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[RGA]

Have to agree with E-stat - on the panels the coherence tends to be excellent because the sound is uniform top to bottom. But it should be noted that so are lowthar single driver speakers and they meet more of the theoretical ideal of a point source. Again the compromises sneak in. In order to get acceptable bass response (and in many instances treble response) requires either a dynamic driver (a big ol woofer), corner loading to use the wall as part of the cabinet, or a freaking massive panel.

Bottom line here is that to get it all it's going to cost some coin - and if you can live without much bass and dynamics and volume level then The Quad 2905 is a very good option - but $14k for me is too much to live without those three things - in other words even at $14k you make big big compromises - and there is no way to fix it later or add things to fix it. Adding subwoofers does not change the dynamic ability of the speaker (dynamics are not just located in subwoofer below 100hz region - they're everywhere - on brass and strings. When you listen to big band jazz on big ol horns the Quad 2905 is incredibly polite and distant experience in every way. It's beautiful mind you - elegant and posh and clear as a beautiful day looking out the window at the majesty of it all. A big dynamic system however may sound a tad untidy but you'll feel the wind of that big beautiful day because you'll be on the porch breathing it in not looking at it through the windows. And that is on acoustic jazz or classical I make that statement. On amplified music with bass, kick and snare drums the 2905 folds up its tents and dissapears. But the speed and nimbleness on light orchestral works and lack of colouration and spot on cohesion is very tough to beat - and for some listeners impossible to beat.

And depsite the fact that Dynamics and timbre and tone are my priorities and the fact that I don't think the Quads are really up to it - they STILL manage to be in my top 3 or 4 loudspeakers (under 20k) because what they do so well like sounding of a piece and holographically present if not viscerally present is something that is very much worth considering. Definitely worth an audition - listen to classical and llight jazz first - and be amazed. But then for the reality check - put on Black on Black by AC/DC or Aerosmith Pump or some such albums or just some basic Pop - Madonna's Immaculate Collection Vogue or something and then the reality of compromise will really hit hard.

Ideally you could have two systems - one Quad/Soundlab based (the bigger ones) and then in another room big fat old Horns. I think Audio Note and Tannoy for me to this point strike the best balance between the two extremes.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

Perhaps AA needs to treat his room so he can sit far enough away from them to allow the drivers to blend better. Every speaker has a driver fusion threshold. For nearfield listening, you need to sit right at that fusion threshold, which must be closer to you than you are from the nearest boundary, or that boundary will be apart of what you hear.

All speakers come with some sort of trade off. Panels may have better coherence, but they suffer in dynamics and low frequency extension.