Are £1200 speakers really worth it ?

[i7x]

I have been offered a pair of Spendor A5r speakers at a pretty good price and i have the cash for them or for something else and i was wondering ( as i cannot hear them or demo them ) whether this kind of cash is worth it or if i should be looking at some other speakers that are a bit less cash but pretty much as good , my idea was to build a decent hi fi over time and i use to love the sound of a freinds older Spendor set up and so i fixated on these speakers as a good way to start and its floorstanders i need for the room and a fairly compact design.

I could just be looking for some dutch courage and some end users to say these sound amazing and are worth every penny but i am open to someone saying ' save your cash ' and get x y z instead....

I am aware these speakers need a amp match of sorts and also its not just about the speakers but are these Spendors worth the money or can speakers half their price get close to this level of sound and quality....a mix of warmth and clarity is what i am after and a speaker thats ok in a medium size room and with limited space for now but eventually these will be residing as secondary listening speakers in a much larger recording studio space possibly so i have a second excuse to spend so much on them.

 

[Pedro]

I have been offered a pair of Spendor A5r speakers at a pretty good price and i have the cash for them or for something else and i was wondering ( as i cannot hear them or demo them ) whether this kind of cash is worth it or if i should be looking at some other speakers that are a bit less cash but pretty much as good , my idea was to build a decent hi fi over time and i use to love the sound of a freinds older Spendor set up and so i fixated on these speakers as a good way to start and its floorstanders i need for the room and a fairly compact design.

I could just be looking for some dutch courage and some end users to say these sound amazing and are worth every penny but i am open to someone saying ' save your cash ' and get x y z instead....

I am aware these speakers need a amp match of sorts and also its not just about the speakers but are these Spendors worth the money or can speakers half their price get close to this level of sound and quality....a mix of warmth and clarity is what i am after and a speaker thats ok in a medium size room and with limited space for now but eventually these will be residing as secondary listening speakers in a much larger recording studio space possibly so i have a second excuse to spend so much on them.

I wouldn't buy any speakers blind...

 

[Nelis87]

Probably not, the Dali Zensor 3 setup at my parents house sounds lovely. But is a $1200 bottle of wine worth it? Is a Ferrari worth it? Probably not, but it depends on what your interests are and how much you want (and can) spend on it. Does 1200 takes you a year to collect or is it your monthly savings? So Many factors and opinions, only you can answer that question.

 

[jjbomber]

I have been offered a pair of Spendor A5r speakers at a pretty good price and i have the cash for them ...... i use to love the sound of a freinds older Spendor

Yes, without question. You have the cash and you like the Spendor sound. If you change your mind, you could sell these and get your money back. Worst case scenario, you may lose a little, though equally you may even make a profit. These are 5-star £2,000 speakers. Go for it before someone else does.

''More things are lost by indecision than bad decision''.

 

[insider9]

What's the size of the room and accompanying gear? What setup have you had before?

Edit
If you've no gear as it is what are you willing to spend? What setup is it going to be streaming, CD, vinyl?

 

[davedotco]

As has been said. these are very compedent speakers and while the saving is substantial, you will need proper amplification in roughly the same price range.

If you are up for that then maybe buy the speakers, you should be able to recoup most of your money should you have to sell. This is not the way that I would do it, I always think serious louspeakers are the last thing you buy, but then I'm weird like that.

Also, if this is your first proper system, I would suggest buying a decent budget system in the £1k-2k range then as you understand more about your likes and dislikes, you are in a better position when it comes to spending more cash.

 

[CnoEvil]

This is a bit of a "How long is a piece of string?", question.

- Are they worth it, compared to what?

- What value do you personally put on getting the sound you like?

- If you drive them properly, with a suitable amp and with a decent source, then only you can say if it's what you are after.

In "theory", I think you should get a mixture of warmth and clarity...though modern Spendors are not as smooth and warm, as they used to be. They are now more open and exciting...but don't give the scale and excitment of other brands.

You will be able to tailor their presentation, depending on which amp you use. They are 2k GBP, so you should be looking at 1500 to 2k for the amp. If you like smoother, look at Sugden/Arcam/Electrocompaniet/Musical Fidelity/Croft. For a little more bite, look at Creek, Hegel, Primare, Densen and Rega.

NB. If they sound a bit Meh, there is a good chance the amp isn't up to the job.

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_100004211376004]

There's a ex demo pair on fanthorpes for £999 and your going to need a pretty decent amp for them to shine, probably at least the same amount of cash again.

But you really need to go and listen to some kit before parting with any cash.

