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nopantsday
Image by No Pants Day
"Recently, a few students in my school got in trouble for promoting No Pants Day… they are going to celebrate it anyways… what troopers. Anyways, here is the article, and i was amused at the fact that the newspaper sounded like they actually SIDED with them, and not the school. [...] Well, i hope you enjoy the article!" Coal City, Illinois, USA
Hyperlite126@yahoo.com said: No Pants Day is definitely the greatest thing to happen to Coal City since the president came town, which never happened. Everyone has to participate!!! –brock
panduh_sam1@yahoo.com said: totally! anyone who reads this from coal city has got to support our troopers!
tylerispretty27@hotmail.com said: Hey!!!! I was one of those freshman!!!
Sarah said: Yeah I was one of those kids too… yeah all you biotches from COal CIty better forget your pants May 6th!
Kyle Walker said: Yep, i can proudly say that i was the one that helped get it in the newspaper and am a huge supporter for this cool holiday. LIVE FREE, LIVE PANTLESS!!!
leftyleelee20@yahoo.com said: hey this is very cool, i wish that our school could do a cool day like that… my friend gave me the wb site
psychotikKitti@hotmail.com said: no pants day is by far the most awesomeist and genious holiday ever invented….and had i been in coal city i would have fully supported it
berry@uti.com said: OMG i can’t believe u got this on here! Wow May 6th is gonna be very very interesting
Becky said: Wow… this is amazing. Our little town of Coal City, headline on this website. I’m proud to say I live in this town. No Pants Day is going down in history. I can’t wait. Freedom of the press… freedom of no pants. That’s my motto.
COREY said: wow…..im from coal city…….all igot to say is….. "lets do this" 
NICOLE said: EVERYONE YOU GOTTA LOVE US COALCITIANS!…IM PROUD TO BE ONE…WE BRINGING BACK A NEW HOLIDAY!
sammie b said: yep i was the one who sent it in 
yes yes i know im awesome… you are such troopers lol
Boese said: Hell yea!!! I am proud to be from coal city(i never thought i would say that), and i am definetely gonna do this
shankikwa said: can i be part of this no pants day? even though ive got a huge ass and granny undies? thanks for this holiday!
Jaime said: DAMN YOU KYLE WALKER! DAMN YOU AND YOUR… PANTSLESSNESS! HAHA! JK! I totally support this holiday!
LIVE FREE LIVE PANTSLESS!
Kailee said: Coal City may be a small town but we’ve got ambition! No Pants Day, here we come! What better way to brighten your day than to see one of your friends with no pants? I’m with Corey… let’s do this!
Dan Hutchings said: This holiday is amusing, but that does not give you an excuse to walk all over the dress code. I personally guarantee that every student who comes to school without pants will keep me company in my office until his or her parent to brings proper clothing to school. If you want to go pants-free in the privacy of your own home, be my guest. But I will not tolerate that in mine.
Dan Hutchings
Dean / Athletic Director
Katie Crawford said: ok lol this is muah…and i was just wondering if that was seriously hutch or not…i mean im all for the no pants…but i wasnt really planning on doing it anyway…god love yall that is doing it… its pretty funny….ok well luv yaz….goodluck with that
Corey said: im not scared of you hutch. ill spend an hour in your office, as long as im not wearing pants. you can see my erection.
You can decide… said: I now have a bigger opinion on this no pants day. If that is seriously Mr. Hutchings who posted that comment… I don’t think that’s right. For a teacher to come on this website… and threaten kids and their no pantness. What kind of role model is that? An authority figure threating our children not only at school, but online? Kids… I say, "Live free and proud." You know… "authority figures" saying that they can’t do this… is just making them want to do it more. Be careful.
Speaking on the Better Behalf said: The funny thing is… it’s not going to violate the dress code. The boxers that the students will be wearing will be past their fingers. Distraction to class? I don’t think so. What’s distracting is when the school has a hat day, or a dress up day. This is a holiday and you cannot change that.
Rae Buckler said: seriosuly all of you fags need to grow up…how old are you….seriously people come on…….
Derek Chapin said: How dumb can you be i hope everyone who comes to school with no pants gets a detention and hopefully you get yelled at and made fun of all day bc i know i will be making fun of ppl too honestly its so dumb wow are you 5 years old
Becky said: Gosh… get a sense of humor in you guys, will ya? I’m gunna laugh at you Derek, when you’re the only one with pants on!
Alyssa said: Do you say no to Christmas or to Valentine’s Day? No… so why say no to any other holiday? No pants is the way to be… on No Pants Day of course.
Not convinced said: Hutch, if that is really who you are, I am not convinced. I don’t think that was you. I think it was just some non-funny kid playing a prank trying to scare people into not wearing pants. But the more you urge no pants… the more no pants you will see.
