1K used monitor with wide/uniform dispersion

Well you know what they say about insanity being doing the same thing twice and expecting different results? It looks like I may have done just that. After all this discussion and a lot of great ideas I bought a pair of Spendor S3/5, thinking they'd be a good choice and hoping to economize a little in the course of our move. Turns out they're feeling to me more like a false economy. I'd hoped that with a better CD player and amp than when I briefly owned them before that their treble would be smoother and that I'd get to enjoy their midrange magic and soundstaging, but after a month and a half I'm experiencing the same thing as before--treble that just plain makes my ears tired and makes me want to stop listening. The treble is plenty smooth, it just feels like there's too much of it. It's not as bad as it was when I had a cheap Marantz CD changer, and it doesn't feel super-emphasized, but if I listen over 70 dB or so I can only last about 10-15 minutes before I want to get up and walk away. I used to listen at the same or higher volumes with the Vandersteens for hours with no problems.

So now the question is, what next? I'm going to revisit some of the earlier suggestions, but any other thoughts would be welcome. I've messed around with setup a good bit, though the one constant has been a near-field setup of about a 5 foot triangle with the speakers a good ways into the room--3-5 feet--and 7-8 feet from side walls to minimize reflections. I've experimented with toe-in to change the treble balance, too, though it makes very little difference. Though I can recognize what so many folks love them for, it looks like the little Spendors just aren't to my taste. Stop me before I just set up my kitchen radio in front of my listening chair!

ABlang,

Spendors are fine speakers; while they are not my cup of tea I don't know anyone who would classify them as bright or fatiguing. Have you considered your room? Maybe it would benefit from some treatment.

Br3098,

Thanks for your response--and I know my room does need some treatment, as it has wood floors, plaster walls, and a couple of very big windows behind my listening seat. I have bookshelves behind the speakers to provide some diffraction (and they do help the treble and soundstaging; I checked with and without). The speakers are far enough from the side walls (7-8 feet) that I don't think first reflection points are an issue, and the ceiling is high (12 or 14' I think) so that I doubt that I'm getting many problems from it. The floor and windows are problems, though: I'm looking for a rug and planning on some curtains. When I walk around the room or listen from another room the sound is very "live".

A few observations since I wrote that last post: I've moved the speakers again to do what I'd first intended and set the room up by the rule of thirds. At first I placed the speakers closer to the wall thinking that would give them some boundary reinforcement, but now that they're 4.5 feet into the room with my chair 4.5 feet from the back wall the bass has actually filled out and seems more solid. This is a good improvement, though I do think the treble character seems much the same as before--possibly because I'm closer to that very reflective wall and windows behind me? Second observation--after I wrote I switched my IC from a Tributaries Silver to a cheap pair of Markertek interconnects and found the treble a bit smoother and better integrated. I've never invested much in cabling and it may be time: my speaker wires are Tributaries-branded 12G zip cord that I've had forever. Now I'm thinking of trying Anti-Cables for ICs and speaker wire--they'd fit my budget and hopefully be a step in the right direction.

In any case, I'm going to take a little more time to try things out and see if I can make these little guys work for me. I have a few hours tonight to listen and work on set up. Thanks again for any and all help along the way.

I want to thank everybody for their input on this search. After two+ months of working with the Spendors, they're still unfortunately just not working for me. If you look at the measurements in the Stereophile review (of the 3/5 and the 3/5SE) the 3/5's tweeter is a little higher in level with an off-axis flare in the same region (4-10 kHz)--and lovely as they sound otherwise I think that's what's getting to me. It's surprising, as I don't think I've ever heard another person call the Spendors fatiguing, but that's what's happening for my ears.

So...I've posted a wanted ad for a pair of Revel M20 and am hoping they'll be a better fit. Any thoughts or other suggestions would be welcome. Thanks again.