Loudspeaker Reviews
Quad 11L Classic Speaker Review
Quad 11L Classic
Price : £330
Rating : 9.2/10
If you’re looking for inspiring neutrality, remarkable level of detail resolution, and is easy to place in the room then the Quad 11L Classic is for you. It’s difficult to appraise these speakers when comparing to the original version which have been around for over 8 years now. There are many improvements from the original, but there are some areas that are not so impressive. The build quality and finish are excellent, and they make an excellent presentation, delivered with authority that few can match.
The stereo imaging of the Quad 11L Classic is a joy, and it’s resolution is amazing. Where they lose out to competition is that they are a tad too laid back, and can lose some exhilaration in the process. They make an excellent job of scrutinizing recordings rather than enjoying it. Whether it’s your choice of speaker is definitely up to personal taste, but it remains a very detailed speaker that accentuates nothing and delivers a smooth and authoritative sound
Specifications
Type: two-way vented box loudspeaker
Treble unit: 25mm fabric dome
Mid/bass driver: 125mm woven Kevlar cone
Frequency response: 48Hz – 22kHz +-3dB
Nominal impedance: 8 Ohms (minimum 4.2 Ohms)
Sensitivity: 87dB 1W/1m
Dimensions (HxWxD): 310 x 190 x 243mm
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Mordaunt-Short Aviano 1
Price : £200
Rating : 7.8/10
Some 12 months after its initial appearance the Mordaunt Short Aviano 1 has had a price reduction in order to make it more competitive with rivals. The self-assured and convincing sound along with its characteristic, distinctive looks make it a worthy contender in today’s market. With a distinctive curved front panel, aluminium cone and dome tweeter, it’s appearance is definitely impressive. They’re well built and finished, and their new lower price makes them worthy of consideration.
The fast, informative and energetic sound certainly makes its presence known. Low frequencies are dealt with great assurance and composure. Although well balanced, the Aviano 1s can sometimes be aggressive, but partnering with neutral electronics makes the best combination. In bi-wired mode the imaging is more realistic, although vocals tend to get separated from the instruments more. Their rhythmic ability is excellent as is their sense of sonic magnitude.
Where the Aviano 1s tend to lose out is in the area of dynamics, the best of the competition does it better.
Specifications
Standmount Yes
Floorstander No
Sensitivity (db/w/m) 88
Impedance (ohms) 8
Max power handling (watts) 100
Biwirable Yes
Finishes 3
Dimensions (hwd, cm) 28x18x27
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Tannoy Mercury V1 Speaker Review
Tannoy Mercury V1
Price : £150
Review : 8.4/10
The Tannoy Mercury V1 delivers in a very enjoyable manner that’s well balanced. It’s an easy to place speaker, happy against walls, or equally happy in the middle of the room. Now in its 6th version the Mercury is the result of many years of tweaking and improvement by Tannoy. These entry level speakers have a wonderfully silky treble, whilst the midrange is serene. The bass is taut, controlled, and full of life.
To achieve these improvements Tannoy have made the cabinet larger to give more bass and the bracing has been improved to control the bass and results in more attack. The drivers have not escaped attention either, the 13cm bass/midrange is made from a completely new pulp-fibre cone, and the tweeter and crossover are completely new. The Mercury’s are sold as Sugar Maple or Dark Walnut with a front reflex port. They’re completely shielded in case your TV is CRT. The Tannoy never fatigue after extensive periods of listening, there’s nothing that you find irritating or draws undue attention to. Give them any sort of music and they’ll make a good fist of it.
Rival speakers can produce more aggression, but the Tannoys delight with a natural vocal, and a good foot tapping bass.
It’s hard to convince yourself that these speakers retail at £150, and that’s what makes these stand out from the rest, value is amazing.
Specifications
Standmount Yes
Floorstander No
Sensitivity (db/w/m) 86
Impedance (ohms) 8
Max power handling (watts) 200
Biwirable No
Finishes 2
Dimensions (hwd, cm) 30x17x26
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Wharfedale Diamond 10.1
Price : £200
Rating : 8.9/10
The 10.1 is the latest incarnation from the well known Wharfedale Diamond stable. It would be a major misfortune to find these disappointing – no they certainly don’t do that. Diamonds have established something of a cult following created by many years of good design. You could say that the 10.1s are the best budget speaker yet, and few would argue. What Wharfedale have created in the Diamond is a remarkable speaker which over the years through continual development has just got better.
The Diamonds now have a curved cabinet which helps eliminate cabinet resonance, and the Kevlar surrounds now have a moulded pattern to deal with the effects of standing waves. These are easy speakers to listen to; you don’t find the bass or treble attracting too much attention. A very cohesive sound due to Wharfedales careful blending of the bass and treble drivers. The Wharfedale 10.1s are a smooth operator with a confident presentation no matter what you choose to throw at it. The transparency is quite remarkable considering its price.
Unfussy about positioning they will deliver a controlled, easy to listen to sound full of detail.
Specifications
Standmount Yes
Floorstander No
Sensitivity (db/w/m) 8dB
Impedance (ohms) 6
Max power handling (watts) 100
Biwirable Yes
Finishes 4
Dimensions (hwd, cm) 30x19x28
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Mission MX1 Speaker Review
Mission MX1
Price : £150
Rating : 9.5/10
Aimed firmly at the budget market the Mission MX1 gives a remarkably good account of itself. A fast and eppealing sound that’s full of high frequency detail. They wont get bewildered by intricacy. A word of caution, if they are fed with equipment that’s forward sounding then they can accentuate. The bass and midrange are smooth enough but the treble can sometimes be accused of being a little OTT. That said the treble that they produce is high-quality. What Mission have achieved with the MX1 is a subtle compromise that’s required to produce a good sounding speaker for the price.
At 28cm tall you won’t find them imposing, yet give ample amounts of decent bass. With the rear facing port these will sound best when placed against a wall. It’s Mission tradition to have an inverted arrangement of drive units with the treble at the bottom. The 13cm mid/bass driver along with the 25mm soft dome is of Mission manufacture. The MX1s are a fairly standard two-way reflex design, but the devil is always in the detail and here it is the drive units and crossover.
It’s assuring to see mission back in the fold again, where they should be, giving us great sounding speakers. The build quality is as good as anything in this price range.
The MX1s give large bundles of entertainment, a precious commodity at any price.
Specifications
Standmount Yes
Floorstander No
Sensitivity (db/w/m) 86
Impedance (ohms) 8
Max power handling (watts) 100
Biwirable Yes
Finishes 4
Dimensions (hwd, cm) 28x17x26
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