Jaime said: AH! EVERYONE DUCK! IT’S THE FLYING HUTCHMAN!
Rae Buckler said: I take the whole no pants day thing being gay….acturally i think i may just participate in this little activity! i can’t beleive coal city is famour! holy moly! so yah….May 6th everyone don’t forget! oh and i’m proud to say i’m from Coal City!!
Jonathon Ronchetti said: Hey hutch…i hope you are prepared to try and squeeze a ton of kids into your office on the 6th while they wait for their parents to bring them pants….lol….just thinking about a ton of pantsless kids in a room together makes me laugh…
sammie b said: hey, derek chapin, you’re a queermo and dont like people dancing so i say u shut ur mouth and look how many people are doing this! i say that if we act like we are 5 years old, we act like we are 5 years old! and we have the satisfaction that if you make fun of us for wearing boxers to school, then we know that you are just jealous that you dont have such cool undies. you, derek, need to chill out. And to Hutch, no one in their right mind would come to school in tightey-whities. Everyone will have approiately lenghted boxers. And if they dont, I dont blame you for punishing them for it. Nobody wants to see that. Ew. But for the people who are aiming to have fun AND having the right length undergarments, then i say go you! And for you other Dereks out there, i say… youre not… cool… eh i dont have a good insult. Well this is all i gotta say… and i will be wearing some AWESOME boxers from Wal-Mart! Im out!
Sammie
I will fuck Dan Hutchings in the ass said: yeah, Hutchings can try to get us all in his office, and I will dry buttfuck him 54 times.
tyler said: I smell an orgy in Hutch’s office….
Coley said: alright…no pants day is definitely the shit…and everyone should participate on may 6th…i can’t wait..
mike said: dude i love orgies i am deffinatly going to wear no pants so i can be invited hope to see all of my fellow class mates there and supporting the holiday
Arica said: hmm…well…no pants day…what can you honestly say…
Boese said: I agree with Tyler. I SMELL AN ORGY!!!
Tyler (again) said: Derek is a big douche who uses no grammar whatsoever in his comment. I find it particularly hard to read something written by such a fucking dumbass. I would like to ask how we are the five year olds when you cannot form coherent sentences.
Arica said: who the hell made up this thing anyway?
sammie b said: nice wording, tyler. hey, i say that if you dont wanna get in trouble, wear boxers that are fingertip length and try to not go commando, and in teh case you do, sew the little front flap thingy shut…
Jessica said: I am all for no pants day!!!! Can’t wait to see ya in you office Hutch!
Ashley said: Wow….thats all i can think to say…May 6th in coal city is gonna KiCk AsS! No Pants Day All The WaY!HaHa…Everyone in Coal City better Be pantsless! Im with Becky…Freedom of the press…freedom of no pants!
Brian A said: its about time coal shitty has some excitment. no pants day is just gonna fucking rock. anyone who doesnt think that this will be the greatest day in school history is just retarded, if you dont want to see girls walking around school pantless then you got some problems
Phil said: i say we comprmise and wear spandex
Corey said: The buttons are comin off the boxers. I want everyone to see my throbing member when the girls walk by without pants!
Sarah said: Hey Hutch! Can’t wait to keep you company in your office on May 6th..Instead of fighting all this you should participate…ummm never mind…anyways someone needs to have a kick ass party May 6th!!! Then we can really go pantless!
Kelsey said: I think no pants day is the coolest! All of the administration needs to lighten up and have a little fun..i mean we arent doin anythin to hurt anyone..god..just get over yourself!
hyperlite126@yahoo.com said: How bout a pants-less party in the lions park after school? We could all walk there holding picket signs or something…who’s in? –brock
Alyssa said: Oh the power of no pants.
Boese said: I cant wait to sit in Hutch’s office on may 6th all night. My mom is going on vacation!!!
Alyssa said: Yes, I went out and bought boxers today.
Brooke…its not important… said: good idea about the party in the park and the picket signs…it shall be fun….anywayz good job walker for gettin that posted and all….have fun on no pants day…i was gonna wear boxers with bananas on them but my dad said he would ground me forever…and b/c i listened to him i am ashamed!?!?!? oh well have fun anywayz guys ill be there for ya….and maybe i will wear a pair of boxers over my jeans….yeah that could be fun….lol!!!
Becky said: Oh!! I bought boxers too today with Alyssa. It’s gunna kick!!
Corey said: I feel like burning all my pants just to prove a point. Without pants, me not wearing pants is normal. Hopefully people follow ’til pants no longer exist. This world would become a lot better.
Sarah said: Who cares about carrying picket signs…Let’s just party afterwards!!!