 

[jjbomber]

You will be able to tailor their presentation, depending on which amp you use. They are 2k GBP, so you should be looking at 1500 to 2k for the amp. If you like smoother, look at Sugden/Arcam/Electrocompaniet/Musical Fidelity/Croft. For a little more bite, look at Creek, Hegel, Primare, Densen and Rega.

... or just ask your friend what amp he had when you heard his set up. That's the one you like!

 

[insider9]

As has been said. these are very compedent speakers and while the saving is substantial, you will need proper amplification in roughly the same price range.

If you are up for that then maybe buy the speakers, you should be able to recoup most of your money should you have to sell. This is not the way that I would do it, I always think serious louspeakers are the last thing you buy, but then I'm weird like that.

Also, if this is your first proper system, I would suggest buying a decent budget system in the £1k-2k range then as you understand more about your likes and dislikes, you are in a better position when it comes to spending more cash.

Interesting! You're right this is about the opposite I'd do

Room Acoustics - > Speakers - > Amplification - > Source

However, I very much agree on the latter point. The more you know about the sound you like the easier it gets. OP, educate your ears. Things that think may matter to you now may not be what actually makes you want to listen to music every day.

It's easy to go all out "hifi" and only use your system to show to friends and family. The key is to find the combination that makes you want to listen to music and that amazes you whenever you put the music on.

 

[QuestForThe13thNote]

I agree with cnoevils assessment the spendors are a little less warm than others. And maybe pmc or pro ac would be better for you. Also don’t ever buy blind if that’s what you are doing.

a £2000 speaker is often very much better than ones at £1000. I’ve absoluetly found this going from a grand to 2 grand, that you go up in performance a lot and now to £3k speakers, even more. If you like your music and are prepared to spend on hi Fi then buying such good speakers can be seen as a life purchase. You probably won’t buy many of them. An investment too that you can keep the speakers but just keep improving amplification.

where you get speakers of not such quality and often less value, you tend to find they reach a plateau on the quality of amplification much more quickly. Speakers like the spendor a6r which is one of my favourites (I like the d7 too) can max out on performance with amps many multiples of their value.

So my point is keeping good speakers as a big investment to which you can keep squeezing more out of, is often a condition of a really good speaker. So if you buy a speaker because it’s all you can afford at that time, if you really like your music, be really patient and get something above and beyond when you can. That way it’s better value and you’ll be assured to keep hooked on music. The worst thing is to get speakers match them with amps and then understand you haven’t got what you like. It’s a false economy and you wish you’d saved an extra £500to ‘go up one’.

Id go away and listen to lots of speakers in the £2k class but with really great amps and you can see what the speakers will really do. Then make judgements off that. Speakers can often appear underwhelming if not driven to their best and you’ll get the best sense of a really good speaker when it’s driven as well as it can.

 

[mond]

Never heard them but have heard other Spendors and I'd be very surprised if they didn't sound good at that RRP

I think it's a good idea to build a good hifi as when you can afford it, add a decent amp later etc . If you buy a load of components that are a few hundred quid a piece then you are guaranteed to be looking to upgrade them all in a years’ time..... especially if you read forums like this or buy hifi mags. Start by getting the best components you can at the best price. Those speakers should last you years if you love them, if you don't then sell them on or trade them in..... . Always get the best equipment you can stretch to, will save you in the long run.

 

[abacus]

I would not normally recommend buying anything blind, but for the price, you are not going to lose anything if you decide to sell them on because you don’t like them. (Good amplification is essential though and make sure it is neutral sounding)

Bill

 

[Gray]

Although I appreciate that it can be easier to buy blind, I agree with Pedro's comment.

I happily owned some Spendor speakers for years. Later I saw a great review for newer Spendor's. (They were 3x the price that I'd paid for my originals). I couldn't really go wrong - so bought them blind. I did go wrong.

I know it's probably not what you want to hear but, do yourself a favour. Do what you can to listen for yourself (ideally with your amp, in your intended listening location) prior to any purchase.

Easier said than done. But better done (especially when spending a lot)

 

[CnoEvil]

I agree with cnoevils assessment the spendors are a little less warm than others.

That's not exactly what I said - which was they don't sound as warm as older models, like the S series. They still sound warmer than many brands, like Focal, Tannoy, Elac or Triangle.

 

[QuestForThe13thNote]

Yes sorry. I’d agree on focal house sound but French triangle speakers can be warm eg some antals I think they are called. At a bake off at mine someone brought some triangle antals 3 way design and they were as warm as my pmcs with my 200 watt cyrus amps. Not as bass dynamic though. Nowhere near.

