**PINNED COMMENT** Since nobody on UA-cam has reviewed this speaker I could not do the aggregate style that I plan to do going forward. This will happen from time to time and we'll simply go back to the default format. Most reviews going forward will be in the Ares2 format.
I have listened to these a number of times at my dealer's place paired with a sub (can't remember what) in a smallish room from around 5 feet away. Truly excellent. Detailed, crisp and musical presentation. I believe they were powered by Naim, so they had that going for them, too.
I have purchased naim XS2 second hand for good price I did not know whot a hell I am going in to, with all respect to everybody who likes and you also, please do not get me wrong, looking to speakers recomendation : neat, Quad, focal (not expensive), LS3/5a......, whole bunch of english speakers,....only crap appears :),....despite my current opinion, thank you for the coment , If I will have chance I will try to give quads my audition
@@janulik9535 Well Focal is french and along with German speakers are supposed to be the opposite of what english speakers sound like. That said, I tried the Quad S2 and while it had great resolution and detail, it did lack in voice and instrument texture, maybe overly smoothed and lifeless with music to the point music lost that excitement that it's supposed to have and I like a smoother rather than gritty sound (something Naim is supposed to have) which can work well with Rock. If the rest of the British sound is like that, it truncates too much realism for an easy going listen I suppose. The Quad had no depth of stage either, something another reviewer commented on as well making it sound unnatural for me. My QUESTION concerning Neat speakers are if you heard those what didn't you like about them? Some state they're too bright but I happen to like all kinds of tweeter implementations if done in a way that I like (extended and airy) whether soft/AMT/metal, etc. Don't seem to like Kevlar drivers though even if some say they are potentially most accurate and which quad and Wharfedale uses. B&W previously did to. But some British speakers use paper or metal woofers as well. I have ML 15i which are alot of fun watching movies and usually fine with music but I can prefer my other speakers Triangle, Dali and my Focal 807W for music, all of which use paper woofers doped or otherwise. So I really wonder if much can be gained going with a Neat speaker (vs a Martin Logan) other than bass output in which a sub can be an equalizer. Some say Neat is too bright, some, too laid back but no idea myself. Any comments or opinions appreciated. BTW I like the older Focal tweeter over the newer more refined ones which took some of the life out of the highs, maybe trying to emulate a more British sound in the process. I think Nemo wouldn't like the speakers I like which is fine, like many reviewers, seem to favor a level of refinement over "bite"?
Thanks for reviewing these I really like your Straightforward style. An easy way to see the difference between an AMT and a ribbon is an AMT when you look inside of it looks like an accordion those pleats squeeze together to push sound out. A ribbon tweeter is a ribbon of aluminum foil that moves straight in and out. One problem with ribbons is their moving mass is so light they reproduce the signal coming to them very accurately so any noise or recording flaws will be reproduced clearly. It is also somewhat difficult to blend other drivers with them because the other drivers are rarely as fast.
Nice review. I used to have the Quad S2, which did not work out well for me. Too bad because I had the sapele mahogany and it was really nice looking. FYI, these have a true ribbon tweeter, not an AMT (they're not the same thing).
@@NemoPropaganda S-2 was extremely detailed and resolving of that detail, great for movies but to me, sounded lifeless on a few amps I tried, including a hegel h160. Also a flat as a pancake soundstage. One reviewer even remarked it lacked depth. A well designed AMT/Jet sounds different than say the type of ribbon on the Quads. In my experience with M/Logas, the Tweeter seemed to add some "live" sound to voices, which I liked, I expect the Jet AMT in the Elac to be better though. IMO.
so, these are ribbon tweeters. first of all. 2nd, they are designed for playing with boundary reinforcement if you place them 3ft from backwall there will be little bass to talk of.. i use their bigger brother s2 in 14x15ft room (15 inches from back wall) and there is everything you want. also they are designed to not be listened directly exposed to tweeter but slightly outside (10-15deg off axis). that is where the HF that may bother some is slightly attenuated. too bad about the US pricing (they are definitely not a $1k speaker). Same shtick happens to us here in the UK with SCHIIT products. Get your hand on S2 if you can. thanks for the review!
Tried to like the S-2 but didn't but they're SQ definitely appeals to alot of people. Different strokes and thankfully different speakers for everyone's tastes. More discounted today probably on closeout but still not inexpensive.
I drive these pretty loud without pushing my amp too hard and this is using my phone Tidal amp connected to a external dac. Sound is extremely musical, love these speakers!
