Quad 21L vs. 22L2 Sonic differences?

I have never heard the 21L, but I have given the 22L2 several auditions and I prefered them over Focal 826 and B&W 683. The finish of the 22L2 is superb.
The 21L is a 2-way, the 22L2 is a 2-and-a-half way speaker, as you probably know from the specs. It not much of a fair fight between these two, because the 22L2 brings an additional driver to the contest. This brings a deeper low-end response and better mid-bass sound. I have read on the forums that the 22L2's tweeter is an all new design. The 22L2's benefit from a better plinth than the 21L series, giving is more stability. They are reviewed to have a much flatter frequency response in the mid-range than the 22Ls, so that means the 22L2's mids are likely to best the 21L's as well.
I know an awful lot about these speakers, auditioned oodles of monitors and more than a few floorstanders, and the 22L2s kept coming out on top. They have a very detailed sound, with a great stage and excellent imaging. The finish cannot be beat for the money on the used market, where the 22l2's routinely go for around $700-$950.
I wound up buying cheaper monitor audio BX5s though, because I am a broke architect and I just got tired of sitting around saving money. I wanted to get to the music.

Rrm - in my listening tests I never found the 22L2's to be bright. Music was Monolake (electronic), Heartless Bastards (garage rock), Black Keys, Dire Straits and of course Bowie. Some Bowie tracks tend to ring on my home systems, but they both feature metal dome tweeters, the 22L2's have soft dome tweeters - this could have caused some slight reduction in harshness.
One of the testing rooms was at a dealer here in Denver. He had systems on three walls, and shelving on the fourth, but the 22L2's got the best electronics (high end Vincent and Parasound Halo seperates) and some acoustical foam treatment behind the gear and the listener. The other testing room was in a hotel at RMAF, the 22L2's were on a side wall in an alternate system. They still sounded great. They didn't come close to the electrostats on the other wall, tho!
Yeah I've read that 'tech radar' review myself, and I cannot understand how they can give the B&W 683 a 5 star rating, and give the quads only 4. That is NOT the case. And I am not saying that because I'm a B&W hater, My HT system is B&W 6 series and I love it. The Quads are just better. The only speakers that would beat them might be the Focal 836V, but I haven't auditioned those yet. KEF's new Q line is also on my list...
Lots of dealers run speakers costing less than $2000 with home theater receivers. This is NOT the best way to audition speakers for a 2-channel music system. I was lucky to hear the Quads on some really nice 2-channel gear.
Regarding bright speakers - this is why I bought a pre-amp with tone controls - if it gets harsh I tone it back a little. I'm not a purist. I'm into the music!

I'd be interested to hear what other A'gon'rs think would best the Quads in their used price range (sub-$1000). My experience on my home systems is pretty limited (monitor audio and B&W), and I have only auditioned 2 other pairs of floor standers to the same extent as the Quads. What other 2.5 way floor standers in this used price range could give the Quads some competition?

Thnx Mb, will research/try-to-audition the Devore's. Have heard of them before. My current floor standers will not be my last...and to address the OP's subject, I think 22L2 2.5-way is a much better bet than 21L 2-way, sure its more expensive, but the 21Ls are rare, there is a pair of Lanemart 22L2's on sale right now, and if you buy them, you'll be happier with your speakers longer.

The Quad 21L is a 2 way tower. The Quad 22L is a 2.5 way tower, with a dedicated bass-driver and a mid-bass driver, 3 total drivers incl the tweeter. The 21L2 and the 22L2 are improvements over the 21L and 22L. The cabinet bracing is sturdier, the 22L2 comes with those really cool plinths, and the 22L2's tweeter received an upgrade. It is also positioned closer (lower) to the mid-bass driver.
The 22L had a dip in its frequency response, and the 22L2's response is much more flat. Even still, some reviewers find the 22L2s to be too bright at high listening levels. Every year at RMAF I seek these out and force everyone in the room to listen to them. They are mostly located in side rigs. My local dealer recently started carrying Focals, I don't know if he carries Quad anymore, but if he does, you can bet I will put up the Focal 826v and 836v against the new Quads.