The spendor a6r is definitely a little bit toppy against similar pmc, as i demoed these spendors before I then bought my pmcs. Not quite as relaxed. But on the whole spendor is a great brand. Well better than likes of kef r series, comparable Dali, monitor audio, Tannoy etc.

 

[CnoEvil]

Yes sorry. I’d agree on focal house sound but French triangle speakers can be warm eg some antals I think they are called. At a bake off at mine someone brought some triangle antals 3 way design and they were as warm as my pmcs with my 200 watt cyrus amps. Not as bass dynamic though. Nowhere near.

The spendor a6r is definitely a little bit toppy against similar pmc, as i demoed these spendors before I then bought my pmcs. Not quite as relaxed. But on the whole spendor is a great brand. Well better than likes of kef r series, comparable Dali, monitor audio, Tannoy etc.

I simply don't hear speakers the same way you do. All the more expensive Triangle speakers I've heard sounded very lively, but too forward for my taste. Current PMCs sound lean and clean, compared to the previous models. I have never heard Tannoy sound warm and ATC are strictly neutral.

I certainly wouldn't rate Spendor better than Kef - different, but not better....but that is only my opinion. When I heard the A5 and A6, they sounded less exciting than the Kef R500. The ST was very refined and pleasant, but didn't get my toes tapping.

 

[QuestForThe13thNote]

Yes sorry. I’d agree on focal house sound but French triangle speakers can be warm eg some antals I think they are called. At a bake off at mine someone brought some triangle antals 3 way design and they were as warm as my pmcs with my 200 watt cyrus amps. Not as bass dynamic though. Nowhere near.

The spendor a6r is definitely a little bit toppy against similar pmc, as i demoed these spendors before I then bought my pmcs. Not quite as relaxed. But on the whole spendor is a great brand. Well better than likes of kef r series, comparable Dali, monitor audio, Tannoy etc.

I simply don't hear speakers the same way you do. All the more expensive Triangle speakers I've heard sounded very lively, but too forward for my taste. Current PMCs sound lean and clean, compared to the previous models. I have never heard Tannoy sound warm and ATC are strictly neutral.

I certainly wouldn't rate Spendor better than Kef - different, but not better....but that is only my opinion. When I heard the A5 and A6, they sounded less exciting than the Kef R500. The ST was very refined and pleasant, but didn't get my toes tapping.

I don’t think we are hearing differently, as I agree with lots you say particularly spendor etc. One can’t often apply a rule of thumb to a whole brand. I think that’s a good adage.

current pmc twenty5 have a better more projected midrange than twenty series, but deeper bass. Have lived with both series. The twenty with its less dynamic bass might give the impression of being smoother - I get that. The twenty5 has more detail which might give it that lean impression. But it goes deeper. Also depends on if you have 25-21 standmount which can be quite lean as very short transmission line, so Bass augmentation in floorstanders is better and much smoother.

But the currrent pmc fact range are totally different. More natural less projected mids, probably a better balance, but no less better and deeper smoother bass, more taught and punchy than twenty5 series except the 25-26. Better dynamically.

the big atc floorstanders can be really smooth with the right amplification I think. Can understand the kef r500 might sound more exciting because of their bass, but it’s often never as accurate as spendor designs even though some spendors can be quite shrill. The spendor d7 is better than something like a slightly more expensive kef reference one for me and the r700/900 too. The r700 is disorganised in bass relatively speaking to any pmcs. good soundstage but the spendors like d6r and d7 are tighter and better balanced and more detailed, save the kef reference one which has more detail, but I’m not sure about its bass and treble balance. But the spendor d7 can sound nice and smooth too with right amps.

Id definelty never call pmc lean in fact it’s always one of the most accurate speakers for bass depth and tonality.

 

[CnoEvil]

- ATC being neutral, can sound natural (I'm avoiding the word smooth), if the Source and Amp are that way...but only if that is the case. They won't cover up a forward amp, in the way a smoother speaker can.

- The R Series have prodigious bass for their size, which if not well controlled, actually can make them sound dull, woolly and overblown.

- When I say lean, that is compared with the previous series, which had a fuller bass and a slightly more "forgiving" sound.

 

[QuestForThe13thNote]

- ATC being neutral, can sound natural (I'm avoiding the word smooth), if the Source and Amp are that way...but only if that is the case. They won't cover up a forward amp, in the way a smoother speaker can.

- The R Series have prodigious bass for their size, which if not well controlled, actually can make them sound dull, woolly and overblown.

- When I say lean, that is compared with the previous series, which had a fuller bass and a slightly more "forgiving" sound.