DOWN WITH PANTS!!! said: DOWN WITH PANTS!!! DOWN WITH PANTS!!! DOWN WITH PANTS!!! DOWN WITH PANTS!!! DOWN WITH PANTS!!! PENIS DOWN WITH PANTS!!! DOWN WITH PANTS!!! DOWN WITH PANTS!!! ERECTION DOWN WITH PANTS!!! DOWN WITH PANTS!!! DOWN WITH PANTS!!! DOWN WITH PANTS!!! WEINER DOWN WITH PANTS!!! DOWN WITH PANTS!!! DOWN WITH PANTS!!!
Brooke….Again said: okay so i lied im wearing boxers on May 6th….im gonna buy some cute ones!!….yay!! go no pants!!!..
Jaime said: Where are you girls getting cute boxers from!?!?!
sammie b said: wally world, of course, silly jaime! well thats where me, tyler, n sarah are going friday… i have a cast party for musical goin on may 6th that nite… where many no pants day supporters like becky will be, but hey if i have time ill stop by if its not too late!! tell me bout how it goes! SCREW PANTS!
Boxer Buying Tips said: I suggest wally world…k mart….and….target…there cheap and cute!!…there u go and u can so the fly up!!…or just button it…LOL
Jaime said: Nah. I think I’ll go with the fly open. No… that’d be kind of pointless… anyway….
TONI said: WOOO HOO go no pants day….this is the greatest holiday ever!
AsHlEy said: Hacia abajo Con Pantalones
NATE said: GO NO PANTS DAY!
sammieb said: ONE WEEK LEFT!!!!!!!!
Kyle Walker-Occupation: Promoter and Proud Participator said: 1 WEEK LEFT EVERYONE!!!!!!! First of all, I highly dought that Hutch would sink that low, so I’m positive that was a fake, but if it is true…BRING IT ON MR. HUTINGS. Secondly, I hope all of you do it and don’t puss out. I mean come on, no one likes quiters. And third of all, I gotta clean out my pants right now cause I just creamed them from my own excitement for no pants day! HURRAY!!!
Walker said: Mr. Hutchings that is. Mispelled his name previously.
Kailee said: Ok… so on May 6th, No Pants Day, there’s not only going to be a bunch of kids celebrating the holiday by wearing nonviolating of the dresscode boxers, but we’ll ALL be with our mom’s and dad’s sardined in Hutch’s office. I can’t wait for no pants day!!! Thank you for making this holiday special Coal City administration!!!
RaE bUcKlEr said: wow…..this is amazing…can’t wait until no pants day!!
sammieb said: dude, you all seriously need to make the outfits crazy… like if someone has a hawaiian shirt wear it with christmas boxers… or if someone has a christmas shirt wear it with beach boxers or if you have a crazy shirt (for example, a suit of armor or something completely insasne…) wear it with the craziest boxers you can find… like pink flamingos… o well… everyone better not back out!! SCREW SCHOOL, FORGET YOU PANTS!
Alyssa said: One word can describe how I feel about Coal Citians right now… wow.
annon. said: I can’t wait to see Corey in NO PANTS!
OOBER HOTTNESS
Corey said: Damn straight!
bggunz@msn.com said: sweet, too sweet, even more so for the hot chicks! So what would happen in the winter if you had no pants??? w00t, a bit cold, eh?
Call Me "Pantless" said: Dont forget to forget.
Kailee said: Uhm no pants day is in May… so it won’t be in the winter… dumbazz
Geek said: Be original. Go to www.uglies.com/ and wear something different.
Sarah said: Alright all you participants of No Pants Day 2005, we’re gonna have a party afterwards…Then you can show off your tighty whiteys for all I care!!! The count down to No Pants Day has officially begun!!!
older child said: man, i wish i were still in high school.. so i can support the "No Pants Day" 
that saddens me.. Goodluck to all you chil’ins who are particpating! i hope ya’ll dont get in trouble.
Dont Freat said: You can still participate. My brother is coming home from school and gettin piss drunk and going to the bars without pants. So people of all ages can celebrate! Take off the pants, liberate the people! Down with authority!
hyperlite126@yahoo.com said: We should have a bonfire of pants!!! Not only could we burn things, but we could do it half-naked, risking some serious genital burns. yay!!! –Brock
outraged said: Hutch cant do this! dont freat fellow no-pantsers! we shall fight Hutch! hes giving us a reason to have a 5-day weekend! embrace his attacks! forget your pants and allow your genitals to stand strong!
Kyle Walker said: Fellow supporters, if you have heard the recent announcment of boxers and briefs are not appropriate for school, do not worry. I have the solution, get shorts and cut them so the ends of the shorts barely hang out the bottom of the boxers. This will count as wearing boxers over pants. And since Mr. Hutchings said, "you are allowed to wear boxers of pants", and also shorts are a sub-class of pants, the celebration will still go on!!! For more questions go to me, or other NPD promoters. By the way, EVERYONE WHO IS PARTICIPATING THIS FRIDAY SHOULD MEET AT MCDONALDS AT 7:45 TO BEGIN THE MARCH TO THE SCHOOL. Remember get a cut pair of shorts to wear under the boxers to keep pantless!
