Current feeling on stacked quads?

Ah yes, as an x-over I used one from Mark Levinson, the man.... and yes again, as Des said, go for it! Even today, unless you want earsplitting sound levels, there is hardly anything better.....

You will get more SPL, but there are some people who think that the proper placement of instruments on the soundstage would be compromised. However this was not my experience when I had those. I used them with Sequerra ribbons for the high end and with Maggie bass panels and later Entecs for the lows and I was happy with this arrangement for a long time.

Chris,
With the full range Sound Labs you have the same lack of coloration, the immediacy, the impeccable rendition of transients, the wonderful midrange of the Quads. It is all there. Furthermore you can play much louder, have a wider sweet spot and a far better bass rendition. Placement of instruments is dead right, the soundstage huge with the right kind of software. Also you will have to do much less fiddling around to get the proper coherency between bass, middle and highs, compared to the stacked 57s, with say, super-tweeters and added low end woofers. However to make the sound Labs shine, you have to invest more into good amplification. For both speakers I would say, SS is a no no for good sound. The big Sound Labs are not all that easy to drive. They thrive on OTLs, like the 220watt Atmas or -more conventionally - on the VTL Siegfrieds in pentode mode with their huge power reserves. I also used a 60watter on them with good effect, but then you would lose some of the dynamics this speaker is capable of. Another advantage by the way, over the 57: Dynamics wasn't their strong point, although stacking them did bring noticeable improvement also there.

Chris, I have no real experience with the Maggies, only with their bass-panels a long time ago, but from what I have heard other tell, it is as you say. What I do know however is, that the Quads are right in premier league in reproducing tiny dynamic swings as you so rightly point out.
On the other hand I have no experience with the JC-1's, but I do have my doubts, whether they really would hold their ground compared to the Atmas. Reason being that the big Sound Labs, except for the panels, are not voltage driven. What they need is constant power as the impedance varies. I don't know what the impedance of the big Sound Labs is in the bass region, but it is probably fairly high, which will severely curtail power with most SS-amps. So you would probably need 500 watts and more to let them sing there. Not so with the Atmas, if I understand the literature right. But then, that is theory and though doubtful, I'm always ready to be surprised. The more so, because the specs of the Parasound are truly impressive and the reviews glowing. But then, none of the reviewers used stators, as far as I could see. So sceptic I remain.
Apologies to Mothra, because this subject is certainly off-topic now. Would be interesting to see and probably help him, to start a discussion about what kind and make of amp would be deemed suitable for the stacked 57s.....MrTennis where are you????
Cheers,
Detlof

Curriemt11,

The Atmas: I have MA-II Mark IIIs and apart from the heat and the time it takes for them to sound right, where I fully agree with you, I do not hear what you describe. But then MA-2s have a lot more punch than the MA-1s you had. I wonder what you mean with "light", wished you would describe this more. Is this a coloration you heard or a lack of dynamics? If I lived in subtropical surroundings I would probably also wish to try the Ayres, which are a beauty to behold and less costly than the MA-2s, although I would have to be convinced first of their deep bass performance with the Sound Labs for reasons stated above in my other post.

Stacked 57s: You are right about the loss of midrange coherence, one of the single 57's strong points. It takes a lot of fiddling around to get it right again., but it can be done.

Curriemt11,
I see now what you mean. Had a look at your system. Very nice indeed! However I don't seem to hear through my Atmas, what you heard through yours, and I am very familiar with live events as well. But then our systems are very different. I have the bigger Atmas and the U-1PX Sound Labs and a different cables-, source gear- and front end setup to yours, not to speak of the room. I am also using a pair of a-Capella plasma tweeters with the Sound Labs.
Whatever, you certainly have made me curious about the MX-Rs and I'll take up your suggestion and take two long ears-fulls at the next opportunity. Enjoyed our exchange!
Cheers,
Detlof