Hey, Big Spendor!

[ESP2009]

Sorry, I couldn't resist. (Which is the story of my hi-fi life!)

So there I was, asking a perfectly innocent question on the forum, when up popped that Igglebert character and mentioned Spendor E3s speakers for under £600 - a quick check confirmed it...and down from £950 (excl delivery, of course). Wow! I had thought that maybe I would seek some advice and then make a purchase later in the year, based on demos of recommendations. But with a £350 drop in price, these had to be checked out.

Ah, but they're on Fleabay and the listing finishes on Saturday...THIS Saturday! No chance to *** out to my ‘local' hi-fi retailer and ask for a demo. I'm also booked to be down in Brighton for a weekend break with ‘she who thinks I'm a complete loon spending my money on such things'. But hold on; the special deal is by Sevenoaks Hi-Fi in Brighton!! Is this fate?

Having grovelled most skilfully to my weekend companion, I am now scheduled for a 1hr demo of said speakers, together with the much-vaunted B&W 685, Dali Lektor, and MA Silver RS1 alternatives for comparison. She gets to visit some kind of vintage clothing sale/show without me moping about and I get to listen to some fab speakers - how cool is that for some happy coincidence?

Shame I can't lug my own amp and CDP down on the train; and shame I can't lug the speakers back the other way and save the delivery (and the wait). Now why couldn't the Wolverhampton branch be doing the offer and after I'd had chance to try the EB Acoustics 30-day home demo offer? Anyway, what's the betting I will return from my weekend away several £100s worse off? Damn you, Igglebert!!!

 

[Anonymous]

Glad to be of help

Very smooth, natural and clear sound but they might not be for you. You never know

Keep us posted...

 

[Anonymous]

igglebert:Glad to be of help

Very smooth, natural and clear sound but they might not be for you. You never know

Keep us posted...

Nice caveat. You should be a civil servant like me.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm in IT Service Management

 

[ESP2009]

igglebert:Glad to be of help

Very smooth, natural and clear sound but they might not be for you. You never know

Keep us posted...

No, you haven't helped - but I'm really looking forward to my visit to the Brighton Sevenoaks.

While the cat has been away the mouse has been experimenting with the hi-fi and, ironically, tamed some of the boominess of the current speakers. It seems that a combination of the right kind of interconnects, bi-wires, power connections, modified components and a sprinkle of wuffle dust can, indeed, alter the sound you get out of your basic setup!

Even so, I bet I end up buying those Spendors - "very smooth, natural and clear" you say? Sounds just right for me.

I'll be reporting back as soon as I've done the auditioning (and got back from the Deep South). Of course, there's the all important final analysis to come after that...do they sound good with my actual kit and in my own living room. To be continued...

PS. Trust someone in IT to make things even more complicated when they try to help!

PPS Worked in IT myself for a few years, so I reckon I will cut you some slack.

 

[SteveR750]

igglebert:I'm in IT Service Management

Yeah? so how come you didn't simply tell him to switch it all off wait 10s and switch back on again..???!!

 

[ESP2009]

SteveR750:

igglebert:I'm in IT Service Management

Yeah? so how come you didn't simply tell him to switch it all off wait 10s and switch back on again..???!!

Nah, everyone knows that nowadays its is standard to upgrade your way out of trouble. You just have to hope your latest upgrade is backward compatible, that's all.

 

[seasiders rock]

the fickle hand of fate.....

have a good listen to the dali suite 2.8 while your there, you may be in for a surprise, and save a large chunk of cash.

 

[Anonymous]

SteveR750:
igglebert:I'm in IT Service Management

Yeah? so how come you didn't simply tell him to switch it all off wait 10s and switch back on again..???!!

lol customers expect more for their money these days...

 

[crusaderlord]

i did exactly the same thing with my Arcam FMJ Amplifier - i saw the price drop from £1200 to £699 in Sevenoaks Brighton and realised we had already planned a day out with my youngster on the beach.

so skillfull negociations enabled me to drop them off and dive into Sevenoaks HiFi for a demo and ultimately purchased one - it was inevitable. great shop in my opinion that really pushes out bargains.

i bought my wife and son a stick of rock so we all went home with something

 

[ESP2009]

Well done! And you managed to limit the additional costs! I think you got off lightly there - I think a certain someone will think to herself "well, you saved yourself over £300, so you can afford to treat me to a nice new pair of shoes, handbag, frock, meal, etc."

