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I'd love a pair of these, but too much $$$. What alternatives might I pursue, in the well-under-$1K (say, $500-600) zone?What I'm ***really*** looking for is a smallish speaker (5" woofer, 1" tweeter) that is significantly rolled-off at both extremes, and neutral throughout the midrange (for vocals). I HATE bright speakers in particular (my ageing ears seem to be getting sensitive there). Bass is an irrelevancy to me, I live in a small flat so don't want to cheese my neighbors off anyway. My electronics are Naim. Just for reference, I'm using JM Reynaud Twins at the moment; too bright. Yes, I've swapped cables, treated the room, etc. etc.
Thanks chaps.
Follow Ups:
how about these Quad's?
http://www.quad-hifi.co.uk/model.php?sector_id=2&range_id=11&model_id=35
i am currently using these as my main set in a smallish apartment. Their sound, size and cost seem to fit your criteria. They are just glorious with jazz, maybe a little too mellow for hard rock. I still enjoy zepp on them anyways. They dissapear and image like crazy if set up properly. The gourgeous finish on the cabinets are just icing on the cake. You can get these used on audiogon for around $500.
regards,
Paul
After having owned these and (regretfully, at times) having sold them, I would say they have few competitors, if you like their sound. They didn't do well for me when played at low volumes, which is why I ultimately sold mine, but you have a better amp than I was using.
As mentioned below, your best bet is to buy them used. They are frequently available for around your price range (I sold mine for $600).
A possible option would be Castle Acoustics. I have the Warwicks, which are voiced similarly to Spendors and have nicer cabinets. The Warwicks are a larger speaker, but Castle makes at least one or two models around the size of the S3/5. The list price on Castles are high and they are hard to find, but I believe they recently filed for bankruptcy and you may be able to find a good deal. In the US, their distributor is selling off some models at significant discounts.
If you do find a speaker that sells for $500 new and sounds identical to the S3/5, please let us know.
My speaker wish list has been decimated by this thread:
Reynaud Twins are bright, and Spendor S3/5s are not so good at low volumes.
I wouldn't reject the Spendors solely based on my comment about low listening levels. I was trying to drive them with a low powered (25wpc) NAD receiver, which did not work. I tried a higher powered NAD amp (50wpc), which worked better, but since I had other speakers that sounded as good or better at low volumes, I decided to let the Spendors go.
I also listen to headphones a lot and the headphone jack on the NAD receiver was unusually good, while the headphone jack on the NAD integrated amp is not as good.
I considered buying a more expensive and powerful amp, but finding one that met that met all of my criteria was difficult and seemed silly in light of the amount of time and the way I listen to this particular system.
Thanks for the response. Which speakers do you have that you like better at low volumes?I primarily listen at low volumes and anyway the Spendors are stretch for my budget and I don't have very powerful amplification (Amber 70, NAD 3020, Advent 300, Scott 299).
So all I want is something small, not bright, great midrange, that sounds as good as an S 3/5 only better at low volumes that is cheaper and works well with modest amplification. Maybe I'm describing headphones.
The R3s disappointed me (they misbehaved in my home), but the R1s did reasonably well. I found them lively, though with precious little bass, and the soft-dome tweeter avoided many of the sins I associate with metal models in that price range. Something else came home with me, but the R1s were surprisingly good and, in some ways, akin to the S3/5 or its derivatives.
Of course, I think you may actually be in search of headphones. But, there we are.
Before you waste money with another pair of speakers, try to use shielded AC cables with ferrite on each of your electronics. You'll get sweet trebles and deeper bass. I had similar problems and this worked for me.Cheers
Roberto
How about the Gini systems LS3/5a clone (can be bought at a kit for $500, or add $80 for a pre-built one) that was reported on in a recent TAS?
ACI Emerald XL. $700 new in flat black.
.
I would suggest the NSM model 5 as something you should investigate (parent company of Role Audio). Read the Reviews athttp://www.soundstage.com/revequip/das12.htm
and
http://www.tnt-audio.com/casse/rolekayak_e.html
(Kayak is the Role version of the model 5). These two models would seem to be exactly what you are looking for. I have a pair of the model 5s for sale in the classifieds if you are interested.
I am in the nearly the same boat. I want LS3/5a speakers, but they and their modern equivalents have become too expensive for my budget.Thanks for the tip on the Twins, I'm also allergic to bright speakers.
The one thing I've heard about the Spendors is you need good amp to power them, but I guess you've got that covered.
I've heard good things about the Audio Note AX-2 and some small speakers from Role Audio.
This little speaker was mentioned in recent Absolute Sound and in the positive feed back review below.
You could just copy this posted speaker design. I built one just for kicks. The drivers are great but the 27TDFC tweeter is a little nicer IMHO. The 27TBFC is an aluminum version which is actually slightly more rolled off if you can believe that. Both of those are drop-in replacements for the specified tweeter.
http://www.zaphaudio.com/audio-speaker12.htmlIt's similar to the Spendor in that it is low in efficiency but goes surprisingly low for a small speaker and is on the warm side.
I built one for fun but also built my own version which I like better. Both are surprisingly good. I used Sonicaps, Mills resistors, and 14g inductors on the woofer on my favorite one. It's not much more money and sounds better to me.
If you can solder, purchase or build a box, and cut accurate round holes then you can build it.
Bill
Have had these for about three years, the one thing they do great is midrange. Really nice and true "high end" speaker for the price...
Cheak the Naim forum for some other advice...v.i.
Million miles from home.
Sorry... but it won't close to the Spendor S3/5..I own Audience 40... which sound very, very similar to 42... the midband is colder (or neutral as many other say) compared to the S3/5, which is warmer...
So preference is back to your own ears...
I myself, if I can afford Spendor S3/5, I will choose it over Dynaudio...
Try the Paradigm Atom Series V. It's brand new, and very surprising. $210 in the states.
I like the Monitor Audio BR5s and JM Labs Focal 707S in that price range you are looking for...Give them a try!
If I remember the reviews correctly, the Acoustic Energy Aegis Evo I may be just what you're looking for. I believe they retail for $400. You might Google for reviews, keeping in mind that they used to be called Aegis I (without the "Evo"), I believe.-Bob
You'd be surprised.Or Monitor Audio RS1.
They've got a pair of the real things (Spendor S3/5's) over at Audiogon for $600 plus shipping from a seller with a good rating. This is a good but not unusual price for a used set. (However, I note you didn't say where you are, so these wouldn't be practical outside the US.)Why go for an imitation if you like the Spendors? And I do have to say they are magic. I'm listening to my S5e's as I type. Just beautiful.
what about these linn katan's?
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