Antonio you were right - so was GrahamN

Antonio

I have decided to keep the Amator IIs they are just sooooo good. The S/F Conertino was very bright as was the Quad and I could not live with either. Both are very highly rated but I cannot see what the fuss is about. My system now comprises Quad 99CDP (£900 - but this includes the built in pre-amp) plus Quad 909 power amp (£900) and Amator IIs (£3100 including stands) and I am really happy with it.

GrahamN said a while back that he believes in spending much more on speakers that other components and whilst Antonio has not done this - he just loves the AIIs - I think that Graham is right. I much preferred to listen to the Quad with my Amator IIs than my Wadia transport and DAC with the cheap S/F Concertinos! I put this down to mid range (£1000 price point) CDPs being 'good enough' to front a system where the amp and speakers cost more. Sure, the Wadia was very superior to the Quad but it is the system as a whole that is important. Yes it is back to the 70s (pre the rantings of a man from Glasgow!)

Now that sources are so good I think that source first is not so important.

Dominic

 

I am glad you kept the EAII, they are the most beautiful classical looking speakers I know, and they play as well as anything I have heard, as long as the amp can control them, and not all can, wich says a lot for the Quad... :MILD:

As for wich is the most important component, it depends on your taste a lot, if you like dynamics and wide frequency response, then not any speaker will do, but the most important is sinergy, particularly with the room...

You are right, my speakers are my favourite piece of kit, the ones that gave the largest jump in quality to my system, and the last I would replace, except if I had a much larger room...

 

Ah Dominic,

Initially when you sent in your post about downgrading, I could not understand why you wanted to get rid of the EAIIs. I remember commenting that if you were going to downgrade, then you should consider the Sonus Faber Concerto Homes and not the faster and livelier Concertinos whose voicing was so far removed from that of the EAIIs - unless of course you were looking for a very different sound altogether. Anyway, as they say, all is well that ends well.



Enjoy the music,

Lawrie.

 

Lawrie part of the plan was to try and get the speakers off the floor and onto the wall - but nothing that I listened to was any good and the Concertos were a bit big for this. The other thing was to realise some cash for other projects. As it turns out the difference between what I could get for the AIIs and what I would have to spend on something else got smaller by the day and so it was a no-brainer but to keep them - nothing was ever going to come close and I do not really need the money. The AIIs will now be admired as a piece of installation art - well that is what I will tell my (designer) girlfriend next time she says that she does not like the look of them!

The Quad 909 works really well with them. It is a 'current dumping' amp - whatever that means - and does the job well - not the grunt of the M3 but good enough.

Dominic