Spendor D9.2 vs. Harbeth super hl5 plus xd + REL Stentor III vs. Spendor Classic 100?


I am thinking of purchasing one of the following:

1). Harbeth SHL5 plus XD + REL Stentor III Reference Subwoofer due to lack of bass and low octave in bass.

2). Spendor Classic 100 - The bass is a bit noticeable and aggressive. 

3). Spendor D9.2.

My living room where the system will stand is: 5.5 meters x 8 meters, a standard ceiling of 2.7 meters and the entire construction is a 20 cm block. From the living room comes a 25 meters kitchen. The speakers I choose can stand up to about 1 meter from the front wall.

Anyone who has heard of at least 2 of them or a previous generation and can have an opinion on a comparison between them?

Thank you very much for your help.


128x128tomer_tsin
Hello

I listen to 2,000 CD’S, most of them jazz. In addition, I have an integrated amplifier Luxman L-509X and a CD player LE PLAYER 3+ by Métronome.


I prefer precise and high resolution speakers that have control low bass-smooth midrange-detailed treble, with internal imagery and attacks, high-pitched sound and instrument simulation.

Classic 100s if you can allow enough real-estate. If they sound at least as good as the older SP100s, then you’d have one of the best speakers ever designed, regardless of price. 
I heard the SLH5 in a very different space/system, and found it a little bright. Quite unlike the 40.2's that I ended up with ... Some people manage to put 40.2's in remarkably small spaces. If you have a full meter behind from the back of the cabinet, and good space to both sides, I would think it could work.

It just goes to show how we all hear differently and ultimately prefer different things; I demoed the SLH5+ and 40.2 in the same smallish (maybe 13 feet x 18 feet) room and found the SLH5+ tweeter to be lacking in resolution and speed for my tastes.  I liked their midrange but overall found they lacked the musical excitement I was used to hearing with my current speakers at the time (Magicos) and ultimately live music. The 40.2 I much preferred and thought it offered more detail and certainly moved more air (and they didn't lack excitement driven by a big Pass amp). In the ~13 foot wide room I found neither speaker imaged much to the sides though, but then a larger room would likely help with this. The Harbeth dealer thought I could likely make the 40.2 work in my room which is 12x17 but said it would take a little work and $$ to allow my room to handle their bass.   At 5.5m wide you have a lot more room to handle the big box speakers than I do (although I did live with massive Cornwall IIIs across my 12 foot wall for a little time before realizing they were just too big...).

I thought the D9 didn't have the same midrange magic of the Harbeths, but I did like their midrange more than the 804D3 and Kef Ref1 which I compared them to at a different dealer's showroom.   I ultimately purchased D9s.

Maybe Magico to Harbeth is too much of a jump in sound signature for one to make...; I like to think of the Spendor D series as a sweet spot between these two sound signatures.

Not affiliated in anyway with the seller and have never heard Spendor Classic speakers but this pair have been for sale for a very long time and look like they would be a very fun speaker to listen to :)

https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649600975-spendor-sp200-audiophile-speakers/

OP: I wouldn't describe the bass on the Classic 100 as aggressive; it is definitely present, and perhaps quite full, but no more than that.
@twoleftears

the use of the word ’aggressive’ caught my eye too...

one person’s aggressive is another person’s ’just right’ ...lol

the sp100 is the one of the few soeakers i have had that i regret selling