I think you should demo them, because Quad and Arcam used to differently voiced for different audiences, and this may still be the case. Quad is somewhat more laid back sounding than arcam. Arcam is more upbeat. It's personal taste.
I remember demoing some speakers nearly 10 yrs ago. A full quad CD/pre/power setup was driving them. I was not very impressed. It sounded utterly lifeless. The sales guy asked what amp I had at home. I answer a Mission/Cyrus 2. He swapped to a Cyrus CD/DAC/integrated and the speakers suddenly sounded great. Dynamics detail rhythm all there. Arcam amps were typically a bit less dynamic than the Cyrus, but more dynamic than Quads.
I'm not saying that Quad is worse than Cyrus or Arcam, but last time I heard it's very very different gear.
I remember demoing some speakers nearly 10 yrs ago. A full quad CD/pre/power setup was driving them. I was not very impressed. It sounded utterly lifeless. The sales guy asked what amp I had at home. I answer a Mission/Cyrus 2. He swapped to a Cyrus CD/DAC/integrated and the speakers suddenly sounded great. Dynamics detail rhythm all there. Arcam amps were typically a bit less dynamic than the Cyrus, but more dynamic than Quads.
I'm not saying that Quad is worse than Cyrus or Arcam, but last time I heard it's very very different gear.