I'm presently looking for a pair of audio speakers to go with my Marantz KI Pearl SACD player and Amp.
I demoed Spender A6's several weeks back at Sevenoks Hi-Fi at Holborn, London and thought they were good, but not 100% sure why they are so lauded at What Hi-Fi Towers. I liked their seductive warmth, but was somewhat disappointed with the degree of separation particularly at higher volume.
I more recently listened to a pair of Spender STs (Statement), again at Sevenoks Hi-Fi Holborn and wow you could tell where the extra £4k in cost went. However, I gather the piano black lacquer finish soaks up about £1.5k to £2k of the costs due to the labour intensity of applying the finish. I do reckon, that aside the extra £4k is well worth it.
I demoed three pairs of floorstanding speakers at Grahams Hi-Fi in London today, with a Naim Supernait Amp and Linn Akurate CD player.
1. B/W 802D speakers (£9.5k).
The Supernait Amp really struggled to control the bass, which was decidedly unpleasant and the rapid conclusion was they need a powerful Power and pre-Amp set-up to do them justice.
2. B/W 803D speakers (£6.5k).
The Supernait Amp was more an equal match for these, but the bass still ran off a bit and boomed sometimes. They were rather demanding on the listening; I can appreciate dynamism in sound that commands you to listen, but think I'd get tired with it after a while. Furthermore, I don't think the Pearl units would synergise so easily with them, as they have a rich, warmth to their performance.
3. Linn Akurate 242 speakers (£6k).
Right from the start these speakers really captured my ears, with an engaging smoothness and sympathetic resonance. The bass performed at a proportionate level to the mid-range, was tight and purposeful. There were strong corresondences with the Spendor STs, but the Linns just pipped them on performance across the board.
I think they would compliment the Marantz KI Pearls well, however the ARTs are an altogether different proposition in a positive sense (but they are £4k more expensive).
I was fortunate to catch a brief listen to the pair of B/W Nautilus speakers Grahams have on loan from B/W at the moment - words are simply not adequate, but at £55k, one would kind of expect that, heh heh heh. My mind immediately started conjuring up the idea of a home cinema system with five Nautilus speakers LOL.
I'm presently demoing a pair of ART Deco 8 Signature speakers at home, courtesy of Jordan Acoustics in Scotland. They are lovely and now I only need to figure out which path to head down.
SonicD
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