Kyle Walker said: Also, I say we get a complete group picture on May 6th of all the participaters to send in to the site and hopefully win that worth of underwear!
tyler said: Mr. Kyle Walker, the fucking genius, came up with that brilliant loophole just earlier today after we talked to Hutchings. Yeah, we’re using is own fucking words to beat him!!
Sarah said: Kyle Walker…I Love You!!! Brilliant..Let the celebration continue!
walker said: The quote that hutch said which i put up earlier is supposed to be, "you are allowed to wear boxers over pants". messed up my typing a little. anywho…GO NPD!
Pink briefs & Spawn shirt Bob said: Fuck ‘em. Don’t wear pants under boxers. That’s retarded. Get together with 20ish people and wear just underwear to school. If you all get suspended or whatever, you’ll be on the national news. You can’t go wrong.
natasha said: Hey i say just wear normal underwear under your boxers and if that hutchings guy says anything tell him our just wearing shorts that LOOK like boxers. but don’t tell anyone if ya don’t have to.
1 more day! said: Tomarrow is No Pants Day! Penis!
no pantelones en Espanol said: El seis de mayo es el dia de no pantalones! Es manana!
8 hours until no pants day said: It’s coming…
actually… said: 7 hours and 59 minutes
Kailee-Freakin Pumped said: Toooooo morrow tomorrow no pants day Tomorrow!!! I have boxers with little duckies on them and i’m sooo excited… i’m wearing crazy capris under them tho… yeah i’m wussin out… but i have to because if i get in trouble, i can’t play in our game and if i can’t play in our game, we won’t have a game cuz we have just enough people… sorry dudes… but i’m cheerin on the ones who are literally stickin in out… HA! and i hope we do get on the news… CNN here we come!
katie said: Reading this was SO entertaining. If only Evanston would get together and do something like that… No Pants Day sounds like its gonna be fuckin AWESOME! You go! WOOT
said: please take lots of pictures and give us updates! take pictures with the school sign, win the underwear! you can do it!!!
Hey Kailee said: Did you notice that the downloadable Sim also had ducky boxers? So do I, since I was basing the Sim on myself! You have made a good choice!
sammie b said: yeah yeah… everyone who is doin it… after school we all should get in front of the sign cause there r ppl who arent goin to mickey ds in the morning… i know tyler isnt and me and sarah arent… so yeah ill try to talk to everyone with boxers tomorrow and someone bring a camera or a camera phone to school so we can take a lot of pictures!
Kailee-I’m One Lucky Duck said: Whats up with that Sims thing… i don’t get it… but thanks for the compliment
Oh Kyle Walker, How I Love You said: Haha, jk dude, i don’t REALLY love you, just to the extent of non gayness. Well anyway, as Ms Bohlman said, ‘I think if you were sitting in my class with no pants, it would be sick’ or something like that lol, you should totally go for it. What is a detention compared to the pride you, and the rest of the participants will get if you go through with this, which I know you will cuz I sit behind you in math and thats all the talk about. Well peace out and sveet yo.
Ashamed said: wearing shorts under the boxers defeats the purpose of No Pants day. Hence the name, NO PANTS. this school has fallen apart. Hutch has gotten to you. We must let the pants go.
Jaime said: Woah. Look at me! I’m IN SCHOOL, with NO PANTS, and posting in the site! Wow… we are such rebels. haha. HAPPY NO PANTS DAY!
We are the few, the proud, the pantsless.
me said: lol,kyle walker didnt even make it to first hour without getting in trouble!
me said: lol,kyle walker didnt even make it to first hour without getting in trouble!
jaime said: Dude… to whoever posted the last post, the whole "kyle walker didn’t make it to 1st hour thing"… don’t disguise your name! I’M SITTING RIGHT NEXT TO YOU AND I SAW YOU POST IT! LOL!
Kyle Walker is my hero! Rawk On!
And to you, the doofus sitting next to me posting smack about Kyle Walker, all I have to say is this…
…stop being a wuss and be pantsless like the rest of us!!!
Jaime
Kyle Walker said: It is true, I didn’t even make it to first hour, I was walking there but the Hutchman caught me. But fuck it, i’m not letting school ruin my first No Pants Day celebration! Everyone wearing no pants in coal city today, lets go to the park and march to the school in no pants. Give me a aol msg at punkrawkinmysoks
sammieb and sarah said: did you all see tyler after school?? awesomeness… him and john walked home without pants… and he had man panties… im so proud of him
Corey said: i walked to the Lyon’s Park around 6:30 because i thought there would be people there. Well i was right, there were people there but they had pants on. It seems that there were a few baseball games that day and there were only parents and kids playing baseball. At least i got to show off my boxers, but to a few people that i didnt espect. Thanks for coming…assholes.
