So I bought the Spendor A6. They both sounded brilliant, but the A6 were def better. More detail, larger soundstage and just generally a bit more believable.
Nice!
chasefrench, what size room do you have?
Can you post an update on how they sound in your room once they are bedded in?
chasefrench, what size room do you have?
Can you post an update on how they sound in your room once they are bedded in?
They are delivered tomorrow evening. I ll post back tomorrow and i ll let you know how things go with the 8vs just as a pre amp as well.
Got them at an amazing price . 18400 HKD ~ 1450 GBP, brand new
Got them at an amazing price . 18400 HKD ~ 1450 GBP, brand new
So got them installed, and I dont hear any issues with it being a small room. They will be running in for a long time so it is difficult to say but nothing sounded bad. The only thing that occurs to me is they need more power, the 8 power on its own is satisfactory but sometimes the sound can be a little thin. I m currently wondering about driving one speaker with the 8vs and the other speaker with the 8 power. As far as the sound goes, I just keep thinking about their potential! After hearing both of them, and hearing the A6s in my room, I m certain you should get the A6s. Room size is about 2.5m by 4m
I would have thought the 8 power amp would have been enough to drive them, i think it is rated at 60 watts. I have not really listened to Cyrus amplification and so can only assume that 60 watts should be sufficient. I have got my A6s on the end of a Sugden amp rated at 36 watts and it is more than enough. Maybe give them a month to bed in and get you familliar with what you have before making any changes. Patience and all that. JJchasefrench said:
You are def right JJ. I wont be making any changes for at least a month. I m just used to hearing 130W going into a pair of quad 12ls bookshelves and am now listening to 60W going into a6 floorstanders.
There is always going to be a bit of a loss there. Whenever you are ready for an upgrade, def audition a power amp!
There is always going to be a bit of a loss there. Whenever you are ready for an upgrade, def audition a power amp!
I power my A6's with a Leema pulse which is 70 watts and the sound is never thin to my ears and there is plenty of power. I have never had the volume dial past 2 out of 10 as any louder would deafen me.
The speakers are placed 23cms from the back wall and as usual with rear firing ports this positioning does make a big difference as I am sure you know. Mine are three weeks old now and are being used about 3-4 hours per day and they have certainly improved with usage, I love them.
The speakers are placed 23cms from the back wall and as usual with rear firing ports this positioning does make a big difference as I am sure you know. Mine are three weeks old now and are being used about 3-4 hours per day and they have certainly improved with usage, I love them.
We have similar sized rooms then, about 1 square meter difference.
I have booked a demo session for next Wednesday to demo both the A6 and SA1, taking my speakers with me to compare.
I have booked a demo session for next Wednesday to demo both the A6 and SA1, taking my speakers with me to compare.
FrankHarveyHiFi said:
I think the differences are quite true and will stay even when not compared. SA1's can't be driven loud. The A6's are probably way too much for a small room. I was totally set on Spendors after reading a lot of reviews, but the SA1's had no clout and the A5's were too boomy. I've gone for PMC TB2i - have a try of the DB1i if they are too big - similar price to the SA1 but with more welly and I'd wager as good or better sound.
chasefrench said:
If you want Spendors, you need power - I went down that route before realising I did not actually like any Spendors enough, but so many reviews could not be wrong could they? Well to my ears and needs they were. So having bought the amp first, I now I have 140W pc and 90dB speakers! - exceptional headroom and ear bleeding capacity if I wanted that (which I don't, but it should mean never ever risking a blown speaker).
There are other makers than Spendor - I know WHF are in love with them, but listen to some others too.
Don,t think you need as much power as you think to drive the A6s. I would prefer to put a few watts of quality through a speaker rather than 100 watts of garbage. I have heard speakers driven with 13 watt valve amps that sounded far better than noisey 200 watt cheap amps.
plastic penguin
Well-known member
- Apr 28, 2008
- 6,518
- 3,118
- 36,570
FennerMachine said:
I've holding back on this thread, however, have to ask why Spendors? The SA-1s are very good but overpriced. I think it'll be worth listening to Totem Arro: They are as easy to place as stand mounted speakers and have the oomph of floorstanders.
I want something more musical & fun to listen to rather than a 'monitor' type speaker.
The Spendor's seem to fit that better than some of the other options such as PMC as they seemed a bit clinical in testing against the Spendor's.
