2. amps-preamps
  3. 1222049727

Help mismatch maybe?

Hello folks,

I recently purchased a pair of Quad 21L2's here on Agon. I tried them with some older Adcom electronics, which were uninvolving. Having read alot of good things about Nad products, and since they were in my price range, I purchased a C372 Intergraded amp here on Agon. The sound of the Nad and Quads are very detailed which I like more then less. Although, I would like the sound to be a little fuller & organic in the midrange. As it stands right now, the system sounds as though the treble control is almost maxed and the bass control is half way on the minus side. (I am in tone defeat mode).
My wife who is also my listening buddy, finds the setup too bright for her ears, and she is unable to listen with me now, unless the volume is very low. Our listening tastes in music range from Classical, to Classic Rock to Jazz, to Female/Male vocals, and everything in between.

Our front end consist of a Arcam FMJ CD23. IC's are of the Monster, and Z squared varity. PC's are PS and Z squared types. SC's Monster M2's Speakers are on the long wall in a Near Field configuration far away from the side walls and at least 3 feet from the rear. I have tried various placement scenario's and the NF seems to be the best overall.

Now, Is it possible That the Nad and the Quads are a mismatch?
If so, I would like to keep the Quads. If it's the electronics, I would like to stay with a Intergrated amp.
Are there any simular experiences, or recommendations you could offer?

Any help along these lines would be appreciated.
Thanks.
mickey13

Showing 2 responses by mb9061

mb9061
137 posts
 
I have a pair of 22L2s in a room that measures 24' long by 12' deep by 7 1/2' ceiling. Speakers are on the long wall, a little more than 2' from side wall (left speaker), about 8 1/2' feet apart and about 1 1/2' from the back wall (measured to rear port). Zero problem with bass. Too much in most cases, but I find moving the speaker forward or back in 1/2 inch increments to either add or subtract LF response significantly. I've paired these speakers with an MF 308I integrated, an Anthem Statement A5 multichannel, a Sunfire multichannel and now another MF Integrated (an A5 this time that is rated 250x2 into 8 ohms). Zero problems with lack of bass response.

That said, unless your ceiling is the culprit (I doubt it), I'd suggest trying different amps and getting the speakers a little closer to the wall by 1/2" increments to see what you can come up with. I doubt the 21L2's are that lacking considerably in bass response compared to the 22L2s (perhaps a bit, but not that much). The more current powerful the amp (not necessarily wattage), the more slam you'll get from the speakers. If you have isolation tweaks, try removing those too as I've found time and time again that they can thin the LF response, particularly with amplifiers. Make sure the speakers are level and not firing at an upward angle, as that may thin sound as well.

Try ICs next, but I wouldn't spend my money on them until I got a better amp in your situation.
mb9061
137 posts
 
Tilting them can help a bit, but I was never happy with the result as it threw the sound stage up a bit and there was a slight loss of focus. That, and I'm using the 22L2's as my example which have the additional driver.

Biggest influence on bass from my experience is (a) amplification and (b) speaker placement from rear wall that doesn't exceed 24" and isn't less than say 16" when dealing with rear ported floor standers.

You may consider auditioning a MF A3.5 if the A5 is out of reach. Even an A3.2CR which can be had for around $600 used. These amps have the most low end of those I've demoed or purchased so far and they don't dissapoint. I know we all have our favorites, but I can attest that they work beautifully with the Quads as I've had both the A308I and the A5. They do wonderfully well in home theater duty as well. Some will mention MF amps add "coloration" to music like cardas golden cross interconnects, but everyone has their own taste and it sounds like low end response is what you're looking for (I can't necessarily reccomend the golden cross ICs though, I didn't care for them but others do...).
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