Walker said: I think we should do a no pants run out of the school on the last day, to make up for today, since it wasn’t that great. add a reply if you agree
sammieb said: hey hey tyler brock and sarah were there at 7… where were you all??? i agree. at 9 on the last day after we get our report cards drop em and run! what can they do?! detention? hah.
I would have been there… said: I would have been at the park but i completely forgot that i was grounded from everything since i got progress report.
Corey said: i agree with the last day of school reconstruction of Friday. and how about we actually go to the park this time.
Luc said: I just wanted to thank the coal city students for showing me a flyer so I could bring no pants day to GSW
OB said: hey…i agree with the drop ‘em and run on the last day…like sammie said what are they going to do about it.
NO PANTS ON THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!
hyperlite126@yahoo.com said: no pants day…over…? no way!!! well, 361 more days…
888 said: some people should *never* remove their pants, unless its a part of some barf inducing method…
Corey said: Whoever posts things and doesnt include their name is homosexual. What is there to be scared and ashamed of? Whoever "888" is, probably didnt participate in No Pants Day, and wont participate on May 27th. I didnt plan coming to school on the last hour but now that i know that its another chance to piss of hutch, Im in. And im just coming with no pants on. Screw dropping them after i get my report card. I dont even want it. Less time gettin bitched at.
Walker said: May 27 is the hour day without finals right? cause thats the day i plan on running around the school.
Corey said: Running Around The School, All The Better Without Pants On. We Should Start A Marathon And See How Long It Takes For Them To Stop Us.
hyperlite126@yahoo.com said: A pantsless marathon would hurt horribly. Now, in search of the next cool clothing day, our last full day of school should be Very Tight Clothing Day
Corey said: SPANDEX!!!
Walker said: I say we go with toga day, don’t know when but we have to plan it out and we can’t let the hutchman know cause then he’ll find some stupid way to stop it.
Brad Pitt said: @Corey: you need a doctor dude…—–" Whoever posts things and doesnt include their name is homosexual."
There you go, I included my name, are you happy, you little homophobic male virgin?—–"What is there to be scared and ashamed of? Whoever "888" is, probably didnt participate in No Pants Day, and wont participate on May 27th." Look at the pictures of all the human whales. If you don’t see them – buy bigger monitor, and if you see them and they are normal to you – well, you must be one of them, the truly thoroughbred pure fat Americans LOL!
Z said: u guys are fucking awesome man im gonna promote the holiday next year over here in ohio this is fucking brilliant and awesome thx for reviving the holiday
brunettecheerchck91@yahoo.com said: I SUPPORT NO PANTS PEOPLE
Walker said: Bored and thought of cruising by the old article. Anybody check the rule book for this school year? You may have noticed no change in it, you know what the means. No pants day here we come yet again, screw the administration!
brock said: nice words walker…i’m really disappointed that we didnt get our own chapter of the handbook, or i’d totally get it framed. anyway, this year cinco de mayo is cinco de "i’m gonna take of my freaking pants".
Adriana xreversedx@yahoo.com said: man, you guys are so awesome! I’m all for no pants day, its just too bad I missed it this year, but man oh man just wait for next year ’cause these pants are comin off!
*WOO!*
starship6@msn.com said: hahaha this website is amusing. i don’t think i’m bold enough to go without pants for a day, but maybe if i didn’t have chicken legs i wouldn’t mind as much. POWER TO THE….. NO PANTS PEOPLE! i can’t believe people come on here are complaining about how dumb the idea is and how they hope people get in trouble for it and whatever. lighten up, i’ll share my dad’s midol with ya
Jonathon Ronchetti said: people…are we counting down the days for NPD 2006?
Ken said: Jonathon, is appears not…
and with regards to the REALLY old comments about winter… Far enough north, it’s like winter… so… it can get cold. The answer: be a trooper and take it, keep going. stop just before frost bite.
jesus_of_suburbia820@hotmail.com said: YAY!!! finally sum1 that agree’s. kids at high scholl should be aloud not to wear pants if u atleast have a uniform pass!!!!
hopeful said: I can’t wait for no pants day again, i got a rep tho and don’t know how my friends would take it if i told them about it XD they mgiht think i was gay
zoe said: i like the idea of no pants day
zoe said: do u have to wear boxers or can u just wear nothin at all :p
Corey said: 5 more days until Cinco De Mayo, but more importantly, No Pant’s Day. Celebration? Hell Yes.