Agree with your observation except the twenty5 have a fuller deeper bass than the twenty range. It goes deeper and faster but the twenty range has tuned in mids such you get an overall impression the bass is fuller in bass tonally. Also because it’s not as on off dynamically in twenty range, probably more important a consideration in this. But with better projected mids, a bit of a sparkly but not bright treble, deeper bass and better dynamics, the twenty5 range are an improvement and better speaker.

I’d add the kef r series are not nearly as dynamic on mid range and bass of comparable price pmcs. but good soundstage and openness with these kefs above smaller driver pmc designs.

 

[Gazzip]

The elephant in the room here is of course the room. Loudspeakers considered to be lively and forward can sound dead in an overdamped listening environment, and vice versa of course. Nobody can know for sure whether that sound the OP remembers liking will be in any way replicated when he gets these Spendors home. I think the OP will lose a couple of £100 on resale if he doesn’t like them in his listening room. That is how I would define “worth” in this context.

 

[knaithrover]

Worth a punt at that price and easy to move on if you don't like them. Due to work/family/geography auditioning is difficult for me so I tend to research as much as poss then buy blind for as cheap as I can get. I rarely lose money on mistakes. Go for it

 

[nopiano]

Now we know you're aquainted with studios, I'd have thought you'd be able to get something fairly domestic, related to a pro brand you like. Or even some casts offs, from a refit?!

Do actives not appeal? If so, there are several current threads extolling their benefits in great depth.

 

[i7x]

cheers for all the info and some really very good advice here....yeah the key point of listen before buying whilst not something i want to hear as i am based in No where is really something to remember always , i spent many years buying studio monitors blind so i know that wonderfull feeling when you get a pair and go wtf have i done ?

Second key point was the idea i wont lose and can swap out again , that was one of my thoughts and something i did alot over the years and i am prepared to do , maybe thats half the fun but also it can be a pain in the arse meeting people in motorway services.

To be honest i spend more time in studios mixing than listening for leisure or have the last 10 years and decided to change that for various reasons and spend some decent cash on a fair system for both listening but also checking mixes a little , i am pretty simple with hi fi gear as its not my world really right now so i gravitate as expected toward the hyped up brands ( sometimes for good reason ) the idea in sync with the music side of things is to start listening to master recordings at 192/ 24 out of the studio as thats how they are going to be supplied to people who havent sold their soul to low bit streaming and via a Naim Uniti2 player , thats about as good as i can goi$£$£ wise , it will also allow me to play cds and extend into some vinyl listening when i have to cash to buy a decent deck again and thats the logic really , i am clueless if the naim uniti will work with the spendors , bit of a predictable combination chosen by someone reading reviews to much possibly ....

The Pmc's look like they could secondhand be in my price range and possibly a bit less clinical based on reviews , the A5r i liked the sound of as the seem to be less potentially boomy than the older A5 (also considered but i think not a great choice for whats essentially a small / med room full mostly with my partners ornaments) ....

I am possibly a bit brand fixated as i love british gear and some stuff just has a certain brand quality which i felt ( possibly imagined ) off Spendor and Naim gear or as a combination .

I am totally aware its all so subjective , the room i am in is not small but smallish , it could easily i think suffer some bass boom as we do not have a lot of space behind the speakers so the A5r's reviews hinted they could be a good choice and easy for placement ....in terms of sound i am use to pretty clinical listening and i like clarity and probably gravitate a bit more toward that , i listen to a lot of electronic music thats quite intricate and not really dance music , more abstract + a lot of ambient stuff and its a lot about clarity and low mid but not much low with a lot of the stuff i like

One other point was the intention here to buy a pair of speakers that will last a long time or that i wont want to upgrade on the basis they were ' cheap ' and that was my thinking a bit also.

ad a lot and drift into more user reviews and take a look at some of the other brands and speakers mentioned as well.

I got the offer of both a5 and a5r at very reasonable prices compared to new , the pcm twenty 23 secondhand are just a bit over my budget or the ones i have seen but i have a feeling they might have a better ' wow ' factor early on , i am use to the ears warming to new monitors and the process of doing that so a quick listen can be deceptive....do i sound confused ?

 

[QuestForThe13thNote]

Hi i7x. I listen to lots of electronic ambient and chill out stuff like tosca, Eastern Sun, ott, boards of Canada, Brian eno, ulrich schnauss, bonobo, nonkeen, nils frahm etc. This sort of stuff is really suited to the cyrus sound. Fast, detailed, dynamic and nuanced, good bass, not too tonally rich with bass when there is no bass in the part of the music. Cyrus too is often matched with spendor. Mid priced and budget naim amps aren’t nearly as dynamic as cyrus for electronic. That said basic cyrus amps aren’t hugely impressive but the cyrus one is very good. Cheers Simon