“I first listened to the older QLNs and recalled everything I liked about them – a spacious and airy top end, relative tonal neutrality, a deep and layered midrange, and bigger bass than you’d expect for a monitor this size. This is still an excellent speaker with a neutral character.
Plugging in the new Prestige One however was a different world entirely. Bass immediately was cleaner and less boomy in the room, while also giving the impression of reaching lower. Across the midrange and top end, the sound seemed better damped and less splashy, the auditory image was more focused and precise. Details came through with a greater sense of transparency and immediacy and the tonal character of sounds was more apparent.
Alongside the greater sense of control was an increased perception of dynamics, both in punch and in micro dynamic contrast. Small gradations were more evident, but the larger macrodynamic swings also placed me into the music more. With the older QLN I was able to discern many facets of the recording with ease, but with the new Prestige One I could feel the energy of musical performances in a way that was more deeply informative.
While both speakers were plenty coherent, the newer QLN also seemed cut from a more coherent sonic cloth, with the texture of bass and treble on the older model sounding splashy and loose in the lows, giving a slight U-shape to the frequency response. By contrast the new one sounded like it was tuned to a gentle B&K style downward tilting curve, that was much flatter and that had much more controlled cabinet vibrations and directivity. Room interactions in the same spot seemed less severe with the new speaker, and generally musical enjoyment and immersion were enhanced. While either speaker could be a great studio or critical listening tool, the Prestige Ones gave me greater musical satisfaction.”
Full review here