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QLN Speakers anyone

I am in the market for speakers and I just tried out a set of Harbeth 30’s and some NSMT Model 50’s.
The Harbeth have a wonderful midrange, but the soundstage was very narrow and the speakers struggled with complex music. They became jumbled sounding, little separation between instruments and lacked clarity except on uncomplex passages.

The NSMT have a wide soundstage, tight image, and lots of air. More bottom end as well. But the midrange sounded “thin”. It lacked warmth and fullness and definitely didn’t sound “real” to my ears. But darn good considering they are 1/3 the price of the Harbeth.
The audio dealer I purchased my Innuos streaming setup from, Choice Audio, recommended I give a pair of QLN Prestige One’s a try. He said the soundstage on them is very expansive and they have a very full and natural sound. They are bookshelf sized, similar in style and price to the Harbeth. He is shipping me a pair in a couple of days. Looking forward to giving them a try. Made in Sweden, so maybe they will matchup nicely with my Hegel H120…
Wondering if anyone has any experience with these? I had never heard of them before.

I will report back after I get them.

kingofgix

Showing 2 responses by soix

soix
10,008 posts
 

I think I may try a pair of Zu Soul VI before I make a decision.  

I wouldn’t do that.  You need to give the QLNs at least 150 hours before judging them.  If they don’t warm up to you I’d highly recommend Verity Audio.  Highly musical and detailed with an incredible 3D soundstage.  But, my bet, as the QLNs break in you’re gonna be pretty happy.  My speakers sounded broken until I had 100+ hours on them and thought I made a horrible mistake.  Give’em some time!

soix
10,008 posts
 

Yeah, QLN is one of the very few brands where there’s just nothing but glowing reviews and one of the very few speakers I’d buy confidently without even listening.   The others are Joseph Audio, ProAc, Vandy, Usher, and Verity Audio, but I’d be hard pressed to hear you’re any less than thrilled with QLN.  I think, even before break-in, you’re gonna hear an expansive 3D soundstage that makes the Harbeth sound relatively constrictive.  I think you’ve made a great choice and would love to hear your feedback as QLN doesn’t get near enough exposure here in the US IMHO (along with Usher) so your thoughts would be extremely valuable!

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