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I wouldn’t call infrasonics ultra quick or bone dry but certainly sufficiently fleet to work unhindered through Skinny Puppy’s "Dig It" from Mind The Perpetual Intercourse with its slippery edgy and uneasily stuttering bass-drum runs. Those are elemental to the song lest its rhythmic stutter turns arrhythmia and sonic gruel. My Thiel CS3.7 in this range applied a bit more precision and outline keenness—one of their recognized strengths—but given suitably quick amplification, nobody should miss a thing with Quadral’s Titan VIII.
Ditto on soundstaging. The sonic imagery decorrelated wonderfully from the physical enclosures for a freely floating, pleasantly expansive, generous and highly involving panorama not groomed for ultra localization sharpness or plasticity. The Quadral isn’t one of those speakers which use various inter-distances to map the virtual stage down to the centimeter or chisel out each performer as a deep-relief sculpture. Here costlier compact boxes routinely offer more. That said the Titan never allows confusion on stage. During regular (non-mental) listening sorting issues should never present themselves to any but the most strict law & order fetishists.
Conclusion. Though I tend to find such statements cheap and over-used— apologies then—I do view Quadral’s Titan VIII as a very special offer amongst top speaker models. At this price I couldn’t think of another which combines this level of music-serving accuracy with such impressive power and pressure. As such this speaker is an open portal to a very direct and emotional connection with the music. The only departure from this in the very positive sense of the word utterly uncomplicated presentation was a minor elevation in the low bass. But even mediocre mastering jobs remained fun and this speaker was simultaneously capable to reach deep on audiophile productions.
Psych profile:
A grand high-pressure presentation without seams. The Titan VIII offers very immediate, emotional and stress-free access to the music.
High transparency, precision and resolution never intrude but serve the music as a matter of underlying fact.
Top dynamics both micro and macro.
An airy, fine and highly informative treble without nervousness or agitation. Particularly praiseworthy is the accurate rendering of textures and sustains.
A tonally perfectly even and satisfyingly differentiated midband. Voices and instruments are endowed with just the perfect measure of warmth and natural color.
A very 'mature' infrasonic authority. The bass is generally perfectly integrated but the first octave includes a small emphasis. Good if not bone-dry timing dominates the low registers.
Involving soundstaging perfectly detached from the boxes. Image sharpness and plasticity aren't extraordinary but solid.
High fit 'n' finish and high material returns even relative to the not insignificant sticker. Only the chassis mounting with wood screws is a point of criticism.
Last but not least: very high power handling.
Facts:
Concept: 3-way floorstander with bass reflex and pressure chamber loading
Trim: High-gloss black and white, choco oak, natural oak - 180 special RAL lacquers €1.000 extra
Sensitivity: 90dB/1W/1m
Min. impedance: 2.8 ohms - with -2dB bass filter 3.5 ohms
