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Spender classic 1/2 vs SP1

I am in the process of rejuvenating my 30 year old stereo system.  The foundation of which is a trusted pair of SP-1s which I bought back in 1988.  They have served me well, but are getting a little long in the tooth.  I am so used to the Spendor sound that I would like to stay in that lane.  I have auditioned Harbeth SHL 5's but found them a little weak in the bottom end.  It was suggested I check out the new classic 1/2 ; which based on online reviews seems somewhat mixed in its reception.  Has anyone any direct experience with the classic 1/2?  The other suggested speaker alternative ( given the SHL 5 brightness) was the Harbeth 30.2. Anyone have any thoughts ?
Thanks,
M Petrovicsky
mpomerantz
donquichotte
112 posts
 
Umm... what online reviews? I could only find this: http://famous-av.com/?p=1350 and also there's a discussion on another Australian forum, I don't know if it's appropriate to post the link but you can easily find it, with some interesting comments by the Australian dealer regarding many of the new Spendors. Anyway, I could not find anything else, much less a mixed / negative opinion.

Interested in these Spendors (and other Spendors that are not very very far away price-wise) as well...
mpomerantz OP
95 posts
 
So have you heard the Spendor New classic SP 1/2
BTW the link you provided is in Chinese?
roxy54's avatar
roxy54
7,651 posts
 
The 1/2 is a great speaker. Not the most dynamic, but "the girl you marry" as they say.
clio09
3,343 posts
 
I have not heard the new Classic 1/2, but I have been a long time Spendor owner. Started with the 3/1 back in 1996. Moved on to the 7/1, and then settled on the 1/2e. I eventually sold the 1/2e in 2008 to make room for a pair of AudioKinesis Jazz Modules, which are probably the best box speaker I have owned, but I did miss the 1/2e and recently re-purchased a pair, after having seriously considered the Stirling Broadcast LS3/6 (designed by Derek Hughes). I don't know what happened with Spendor but I never found a current model speaker of theirs that sounded as good to me as some of their older models. Something amiss in the midrange, which is what drew me to Spendor in the first place, much as the Quad ESL57 did, which I also own.
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