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

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.

Thanks! Actually, the more we converse,the more I think we (and some others here) have in common about speakers in this price range. I liked the 685s and thought them very detailed but found the bass not very full and after listening to them for 10 minutes, their highs were just too accentuated for me. Of the 685, Paradigm 20, KEF IQ30, Dynaudio 42, Silverline Prelude and even wonderful Spendor SA1s, I found the 12L2s to have the most lively yet warm presentation. Sounds like maybe the Dreamcatchers are in that world too. Hopefully, my 21L2s will be too!