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Quad 22L vs. Linn Espek vs. ?

I am assisting a neighbor in putting together a 2-channel audio system that is more music oriented rather than aiming for audiophile nirvana. Since he is a musician, his preferences are for reasonably full-range frequency response, tonal accuracy and transparency. His room is about 15x17. Electronics are Quad 99 preamp and 909 current dumping amp. Listens mostly to classical and jazz. We have no local dealer for either of these speakers or most other speakers for that matter, so insightful comments and suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
drtmth58
gaudio_eek
312 posts
 
If you must choose between the two you listed, then stay with Quad. There is a synergy there. However, be forwarned, the Quads are kind of fussy with speaker placement. You also did not list a budget range. Assuming that you want to go with small footprint floor standers, I want to suggest 2 more items that are both British: the Spendor S8e (known for their nusical charm and easy nature) and the PMC (Professional Monitor Company) FB1 (known for their full range and detailed yet musical sound...Although, I prefer the OB1). Good luck.
john_l
782 posts
 
Disclaimer: I am a Quad and AP dealer. I do not ship either line and only offer this post to give some advice.

With the 99/909 I would only avoid speakers that have a naturally rough sounding treble. Stick with refined speakers that have a good level of fine detail so you can enjoy their clean midrange. The Linn Especk should be a superb match due to their very refined midrange and seamless crossovers.

I find that the 909/99 series are a good match with Audio Physic. Their clean electronics and nice midrange shows off the Audio Physic's trademark fine detail and imaging. I run the Sparks with these most of the time.

For your room the 22L would be my Quad dynamic choice. Their strong points are ease of placement, full sounding with good instrument timbre and good bass down to ~30hz. Not peaky at all. The only caveat is that they really should be about 18 inches from the rear wall for ideal performance. They can cause room boom with close coupled (less than 6") placement.
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