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Love the 2/3s but for a variety of reasons would like floorstanding speakers. Would prefer to hear from Spendor fans who have perhaps gone this route. Thanks.
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Thanks for the thoughtful and unexpectedly numerous replies. You've given me a lot to consider. Within the Spendor range are the 1/2s any more open and dynamic than the 2/3s?
Yes, but that is specifically relative to the 2/3. In the greater world of loudspeakers I don't think the SP 1/2 is particularly open and extended or dynamic - its strength is its glorious midrange. I think the SP 1/2 is the sweet spot among the Classic Spendors. I prefer it to both the 2/3 and the SP 100. For someone that needs more bass I would rather have 1/2s with good subwoofers (like RELs) than SP 100s. The SP 1/2 like the 2/3 is much better on chamber music (or folk or jazz) than it is on something like romantic era symphonies.
Looking at your present system I would not expect dynamics to be a strength.
One system change- I went from an Ortofon OM40 cartridge to an Ortofon X5-MC, a much better cartridge. I'm now a moving coil convert.
When I was searching, these were always intriguing -- many people just love them. (I ended up with the SP1/2 without ever hearing either of the ones I'm suggesting.) And if you love the Spendor sound, you might not find another brand that gives you that blend of "Spendorness" that you like. In truth, I have listened to many other speakers but NEVER heard any that came close to the Spendors FOR WHAT I'M LISTENING FOR.:-)
Best of luck!
I used 2/3s for about 2 years and really loved their easy-to-listen-to sound. Non-fatiguing and all that yada, yada, yada. I too wanted to get a more dynamic "kick" from my music (rock, accoustic/electric blues, jazz, etc). I had 'upgraded" from some '78 Klipsch Cornwalls, which were certainly dynamic, but a little bit shrill and harsh with some music. I really liked most of what I heard, but that, coupled with the fact that they were pretty large and detracted from my significant other's decor, I decided to get the Spendors and be done with speaker changes. O.K., back to why I eventually sold the Spendors...
I started looking into Altec, mainly from reading all of Tom Brennan's (and a public "Thank You" goes out to you) posts praising them so highly. I specifically started to search for the Duplex series, which was a highly regarded monitor for decades. I found a few, but with so many model designations, and considering the age of most offered for sale, I decided to look into the Iconic Mfg. company.
Iconic sources their drivers from Great Plains Audio, located in Oklahoma, and who, as chance would have it, is run by several of the original Altec folks from the Anaheim days. They have all the Original tooling and are currently producing, among several other products, new "604-H II" which is supposed to better even the original Duplexs of any era. The Iconic version of this driver is called a 704-8A. It is the same driver, just re-named. It essentially is a 515 woofer with an 802 HF compression driver in one package.
Steve Burger at Iconic (located in Bellingham, WA) contracts out to have cabinets made to suit your taste. He also is affiliated with Jim Dickinson, who does the crossovers, which are made from very high quality components and eliminate the need for the old high and low filters for the Duplex. You can get a Stonehenge V (9 c.f.) or a Stonehenge III (6 c.f.) tower built for you. Excellent worksmanship, too.
My Stonehenge IIIs are great, getting the most from ANY type of music. 100db sensitive, they have dynamics to get the power of a kick-drum or any other percussive wave out of the speaker and into the room. The bass doesn't do sub-notes; it's probably only down to the 40hz range. But what is there is there in its entirety, and has a "rightness" to it that has to be heard to be believed. The midrange is full, meaty, and is fully deserved of the legendary Altec type of midrange. Highs are sweet and never grating; they go to the limits of human hearing.
To close, I would say you owe it to yourself to listen to some Altec Duplexes; you can judge for yourself if they're for you. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Happy Hunting!Here's a link:
www.iconicskrs.com
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DUI,
Ratings are just that; specs. They fall within a certain dB range, and can certainly have variation. I believe that while the Stonehenge III may be rated to 50hz, it still has audible (and useable) output to around 40hz.
man..i replaced spendor 1/2's with an altec 414 and a BMS horn driver.. i LOVED those speaks, but i wanted more dynamics, which was definitely their achilles heel.. unfortunately, the hard part was getting the crossover right-- but in the end, the only thing i could find that gave me the beautiful tonal balance of those speakers was a brutal year of making it happen with millions of capacitor combinations with classic paper or foil in oils.
you could always go the route of classic horn combos.. but its definitely not turnkey.. i liked the recommendations of the gent who sent ya the direction of audio notes and harbeths!