Hey there Nemo, I'm currently trying to decide on a subwoofer to go with my Vanatoo Transparent 0 Desktop speakers for my medium size room. I'm stuck between the Bowers & Wilkins ASW608 or the SVS SB1000 PRO. Do you have any insight for me? My main use case will be EDM music listening with some Netflix here and there as well as gaming. What would you rate the Bowers and the SVS in terms of agility and punchynesss 1-10?
@@NemoPropaganda Awesome I'm going to place the order then. Should I have any concerns about this not being punchy or agile? I'm sure it will blow me away compared to my old Ported BIC F12 haha
I’ve had these quad paired with a NAD t747 that puts out about 120 wpc and the arcam sa20 at 80wpc. Had them in a small lounge and on a desktop in a very small studio . They sound brilliant imo with both amps and in either room. Plenty of bass , smooth , warm sounding with fantastic imaging and maybe only slight lack of dynamics but this is compensated if you use a good Dac , Cyrus cd player and a Rega phono stage . Mine are keepers and have outshone focal 806 by a mile , in fact I’ve tried many speakers in the sub £600 uk price bracket and these are the best and only paid £300 . I do agree that the u.s. price seems excessive . At £300 uk they are the best speakers I’ve ever bought / I simply love them .
Since this is your latest video I wanted to ask you the following and hope this catches your attention. I have to ask and I hope you can answer. When you tested the REL TX series subs what connection did you use? I have a T7X connected to my NAD C298 Amp via the High input connection with a pair of Paradigm Founder 40B speakers. I have yet to run Dirac with the NAD C-658 streamer but am concerned that Dirac will be confused if I run the High level cable that comes with REL and is recommended by REL to allow for the speed and audio matching with the track being played. What recommendations do you have in what is the best set up for a REL. Sub out or the high input connection which they supply the cable for? I ask for a couple of reasons, one being the Dirac set up and the other is to understand that frequencies lower than what the 40B's can handle will be picked up by the REL. Is this a better set up and justifiable set up for bookshelf speakers with a single or dual REL set up? Sometimes I wonder if the speakers can handle higher volumes without distorting the bass but yet the REL picks up the lower frequencies and there is still a lot of air moving through the bookshelf. So is sub out a better option allowing the speakers to work easier and focus on the mid's and highs while the REL's handle all the low frequencies?
I run my speakers full range and most speakers sound best running full range in my opinion. REL also recommends running your speakers full range. While REL suggests the use of high level they also suggest the use of low level, that's why the subwoofer also has a low level input. I tested both, both sounded great. I would happily use a REL via low level if I had to for some reason, it's still a REL subwoofer at the end of the day. I don't use dirac personally so I really don't know if it would be better to run dirac with the subs setup through LFE or through high level. But I think the real question your asking is will it still sound great running through low level and the answer is yes, absolutely.
@@NemoPropaganda Thank you for the reply and the quickness of it. I was looking at adding a second Rel to my system and if I connect the subs via LFE rather than the supplied high level connection will I get better sound out of the Paradigm Founder 40B's focusing mainly on mids and highs as the majority of the low level frequencies will go to the REL's over the 40B'S? What if anything did you notice with the Rel tests with the speakers. How did they change the sound via high level vs Low level?
@@stevel4329 It seemed the difference from high level to low level was more apparent on cheaper amps than expensive amps so for me with my expensive preamp I'll say this:. If you came to my home and changed it I don't think I would notice. What you want to keep in mind is this: it's the subwoofer that is good, not the cable or connection method. Regarding low level vs line level it's a more simple affair. LFE input is used for HT people with an AVR with LFE output. Line input is for 2ch stereo users who don't use LFE.
What is the wall treatment you put up, didn’t see a review on your channel on them but can see their first appearance with a emotive 100 review. Thanks
Love when you review interesting stuff like these. Almost bought a pair of S2s, but then a great deal on some NOLAs fell into my lap. Got turned off a LITTLE by Quads customer service pre-sales. Helpful, but with a touch of snark. Great looking speakers, tho!