The Spendor's seem to fit that better than some of the other options such as PMC as they seemed a bit clinical in testing against the Spendor's.
FennerMachine said:
I agree.
For me, the SA1 was the best small speaker in it's price range (in the right room).
CnoEvil, what speakers were main contenders and what size room do you have? Did you try other Spendor's?
Hi FM
I will do my best to answer your questions.
The plan was to find speakers that would match my old Linn System, which consists of Kairn/LK100 with Karik/Numerik CD player. The new speakers would replace some MA R852 (starting to feel their age) which are connected by Naim NAC cable.
This system still sounds OK (I much prefer the old Linn sound), so I was in no particular panic.
I carted my kit around some dealers (without speaker cables), and listened to the following: Spendor SA1 & A6 (only out of interest); Proac 110; Linn Akurate; Kef XQ; Triangle.
The sound that worked for me, was when the SA1 were connected with Telurium Q speaker cable.
To my surprise I even preferred them to the A6 (which was out of budget anyway), and left the others in its wake (above list is in order of preference). It was exciting, natural and lightening fast, as well as sounding fantastic with my elderly Linn kit.
The listening was all done in a small, typical demo room at the dealer......and this was the problem. My room is more like 16ft x 21ft x 11ft high! The chances of this working for me was slim, but because it all worked so well, the dealer let me take them home anyway (maybe hoping I'd get a sub).
Did it work?.......well I think you can guess. I wasn't prepared to get a sub, so back they went......and the MA852s were drafted back into service.
What did I learn?
That the SA1s are the most musical sounding speakers in (and possibly slightly above) their price bracket (but put them in a smallish room!!)
That Telurium Q is a must audition, if your in the market for s/c.
I will do my best to answer your questions.
The plan was to find speakers that would match my old Linn System, which consists of Kairn/LK100 with Karik/Numerik CD player. The new speakers would replace some MA R852 (starting to feel their age) which are connected by Naim NAC cable.
This system still sounds OK (I much prefer the old Linn sound), so I was in no particular panic.
I carted my kit around some dealers (without speaker cables), and listened to the following: Spendor SA1 & A6 (only out of interest); Proac 110; Linn Akurate; Kef XQ; Triangle.
The sound that worked for me, was when the SA1 were connected with Telurium Q speaker cable.
To my surprise I even preferred them to the A6 (which was out of budget anyway), and left the others in its wake (above list is in order of preference). It was exciting, natural and lightening fast, as well as sounding fantastic with my elderly Linn kit.
The listening was all done in a small, typical demo room at the dealer......and this was the problem. My room is more like 16ft x 21ft x 11ft high! The chances of this working for me was slim, but because it all worked so well, the dealer let me take them home anyway (maybe hoping I'd get a sub).
Did it work?.......well I think you can guess. I wasn't prepared to get a sub, so back they went......and the MA852s were drafted back into service.
What did I learn?
That the SA1s are the most musical sounding speakers in (and possibly slightly above) their price bracket (but put them in a smallish room!!)
That Telurium Q is a must audition, if your in the market for s/c.
Demoed the Spendor A6's today. Took my speakers with me for a direct comparison.
Couldn't try the SA1's as they didn't have them.
Tried small ones from the classic range, the S3/5R I think, instead.
Also tried the ProAc Response D18.
They used Cyrus kit with a single 8-power.
I thought that the A6's would be better than my speakers but not that much better!
Not going to bother trying any other speakers now.
I have tried several suggestions from various people but the A6's are exactly what I want from a speaker.
Time to raid the piggy bank and book a home demo!
Couldn't try the SA1's as they didn't have them.
Tried small ones from the classic range, the S3/5R I think, instead.
Also tried the ProAc Response D18.
They used Cyrus kit with a single 8-power.
I thought that the A6's would be better than my speakers but not that much better!
Not going to bother trying any other speakers now.
I have tried several suggestions from various people but the A6's are exactly what I want from a speaker.
Time to raid the piggy bank and book a home demo!
Well, decision (almost) made. I am sure you will love them and they definately improve with burn in too.
Similar threads
TRENDING THREADS
-
-
What single Upgrade will make the biggest difference to Sound Quality?
- Started by TommoT
- Replies: 4
-
-
-
-
-
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram