Spendor A6, S6e and S6 - how do they compare??

[6th.replicant]

Demo'ing speakers and thus far Spendor's A6 is nosing ahead. However, the A6 can't be used in a bi-amp setup. But its predecessors, the S6 and S6e, are bi-wirable... Anyone have first-hand knowledge of how this trio compares sound-wise, please? Ta [🙂]

 

[Anonymous]

Yea, i,ve listened to them all, don,t know how much the S6 and S6e sell for, so that might be the clincher.

 

[6th.replicant]

johnnyjazz:Yea, i,ve listened to them all, don,t know how much the S6 and S6e sell for, so that might be the clincher.
How do you think the S6 and S6e compare to the A6 - 'more or less the same'; 'slightly inferior'; 'from the class below' or ..?

Ta.

 

[Anonymous]

The A6 sound _slightly_ more forward and have a faster, tighter bass than the S6e. I've read in more than one place that the S5e was actually a better speaker than the S6e. The A5 versus the A6, however, seem to be a little more apples and oranges.

 

[6th.replicant]

Thanks, Igglebert.

 

[Anonymous]

6th.replicant:Thanks, Igglebert.

You're welcome. I should add, I haven't owned any of those so my experience is limited. I think the S6e is an excellent speaker and can be purchased for bargain money these days. Such opportunity would allow for more budget on the amp and source, possibly giving a better overall performance.

 

[6th.replicant]

igglebert:...I think the S6e ... can be purchased for bargain money these days...
Apart from Spendor dealers and eBay, do you know of any other good sources?

Ta

 

[Anonymous]

I've seen a couple of pairs come up in the used areas on the Web. Keep an eye on:

1) pink fish media classifieds and trade listings
2) Hifi Choice magazine classifieds
3) Hifi World magazine classifieds
4) Other forum classifieds (think big tents

and Cyrus products)
5) Audio Emotion may have some listed in their used kit page
6) 2nd Hand Hifi may also have some listed in their pages
7) Moorgate Acoustics have a used kit page
8) zero gain have a used listing
9) Hifi Adverts is yet another site to watch
10) Steve's Hifi also had a pair of S6 at some point too
11) Maybe call Rick at Musicraft and David at Frank Harvey Hifi to keep an eye out for you

There's loads of places out there but whether you get to audition, etc, is another matter. For what it's worth, there's some good deals on the A6 at Sevenoaks (Clearance).

 

[SteveR750]

igglebert:The A6 sound _slightly_ more forward and have a faster, tighter bass than the S6e. I've read in more than one place that the S5e was actually a better speaker than the S6e. The A5 versus the A6, however, seem to be a little more apples and oranges.

Intriguingly I read the opposite when I was searching!

I think it was David from Frankharvey said that the biggest difference (read improvement) is S5e -> A5, whereas the S6e ->A6 is less of a jump. Personally I prefer the S6e over the A5, but it wasnt entirely fair - the A5 was demoed with a Cyrus 8XP and the S6es with my K2. From extrapolation (dangerous I know) To my ears the A5s are a bit faster and leaner, a bit more 'demo room impressive' but don't have that fabulous organic midrange and overall neutrality that the 6s posess.

However, if you factor in price, then its a no brainer IMO, but it cant last forever....they did have some at sevenoaks for £1199 which was a steal.

EDIT - Hifix have some in Maple at £1500 or so, nothing on the 'bay at the moment. There is a relevant thread on this same topic on the pink fishy forums if you google 'Spendor S6e speakers'

 

[6th.replicant]

Erk ahlors, what a selection!

Ta very, very much.

 

[Anonymous]

SteveR750:
igglebert:The A6 sound _slightly_ more forward and have a faster, tighter bass than the S6e. I've read in more than one place that the S5e was actually a better speaker than the S6e. The A5 versus the A6, however, seem to be a little more apples and oranges.

Intriguingly I read the opposite when I was searching!

Yeah, I've had a deeper look and find mixed views. It seems that the S5e are more laidback in sound than the S6e and it comes down to taste. Either way, at the price you can find them for they're a lot of speaker.

 

[Anonymous]

'ere you go, a used pair of Spendor S6 from a dealer

 

[respe]

spens in general are very amp dependent. The S5e and A5 need amps that can make them 'push - on' a tad when needed, as they are a litlle more laid back by nature. The 6's (all of them) can be a but wayward at the bottom end of the amp driving them does not have damping factor required to get a hold of them. After a fair bit of comparison I bought a pair of S5e's and thoroughly enjoy them. The main thing is that you hear them with your amps.

 

[6th.replicant]

igglebert:'ere you go, a used pair of Spendor S6 from a dealer
Ta

 

[SteveR750]

respe:spens in general are very amp dependent. The S5e and A5 need amps that can make them 'push - on' a tad when needed, as they are a litlle more laid back by nature. The 6's (all of them) can be a but wayward at the bottom end of the amp driving them does not have damping factor required to get a hold of them. After a fair bit of comparison I bought a pair of S5e's and thoroughly enjoy them. The main thing is that you hear them with your amps.

In truth so does any speaker that has a medium size driver with several feet of porting attached to it. The back EMF is pretty significant around the port resonant fr.