Spendor A6 vs A5

[admin_exported]

Hi to all

Today I have been demoing some speaker sets I would like to combine with a Roksan Kandy K2 amp.

I am very interested in the new Spendor A-series.

My nearby dealer only had the A5 available in the listening room, though I was more interested in the A6.

I must say beforehand that I only listen to classical music, i.e. solo vocal works, piano, string quartets, choral works, etc.

While listening to the A5 I got a beautifull soundstage and colouring on esp. the vocal works and instrumental works, but I also noticed esp in the orchestral works that the lows sounded somewhat closed-in not so differentiating or presenting in an openly fashion as the mids and highs were.

This A5 (a 2.5-way system) has a different driver unit for the lows than the A6 (a 2 way system) has and is also of a more compact size then the A6. Now I was wondering if this different driver in the A6 and its larger size would be able to change this issue with the lows I experienced? Or is this as it comes with thse Spendors?

Has anybody compared these two models in an A-B test and be able to share his experiences? Maybe somebody from the WHF-team?

I also tried some other speakers sets from different brands (sorry I didn't write all the models as we were just switching some speakers to hear the sounds of the different brands):

- Dali floorstanders: sorry these are not for me and my music, to sharp, bright and edgy

- Epos floorstanders: good clear sounding set, good separation also in the lows, but a bit too dry and lacks some warmth

- Revel Concerta M12 standmounts: also lacks some warmth, but presents a nice clear picture

- Focal 806 standmounts: beautifull soundstage and warm sound, but also very rich and forward presenting. Can I stand this presentation and very rich sound, I don't know yet.

I'm looking forward to your response to my request on the Spendors.

Aleg

 

[Anonymous]

When buying new speakers I demoed both the A5's and A6's at the same time and listened to the same tracks on both one after the other, as a result I went for the A6's, as to my ears they had a much better all round presence.

Having listened to them extensively since I bought mine in January, I have to say they just get better and better. Some other postings recently have commented on an apparent lack of bass with the A6's but that is not my experience - it is just so much better controlled than anything I've owned previously and they present music in such a beautifully balanced way. I do think that the ampification used to run them makes a huge difference to how they sound. During my demo the guys in the shop told me they preferred the A5's as they had been using Arcam and Sugden amps but when they heard the A6's with my Roksan Caspian they were amazed at how much better they sounded.

Yesterday I played a new 12" vinyl EP I recently bought and had the volume at 9ish and the sound was staggering, in fact, I would go so far as to say it's the best thing I've ever heard. I don't mean that as a boast it just took me completely by surprise.

I don't listen to classical music, so this may not be of much use to you, but I would urge you to try and demo the A6's as I personally think they are truly outstanding speakers.

 

[SteveR750]

Well I can only add that a K2 matches the S6e brilliantly. I ca imagine that the A6 is a signifciant improvement over the S6e, and frankly there is nothing lacking in the bottom end clout. It might not be the most (superficial?) slam in yer face sound, but I can tell the difference in quality between every CD I own, I can tell whether the drummer is any good at keeping time or is just average, in other words you hear what is on the recording as much as is possible without any enhancement (which is why rock music on them can sound a little flat because most rock albums are so poorly produced / over processed in the studio to make them sound big on a radoi / cheap system.)

 

[Anonymous]

Spacehopper and Steve

Thanks for your thoughtful replies.

I will give it a try to get the Kandy K2 demoed with the Spendor A6. It isn't easy, I have been phoning around for over an half hour now and managed to find only one, who didn't have the set right now but was willing to contact the distributor and see if he could get one for demoing.

I don't think the A5 is lacking in lows, but that they weren't presented in an open fashion as the other ranges were.

The A5 did have a wonderful presentation of high and mid range. Listening to Cecilia Bartoli (those who don't know her, you should just google for this gorgeous lady

) Some of the other speakers gave me the impression I was listening to a good recording of her. The A5 gave me the impression that she was there with me in the room, in full body and sound with all the head movements she made while recording, and not just listening to a recording of her. A wonderful experience I must say.

But when listening to an orchestral work with lots of lows, the dynamics and instrumentation were not clearly separated in their presentation. I find it difficult to explain in words.

I'm thinking now that maybe the recording I used, when experiencing these closed-in lows, played a role too, so I will look for a recording that I now is superbly recorded with plenty of lows.

I will keep you posted on my further experiences.