Wanted to like the Quad S-2 but just sounded lifeless with music, for me anyhow. Tried a Dali Menuet SE and it was as resolving as the Quad and more musical in comparison but overly refined taking out alot of detail in instruments as well as being a pig for power. Can't say I didn't like them but their magic only happened nearfield. After 5 feet it lost its appeal and my inexpensive Cambridge Audio Minx XL could almost compete with them. Found the Opticon 1 much better further away so more versatile and much easier to drive just giving up a little resolution and body in notes but still better in the other areas as well as many other speakers offering an easy sound without sounding lifeless and very musical for me at least at less than a quarter the price being the "last NIB one". Got lucky. Sometimes small speakers can perform really well. The newer MK2 series seems to emulate a frequency curve more like what the Menuet displayed at least from what I have seen of measurements but still sb easy to drive. Probably a bit more punch in the low end is my guess but don't have a sense of real SQ differences between the outgoing model vs the newer except one person stated it was improved in openess, etc. For the price in the US, they aren't inexpensive, Dali should use real wood veneer or gloss though, kind of cheaping out in that regard. Heard good things about NOLA though but prices have really jumped. Maybe someday if I decide to use other than really good budget speakers which do fine at the SPLs I listen at.
Interesting…I have a set of GoldenEar AON 3s. ~Same price as these Quads. Ribbons, larger drivers with two passive radiators. SMALL footprint. LOTS of bass. EASY to drive. I drive mine with a 20 Watt 300B Tube Amp. The set-up sounded really good in my smaller, previous apt…but does not carry so well in my larger new space….but they seem to have way more to offer than these dawgs if you enjoy ribbon tweeters.. I am also sure that the AONs can be picked up super cheap on the used market.
I still have the s1 used s2 and s4 .. The S1 is superb with a baby rel sub, for near field listening 4 to 8 ft s2 average sized room, s4 large room with sub or subs . Classical, jazz all suit this quad range . Even techno goes well, avoid metal or heavy rock . Standout is top mids into hf wonderful sounding true ribbon . Not to fussy with amplifiers but avoid systems with extended hf . The ribbon needs two or three songs to warm up .
Thanks for the video. I can pick a set of these up for £350, but I'd be buying without hearing them... I'd be using them near field in a small office room with an old 60W Cyrus 7/PSXR amp. I'm completely undecided.
Bought the S2 and use them in a small room (which makes it kind of near field too). Quite happy with them. And they were 500 Euros a pair over here in Germany. (S1 would have been 400 Euros).
I have these and my experience is very different. The fill a medium sized room fine but produce a little more base than I would like! But I agree about the price. Here in the UK I paid £250 for them which is about $325. I certainly wouldn't pay $1000.
Oh man, ooof, okay I like both a lot but the Imagine Mini, omg, I love it! Main reason is the Imagine mini has extremely good bass texture, articulation, and tone despite how small it is.
you want to get confused? look at the new Polk Monitor XT12 Subwoofer. 12" okay cool, class a/b powered okay wow that's really cool, only 50w rms? What the fuck! Okay maybe it's a 100% SQ focused design, nope ported cabinet. Oh man, I'm really scratching my head on this one....
Yeah these 4" drivers really didn't do it for me either when I heard them. Even in a small room they aren't going to give you adequate midrange and have little bass, which then makes them difficult to cross over with a subwoofer. My recommendation: get the Emotiva B1+ or Wharfedale EVO 4.1 instead.
I like AMT tweeters but they aren't my favorite. When you have too much of that airyness, it's like there's no substance to the sound. It sounds like you're listening to music outside. They're great for some music though.
I love me a ribbon tweeter, it's definitely a spice level I enjoy. I get what you're saying about the "airiness" quality that may sound fake to some. It doesn't sound unnatural to me; I actually think that's what makes them ideal for HT. You want that spaciousness, and movie mixes are exaggerated and fake as it is, so they work well in that environment. This attribute might be a poor match with certain types of music though.
Exactly how I found the S2, alot of fun with movies but music was just lifeless, had no soul so to speak, just sounding too analytical and fake. But for HT, it was fun hearing everything in the source material. ML 15i gives me almost as much for movies while sounding alot better for music at half the price. Not a neutral sound and not everyone would like them, but for me the 15i performs well. I have different speakers I swap in and out depending on mood, music, etc.
Nemo, keeping them honest. Yeah, for a grand, you better have something special under the hood. I can think of several I'd consider. Plus, I've never been a fan of Quad. Thanks Nemo!
damn I think YT knows, I watched my sub count go up 1 then down one within 60 seconds lol either that or I lost someone at the same time lol, either way I appreciate ya!
I biwire all my speakers and get DH labs for my cheaper bookshelves and buy the biwired cable that goes from1 from the amp to 2 in the speaker. You should try them they are like a little over 300 ish. My big speakers I use proprietary Kubala sosna jumper cables to match my Kubala sosna Temptation cabes. It eliminates a lot of issues and frees up the tweeter and prevents back emi from going back to the amp.
