Spendor A5 vs CM-7 and M/A RX6

[josh05]

Hey all,

Shortly i will be demoing the CM-7s and M/A RX6s to replace my Bose in my Hi-Fi. After reading the WHF review on the Spendors it seems like i should be defiently looking at these speakers aswell, the review they gave them absolutely shines. So was wondering whether anyone has heard the Spendors and wouldnt mind giving me there feedback on what they thought of them and also whether my NAD amp would be powerful enough to run them decently, i'm not worried about them going too loud at the moment as I can get a power amp for them later on, just dont want them to distort as the sensitivity is very low at 86db. The music i listen too mainly is artists like Pink Floyd, Dire Straits, Fleetwood Mac, Supertramp, The Moody Blues, Metallica, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Neil Young etc and the room they will be in is quite big 10 x 4 meters however where the couch is where i sit is only around 3.5 meters from where the speakers are the rest of the room is taken up by a dining area. Any help would be greatly appreciated,

Thanks Josh [🙂]

 

[Anonymous]

I've been running my speakers which have 84db sensitivity with a 50w amp for years, and they're fine. I will be getting a more powerful amp, though, as the 50w is at the bottom of the range the manufacturer said was acceptable, but with 86db you shouldn't need to change.

The Spendors are excellent speakers and the pick of the ones you mention in my opinion.

 

[josh05]

Thanks for the reply Tarquinh, they certainly seem to be the best going by reviews. I'm also starting to think they will be better with my music taste aswell as i've heard the M/A and B&Ws are quite bright sounding, i'm more for a neutral sound, and from what i've heard about Spendor thats exactly what you get.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi josh, i think your amp will be fine to drive the A5s, they don,t need as much grunt as you might think. The A6 speakers that i,ve got are on the end of a 36 watt amp and that has more than enough power for them. If you are going to audition then why don,t you listen to the A6 also, just for comparison, you might be surprised. I,ve auditioned both speakers and while i do agree that the smaller A5 sound a lot more than their size limits, i think the A6 are more truthfull to the source you are sending.

Cheers and **** luck , John

 

[d_a_n1979]

Sounds to be a good demo Josh

It'll be intresting to hear how you et on as IMO all 3 speakers will do a superb job

I think the CM7's wont be as favourable as the RX6's or the Spendors but that'll be your call.

I'm sure you'll enjoy the RX6's though with your amp and taste in music

 

[Frank Harvey]

josh05:I'm also starting to think they will be better with my music taste aswell as i've heard the M/A and B&Ws are quite bright sounding, i'm more for a neutral sound, and from what i've heard about Spendor thats exactly what you get.

Hi Josh

This is an example of why to treat 'what you hear' with a little caution. The RS series was bright sounding, but the replacement RX series is quite smooth. Most people who haven't heard the RX series are going to assume they'll sound similar to the RS. The RX's are in fact tonally closer to the the Spendors (the RS is tonally more like the B&W's).

The Spendors do like a bit of driving. Low sensitivity speakers require amplifiers with more current. I'm sure your NAD would do a good job which you'll be happy with, but I would recommend an amplifier in the region of around £1,000 or upwards, as it'll get much more from the A6's. If you find yourself reaching the 12 o'clock position on your NAD amplifier quite easily (and wanting a little more), you'll need a more powerful amplifier. It's always better to have too much than too little. Dynamic swings in some music genres are surprisingly powerful and create huge demands on an amplifiers power supply.

 

[jaxwired]

Hi Josh,

I'm very familiar with all those speakers. Here's my take and it may be a bit controversial. All of us involved in this hobby are both music lovers and hifi lovers. They are not the same thing at all and we all have elements of both in varying degrees. People that are more hifi lovers than music lovers will like the A5s more than the CM7 or RX6. People that are more music lovers than hifi lovers will prefer the CM7 and RX6. Obviously, this is all opinion, but I say this because the spendors are much more analytical and cold. They are neutral and very accurate, but I do not find them super fun to listen to. If I had to pick one of those speakers to impress a die hard audiophile, it would be the A5. If I had to pick one to impress a singer it would be the RX6 or CM7. They are more musical IMO and way more music sounds good on them. 90% of my music collection sounds stellar on RX6 or CM7, that number is much lower with the A5.

