Quad L-ite sub review

Fast, articulate and expressive, and couples that agile presentation with genuine weight Tested at £550.00

What Hi-Fi? Verdict

An excellent all-rounder: demands an audition

Pros

  • +

    Comparatively compact yet very muscular

  • +

    quick and potent sound plays music and movies well

  • +

    well-made and well-equipped

Cons

  • -

    Nothing much, although it’s not quite the biggest sound around

Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert team reviews products in dedicated test rooms, to help you make the best choice for your budget. Find out more about how we test.

The L-ite subwoofer retains the hefty 300-watt amp of its larger sibling, the Award-winning Quad L, and apes that £700 model's sturdy sealed-box design, giving it ample potential for a pacy, potent sound. It also boasts a remote control, which usefully helps you preset up to four audio modes – giving you rapid access to specific states of ‘tune' to suit different needs. For example, you might set one preset with extra bass for movie use, another with much less output for late-night listening.

Sonically? This is a cracking design: it's fast, articulate and expressive, and couples that agile presentation with genuine weight. It powers through the stomping beats of Eminem and the stupefying dynamics of King Kong with equal poise, seldom sounding stressed even at high volumes in a big room. This Quad makes a compelling case for itself.

What Hi-Fi?

What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence.

Read more about how we test

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