Quad 12L /Dynaudio Audience 42 Opinions??

[padi89]

Well after much chopping and changing about of cables,speaker position,furniture i just cannot soften the sound of my Epos M5 so im going to look elsewhere.The highs and sibilance are just too much for me,need something a lot smoother.
After spending much of yesterday trawling the internet and today ringing around various hi-fi shops the Quad 12L(pre-owned) and Audience 42(ex display)come within my budget,both the same price and a good one at that.
Most of my music is rock say 60% and the rest is a mixture of all sorts,dance,bit of jazz some classical etc so i need something thats a good all rounder smooth,non fatiguing especially in the highs with a bit of punch.
I would really appreciate anyones views,owners,people that have demoed them etc.Each shop is a 3 hour drive in the opposite direction so im gonna have to take a day off for each to audition.Amp is only a NAD C352 ,will be upgrading at the end of Oct.
Many thanks.

 

[jostenmeat]

hi padi, I was hoping someone else who had more experience with these would chime in. I think you picked two suitable brands for what you are looking for. I did an AB test between Quad 22L's with a speaker twice its price. Though the Quads did have a pleasant coloration, they could not hold a candle as far as detail in the unfair test I ran. I do not know how similar the 21L will sound. A different complaint, which you will not care about, is that the 22L tweeters are simply mounted too low. The finish is nice, however.

Otoh, I was very impressed with Dynaudio speakers. Problem is that I've only heard their better/best lines. That being said, smooth, non-forward, non-fatiguing sound, yet with great detail still (unlike with 22L. Again, unfair comparison).

I am being extremely unhelpful, but figured to speak up anyways. Think of it as a friendly bump!