@@NemoPropaganda While there is a distinction between ribbon and AMT tweeters, I think they display similar performance characteristics using different materials, designs, etc if someone wantd to look that up. Between Martin Logan and Quad, I thought there was a significant difference in sound. I did like the ML Motion 15 but thought everything except the human voice sounded exactly the same as my then Paradigm SE-1 (both speakers having an Al coated woofer). The ML could be played louder with less power but compressed at moderately loud volumes while those little SE-1s could be driven harder and louder without cone breakup. As to the Quad series, it did receive rave reviews and I tried the S-2 in my approx 280 sq ft room. I found it very resolving and detailed, which was fun with movies but for music, piano, voices, clasical, jazz, blues, etc there was something about it I found boring, un-engaging, it's like the music had no life to it versus my Focals and Triangles which were less resolving, perhaps even detailed but had enough coloration (one could call it) and/or character that engaged me, got my foot taping, etc. Also, the Quad soundstage to me was flat as a pancake, no depth whatsoever, very strange. I suppose there are those who like this type of presentation which I thought was technical/analytical (but others who had it disagreed to that discription), in a nutshell, it didn't work for me. Still have the Focals (which I plan to sell) and the Triangles (which I plan to keep) as they are smaller and a bit laid back which adds stage depth which I really like. I will give up some resolution, detail, what the heck trading outright performance for an easier, softer sound and want a smaller speaker. Until I find something that gives me more of the characteristics I want more of, they'll do just fine. Also have Dali Opticon 1s which I liked better than Menuet SE but I got it half off clearance. Another speaker that has gotten kind of expensive but I really like them especially in nearfield but they work in my room as fronts supported by a bit of sub (not much). They are different than Triangle Zetas but I like both so I can enjoy different sounding speakers, but for all the Quad series can give, I just didn't like the presentation with music. Also, while I have heard ML larger ribbon designs, I thought they sound really surreal, kind of a neat experience but didn't think I would want to listen to music that way either and with those, you definitely have to be in the sweet spot only. BTW, the menuet SE was a difficult load to drive, was pretty much as resolving as the Quads but shaved away to much of the detail, and liveliness in media for that more smooth, perhaps liquid sound...too refined for me. I find the Opticon 1s more "lusty" with the details, it has nice depth and while it isn't as ethereal as the Zetas, or Focals for that matter could be, I like them alot. Better than the Oberon 1s. Keep up the fun and informative videos. While I think I like a brighter presentation than you may, it could be due to to my preference, my room, or to use a phrase, having ears "OAF"...old as f@#&. Cheers.
**PINNED COMMENT**
Since nobody on UA-cam has reviewed this speaker I could not do the aggregate style that I plan to do going forward. This will happen from time to time and we'll simply go back to the default format. Most reviews going forward will be in the Ares2 format.
I have listened to these a number of times at my dealer's place paired with a sub (can't remember what) in a smallish room from around 5 feet away. Truly excellent. Detailed, crisp and musical presentation. I believe they were powered by Naim, so they had that going for them, too.
I have purchased naim XS2 second hand for good price I did not know whot a hell I am going in to, with all respect to everybody who likes and you also, please do not get me wrong, looking to speakers recomendation : neat, Quad, focal (not expensive), LS3/5a......, whole bunch of english speakers,....only crap appears :),....despite my current opinion, thank you for the coment , If I will have chance I will try to give quads my audition
@@janulik9535 Well Focal is french and along with German speakers are supposed to be the opposite of what english speakers sound like. That said, I tried the Quad S2 and while it had great resolution and detail, it did lack in voice and instrument texture, maybe overly smoothed and lifeless with music to the point music lost that excitement that it's supposed to have and I like a smoother rather than gritty sound (something Naim is supposed to have) which can work well with Rock. If the rest of the British sound is like that, it truncates too much realism for an easy going listen I suppose. The Quad had no depth of stage either, something another reviewer commented on as well making it sound unnatural for me.
My QUESTION concerning Neat speakers are if you heard those what didn't you like about them? Some state they're too bright but I happen to like all kinds of tweeter implementations if done in a way that I like (extended and airy) whether soft/AMT/metal, etc. Don't seem to like Kevlar drivers though even if some say they are potentially most accurate and which quad and Wharfedale uses. B&W previously did to. But some British speakers use paper or metal woofers as well.
I have ML 15i which are alot of fun watching movies and usually fine with music but I can prefer my other speakers Triangle, Dali and my Focal 807W for music, all of which use paper woofers doped or otherwise.
So I really wonder if much can be gained going with a Neat speaker (vs a Martin Logan) other than bass output in which a sub can be an equalizer. Some say Neat is too bright, some, too laid back but no idea myself. Any comments or opinions appreciated.
BTW I like the older Focal tweeter over the newer more refined ones which took some of the life out of the highs, maybe trying to emulate a more British sound in the process. I think Nemo wouldn't like the speakers I like which is fine, like many reviewers, seem to favor a level of refinement over "bite"?
Thanks for reviewing these I really like your Straightforward style. An easy way to see the difference between an AMT and a ribbon is an AMT when you look inside of it looks like an accordion those pleats squeeze together to push sound out. A ribbon tweeter is a ribbon of aluminum foil that moves straight in and out. One problem with ribbons is their moving mass is so light they reproduce the signal coming to them very accurately so any noise or recording flaws will be reproduced clearly. It is also somewhat difficult to blend other drivers with them because the other drivers are rarely as fast.
Really? I must admit Greg I thought AMT, Ribbon, folded horn, and JET, were all the same.
woops wrong comment lol.
Nice review. I used to have the Quad S2, which did not work out well for me. Too bad because I had the sapele mahogany and it was really nice looking. FYI, these have a true ribbon tweeter, not an AMT (they're not the same thing).
Yeah, AMT is better 😌
Really? I must admit I thought AMT, Ribbon, folded horn, and JET, were all the same.
@@NemoPropaganda S-2 was extremely detailed and resolving of that detail, great for movies but to me, sounded lifeless on a few amps I tried, including a hegel h160. Also a flat as a pancake soundstage. One reviewer even remarked it lacked depth. A well designed AMT/Jet sounds different than say the type of ribbon on the Quads. In my experience with M/Logas, the Tweeter seemed to add some "live" sound to voices, which I liked, I expect the Jet AMT in the Elac to be better though. IMO.
so, these are ribbon tweeters. first of all. 2nd, they are designed for playing with boundary reinforcement if you place them 3ft from backwall there will be little bass to talk of.. i use their bigger brother s2 in 14x15ft room (15 inches from back wall) and there is everything you want. also they are designed to not be listened directly exposed to tweeter but slightly outside (10-15deg off axis). that is where the HF that may bother some is slightly attenuated. too bad about the US pricing (they are definitely not a $1k speaker). Same shtick happens to us here in the UK with SCHIIT products. Get your hand on S2 if you can. thanks for the review!
Glad you enjoyed the vid! i'll keep my eye out for a pair of S2.
Tried to like the S-2 but didn't but they're SQ definitely appeals to alot of people. Different strokes and thankfully different speakers for everyone's tastes. More discounted today probably on closeout but still not inexpensive.
Keeping the industry on its toes! Love it.
I drive these pretty loud without pushing my amp too hard and this is using my phone Tidal amp connected to a external dac. Sound is extremely musical, love these speakers!
Hey there Nemo, I'm currently trying to decide on a subwoofer to go with my Vanatoo Transparent 0 Desktop speakers for my medium size room. I'm stuck between the Bowers & Wilkins ASW608 or the SVS SB1000 PRO. Do you have any insight for me? My main use case will be EDM music listening with some Netflix here and there as well as gaming. What would you rate the Bowers and the SVS in terms of agility and punchynesss 1-10?
I'd go for the SVS for sure, the BW is good but very limited on output.
@@NemoPropaganda Awesome I'm going to place the order then. Should I have any concerns about this not being punchy or agile? I'm sure it will blow me away compared to my old Ported BIC F12 haha
@@RealDiGiPHiX no, i think you'll like it a lot.
Great job bro! 😎👍
Thanks ✌
I’ve had these quad paired with a NAD t747 that puts out about 120 wpc and the arcam sa20 at 80wpc. Had them in a small lounge and on a desktop in a very small studio . They sound brilliant imo with both amps and in either room. Plenty of bass , smooth , warm sounding with fantastic imaging and maybe only slight lack of dynamics but this is compensated if you use a good Dac , Cyrus cd player and a Rega phono stage . Mine are keepers and have outshone focal 806 by a mile , in fact I’ve tried many speakers in the sub £600 uk price bracket and these are the best and only paid £300 . I do agree that the u.s. price seems excessive . At £300 uk they are the best speakers I’ve ever bought / I simply love them .