asdf said: sadfsdafsdafadsf
Mike said: NO PANTS 4 EVER
yomesal said: eat food
yomesal said: i like muffins they are cool i eat them do you now me i like partys shizzle dizzle when you eat food i like pie hit the brakes george. weeeee you are on the first student fun house fudu a black guy jacked my pen from me
yomesal said: i like to talk why are all of you guys alive go eat muffins when i walk i walk and askk jeeves why is his name jeeves he said sgugengravinvernichtungsautomobile i was like what licky do you know german
he said anter vusi vou play i said yo you no cool then he said nos fo hctib and i said did you say son of a bitch.
peacout.
yomesal said: i like muffins dude i am a homie white boy do you lie terminate all you pantless people because are sick and you are woads i hope you die adios
Desktop Audio Upgrade * The stunning NuForce Icon HDP
Image by Jordanhill School D&T Dept
I needed some new speakers for my desktop computer system at home. I’ve been tolerating JBL creature 2.1 system for a couple of years now and I’d finally had enough. The JBLs suffered from a depressing lack of critical midrange detail. This, coupled with the fact that the kids now hog the main system in the front room, means that I can’t get access to my iTunes library readily.
A few years ago I was doing some research into speakers and I came across the Quad 11l actives. They were very well reviewed in a couple of Australian and New Zealand hi-fi publications. From what I could gather at the time they were not widely available in the UK. When I did eventually track them down their price tag was £600 for a pair. Prohibitively expensive for a desktop audio system. These things are marketed as pro-level near field monitors. They have their own build in amps. Two per speaker. 60W for the bass driver and 40W for the treble driver.
Anyway a couple of weeks ago I decided to have a casual squint at eBay and see if I could pick up a second hand pair at a vastly reduced price. There were none available. One seller was selling individual speakers new for £250. apiece. Still too expensive. Crestfallen, I gave up. A couple of days later I had another look. Another seller was offering a pair of Quad actives for £229. Stunned, I had a closer look. Apart from a different badge, Quad Industrial, these looked identical to the Quad 11l actives. Plus, they were brand new, in unopened boxes.
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I was very excited to hear these speakers given the reviews I’d read. I’m also a big fan of the Quad sound. My front room consists of the Quad 12l2s as main speakers in my 5.1 kit, Quad Centre, Quad l-ite satellites for rear and Quad l-ite subwoofer. Now I could have the Quad sound as part of my desktop system at a fraction of the price.
Quad speakers are known for being extremely neutral. In other words they take nothing away from or add anything to the original recording or source. Although my Quads were all very well reviewed at the time of their release, around 2004-2007, there are other great speakers out there. For me I liked the cachet associated with being a Quad owner. I clearly liked the sound and most importantly I got all the kit at bargain prices. Most of it was ex-dem so I saved at least 20% on the normal retail price. Another important factor was matching the speakers across the whole 5.1 kit. All of them should work well together. The 5.1 kit is driven by an Arcam AVR 300 that again was ex-dem. The front speakers are bi-amped and bi-wired. This affords them 120 watts per channel and per driver.
Being a hi-fi enthusiast makes you a bit picky about what you’ll listen to. So how do the Quad actives sound? Well put it this way… I’ve not stopped playing them since the minute they arrived in the house. I’ve thrown everything at them. From Led Zepp to Beethoven. Alison Krauss through to Prokofiev. Unbelievable! If anything the Quad actives may sound better than the 12l2s in my front room due to the fact that their bi-amp design is perfectly matched to the drivers in a way that any other amp would struggle to better. There is plenty of power and the signal path is not compromised by additional cabling and junction points. So the sound could be characterised as being clean, clear with tight bass control and a surprising amount of depth considering the cabinet size. However being nearfield monitors they are very revealing! If the recording is poor it sounds poor through these. You are very conscious of it. Also after a few days I became very aware of the deficiencies of the iMac’s sound card. There was a constant low hum and other nasties such as buzzing and clicks. Hissing too. Another issue was that I wanted to run an old radio tuner through these. All I could lay my hands on at short notice was a phono switchbox. This worked but it was difficult to control the volume of the tuner other than messing around at the back of the monitors. Not really ideal.
I realised I need to look for some kind of preamp. Nothing suitable for desktop audio seemed immediately available. Initially I started looking at pro audio solutions. Mixers and the like. Not only were these really expensive but they also took up a lot of desk space. The other thing that seemed clear was that some kind of external signal processing solution would improve on the sound the iMac was capable of producing. Looked like a DAC was required. This took me into a whole new ballpark. It came down to two companies in the end. Cambridge Audio’s Dacmagic or NuForce’s uDac or Icon products. Fundamentally it came down to my need to switch sources easily and the ability to control volume at the turn of a dial or via an installed remote app on an iPhone. The Dacmagic looked very tempting but there was no preamp function or headphone amplifier. This left me with the NuForce products.