 

[Frank Harvey]

Definitely controversial!

 

[Anonymous]

Well said jaxwired, i totally agree with your comments about the spendors being accurate, i also think it depends on the source and amplification you use to come to the conclusion about how sharp they can be. Personally i think the sugden sound helps to open up the whole musical picture in terms of depth and soul as well as detail. Have not heard the nad so i don,t know how it would fit.

John

 

[Anonymous]

FrankHarveyHiFi:
josh05:I'm also starting to think they will be better with my music taste aswell as i've heard the M/A and B&Ws are quite bright sounding, i'm more for a neutral sound, and from what i've heard about Spendor thats exactly what you get.

Hi Josh

This is an example of why to treat 'what you hear' with a little caution. The RS series was bright sounding, but the replacement RX series is quite smooth. Most people who haven't heard the RX series are going to assume they'll sound similar to the RS. The RX's are in fact tonally closer to the the Spendors (the RS is tonally more like the B&W's).

The Spendors do like a bit of driving. Low sensitivity speakers require amplifiers with more current. I'm sure your NAD would do a good job which you'll be happy with, but I would recommend an amplifier in the region of around £1,000 or upwards, as it'll get much more from the A6's. If you find yourself reaching the 12 o'clock position on your NAD amplifier quite easily (and wanting a little more), you'll need a more powerful amplifier. It's always better to have too much than too little. Dynamic swings in some music genres are surprisingly powerful and create huge demands on an amplifiers power supply.While I agree in general, David, I'd have to say that my Minimas (84db) have been fine on the end of the NAD C320. Not even approached the 12 o'clock position. However, the output from my brand new Denon is so much lower that I've had to have a re-think, which has resulted in a new amp.

I'd think if the OP stuck to CD or high output MMs then there'd be no problem. NAD are, after all, known both for their conservative power rating and transient bursts of considerably more power (the figure 110w hovers in my memory).

As to your other comment I agree about the better amp with the Spendors, but would be rather more hesitant about spending that much with the other speakers mentioned.

 

[Frank Harvey]

Accuracy is a measured thing, whereby a product can be proven to be more accurate. I suppose most people aspire to accurate sounding systems, but there are a number of people who don't actually like accuracy. I wouldn't say that the MA's or the B&W's are any more accurate than the Spendors, they're just different. For me, speakers like the Spendors tend to sound more like music. The reason I say that is that they tend to bring out the midrange more than the MA and B&W models, which gives real instruments a more personal feel, which can sound more like music to some people. I think most people would sacrifice accuracy for something which they really enjoyed listening to.

 

[josh05]

Thanks for all the responses everyone.

Its defiently going to be interesting for me when i start demoing. I think the Spendors will be the possible favourites for me though as i really get a kick out of hearing how real instruments can sound with good recordings, at the moment when i show off the NAD as its only new i always show my mates The Eagles Hell Freezes Over in PCM usually Hotel California as i find the different guitars and drums sound so realistic and im sure Pink Floyd Shine On You Crazy Diamond on A Delicate Sound Of Thunder LP would have awesome dynamics through the spendors. On the other hand though i might get turned off the Spendors when i listen to music that isnt recorded well? or do the Spendors still sound quite reasonable with poor recordings?

Thanks Guys

 

[Frank Harvey]

If we go on the assumption that higher accuracy reveals more, less well recorded music might not be to everyone's taste. Warmer speakers like Spendors and ProAc tend to smooth over a little of the nasties.

 

[chebby]

FrankHarveyHiFi:Warmer speakers like Spendors and ProAc tend to smooth over a little of the nasties.

johnnyjazz:Well said jaxwired, i totally agree with your
comments about the spendors being accurate...

jaxwired:...but I say this because the spendors are much
more analytical and cold. They are neutral and very accurate, but I do
not find them super fun to listen to.

Can we make up our minds please?

I am confused. One minute Spendors are warm and 'musical' and the next they are cold but accurate!

