Quadral Chromium Style 8

[cybot]

Roy Buchanan Documentary: Click on this YouTube link (Part 1) and you see Parts 2,3 and 4 on the right-hand side. Might even watch it again myself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMm0UJ1gkfg

Brilliant! I'll look forward to watching that. Thanks a million.....

[Cyndale]

Dont forget to listen to Audioslave video. Enjoy.

[cybot]

Dont forget to listen to Audioslave video. Enjoy.

I did and I won't ;)

[cybot]

Dont forget to listen to Audioslave video. Enjoy.

I did and I won't ;)

Listening to A Guitar Plays the Blues at the moment and it's not as bad as I said! I can't believe it! So there's something weird going on with my system at the moment because this is not first the time I've been proven wrong especially so in the last few weeeks or so. It's almost like I'm rediscovering my vinyl again! About time as I've had a horrible year of it which I won't go into just yet as it brings it all back again. Onwards and upwards eh?

[Cyndale]

Maybe your system heard you were thinking of changing and just doesn't want to move and is quite happy where it is, ha!

Just want to point out something regarding the Quadrals. Traditionally loudspeakers come with rubber feet or spikes, the Quadrals have neither, there is just small circular felt (1mm thick) where normally rubber/spike feet would be. This could cause a problem on carpets (wobbly speakers).

Personally I have always used a small wooden plinth (just about 2'' larger than the base of the speakers) under each speaker. Firstly I screw 4x1'' Philips screws through the carpet to the wooden floor (please don't tell the wife), then I place my plinths on the screws, check with a spirit level, then adjust the screws as necessary. Wallah! speakers have absolutely rock solid foundation on a carpet.

I had been using the Finite Elemente Cereballs under my B&W CM7 loudspeakers and was impressed, but I want to get really familiar with the Quadrals before I attempt to introduced the Cereballs or my REL Stadium II subwoofer. Just saying!

[cybot]

Maybe your system heard you were thinking of changing and just doesn't want to move and is quite happy where it is, ha!

Just want to point out something regarding the Quadrals. Traditionally loudspeakers come with rubber feet or spikes, the Quadrals have neither, there is just small circular felt (1mm thick) where normally rubber/spike feet would be. This could cause a problem on carpets (wobbly speakers).

Personally I have always used a small wooden plinth (just about 2'' larger than the base of the speakers) under each speaker. Firstly I screw 4x1'' Philips screws through the carpet to the wooden floor (please don't tell the wife), then I place my plinths on the screws, check with a spirit level, then adjust the screws as necessary. Wallah! speakers have absolutely rock solid foundation on a carpet.



I had been using the Finite Elemente Cereballs under my B&W CM7 loudspeakers and was impressed, but I want to get really familiar with the Quadrals before I attempt to introduced the Cereballs or my REL Stadium II subwoofer. Just saying!

Listened to the track you 'made' me listen to and it's fantastic! That bass sound even on headphones is ace. First time I've heard them so I was mighty surprised.....

Interesting what you say about the Quadral's. Great wooden solution too :) My own just sit on the carpet. No spikes. No platform. Nothing! Why? Because that's the way I prefer it. I tried them all including garden pavement slabs :) Sometimes you can overdo these things. Just sayin' :) Incidentally, now that I remember, I did exactly the same as you when I moved here first! Went through months of hell trying to get the system to sing in my 'new' and unfamiliar room. No carpet. No furniture. No shelves. Nothing! Amazing the difference when the room started to fill up. Amazing!

Did you check out the Roy Buchanan vinyl link I sent you? Definitely go for his very first Lp. It's a stunner and the bass is to die for :)

[Cyndale]

Yes, I checked out the Roy Buchanan link and I delved in a bit further and found out that the original US LP was cut by none other than the great Robert Ludwig (RL) at Sterling Sound. Now I would love to get my hands on a copy of that. I do remember having Roy's 1st LP but for some reason I sold it years ago, but now that you have brought Roy Buchanan back into my life, I will definitely try to get that as well.

Did you ever see the 1971 movie 'Vanishing Point' well it is a clip from that movie that Audioslave used.

Actually the Quadral Chromium Style 8 has a sub-base, there is about 3mm separating it from the main body of the loudspeakers. Have a look on page 1 of this thread and you will see what I mean. The others in the range from what I can see don't, they have spikes. For me spikes couple the loudspeakers to the floor and make the sound worse. The Cereballs decouple the loudspeakers from the floor which is preferable.

