drummerman:Very very nice. I still haven't heard the spendors but as I have some hols coming up I'll certainly will. Tell us a bit more about the sound, what do you like about it, in what way does it better your previous speakers/system?
Morning All,
My previous system was a budget Marantz set-up paired with Acoustic Energy AE-109 loudspeakers. I bought this when I was at uni. The speakers were a ****** to drive and, having had them 10 years in 2006, I decided to get a system that would work better with them (the Marantz stuff just couldn't bring them to life) and my local hi-fi store had a deal on the Cyrus Amp and CD player because some fella had only had them a year and traded them in for some B&O kit. I demo'd the Cyrus kit against my Marantz stuff and some NAD separates as well, but loved the Cyrus too much, and picked up the CD player and Amp for about £1100, I think, and they still had a year left on their warrantee!
They really did sound so much better to what I had come from - much better soundstaging and more detail and obviously had the power to drive the AE109s. Music no longer sounded weak and wooly and was much more engaging, so I had longer listening sessions.
I bought a couple of PSX-Rs from e-bay out of interest knowing that I could sell them again without making a loss. The one on the amplifier increased the detail and separation of instruments and gave a bit more bass weight, but the one for the CD player made less difference than I had hoped to be honest. However, I had the 4-tier rack by then, so I needed to fill it, but hence my musings about getting a 8-power at some point.
By this point I felt that the AE-109s were shrouding the quality of the hi-fi, although they were capable of displaying the differences in the hi-fi as I changed them. They are capable budget floorstanders, but the bass was heavy and a bit wallowy, which compromised the mid-range frequencies. Also, the treble was a quite splashy.
I bought the Spendors last month having demo'd them against my old AE109s. Their best quality is that their mid-range is so incredibly clear and open. Vocals and guitars sound fantastic, which suits me because my music collection centres around the Foo-Fighters genre and other singer-songwriters such as John Mayer, etc. The bass is tight and punchy and in appropriate portions, in my opinion - bass lovers won't get off on the Spendors, though. The treble is delicate, detailed and sparkly - much less fatiguing than my old speakers. In addition to all the above they can project some subtle nuances in the music I had never heard before, bringing more excitement and emotion to things and I love that.
I know some people find Cyrus kit a bit bright and lacking warmth, but the Spendor speakers work really well with them. They cerainly aren't smooth, but they aren't aggressive either. I was told by the dealer that Spendor tune their speakers with Cyrus kit and, if they do, it certainly shows as they partner very well.
I hope that explains things a bit and how I arrived at where I am at. I can't recommend the Spendors enough and, if my above description sounds like your thing, give them a demo - soon!
And yes, the stand is on some little spike cups that came with it, but I might get 4 more Atacama spike cups like those under the speakers so it all looks uniform.
As I write this I am listening to Matt Costa and it is a toe-tapping experience, as music should be!
Cheers!
Phil
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