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Re: Quad Speakers

Without knowing under what circumstances that you heard the Quads I can't make a definite reply. Also you don't indicate what is important to you in giving the impression of live. Is it sheer volume? Tonality? What? IME they sound best when heard at fairly close distances - in my case my listening seat is about 7 feet away from the Quads.

I find that the Quads are excellent at microdynamics (perhaps your definition is different from mine, but mine involves small expressive changes in dynamics such as accents and emphasis) and adequate at macrodynamics, i.e. how loud it can play.

At my listening distance I have measured 102 dB peak levels using a Heathkit spectrum analyzer. A long long time ago, in TAS, PHD took an Ivie Spectrum Analyzer into a live concert and reported "at no time during the N.C. Symphony performance of Bolero did the peak pressure levels exceed 96 dB." That suggests adequate macrodynamics, although, as I said, many audiophiles prefer louder than real levels and for that a Quad may not satisfy.

Certainly the Quads can sound polite if listened to at too far a distance (as can any speaker).

And as far as live, in the Planar Speaker Asylum post alluded to in my original post, David Chesky is quoted as saying that a pair of original Quads produced "the closest reproduction of his composed/performed/conducted/recorded works he has ever heard!!!" Sounds like close to live to me. Of course that's just his opinion.

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