[cybot]

Yes, I checked out the Roy Buchanan link and I delved in a bit further and found out that the original US LP was cut by none other than the great Robert Ludwig (RL) at Sterling Sound. Now I would love to get my hands on a copy of that. I do remember having Roy's 1st LP but for some reason I sold it years ago, but now that you have brought Roy Buchanan back into my life, I will definitely try to get that as well.

Did you ever see the 1971 movie 'Vanishing Point' well it is a clip from that movie that Audioslave used.

Actually the Quadral Chromium Style 8 has a sub-base, there is about 3mm separating it from the main body of the loudspeakers. Have a look on page 1 of this thread and you will see what I mean. The others in the range from what I can see don't, they have spikes. For me spikes couple the loudspeakers to the floor and make the sound worse. The Cereballs decouple the loudspeakers from the floor which is preferable.

Before I head out on the two wheeler I'll dash this off :) Didn't know about RL's involvement in Roy's Ist Lp! But then I'm not as forensic as you ;) Good to know though. You can have my copy for, let me see, in absolute mint condition, weighing about 10 gms.....ah no, I couldn't sell it ;) Not joking about the slightly exaggerated weight though. The thinnest vinyl ever pressed. So bendy and floppy you wouldn't believe! I forget what I paid but I still have the original sticker on it. Will check later.

No as I haven't seen a proper movie in about 5 years! I'm easily bored!

Yes I did notice that 3mm gap! My own have a 3 mm gap at the bottom too. At the moment I'm experimenting with increasing the gap with another set of washers to leave a gap of 6 mm. I've done this loads of time since I got them as it's a great way of keeping the upgrade bug at bay :) Much more fullsome bass and generally a more lively sound. When I get bored of that I'll take them out. But I can't see that happening at the moment as they sound bloody fantastic and is probably the reason why my 'bad' records are now sounding much more fruitful.

I hear what you say about the old spikes (on a wooden floor). I like your summing up re : '.......spikes couple the loudspeakers to the floor'.'Cereballs decouple the loudspeakers from the floor....'

My contention is: why would you want to decouple speakers from the floor? Then you're only hearing the loudspeaker itself along with the rest of the room of course. I don't think this is a good thing as, to my ears, rigidity/isolation does not enhance a sound unless you're looking for total neutrality/dryness. Look at unipivots and OL arms. All floppy and loose in the accepted sense but sounding wonderfully room filling and atmospheric. Look at your own arm. Same principles apply. Again just my tuppence......

Right I'm off into the blue wild yonder and hopefully I'll end up next to a chipper at the seaside with my little wife. I'll cycle. She'll drive and we meet up you know where :) We're just a bunch of kids you know lol!

[Cyndale]

My contention is: why would you want to decouple speakers from the floor? Then you're only hearing the loudspeaker itself along with the rest of the room of course. I don't think this is a good thing as, to my ears, rigidity/isolation does not enhance a sound unless you're looking for total neutrality/dryness.

I couldn't agree more about rigidity (coupling to the floor) not enhancing the sound!

Decoupling is a totally different experience, it means the speakers can 'move' without moving if you know what I mean which frees up the sound.

I hope I explained that right!

[cybot]

My contention is: why would you want to decouple speakers from the floor? Then you're only hearing the loudspeaker itself along with the rest of the room of course. I don't think this is a good thing as, to my ears, rigidity/isolation does not enhance a sound unless you're looking for total neutrality/dryness.

I couldn't agree more about rigidity (coupling to the floor) not enhancing the sound!

Decoupling is a totally different experience, it means the speakers can 'move' without moving if you know what I mean which frees up the sound.

I hope I explained that right!

I know exactly what you mean :) I find it all a bit hard to fully understand to tell the truth. I remember Paul Messenger saying one time that the spike was one of the best ideas in hi fi. So my understanding is that the spike is supposed to stop the speaker cabinet moving so the cones can move independently among other things. The decoupler's function then is......work it out for yourself ;) So the ideal would be to have a coupling/decoupling device. Then you'd have best of both worlds if that's your thing.


Let me tell you a story:

One time I was listening to a pair of speakers (what else!) up in Noel's. I think it was a pair of JMR's. The one with the tweeter eyeball at the top. Anyway Noel set up the Cereballs beneath the speakers and we sat back and listened. Then he left me to my own devices for a little while. After a short time I realised something was missing. So I removed the Cereballs. Now that was much more like it! Noel arrived back in and was suitably impressed with the sound too. I said nothing and continued on my merry way. After a little while I pointed out the fact that I had in fact removed the balls. He smiled and acknowledged my total lack of fear of going against the 'proper' way of doing things. He also noted that the sound had improved to such an extent that he deemed it unnecesssry to reinstall them. And the moral of the story? Trust those skinny flaps either side of your head ;)