electrostatic, if with a bit less transparency and hear-through character.
And the treble, well, that tweeter never puts a foot wrong, as with the about ten CDs I played I never experienced one trace of harshness or undue emphasis. Playing loud also went well: I tried Live (hard rock), Dead Can Dance's Toward the Within life recording (kinda eerie acoustical strange weird music with fairy vocals), and my beloved Monteverdi at levels louder that I would play with my faithful ESLs, and the sound simply refused to break up.
I like my sound open and totally free of the speakers.
My ESLs perform that trick, and it is this property that enables me to dream away on the music, as if I were not in my chair anymore. Now, in the dealer's room, which is quite good but still so unfamiliar that I almost never experience a decent sound stage there, the 10Ls did disappear