Quad 11L or Wharfedale Diaomond 9.1

Hi- I'm new to the world of Hi-Fi and this is will be be my first real set. [Pardon me if I don't use the right terminology]

My friend sold me his NAD C340 Amp second hand and I'm looking for a pair of speakers to go with it. I've done some web research, gone to the shops and it's now down to Quad 11L or Wharfedale Diamon 9.1. They don't sound alike, although the specs seem similar. Quad11L gives a squeaky clean bell like sound while the Wharfedale seems to be more soothing with better bass. The price diff of approx US$300 to me, is substantial so wondering if the Quad 11L is too good for my simple NAD c340? Or would the money be well spent? I want to avoid paying more, then having to upgrade my amp too soon. My CD player is nothing to shout about (Pioneer DV535K, decent enough right now). I listen to mainly jazz vocals and soft rock-- am big on good melodies with strong rhythms.

So which should I go for? Advice appreciated. Ta

Speakers are the most importnt thing and I would try not to skimp there. For instance my speakers are way too good for the rest of my system(because I have heard another system connected with my spekers) but the system is passable and the speakers are still the meat of the sytem - add the potatoes and and gravy later.

Nad is more than aceptable with most set-ups.

Quad is supposed to be nice and I enjoyed the lower and only current wharfedales I've heard in the Diamond 8 series. But I think I might save and go a bit more upscale on the speakers. Try and look at some of the bigger products from Dynaudio...Audio Note if they're in you're area should be on the list(I don;t know your budget but try for $550.00 AX Two - it's one of about 4 spekaers I've heard under $1kUS that I would enjoy longer term. The Dane 42 and B&W 602S3 are some of the others that are nice. Try and get a fuller reange speaker that has bass below 40hz with real power down there and is tuneful. So many speakers have such dead lifeless bass that it ends up ruining the entire thing for me after awhile. The AX Two is very good as are some of the current Linn speakers which are also quite inexpensive.

the Quad 11L coupled with your NAD intergrated amp would be better served with a small subwoofer added ( especially for the type of music you like), but since spending any more is out of the question, your choice is clear

I have both the NAD C340 and the later model 350. I like the 340 better. I've tried mine with both the Acoustic Energy Aegis Ones and the NHT SuperOnes. Both of these speakers were in the $300-350 range when new. I prefer the AEs ever so slightly because they seem to go a little deeper in the bass dept. You might be more satisfied with the speaker that has a little more bass even though the other speaker might be a little more refined with high frequencies. I did an at-home comparison with the AEs and the B&W CDM1NTs and preferred my AEs with every genre of music except classical. Admittedly, the B&Ws had a better tweeter. The sound was a little more open on top, but they didn't seem to cover as much of the frequency range as my AEs. I decided to wait until I could afford or find a bookshelf speaker that does a little better on the bottom. I haven't heard the speakers you're considering. The bottom line is which one sounds best to you with your equipment.

One consideration might be which one is easiest to drive. You can get an idea by checking the sensitivity measured in dbs (88 or 89 and higher is generally considered easy to drive). The nominal impedance measured in ohms is another measurement to check. Generally, 8 ohms is easier to drive than 4, particularly with the NAD. Finally, the frequency response measured in hz-khz may give you an idea about the bass response. As someone mentioned, 40hz on the low end is pretty good for a bookshelf under a $1000. This is only my general rule of thumb. Others here know much more about these numbers than I and they may even take me to task. BTW, welcome to the party! Some say it never ends.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by eaude

Hi- I'm new to the world of Hi-Fi and this is will be be my first real set. [Pardon me if I don't use the right terminology]

My friend sold me his NAD C340 Amp second hand and I'm looking for a pair of speakers to go with it. I've done some web research, gone to the shops and it's now down to Quad 11L or Wharfedale Diamon 9.1. They don't sound alike, although the specs seem similar. Quad11L gives a squeaky clean bell like sound while the Wharfedale seems to be more soothing with better bass. The price diff of approx US$300 to me, is substantial so wondering if the Quad 11L is too good for my simple NAD c340? Or would the money be well spent? I want to avoid paying more, then having to upgrade my amp too soon. My CD player is nothing to shout about (Pioneer DV535K, decent enough right now). I listen to mainly jazz vocals and soft rock-- am big on good melodies with strong rhythms.

So which should I go for? Advice appreciated. Ta

---

My advice to you is to go for the musically superior Quad 11L. These stunningly
good speakers are upgradeproof if you will replace the mediocre Pioneer some
day for the NAD 541i or 542, secondhand or new. The Quad's bass is better
defined than the Wharfedale's, so if you listen for hours the Wharfedale will become
slightly irritating. In the long run you will appreciate the Quad's much more.

Hurts the pocket (probably more when the card bill comes) but strangely am already wondering if I should have just bought proper stands & not try to skimp on the pennies.

The speakers are now sitting on the low TV stand. Is it true I need to position them far away from the TV due to some magnetic thingy? Would it somehow spoil my speakers if I place them too close? Thanks