The BC1 from the late 60's till the 80's is probably the most famous Spendor speaker. It is a large 3-way standmount, easy to drive and known for it's smooth presentation. Could be a bit wooly in the bass, but a beautiful midrange was it's most striking sound feature. I think it's a bit of a collector's item now, so likely to be quite expensive if you are fortunate to find a pair.
More recent (90's?) would be the S100's which are big, full bodied standmounts. Great speakers! |
I've got a pair of SP1/2Es and a pair of SP3/1Ps from their "classic" range.
The SP1/2Es are descendants of the BC1 and I enjoy them greatly. They are extremely neutral and are a wonderful choice for someone who enjoys naturally recorded voice and acoustic instruments. I bought mine used on Audiogon where they show up periodically. While they do pop, rock 'n roll and other music just fine for my purposes, they are not a speaker for a fan of high volume or super deep bass or one who likes the "audiophile" sound that highlights "detail" in a way that one doesn't hear at a live venue.
The SP3/1P is also clearly a member of the Spendor family but isn't quite as refined. But it is a much smaller and less expensive speaker.
I've also owned two speakers from their new series, the S5e and S8e. I enjoyed their sound. The S8e in particular plays louder than the classics and has deeper bass but its voicing is a bit more toward the popular "audiophile" sound. If I listened only to pop/rock recordings I would have likely stayed with the S8e. However, the SP1/2E is more natural sounding with straight acoustic material and I value that attribute more than the volume and bass advantage of the newer speakers.
Good luck with your search. |
I was a Spendor user for quite some time. Still have the first pair I bought which were the 3/1. Moved to the 7/1 then the 1/2E. I enjoyed all these speakers. While I no longer use Spendor, if I see a pair of 9/1's come up for sale I may just have to indulge.
If you need additional bass with Spendor speakers, REL subs match up well with them. For me, other than the 3/1, the bass was fine. The mid-range will more than make up for any bass deficiency. My preference leans toward the mid-range anyway so I'm comfortable giving up a little bass. |
I was a former dealer, still use them, have SP1s, SP 1/2Es, SP 2s, S-100s. The ones or one/2s are very good and often very reasonable. The 100s are very good in larger rooms, the twos in smaller ones. I use a pair of REL subs with mine. I think the older ones are the ones to get. I may be selling one of my S100 s pairs eventually. |
I've owned my S100's for 19 years! Paired with my tube amp & pre-amp I've been a very happy man. Spendor + tubes = sonic bliss!;) |
This is where I tend to disagree with some Spendor owners. Tube amps and Spendors never sounded as good in my system as they did powered by solid state amps. |
My experience is in line with the comments so far. I've been very happy with my Spendor SP1/2 loudspeakers, which I run with ample solid state power amplification (McIntosh MC352 stereo amp). They are natural-sounding, non-analytical speakers that are not fatiguing in any way. New, the Spendors are pretty expensive for what they are, but I found a used pair for less than $2K including the essential Sound Anchor stands. The SP1/2 won't handle deep bass, however, and I believe it is essential to get a subwoofer to hear them at their best. My current subwoofer is a single REL Stentor, which has made a huge difference. A lot of Spendor owners use REL subwoofers, sometimes in pairs. Others have reported excellent bass with the Spendor SP100, but I have not auditioned them. Still others have also reported success with Spendor loudspeakers on relatively low power, whereas I find them to perform well with a high current amplifier. I suspect that high-power tube amplification would be a nice match for Spendor. If you are able, do experimentation with amplifiers to see what you like. |
Just one more comment on the power issue. I use a tube amp with my SP1/2Es. The amp is an Image 65i with 6550 output tubes and is rated at 50 watts a channel. I listen at an average volume of 80 to 85 dB in a medium-small room (about 15' X 14' with 9 1/2' ceilings) and the amp very comfortably powers the speakers. I previously used a Bel Canto S300 (solid state with 150 watts/ch) and do not believe I lost anything in dynamics when I switched to the lower power tube amp. |
I have both the Spendor Classic 1/2 and 2/3e speakers. Both have a mid-range to die for, with the 1/2's having a slightly deeper bass but, as others have said, bass is not why you buy the Spendor Classic speakers. New Spendor 2/3's sell for about $3,500; new 1/2's for about $5,500.