I can see a whole new thread developing along the lines of: "I bought a bargain but it actually cost me..."

 

[Anonymous]

ESP2009:
I can see a whole new thread developing along the lines of: "I bought a bargain but it actually cost me..."

Difficult one to measure. It can be months later before you really know...

 

[ESP2009]

igglebert:ESP2009:

I can see a whole new thread developing along the lines of: "I bought a bargain but it actually cost me..."

Difficult one to measure. It can be months later before you really know...

Oh, you'll know exactly how much when my lawyers come a-calling with regard to the lawsuit I will be putting together: not sure how much psychiatric help costs, but I am sure it must be loadsa money! Enough to sponsor the next round of upgrades, anyway.

That aside, by this time tomorrow I should know whether the Spendors are for me, so watch this space...

 

[Anonymous]

What's your budget for the new amplifier to go with the speakers?

 

[Lost Angeles]

ESP2009:

Well done! And you managed to limit the additional costs! I think you got off lightly there - I think a certain someone will think to herself "well, you saved yourself over £300, so you can afford to treat me to a nice new pair of shoes, handbag, frock, meal, etc."

I can see a whole new thread developing along the lines of: "I bought a bargain but it actually cost me..."

Strange how my wife has never required me to buy anything for her when I've bought something for myself.

 

[ESP2009]

Lost Angeles:

Strange how my wife has never required me to buy anything for her when I've bought something for myself.

You're, of course, perfectly correct, I might get teased, but there certainly won't be any expectation of such a thing - maybe a 'smiley' would have been appropriate at the end of that post? She thinks I'm certifiable, but won't use that against me...much.

 

[ESP2009]

Tarquinh:What's your budget for the new amplifier to go with the speakers?

Don't, just don't! I have asked more than once whether the Audiolab 8000S is suitable for such speakers. No-one has yet said "no". I want this to be a one-off, rather than the start of a major cycle. The Audiolab and Marantz suit me fine. If there is a better partner for either (particularly second-hand) I am interested to know, but I don't want to continue down the slippery slope this year. It's bad enough that the chap at Sevenoaks has mentioned that he will be using Cyrus components for the demo!

I only want the speakers...

I only want the speakers...

I only want the speakers...

 

[Anonymous]

Cyrus 8VS2-->S3E

 

[ESP2009]

igglebert:Cyrus 8VS2-->S3E

"Get thou behind me..."

I'm not listening, I'm not listening, la-la-la-la...

 

[Anonymous]

So how did Brighton go ESP?

 

[ESP2009]

igglebert:So how did Brighton go ESP?

Most expensive Bank Holiday weekend away I've ever had.

 

[Anonymous]

What did you get?

 

[ESP2009]

OK, I'll keep you in suspense no longer.

I got to the Brighton/Hove Sevenoaks store, clutching my wallet of test CDs, all fired up with anticipation. Roger led me to the demo room where we had a bit of chat around the subject and then he broke the news that there were no B&W 685 speakers in-store and that I would have to start off with a pair of the 686 models for comparison. He left me with the Cyrus system he thought a fair match, the B&Ws and my CDs.

I went through Beverley Craven, Pink Floyd, Dream Theater, IQ, Dire Straits, The Lens, Gordon Giltrap, a bit of Sibelius violin concerto and found time running away with me. In short, I discovered that the 686 speakers near enough match the performance of my TDLs. Nice and clear (maybe a touch too bright if the wrong cable is used) and fairly spacious at the top end. However, move down towards the lower end and that boomy sound kicks in; it all gets a bit too loose and even crowded to my ears. I was disappointed that I wasn't getting the chance to hear the 685 version, but you can't have it all. But at least they were a good basis for comparison.

As time was marching on (I already knew it was going to be a push to get back to my lunchtime rendezvous in time - not good), I agreed with Roger that we would skip the Monitor Audios and go straight for the Spendors, which is why I was there after all.

