I have just replaced my warm brown sounding Quad 12L2's with ATC-SCM 19's on my UK sitting room system. Huge increase in clarity and staging but they are very much at the cool end of the spectrum. I mainly listen to classical music and I am finding them occasionally slightly too aggressive and cold. I am using a Musical Fidelity XP100 pre-amp and Avondale uprated Quad 606 power amp. Having caught yet another case of "upgradeitis" I am thinking of going back to using a Quad pre-amp with slope controls, so that I can do the warming if required. My old 66 pre-amp got fried in a lightning strike. I would probably go for a 99 pre or 99CDP-2 combined pre/cd player.
Do folks miss tone controls which are now regarded as infra-dig in the high end hi-fi world. Is this arrogance on the part of hi-fi makers, cheerfully ignoring the differences in room acoustics and the sound balance of recorded music. On my big system in France (Meridian G02 Pre/ MF KW550 Monoblocs/Klipschorn Reference Mk4 speakers and JBL 550 subwoofer, I have ended up putting in a LA acoustics SA31EQ room acoustic tailoring system between the pre and the monoblocs. My room acoustics are difficult in a 1970's style avant garde house, with a 50 foot x 30 foot open plan area made from stone, steel, glass and aluminium plus a ceramic tiled floor.
Any other pre-amplifiers around with tone controls nowadays other than the Quad?
Wilson