NuForce’s website information is confusing. Being new to the world of DACs and desktop audio I knew little about using USB as a means of feeding an external digital to analogue converter with a digital signal. I was familiar with toslink optical links from the Arcam processor but USB was new to me. So I started reading about jitter and the degrading effect is has on sound quality and the technology used by NuForce to take correct these issues. I also read some astonishing reviews on their uDac, Icon 2 and Icon HDP products. Turns out NuForce are an American company that specialises in really high end digital amplifiers and DACs. We’re talking thousands of pounds. Their ‘desktop’ range is much more affordable however. The uDac was offered to me for £55 for example. In the end I got a fantastic deal on the Icon HDP. I had to make a couple of phone calls at this point. I can’t say how much I saved but I got a better bargain on this than I got on the Quads! The Icon HDP is a combined class A headphone, preamp and top quality DAC rolled into one. Perfect for my needs.
Now we have the combined effect of the iMac and its ability to feed a purely digital signal from iTunes or Spotify Premium to the NuForce Icon HDP via USB and then onto the Quad QPMs. The effect the Icon HDP had on the system was staggering. This truly is a phenomenal product. Undoubtedly the most accomplished, best sounding and most useful piece of hi-fi equipment I’ve ever bought. The whole soundstage opened right up. Subtle nuances present in the recordings were revealed in extraordinary detail. A truly three dimensional space is presented to the listener. Given I’m used to the full Quad/Arcam experience in the front room it’s amazing how lifelike and articulate my bargain desktop audio solution really is. The Quads in themselves are remarkable for the price but the Icon HDP is literally a revelation.
As you’ll see from the photos I’ve experimented with this system in all sorts of combinations. At one point I even hooked up the Quad sub to hear the difference it made. I concluded it’s really not required the system is already capable of producing almost terrifying levels of deep controlled bass without it. Midrange too is superb. Treble crisp and smear free. I’ve been particularly enjoying the albums below. I’ve pretty much moved into the backroom! All in all, a pretty good October week…
Trentemøller – The Very Last Resort
Mercan Dede – 800
Sergei Rachmaninoff – Rachmaninov
Alison Krauss – Lonely Runs Both Ways
John Hiatt – Hiatt Comes Alive At Budokan?
Booka Shade – Memento
Avishai Cohen – Aurora
By the way the Quads are still available on eBay, last few remaining. Other speakers shown for comparison.
Desktop Audio Upgrade
Image by Jordanhill School D&T Dept
I needed some new speakers for my desktop computer system at home. I’ve been tolerating JBL creature 2.1 system for a couple of years now and I’d finally had enough. The JBLs suffered from a depressing lack of critical midrange detail. This, coupled with the fact that the kids now hog the main system in the front room, means that I can’t get access to my iTunes library readily.
A few years ago I was doing some research into speakers and I came across the Quad 11l actives. They were very well reviewed in a couple of Australian and New Zealand hi-fi publications. From what I could gather at the time they were not widely available in the UK. When I did eventually track them down their price tag was £600 for a pair. Prohibitively expensive for a desktop audio system. These things are marketed as pro-level near field monitors. They have their own build in amps. Two per speaker. 60W for the bass driver and 40W for the treble driver.
Anyway a couple of weeks ago I decided to have a casual squint at eBay and see if I could pick up a second hand pair at a vastly reduced price. There were none available. One seller was selling individual speakers new for £250. apiece. Still too expensive. Crestfallen, I gave up. A couple of days later I had another look. Another seller was offering a pair of Quad actives for £229. Stunned, I had a closer look. Apart from a different badge, Quad Industrial, these looked identical to the Quad 11l actives. Plus, they were brand new, in unopened boxes.
After a few hours of research I discovered that IAG, Quad’s parent company, has an Industrial division that market audio equipment for hotels, conference centres, lecture theatres, and the like. Hence the different branding. The speaker also goes by another name, the Quad QPM1. Other than that it is identical in every way to the Quad 11l active monitor.
This was a game changer. Prior to this I was considering the Audioengine 2 model as my desktop speaker replacement. I phoned the supplier to check that there was no mistake in their pricing in the advert. They confirmed that they were on sale for £229 for the pair. I placed my order immediately.
I was very excited to hear these speakers given the reviews I’d read. I’m also a big fan of the Quad sound. My front room consists of the Quad 12l2s as main speakers in my 5.1 kit, Quad Centre, Quad l-ite satellites for rear and Quad l-ite subwoofer. Now I could have the Quad sound as part of my desktop system at a fraction of the price.