So, after a change over, I put the Beverley Craven disc in once more and my scalp crawled. The sound was suddenly far more open yet in some way more intimate. It was if a veil had dropped away that had, at one and the same time, held back on presence and lent an unwelcome sibilance to her vocals and the cymbals. A good start. I then moved onto the opening track of The Lens' challenging 'A Word In Your Eye'. Superb rendition of the acoustic guitar and the keyboards - altogether more spacious and airy. However, the real difference was in the bass - I know this track is very bass-heavy (indeed, possibly overly so) but the Spendors held it in check. The synthesised lower notes had a more focused kick, and the bass guitar and drums were likewise tighter and controlled.

I ran out of time all too quickly thereafter, but not before I had realised that the Spendors have a slightly warmer sound than I had anticipated. It may be that this will make them a more relaxing listen, but I can see that I might look into terminating the QED Silver Anniversary XT bi-wires I have lying around after a stint with the already connected VDH Teatrack. They were demoed with Chord Co Rumour single wire, so I expect to hear a difference. I gather the Spendors will take 50hrs or more to run in, so I need to be patient.

So, yes, I did stump up the funds for the Spendors, and look forward to taking delivery tomorrow. I really, really hope that they fit in well at home. That, I'm afraid, is where EB Acoustics and some others win out over Sevenoaks. A longer period to listen to them in your home environment is certainly an important consideration - I hope that I was wise to snap up the opportunity despite the disadvantages of taking a shop demo at the other end of the country! They do say that "fools rush in..." Am I one of them?

However, as of now, I think the S3e speakers are a great bargain at £600 - they look and sound marvellous - the build quality is solid as one could hope for and should reflect the engineering that has gone inside the cabinets. But will they be happy with their new environment and the companions?

More to follow in due course...

 

[Anonymous]

Excellent news ESP, glad you like them. Looking forward to the next installment

 

[ESP2009]

Result! Well, sort of. Last night the 'Ministry of Sound Police' actually said that the new speakers are acceptable (provided they are played at 'sensible levels' when she's around, of course!) She still thinks I'm completely barking to spend over £600 on them, but it's my money so it matters not.

Anyway, the circumstances that elicited this almost unheard of response? Believe it or not, I was trying out Spotify through the hi-fi on the cheap. I had recently purchased a sub-£10 lead to connect my laptop to my TV (10m of 3.5mm jack to dual phono) for occasional use with BBC iPlayer and such. I decided to try it out from Dell Dimension 5100 to the Audiolab amp for Spotify.

A couple of nights ago there was an ad on TV for Melody Gardot, which piqued the interest of the other half. So, whilst she was fumbling around in Play.com to see how much a CD might cost, I loaded Spotify, searched for MG and suddenly her voice floated across from the other side of the room - marvellous! The 'MoSP' was well-impressed, so I have a few points in the bank on that one! ;o)

However, it didn't stop there. I was amazed to hear something along the lines of "that's good; it almost sounds as if she's in the room". Good job I was seated, as that sort of comment is rarer than hens' teeth.

In all honesty, I have to admit that, whilst acceptable, I found the presentation lacking in presence and real spaciousness. There was a definite lack of overall sonic, in-the-room, depth and clarity. Yet, it's a start - you can't expect much from a cheapo 10m cable purchased from Amazon and linked directly from in-built PC sound output to Tape2 on the amp. So I will be considering the next step before the year is out.

But back to the Spendors...as yet they have not blown me away with a quantum leap in sound quality when listening to more conventional sources. Certainly, they have brought the low end under control, but I quickly noticed that the sound was overall much warmer. Too warm - the top end had lost its sparkle. Aha! Time to re-introduce the DNM Reson I/Cs and replace the VDH Teatray with QED SA XT bi-wire. Yes, that has improved things, but the speaker cable is new, so I don't yet know whether I need to go further - how long does the stuff take to 'burn-in'? The speakers themselves have run for 50+ hours, but not really been worked that much.

Anyway, I have another couple of hours to myself on Thursday, so can have another listen at less 'sensible levels' to see how the re-jigged system is bedding in. Might even bring the TDLs back in for comparison.