Since this is your latest video I wanted to ask you the following and hope this catches your attention. I have to ask and I hope you can answer. When you tested the REL TX series subs what connection did you use? I have a T7X connected to my NAD C298 Amp via the High input connection with a pair of Paradigm Founder 40B speakers. I have yet to run Dirac with the NAD C-658 streamer but am concerned that Dirac will be confused if I run the High level cable that comes with REL and is recommended by REL to allow for the speed and audio matching with the track being played. What recommendations do you have in what is the best set up for a REL. Sub out or the high input connection which they supply the cable for? I ask for a couple of reasons, one being the Dirac set up and the other is to understand that frequencies lower than what the 40B's can handle will be picked up by the REL. Is this a better set up and justifiable set up for bookshelf speakers with a single or dual REL set up? Sometimes I wonder if the speakers can handle higher volumes without distorting the bass but yet the REL picks up the lower frequencies and there is still a lot of air moving through the bookshelf. So is sub out a better option allowing the speakers to work easier and focus on the mid's and highs while the REL's handle all the low frequencies?
I run my speakers full range and most speakers sound best running full range in my opinion. REL also recommends running your speakers full range. While REL suggests the use of high level they also suggest the use of low level, that's why the subwoofer also has a low level input. I tested both, both sounded great. I would happily use a REL via low level if I had to for some reason, it's still a REL subwoofer at the end of the day.
I don't use dirac personally so I really don't know if it would be better to run dirac with the subs setup through LFE or through high level. But I think the real question your asking is will it still sound great running through low level and the answer is yes, absolutely.
@@NemoPropaganda Thank you for the reply and the quickness of it. I was looking at adding a second Rel to my system and if I connect the subs via LFE rather than the supplied high level connection will I get better sound out of the Paradigm Founder 40B's focusing mainly on mids and highs as the majority of the low level frequencies will go to the REL's over the 40B'S? What if anything did you notice with the Rel tests with the speakers. How did they change the sound via high level vs Low level?
@@stevel4329 It seemed the difference from high level to low level was more apparent on cheaper amps than expensive amps so for me with my expensive preamp I'll say this:. If you came to my home and changed it I don't think I would notice. What you want to keep in mind is this: it's the subwoofer that is good, not the cable or connection method. Regarding low level vs line level it's a more simple affair. LFE input is used for HT people with an AVR with LFE output. Line input is for 2ch stereo users who don't use LFE.
@@NemoPropaganda Thank you! Have a Merry Christmas and keep up the great channel!
What is the wall treatment you put up, didn’t see a review on your channel on them but can see their first appearance with a emotive 100 review. Thanks
just some stuff I got off amazon, it's really for aesthetics but it did help reduce front wall issues. Search Dekeru Panel and you'll find it.
@@NemoPropaganda thanks bud!
They sound awesome as a midrange/tweeter set to sit on top of a bass module to create a 3 way, not so much a subwoofer
Love when you review interesting stuff like these. Almost bought a pair of S2s, but then a great deal on some NOLAs fell into my lap. Got turned off a LITTLE by Quads customer service pre-sales. Helpful, but with a touch of snark. Great looking speakers, tho!
I hear that, I had a similar experience with Zu, it wasn't anything too bad but enough to turn me off...
@@NemoPropaganda They dont seem to understand we remember shit like that lol
Wanted to like the Quad S-2 but just sounded lifeless with music, for me anyhow. Tried a Dali Menuet SE and it was as resolving as the Quad and more musical in comparison but overly refined taking out alot of detail in instruments as well as being a pig for power. Can't say I didn't like them but their magic only happened nearfield. After 5 feet it lost its appeal and my inexpensive Cambridge Audio Minx XL could almost compete with them.
Found the Opticon 1 much better further away so more versatile and much easier to drive just giving up a little resolution and body in notes but still better in the other areas as well as many other speakers offering an easy sound without sounding lifeless and very musical for me at least at less than a quarter the price being the "last NIB one". Got lucky. Sometimes small speakers can perform really well.
The newer MK2 series seems to emulate a frequency curve more like what the Menuet displayed at least from what I have seen of measurements but still sb easy to drive. Probably a bit more punch in the low end is my guess but don't have a sense of real SQ differences between the outgoing model vs the newer except one person stated it was improved in openess, etc.
For the price in the US, they aren't inexpensive, Dali should use real wood veneer or gloss though, kind of cheaping out in that regard.
Heard good things about NOLA though but prices have really jumped. Maybe someday if I decide to use other than really good budget speakers which do fine at the SPLs I listen at.