Aleg

 

[Anonymous]

Aleg,

Have you considered trying some different amps to see if that sorts the bass out? I've heard that the K2 isn't the last word in bass definition.

 

[Anonymous]

Igglebert

Thanks for your suggestion, I hadn't really considered that option since the K2 is "said to be" such a good allrounder.

I have just been able to setup a listening demo for the Spendor A6 + Roksan K2 in 17 days time.

If experience the same problems with the lows, I will ask them to change amps to see if that will improve it.

Do you have any suggestions that I might try and will fit in the same budget range of around £800?

 

[Anonymous]

£800, hmmm, good question. Any chance of stretching that budget a bit?

For your music tastes one of these CA 840s might work well. Problem is that the only way you could try it is to buy one on the 30 day money back guarantee, take it to an A6 dealer, try it and decide. Not ideal but doable.

I always like to recommend Quad, e.g. the 909/99 combo, but it's beyond the budget.

 

[SteveR750]

igglebert:Aleg, Have you considered trying some different amps to see if that sorts the bass out? I've heard that the K2 isn't the last word in bass definition.

In my demo experience it was noticeably more controlled and better pitch resolution than either the Cyrus 6 and the Nait 5i

 

[Frank Harvey]

avanegmond: While listening to the A5 I got a beautifull soundstage and colouring on esp. the vocal works and instrumental works, but I also noticed esp in the orchestral works that the lows sounded somewhat closed-in not so differentiating or presenting in an openly fashion as the mids and highs were.

This A5 (a 2.5-way system) has a different driver unit for the lows than the A6 (a 2 way system) has and is also of a more compact size then the A6. Now I was wondering if this different driver in the A6 and its larger size would be able to change this issue with the lows I experienced? Or is this as it comes with thse Spendors?

Has anybody compared these two models in an A-B test and be able to share his experiences? Maybe somebody from the WHF-team?The A5's are a much smoother model than the A6's, and will suit classical/choral etc much better than many speakers I've heard at this price point. The A5's have a great midrange, and a fair amount of low end, which was greatly improved over the S6e. If you try the A5's after another speaker, they will initially sound very closed in due to their smooth HF, but usually a half hour listen improves things, and you suddenly realise that they're not as closed in as they first seem. With the A5's, I would always listen to those first in the demo. The A6's are a little more lively, which gives them their improved 'presence' over the A5's. If you find the A5's a little soft, the A6 will sort this out for you. The A6's are a little more amplifier friendly too, seeing as their a little more efficient than the A5's, which will need more careful matching than the A6's to get the best from them.

If an amp can deal with the A5's, it'll deal with the A6's too, but I think both models should ideally be used with something a little more gutsier than the K2. We usually use the Nait 5i if a budget amp is needed, but ideally an XS should be the goal.

 

[batonwielder]

Aleg, We share very similar musical preference and taste.

The A5's do lack in bass extension and perhaps agility, but perform better when given lots of room to breathe in.

The Roksan amplifier does have plenty of guts but strangely doesn't sound dynamic at all.

I was once auditioning the Harbeth 7es3's with the Naim Nait 5i. I put in the end of Mahler's "Resurrection" symphony, and it just couldn't resolve any of the dynamics or detail at all. It was clearly running out of breath and wasn't even loud.

Classical music demands completely different kind of power than what's offered usually.

The Cambridge Audio 840A might be worth a listen, but there's no need to move to the A6's.

 

[Anonymous]

Thank you all for your replies (I don't know if I really mean that

), but it seems I have to be prepared to throw open my search for a new amp - speaker combination a bit wider again.

I will take all your suggestions at heart, and it seems I need to do some reconsiderations on the amp-side as well, and possibly also the budget.

I f there are any more suggestions, esp. experiences from the classical music lovers, please keep them coming.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Batonwielder

I'm curious what kit you ended up with, as you say we share a musical interest.

I have looked a Nait XS (based on the advice of Frank Harvey) on the internet and it seems again a very good one, but about 50% up on my original budget for the amp. This can be overcome since I consider these expenditures to be long term investments.

The only 'problem' is that I cannot find a dealer here in the Netherlands that does both the Naim brand and the Spendor brand, and I must hear them together before I decide on a purchase.

Does anybody have a good suggestion for speakers to go with the Nait XS and which are "extremely suitable" for my musical taste?

Aleg