Quad 988's-how big a room and how far off walls???

The ol Ficus Tree tweek behind the speaker would help plus chicks dig ficus trees. Look into some Bedini amps, they are supposed to have great synergy with Quads. Good luck.

Nwbee
Thanks
I think your right that my problem might be the distance required from rear wall.Same for mu buddies di-pole Maggie 3.6 where he only has a ft. and half from rear wall.But hopefull I can find another apt which will afford me rectabgular room for placement.Sounds like the Qauds are one of the speakers tat can really benefig from a sond diffuser frame availible in a few of the catalogues out there.Have benn told 988's work fine with 100 solid state so 40 watt is getting close.Thought about these new Redwine Signatur 30 battery operated amps (read review at www.6moons.com) but for $3K yhey make a 70 watt apir of monoblocks that would be perfect.The Bel Canto Integrated or beautiful Pathos Classic 1 Mk.2 Hybrid at 110 watts might be the ticket.acn't do to much about squre (that whiy I have always set up speakers with wwide spread here with unequal disance to rear/side walls by at least 1/3 in length to reduce standing wave problems.But if I stick with low power either Silverline Sonattas or maybe the opposite in terms of x-over complexity a pair of Reference 3A.Someone bought their bookshelf of their top of the line Corian model (Royal Vituoso) appeals since they use very simple capicitors instead of comples x-overs maybe with a pair of single amp dual box TBI Magellan subs set very lowAppreciate tips on Quads and will read further.They fit my price pint up to $3500 used which seems to be a sweet point in used pricing.Again current speakers are great for small emnsemble non-complex muisc but maybe with qud problems a Bryston 4B ST,PS Audio GCA 250,or Bel Cano Ref's might do it with lare Audio Physic Virgo's or B&W 803D (can get very good deal off the $8K list( ,would handle complex muic and give more dynamics.They wouldn;t be much bigger than current Odeon Tosca's and be easier to place.It's just with a correct room nothing beats the Q@uads for the all important midrange especially with say a 100 EL24 driven amp which are out there.
Much thanks
Chazz

If you really want to max out the Quad performance set up is critical. The good news (but maybe not for you)is that their radiation pattern allows for placement close to the side walls. The bad news, their radiation patern (rear wave) requires that they be set up about 5ft from the wall behind them (I set mine at 4.5ft due to a bass reinforcement issue). This distance is necesary to seperate the direct sound from the reflected sound sufficently to be heard seperately, not a just a congested direct signal.

You need to put something behind them to dispurse/diffuse the back wave. You can put them closer to the wall behind them, but frankly I wouldn't waste my money for their resolution qualities and then compromise their best feature by doing so.

Very few speakers sound good in a square room. Quads included. The bass can become very boomy. BTW, re bass, set these on the floor and they have excellent, flat, bass down into the 30's. Lift them up off the floor and you may enhance their imaging qualities BUT you will also get a suck out in the upper bass which will make them sound thin, which is why I think a lot of folks think of using subs. I've not been successful in setting up any speakers in my retangular room using the long wall. I have enhanced the upper ranges' clarity but the upper bass/lower mids suffered and the overall sound became enemic. But that was my room. I think the long wall lovers (speakers, not people) are ones which have very strong off axis response and do not respond well to close side wall placement.

Quads can be listened to in the nearfield, like monitors, which is probably the type of set up you will end up with in a 13' square room but they sound best in a medium sized room with the sweet spot/listening chair slightly further from the speakers than they are apart and both well out into the room. If I were going to compromise I'd back the chair closer to the wall behind it. I wouldn't compromise on the distance to the wall behind the speaker.

You can get by with 40 tube watts. Just don't push the sound levels. Quad's can sound a bit dry/cool with the wrong electronics. Tubes a bit on the warm side can be a good thing. I've not heard any of the amps you have mentioned.

FWIW Quad set up has been discussed often in A'Gon. You will probably get a lot of benefit from doing some looking in the archives.