Interesting…I have a set of GoldenEar AON 3s. ~Same price as these Quads. Ribbons, larger drivers with two passive radiators. SMALL footprint. LOTS of bass. EASY to drive. I drive mine with a 20 Watt 300B Tube Amp. The set-up sounded really good in my smaller, previous apt…but does not carry so well in my larger new space….but they seem to have way more to offer than these dawgs if you enjoy ribbon tweeters.. I am also sure that the AONs can be picked up super cheap on the used market.
I would take those over the Quads too. Quad sounded too lifeless with music for me.
I still have the s1 used s2 and s4 .. The S1 is superb with a baby rel sub, for near field listening 4 to 8 ft s2 average sized room, s4 large room with sub or subs . Classical, jazz all suit this quad range . Even techno goes well, avoid metal or heavy rock . Standout is top mids into hf wonderful sounding true ribbon . Not to fussy with amplifiers but avoid systems with extended hf . The ribbon needs two or three songs to warm up .
When is your products of the year video dropping?
Already out bro, gotta have those notifications on or join the discord :D
Thanks for the video. I can pick a set of these up for £350, but I'd be buying without hearing them... I'd be using them near field in a small office room with an old 60W Cyrus 7/PSXR amp. I'm completely undecided.
I think they'd be great for that, Monitor Audio Radius 90 is also a good option or a used set of PSB Imagine Mini.
@@NemoPropaganda Thanks for the info - I'll look into it :)
These are true bookshelf speakers, as in they work really well in an actual bookshelf.
Seems these were designed for use in a closet
Hahaha 🤣
Watch some other reviews - those speakers work perfectly fine in a normal room. They just need to be placed properly.
.....:D:D:D, this was good, "there just isn"t any of it"...thanks for the review
I have own them....swop them out for z1=100%upgrade👍
Bought the S2 and use them in a small room (which makes it kind of near field too). Quite happy with them. And they were 500 Euros a pair over here in Germany. (S1 would have been 400 Euros).
at 400 euros i woul dhave given the speaker a very good review, sadly in the USA its priced very poorly.
I have these and my experience is very different. The fill a medium sized room fine but produce a little more base than I would like! But I agree about the price. Here in the UK I paid £250 for them which is about $325. I certainly wouldn't pay $1000.
different strokes for different folks. I'm glad you're enjoying them :)
Did you get them for 250 new or used?
Hey Nemo, I think something is wrong with the video. There are two black boxes on top of the speaker stands covering the new....
I put those there on purpose. Didn’t want to confuse people on what was being reviewed lol.
@@NemoPropaganda oh lol, I really thought you were teasing us with something upcoming.
@@Eugene737 oh no haha I just didn't want to move my speakers lol
'A feature no one will ever use'. LOL, so true.
imagine mini or quad s1 for desktop use?
Oh man, ooof, okay I like both a lot but the Imagine Mini, omg, I love it! Main reason is the Imagine mini has extremely good bass texture, articulation, and tone despite how small it is.
2024 it can be has for under 500 euros for a pair with shipping
still $995 in USA :/
Hmmm,, Im getting a bit confused by speakers like this 🤨.
Thanks Nemo,, 👍😎👍!
Prob do just as well with some cheap Sony's and a thrift shop amp. 200 bucks or less. A thief would steal your bong before those.
you want to get confused? look at the new Polk Monitor XT12 Subwoofer. 12" okay cool, class a/b powered okay wow that's really cool, only 50w rms? What the fuck! Okay maybe it's a 100% SQ focused design, nope ported cabinet. Oh man, I'm really scratching my head on this one....
@@Roof_Pizza I wouldn't say that, these sound really good, they're just hard to drive and a bit expensive in the US. But the sound is really good.
@@NemoPropaganda Near-field with questionable tweeter?
@@Roof_Pizza what do you mean questionable? It's not a bad tweeter in any way.
Yeah these 4" drivers really didn't do it for me either when I heard them. Even in a small room they aren't going to give you adequate midrange and have little bass, which then makes them difficult to cross over with a subwoofer. My recommendation: get the Emotiva B1+ or Wharfedale EVO 4.1 instead.
yeah, it's not a bad speaker, just so expensive!
I like AMT tweeters but they aren't my favorite. When you have too much of that airyness, it's like there's no substance to the sound. It sounds like you're listening to music outside. They're great for some music though.
I totally agree!
This isn’t an AMT lol
@@tweedpenguin712 Ribbon and AMT are very similar.