Quad speakers are known for being extremely neutral. In other words they take nothing away from or add anything to the original recording or source. Although my Quads were all very well reviewed at the time of their release, around 2004-2007, there are other great speakers out there. For me I liked the cachet associated with being a Quad owner. I clearly liked the sound and most importantly I got all the kit at bargain prices. Most of it was ex-dem so I saved at least 20% on the normal retail price. Another important factor was matching the speakers across the whole 5.1 kit. All of them should work well together. The 5.1 kit is driven by an Arcam AVR 300 that again was ex-dem. The front speakers are bi-amped and bi-wired. This affords them 120 watts per channel and per driver.
Being a hi-fi enthusiast makes you a bit picky about what you’ll listen to. So how do the Quad actives sound? Well put it this way… I’ve not stopped playing them since the minute they arrived in the house. I’ve thrown everything at them. From Led Zepp to Beethoven. Alison Krauss through to Prokofiev. Unbelievable! If anything the Quad actives may sound better than the 12l2s in my front room due to the fact that their bi-amp design is perfectly matched to the drivers in a way that any other amp would struggle to better. There is plenty of power and the signal path is not compromised by additional cabling and junction points. So the sound could be characterised as being clean, clear with tight bass control and a surprising amount of depth considering the cabinet size. However being nearfield monitors they are very revealing! If the recording is poor it sounds poor through these. You are very conscious of it. Also after a few days I became very aware of the deficiencies of the iMac’s sound card. There was a constant low hum and other nasties such as buzzing and clicks. Hissing too. Another issue was that I wanted to run an old radio tuner through these. All I could lay my hands on at short notice was a phono switchbox. This worked but it was difficult to control the volume of the tuner other than messing around at the back of the monitors. Not really ideal.
I realised I need to look for some kind of preamp. Nothing suitable for desktop audio seemed immediately available. Initially I started looking at pro audio solutions. Mixers and the like. Not only were these really expensive but they also took up a lot of desk space. The other thing that seemed clear was that some kind of external signal processing solution would improve on the sound the iMac was capable of producing. Looked like a DAC was required. This took me into a whole new ballpark. It came down to two companies in the end. Cambridge Audio’s Dacmagic or NuForce’s uDac or Icon products. Fundamentally it came down to my need to switch sources easily and the ability to control volume at the turn of a dial or via an installed remote app on an iPhone. The Dacmagic looked very tempting but there was no preamp function or headphone amplifier. This left me with the NuForce products.
NuForce’s website information is confusing. Being new to the world of DACs and desktop audio I knew little about using USB as a means of feeding an external digital to analogue converter with a digital signal. I was familiar with toslink optical links from the Arcam processor but USB was new to me. So I started reading about jitter and the degrading effect is has on sound quality and the technology used by NuForce to take correct these issues. I also read some astonishing reviews on their uDac, Icon 2 and Icon HDP products. Turns out NuForce are an American company that specialises in really high end digital amplifiers and DACs. We’re talking thousands of pounds. Their ‘desktop’ range is much more affordable however. The uDac was offered to me for £55 for example. In the end I got a fantastic deal on the Icon HDP. I had to make a couple of phone calls at this point. I can’t say how much I saved but I got a better bargain on this than I got on the Quads! The Icon HDP is a combined class A headphone, preamp and top quality DAC rolled into one. Perfect for my needs.
Now we have the combined effect of the iMac and its ability to feed a purely digital signal from iTunes or Spotify Premium to the NuForce Icon HDP via USB and then onto the Quad QPMs. The effect the Icon HDP had on the system was staggering. This truly is a phenomenal product. Undoubtedly the most accomplished, best sounding and most useful piece of hi-fi equipment I’ve ever bought. The whole soundstage opened right up. Subtle nuances present in the recordings were revealed in extraordinary detail. A truly three dimensional space is presented to the listener. Given I’m used to the full Quad/Arcam experience in the front room it’s amazing how lifelike and articulate my bargain desktop audio solution really is. The Quads in themselves are remarkable for the price but the Icon HDP is literally a revelation.
As you’ll see from the photos I’ve experimented with this system in all sorts of combinations. At one point I even hooked up the Quad sub to hear the difference it made. I concluded it’s really not required the system is already capable of producing almost terrifying levels of deep controlled bass without it. Midrange too is superb. Treble crisp and smear free. I’ve been particularly enjoying the albums below. I’ve pretty much moved into the backroom! All in all, a pretty good October week…
Trentemøller – The Very Last Resort
Mercan Dede – 800
Sergei Rachmaninoff – Rachmaninov
Alison Krauss – Lonely Runs Both Ways
John Hiatt – Hiatt Comes Alive At Budokan?
Booka Shade – Memento
Avishai Cohen – Aurora
By the way the Quads are still available on eBay, last few remaining. Other speakers shown for comparison.
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