Quad 12L2 or 21L2: Detail vs. Fullness?

Thanks for the detailed response. The Totems sound like a great choice but I need a small bookshelf to act as a center for dialogue from films. The Dynaudio 62s were one of those floorstanders that seem a bit muffled (compared to the 42s). I think the Contours are out of my price range.

BTW, my living/listening room is medium large - about 13 feet by 22 feet and there is a 7 foot opening at the side that leads to a 12 by 13 dining room.

hi. i just built a system using totem dreamcatchers. so far they are excellent at imaging and the highs are crisp but not harsh. midrange is smooth, tonally accurate, but maybe a hair thin, and i mean a hair. i am powering them with a jaton operetta @ 140 watts per channel. the center speaker on some recordings has a hint of boxiness(compared to my last center, an OM-C2 by mirage) but the LR mains are perfect on all recordings. however i do not yet have the center isolated from vibration. i would absolutely recommend and rate them as excellent speakers in their price range. for refernce i auditioned the highly acclaimed b&w 685's but these have more life to them in every respect imho.

btw, there was a review that said the dreamcacthers wash/flow the music over you. this is absolutley true and a very enjoyable experience.

Well, if they are more lively than the famously bright B&Ws, then that is not the speaker for me. (See above where I am looking for a warm speaker.) So you helped me decide against the Totems :- ). Seriously, Totems are well regarded but they are tough to find to audition and apparently, there is no "Totem sound." But I do love the names of their speakers and their cool website.

Actually, I pulled the trigger on a pair of used 12L2s from a vendor here on Audiogon. Thanks everyone for the help!

congrats on your purchase. i wouldn't necessarily equate lively with bright and i'm not sure the 685's really carry the signature B&W brightness, but i felt the dreamcatchers just had more bounce in their step. the B&W's sounded great, but i felt lacked a bit of air and accuracy with their imaging, maybe it was due to the equipment powering them at the shop. anyway, oddly enough, i had the quad 12l's as well-beautiful speaker. i found them more open and rich than the totem mites i had before them. but still, i prefer the sparkle of the dreamcatchers. good luck in any event you made a very good choice.