I love me a ribbon tweeter, it's definitely a spice level I enjoy. I get what you're saying about the "airiness" quality that may sound fake to some. It doesn't sound unnatural to me; I actually think that's what makes them ideal for HT. You want that spaciousness, and movie mixes are exaggerated and fake as it is, so they work well in that environment. This attribute might be a poor match with certain types of music though.
funny you should say that as my friends that love them are indeed using them for HT :D
I have the Quad S-5 (Floorstanders) and Quad SC-2 (center Ch) in an HT setup 🙂
Exactly how I found the S2, alot of fun with movies but music was just lifeless, had no soul so to speak, just sounding too analytical and fake. But for HT, it was fun hearing everything in the source material.
ML 15i gives me almost as much for movies while sounding alot better for music at half the price. Not a neutral sound and not everyone would like them, but for me the 15i performs well. I have different speakers I swap in and out depending on mood, music, etc.
Too many negatives to justify it at any price, let alone $ 1k.
You can’t trust a guy who only likes Buchardt speakers that are overrated.
Nemo, keeping them honest. Yeah, for a grand, you better have something special under the hood. I can think of several I'd consider. Plus, I've never been a fan of Quad. Thanks Nemo!
Forgot to subscribe here on this account =) Now you got 2x the support from me.
damn I think YT knows, I watched my sub count go up 1 then down one within 60 seconds lol either that or I lost someone at the same time lol, either way I appreciate ya!
I biwire all my speakers and get DH labs for my cheaper bookshelves and buy the biwired cable that goes from1 from the amp to 2 in the speaker. You should try them they are like a little over 300 ish. My big speakers I use proprietary Kubala sosna jumper cables to match my Kubala sosna Temptation cabes. It eliminates a lot of issues and frees up the tweeter and prevents back emi from going back to the amp.
eh, I already waste a ton of money on this channel so I probably won't unless someone sends me biwire cables along with the speakers lol
Not AMT.
comment with context or don't comment at all.
@@NemoPropaganda Green eggs and ham.
@@Gary_M insert backhanded compliment about being rude yet still funny which oddly makes it acceptable.
@@NemoPropaganda While there is a distinction between ribbon and AMT tweeters, I think they display similar performance characteristics using different materials, designs, etc if someone wantd to look that up. Between Martin Logan and Quad, I thought there was a significant difference in sound. I did like the ML Motion 15 but thought everything except the human voice sounded exactly the same as my then Paradigm SE-1 (both speakers having an Al coated woofer). The ML could be played louder with less power but compressed at moderately loud volumes while those little SE-1s could be driven harder and louder without cone breakup.
As to the Quad series, it did receive rave reviews and I tried the S-2 in my approx 280 sq ft room. I found it very resolving and detailed, which was fun with movies but for music, piano, voices, clasical, jazz, blues, etc there was something about it I found boring, un-engaging, it's like the music had no life to it versus my Focals and Triangles which were less resolving, perhaps even detailed but had enough coloration (one could call it) and/or character that engaged me, got my foot taping, etc.
Also, the Quad soundstage to me was flat as a pancake, no depth whatsoever, very strange. I suppose there are those who like this type of presentation which I thought was technical/analytical (but others who had it disagreed to that discription), in a nutshell, it didn't work for me.
Still have the Focals (which I plan to sell) and the Triangles (which I plan to keep) as they are smaller and a bit laid back which adds stage depth which I really like. I will give up some resolution, detail, what the heck trading outright performance for an easier, softer sound and want a smaller speaker. Until I find something that gives me more of the characteristics I want more of, they'll do just fine.
Also have Dali Opticon 1s which I liked better than Menuet SE but I got it half off clearance. Another speaker that has gotten kind of expensive but I really like them especially in nearfield but they work in my room as fronts supported by a bit of sub (not much). They are different than Triangle Zetas but I like both so I can enjoy different sounding speakers, but for all the Quad series can give, I just didn't like the presentation with music.
Also, while I have heard ML larger ribbon designs, I thought they sound really surreal, kind of a neat experience but didn't think I would want to listen to music that way either and with those, you definitely have to be in the sweet spot only.
BTW, the menuet SE was a difficult load to drive, was pretty much as resolving as the Quads but shaved away to much of the detail, and liveliness in media for that more smooth, perhaps liquid sound...too refined for me. I find the Opticon 1s more "lusty" with the details, it has nice depth and while it isn't as ethereal as the Zetas, or Focals for that matter could be, I like them alot. Better than the Oberon 1s.
Keep up the fun and informative videos. While I think I like a brighter presentation than you may, it could be due to to my preference, my room, or to use a phrase, having ears "OAF"...old as f@#&. Cheers.
Time to review some Martin Logans…
ewwwww, no way!
I'm just glad you didn't buy them.
me too lol