I used to own the Spendor SP 1/2's and they were/are fantastic speakers but I longed for something more dynamic so I eventually ended up with Dali Euphonia MS 4's, which I am thrilled with. If the Dali Euphonia MS 4's are too costly look into the Ikon, Mentor and Helicon lines which are also great sound speakers. They are detailed, musical, dynamic but also very smooth.
One possibility would be to look for a pair Spendor SP 7/1s. These used the 2/3 drivers in a floor standing enclosure and have more extended (although still not really deep) bass response. I think used prices tend to run around $1200 pr when they come up plus or minus $200 depending on condition and veneer.
I would also look and the new J M Reynaud Cantabile Signature or the discontinued Evolution 3. I have not heard the Cantabile but Classic Spendor lovers tend to like Reynauds.
A case can also be made for Magneplanars, Vandersteens and maybe the PMC FB1+. The Green Mountain Audio Continuum 1.5i is a much more transparent/resolving speaker than than the 2/3 but it has vaguely similar, if more extended and open, voicing. It is no longer in production, I think used pairs are going for around $2K - $2.5K, again depending on condition and veneer. The Meadowlark Heron i is also worth considering in the $2K used ballpark. I was much less impressed with the Shearwater Hotrods. ProAc Response 2.5is are another roughly $2K used option. There are lots of good possibilities out there.
It is open, extended and detailed, but retains the JMR colouration. If the neutrality of the Spendors matters to you, then this may not be the speaker, but it makes a very lovely sound.
I find the Spendors, especially the 1/2, extremely seductive and musical but the Classic series tends toward a slightly warm and soft presentation. I would not characterize them as neutral even though there are far more dramatically colored speakers out there, some for far more money. It is fair to note that "open, extended and detailed" does not exactly describe the 2/3s.
I have Spendor 2/3. I wouldn't mind replacing them with a fuller range floor standing either. But it is really hard to find such a speaker with the musicality and to die for midrange. I do find most audiophile speakers too bright for MY tastes. Speakers I would like an extended audition with:Vandersteen 3A Sig, 5, 5A - Heard the 3A's. I would not miss the Spendors with these. But they will not pass WAF.
Gershman - Any of their speakers. I’ve always liked them at shows but no dealers in California.
Audio Note, Harbeth. Simplicity and lossy cabinet structure really seem to create a musical speaker. Like a musical instrument.
Daedalus DA-1 - Very intriguing. Made of solid hardwood. Reviews say musicality of Harbeth with the Dynamics a 3 way can bring to the table. But I've learnt never to trust reviews. Look forward to hearing them one day. There are user reviews here and over at audiogon speaker forum. Anyone in S. California that has these and wouldn’t mind letting me audition, please let me know!
Living Voice - Good Reviews. But again, I have to hear for myself and there are very few dealers in the USA.
Sonus Faber Cremona line and up - Yummy!
Gibbon – Read good things about these. The Gibbon 8 is in my price range but is only 34” tall. Sorry, I like a tall soundstage.
Spendor S series – Very musical but not as musical as the Classic Series. I ruled these out for now because they are too short. Don’t speaker designers care about soundstage height! Surely it can’t add that much to the cost to add an extra 6 inches.
ATC – Need lots of power. Have not heard them though.
Beethoven Baby Grand, Concert Grand – Not heard these yet.
If you like the Spendor line, why not look at their S series? Everything from the S5e upwards is a floor model. I've had the S5e for about a year now and it is an excellent speaker (see my review on this forum.) You can get the S5e new for $2,000/pair and they pop up on the used market in the $1,200 to $1,500 range. The models range up from there.
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They are in a whole other league from the Spendors at a very reasonable price.
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