My listening room is 14'x15'. I use a solid state Audio Analogue Puccini integrated amplifier (50 watts) and a Pathos Classic One hybrid integrated amplifier (70 watts) to drive the Spendors to very loud levels. They have a flat 8 ohm impedence and are easy to drive. I also use an Eastern Electric M-520 tube integrated amplifier (18 watts). The music is just magical, whether powered by a solid state or tube amplifier. |
I've got the current S8E's and they sound fantastic. Smooth but extended highs, really good bass, terrific imaging... a great speaker in any age, and they do come up used from time to time here on A-Gon. |
spendor bc1/69's (only 69 pairs made)...ls3/5a's..both incredible and beyond rare....still under 2k when you find them. |
BC3s here -- the best speakers I've owned or heard chez moi in 35 years. Like electrostats but with more bass and volume capability.
Jeremy |
I'm thinking Spendor, and am interested in them because of these vintage B&W DM4's I picked up. The Spendor BC1 was very much the same,same mid and super tweeters as the DM4's.
These vintage B&W's are freakin wonderful and totally open. So,I thought Spendor's would be worth checkin out too.
Thanks for all the comments and info! |
I've owned a paid of Spendor 1/2s for four years and still wonder at their ability to embody acoustic string (bluegrass, Malian, etc.) and put across well-recorded piano music, like Debussy and Oscar Peterson. Solo voice, like Naïve's Vivaldi recordings, also flourish. Since I bought these black beauties from a Nashville Audiogon seller, and the vintage is plausible, I like to imagine they were Johnny Cash's way of hearing. On the warm side, as others have noted. If you prefer the dry and analytical, these Spendors may seem just a little too wet. But if you're like me, B&W (for example) sound like sandpaper blocks. Personally, these old Spendors make my ears grin. |
Have owned my S100s now for 18 years and very content with them. Curious if u still have you have yours or what u may have replaced them with. |
I can't quite match Gthgmg with his 18 years, but I have owned my SP100s for 11 years and am still very happy with their sound. I recently investigated several speakers that have attracted a lot of press lately, but I haven't heard anything so far that makes me want to pull the trigger. The SP100 isn't perfect, but it does manage to do so many things right that I find it very satisfying over the long haul. When I listen to it, I hear music and I don't start making mental lists of its shortcomings. |
When I 1st chimed in on this thread my S100's were 19 yrs old. I got 'em for Xmas in 1990 so obviously they're 22 yrs old! I'm listening to these bad boys right NOW!;) We're rockin' in the new year! It's obvious from mine and other similar posts that Spendor's are keepers! |
When I 1st chimed in on this thread my S100's were 19 yrs old. I got 'em for Xmas in 1990 so obviously they're 22 yrs old! I'm listening to these bad boys right NOW!;) We're rockin' in the new year! It's obvious from mine and other similar posts that Spendor's are keepers! |
I have had the mini-monitor SA1's in my BR system for the past few years and adore them. Expensive but extremely sophistictaed and accomplished little devils.
Before then, I had SP2/1's, S3/5's and then S3/5R's. Any time I have sold my Spendors I regretted it, so I am not selling my SA1's. Learned my lesson. There really is Spendor magic.
Neal |
Hi Neal-Just bought a pair of S3/5R's for a second system. I will be running a Well Tempered Amadeus TT, and an LM Audio 211IA, 30 WPC PP amp. Still have to buy a cartridge and phono stage. Glad to hear you are loving the Spendors. My LM integrated seems to put out a very healthy 30 WPC, and sounds very promising with my reference CD player. The player btw, is the Sony PS 1. The real test will be when I get the analog up and running. Cheers-Don |
I've never heard the the SP100s, but they're too tough with that price new. They should be at least half of that. |