 

[Anonymous]

I tried the Spendor A5s and A6 for a week each. I was disappointed with the A5s. I really wanted to like them as I was looking to replace my Mission 773e fronts to compliment by spendor centre and rears. In my opinion, because they are not particularly bright, I found that music lost a bit of sparkle and fun. The A6s were an all together better speaker but I just couldn't justify spending £2k (pity). If your system is already warm sounding, I think you will be disappointed with the A5s.

 

[josh05]

I was thinking the same lol, I'm going with the assumption that the Spendors are more cold and accurate than the M/As and B&Ws, Also I think its up to the listeners preference as too what type of sound is musical too them.

 

[chebby]

Spendor A5 'temperature' votes so far.

Cold 2

Warm 2

 

[Anonymous]

I also demoed the A5s recently, with Primare I30 amplification. I was left underwhelmed - particularly disappointing given the rave reviews - quite a surprise actually. I tried the A6s which were worse, the main difference being its rather flabby bass. They need lots of space from the rear wall. I ended up with a pair of Harbeths but would happily have gone for the Sonus Faber Liuto towers - both these options were a bit pricier than the Spendors but significantly better in my opinion - at least when it comes to transparency and balance across the frequency range.

 

[Anonymous]

I too found the bass on the A6 flabby when used with an Arcam A38, very disappointing. I also thought that the A6s sounded too forward for my musical tastes and prefer the more balanced SA1 and A5. It just proves how much tastes come into this. I personally think that the A5 is pretty neutral, not warm or bright. The older S series were warmer.

Give them all a fair chance and don't dismiss the Spendors because they don't immediately impress. They have real long term appeal and really draw you into the music. Spendors for HiFi lovers not music lovers? Please. Some like lots of colouration and some don't.

 

[Frank Harvey]

I think the A5's (and the S5e's) are a much misunderstood speaker. They're are very different to other speakers, and they suit certoan genres of music rather than being all rounders. In A/B demos, they're not going to immediately impress, and they probably lose out a lot of sales because of it. It's those who stick with them for a longer listening period that appreciate what they're all about. The first time I heard the S5e's, I had to walk up to the speaker to see if the treble units were working - they're extremely smooth. This initially comes across as sounding veiled and almost closed in, but it wasn't until weeks later after hearing them in various demos that they suddenly came to life. Yes, they were still laid back, but the closed in sound no longer existed, and it turned out the detail was there, it just needed adjusting to. They're not one of my favourite speakers, but I can appreciate what they do. They're not the most balanced sounding speaker, but they're just so easy to listen to.

 

[plastic penguin]

igglebert:I too found the bass on the A6 flabby when used with an Arcam A38, very disappointing. I also thought that the A6s sounded too forward for my musical tastes and prefer the more balanced SA1 and A5. It just proves how much tastes come into this. I personally think that the A5 is pretty neutral, not warm or bright. The older S series were warmer. Give them all a fair chance and don't dismiss the Spendors because they don't immediately impress. They have real long term appeal and really draw you into the music. Spendors for HiFi lovers not music lovers? Please. Some like lots of colouration and some don't.

Sometimes I whince at replying to threads like this one...it's like treading on eggshells.

I've only heard the Spendors fairly briefly and the RX6 never, yet. I have to say, the Spendor SA-1 made a more instant impact on me then the A5s.

Trouble is we are battling with not only personal tastes, but room size, room acoustics....

I always refer, if unsure, about "gut feeling" if all else fails. Personally, SA-1 and MAs would be the top two....

 

[jaxwired]

igglebert:Spendors for HiFi lovers not music lovers? Please. Some like lots of colouration and some don't.

Ouch!

I know when I've prompted a sharp response like that from our diplomatic ambassador of hifi, mr. igglebert, that I've crossed the line indeed. No doubt I deserved it.

 

[Anonymous]

jaxwired:
igglebert:Spendors for HiFi lovers not music lovers? Please. Some like lots of colouration and some don't.

Ouch!

I know when I've prompted a sharp response like that from our diplomatic ambassador of hifi, mr. igglebert, that I've crossed the line indeed. No doubt I deserved it.

Sorry Jax, didn't want to be sharp or offensive but I had to respond! I love the music you see! I'll shut up now