Quad 11L Loudspeakers
After having done a bit of research on the internet and seen the Quad 11L Loudspeakers getting rave reviews across the hi-fi press, I knew they had to be something special. Quad are now part of IAG group which has allowed the name to benefit from an injection of research and development capital.
An 18mm re-inforced MDF cabinet and seven layers of hand painted piano type laquer for under £400, there must be a catch surely? You would think so but there isn’t one. The Quad 11L Loudspeakers are quite simply ubeatable.
When you first open the box each Quad 11L loudspeaker comes in it own tiny little string bag, such a great little touch. They feel very solid indeed and each one is quite heavy, but the finish of the real maple wood veneer and the build quality is stunning. These Quad 11L oudspeakers really are something else.
Every Quad L-series is hand built in a at IAG’s 750,000 sq.ft. state of the art manufacturing factory in Shenzen, China. Every single component inside the speakers are made at the factory.
The bass units of the Quad 11L Loudspeakers are made from woven kevlar and the tweeter unit is derived from a thorough understanding of high frequency acoustics. Instead of a metal dome which can sind bright and harsh, a silk domes is used which has a useful response to around 50kHz. Phase coherence is where these Quad 11L Loudspeakers really shine producing an incredible soundstage with amzing imaging.
Quality is not shrimped on with the Quad 11L Loudspeakers when it comes to the crossover either with air-cored chokes, premium audio grade polypropolene capacitors being used in a simple crossover to maintain phase and ulimateley sound quality.
The sound quality of the Quad 11L Loudspeakers speakers has to be heard to be believed. They have bass and lots of it. Be sure to invest in some good quality stands and cables.
….Simply awsome for the price !
This entry was posted on Thursday November 17th, 2005 at 11:48 PM and is filed under Loudspeakers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response.
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9 Responses to Quad 11L Loudspeakers
John hall Says:
February 1st, 2006 at 1:00 PM
I bought a pair of Quad 11L's from Lintone Audio in Gatehead two years ago, and was frankly astounded at the build, finish and more importantly, the sound quality from these tiny beasts!
Front end is a Systemdek IV with Rega RB300 arm and Ortofon MC20 super, Marantz CD63 SE, Audiolab 8000C integrated amp. Atacama Nexus stands used.
positioned about 10" from rear wall and 10 feet apart, angled slightly in towards the listener.
I fell in love with them from first hearing, and my love affair isn't over yet. though they took two to three weeks to settle down, during which time the superb sound improved even further!
Basically They brought new life to my CD and old vinyl collection, sound stage and depth are immeasurably better than you could expect from such a speaker.
At every session I hear new details being revealed on the recording.
They just ooze class with all types of music, from the electro pop of Thomas Dolby (Dissidents), the sophistication of Sade (Your love is king), to the haunting sounds of Dead can dance (yulunga - spirit dance) they simply involve you in the music with their clarity; you can see why almost every song was recorded in the first place.
They go loud when they need to, and can do justice to Oasis at full throttle!
Orchestral works too are played with confidence and passion (Beethoven - Fidelio)
There has never been a single moment when they have let me down, and they do a superb job on DVD too.
Quite simply, the Quad 11L's are one of the finest small loudspeakers that I have ever heard, and would do justice to any half decent system.
Looking fantastic, sounding even better and offering great value for money!
Well Done QUAD!
John Hall, Newcastle
Hi-fi insight Says:
February 1st, 2006 at 1:37 PM
John,
The Quad 11Ls just simply are very difficult to catch out, they just sound good whatever type of music or format you throw at them.
I have them sat on Partington Dreadnoughts about 8 feet apart and about 10 inches from the wall and they are superb.
Front end is a Quad 67 CD player using a QED MA34 passive pre-amp and then passed to a late Quad 405-2 amp which has banana and phono sockets.
Sound quality as you'd expect is top notch and pure silver interconnects, silver plated speaker and mains cables really bring out the best of this combination, but at £380 a pair the Quad 11L's really are a steal.
Ben powell Says:
November 19th, 2006 at 12:49 AM
John Hall, I guess you have absolutely no idea what a pretentious c*ck you sound like. Hope you choked when you saw the Quads cut in price by a half this year.
Regards
Ben.
Hi-fi insight Says:
November 20th, 2006 at 10:55 AM
Ben,
Although your comments may be construde as being a little personal, you do raise on valid point, the fact that these speakers are available at a fraction of their original cost (if you are lucky to find stock that is - most places that are advertising at nearly half price have sold out)
At £380 a pair, I thought they offered fantastic value for money, but at £229, the cheapest on the web I have seen them advertised, I will be upgrading my 5.1 satellite speakers as well.
If you have not yet auditioned a pair, then do so as you will realise how much speaker you get for your money.
Thanks for your contribution.
Ben powell Says:
November 21st, 2006 at 4:25 PM
Thanks for the measured response to my late night mail. I can't fit the Quad 11L or 12ls in my setup but I'm looking to upgrade my front sats to l-ites. Already have the Quad L centre from half price :-) Couldn't believe the quality - the highest quality thing I ever purchased without a doubt. Loving the gloves!
Apologies again for my rant,
Rgds
Ben.
Hi-fi insight Says:
November 21st, 2006 at 4:28 PM
Just seen the Quad L centre speaker for £179 advertised the net.
Definateley gonna be an early christmas present :-)
John hall Says:
November 27th, 2006 at 6:05 PM
Ben,
Forget what I sound like,
the Quad 11Ls speak for themselves,
It's the first time I've EVER heard of a Geordie being called pretentious,
like the man said. once you've heard them that's it!
You get them half price then good luck to you mate & happy listening
and don't be so negative in future!
JohnH
Henrik eismark Says:
May 17th, 2010 at 4:31 PM
Purchased 2010 for GBP240.-
Sound is very nice, well rounded and well tempered with no flaws at all. In fact they put my economy sub-woofer out of work as it didn't harmonize.
It's worth the money I paid and maybe twice more as new and unused.
Playing on renovated and upgraded Quad 405-II and 44. incl new OP_AMPS of best quality and placed on stands.
I have no doubt they will serve a lifetime for many people.
Given the size and price it's brilliant product but it won't replace somewhat larger high end speakers. I recommend these to anyone on a budget requiring honest sound reproduction.
Personally I could at my age of 50 do with a raised tweeter, but that would be against the linear principles probably.
Great sound for it's modest price.
David Says:
June 21st, 2010 at 9:32 PM
I first heard these in a local HiFi shop by chance when just passing by and browsing. I was amazed at the sound from such a small box. I was using a pair of Martin Logan's at the time I heard these and they made me stop and take note. A big musical sound from what looked like just another run of the mill bookshelf.
Fantastic speakers if space is limited. I plan to get a pair of these for my 2nd system on my DAW.