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I'm considering purchasing a pair of Spendor S8e or S6e speakers. I heard a pair of the s8e in passing, and they interested me. I currently listem mostly to acoutstic jazz, but I also like to rock. I'm looking for a speaker in the 3k or under range. I'm a former Vadersteen 2ce owner.The Spendors seem to be musical and not overly bright from my brief listen. I'm looking for input from someone that has listened to both the S6e and S8e- Other than greater bass extension, does the s8e improve over the S6e enough in sound to warrant the difference in cost? I don't really have a place in the area where I can audition the Spendors and would appreciate opinions.
Follow Ups:
I read over at the Naim forum that Spendor has recently re-tuned their speakers to accommodate the new silver-based solder that they are now beginning to use - with a perceivable difference in sound. I believe that someone mentioned here at the Asylum earlier that they've also added a new Classic R range to their lineup.Sounds like quite a few changes taking place to me and probably something to look into if you are considering purchasing new speakers from Spendor. Be sure to audition the version that would be shipped to you from the factory.
I had heard about the new Classic product(s).
Thanks for the heads up about the change in manufacturing practices. I will definitely look into that when making a purchase.
I've auditioned the Spendor S8e's several times at great length and fell in love with them. At the time I could not get a pair on sale so ended up buying a pair of Usher CP-6371 speakers. THose I am completely enjoying for the last year. Most dealers don't carry the S6e because as a few magazine reviews have mentioned. The prime models for the money are the S5e and S8e. THey specifically mentioned that the S8e was head and shoulders above the S6e for not much more money. The sweet spot. For a small room the S5e is recommended. THe S8e is not no giant speaker. It plays perfectly fine in any medium sized and larger room. It does not go in low in bass as my Ushers or other speakers in that price range. But what bass it does have is very tunefull and tight. Even more so than the other models. The reviewers even went as far as to say that the S8e is the most balanced of the series. The sweet spot. This speaker is extremely nice. In a large room like mine...25' x 30' they would definatly need subwoofers.
_______________________________________*Analog fans may be blind-but digital fans are deaf*
http://www.flickr.com/photos/82495693@N00/
Actually the S6e has gotten very goods reviews and also won awards from 2 or 3 British review magazines (if such things matter to someone for making a decision). I personally think the S6e is the "sweet spot" in the line up but the S5e and S8e got the press over here and, hence, the sales (IMO). I haven't heard the 6 versus the 8 or the 5 but the 6 certainly has enough resolution, smoothness and bass for my tastes and room. But my room is smaller than normal, at least in America.
Stylin and Greg- Thanks for your feedback and impressions on the S6e vs. the S8e. Your responses help to illustrate my own decision making process. On the one hand, I hear the 8's are great-- on the other hand, I know that the "sweet spot" in any manufacturers lineup may not always correspond to the most expensive or highest product in the line. I know that both speakers have been pretty well received (although I have heard some people compalin of harshness in the Spendor S series), and I probably won't go too far wrong with either model. Not sure yet which it will be.......
"Harshness" is certainly not a trait that I would attribute to the Spendor S series (or any Spendors for that matter).
nt
_______________________________________*Analog fans may be blind-but digital fans are deaf*
http://www.flickr.com/photos/82495693@N00/
I owned the S5e, and also auditioned the SP3/5e, SP1/2e and listened to the S9e at length at my dealers. None of those struck me as anything approaching harsh.In fact, one of the reasons that I moved on from the Spendors was that I was looking for a bit more zing/bite (for complete lack of better terms) from my system.
Then again, one persons meat is another persons poison - it's all so very subjective.
Hi Greg7,Did you get to hear something in the Proac range before deciding on your Spendor S6e ? I'm asking this because I've got the Spendor S6e and Proac D15 on my short list of speakers I would like to hear and maybe own. I have a minute room so the S8e is out of the question for me anyway. Thanks.
In general, the ProAc offerings will have a bit more going on in the top end than the Spendors. Some will definitely prefer the ProAcs while the Spendors presentation will do it for others.
Thanks for the response. When you say more going on in the top end for the Proacs, do you mean more detail or more brightness/forwardness ? In the midrange would they be comparable ?
When you say more going on in the top end for the Proacs, do you mean more detail or more brightness/forwardness ? In the midrange would they be comparable ?Good question. I'd say that the ProAcs that I listened to offered both a bit more detail and were also a bit brighter/more forward.
To my ears, the Spendors sounded more consistent throughout their lineup when it came to the top end, while the ProAcs could vary quite a bit from one model to the next (i.e. Studio 100, Studio 110, Response 1SC, etc.). However the ProAcs, regardless of the model, were always a bit hotter up top than any of the Spendors that I heard.
Now depending on your system/room this could be a good thing or a bad thing. It all depends on what you are looking for.
The above also impacts the midrange as far as I'm concerned, but I would have a harder time describing the differences between the two brands on that front.
I will say that I liked both the Spendors and the ProAcs and it really comes down to what works best with your particular system (given your own preferences) and which one interfaces the best with your room. Sounds like a cop out, but it's certainly true in my case.
I can see how much easier for the shops in the UK to carry the full Spendor line. A shop owner here in Phoenix mentioned that they can only carry so many models in a line so tend to be more choosy. I was also under the impression that the S6e speaker was released first. Then they came out with the S5e and S8e. Maybe I have my models mixed up. But any rate, they are all fine speakers.Whats strange about room size is that this acoustical website shows that the optimal room size for acoustics is 2500 sq cubic ft. Thats 10 x 25' with 10' ceilings! or 12' x 25' with 8' ceilings. Thats a pretty big room! Mine is huge at 25' x 30' with 10' ceilings. Crazy.
_______________________________________*Analog fans may be blind-but digital fans are deaf*
http://www.flickr.com/photos/82495693@N00/
Check this outhttp://www.homecinemaimports.com/list_notes_01.html#anchor1
I own S6e and I really like them. You need to have a fairly large room for the S8e, of course. My 13' x 15' room is just big enough for the S6e since they get down to 40 Hz.
Greg- Thanks for the response and for the link. The room that I have my system in is not a dedicated room, it's our living room. As far as size goes, it's a 'tweener, but I think it's just large enough to accomodate the 8's. I wish that I had the opportuntiy to listen to the 6's and 8's side by side, but I don't. So I very much appreciate the input.
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