Spendor Speakers - Need Advice...

[jaxwired]

Hello everyone. This is my first post as a new member of the forum.

I live in the USA in an area with almost no access to hear good audio equipment. So I am about to purchase new speakers without hearing them first. I have new NAD electronices. A NAD C355bee (80w/ch) amp and a NAD C545bee CD player. I am going to buy either the new Spendor A5 or the new Spendor A6. Over here in the USA, there is a 27% price jump from the A5 to the A6. I'm leaning toward the A6 since I will be stuck with whatever I buy for quite some time due to wifely constraints.

Have any of you heard both? Is the A6 worth the extra money? The specs say the A6 will technically handle lower frequencies than the A5, but the A5 review indicated that the bass was already great.

Any comments would be greatly appreciated... Thanks.

 

[Lost Angeles]

jaxwired:

Hello everyone. This is my first post as a new member of the forum.

I live in the USA in an area with almost no access to hear good audio equipment. So I am about to purchase new speakers without hearing them first. I have new NAD electronices. A NAD C355bee (80w/ch) amp and a NAD C545bee CD player. I am going to buy either the new Spendor A5 or the new Spendor A6. Over here in the USA, there is a 27% price jump from the A5 to the A6. I'm leaning toward the A6 since I will be stuck with whatever I buy for quite some time due to wifely constraints.

Have any of you heard both? Is the A6 worth the extra money? The specs say the A6 will technically handle lower frequencies than the A5, but the A5 review indicated that the bass was already great.

Any comments would be greatly appreciated... Thanks.

Are these speakers not "a bit too good" for the amp and CDP or have I read this wrong. £350 amp & CDP & £1400 or £1800 for Speakers. Seems over the top to me

 

[Anonymous]

I used my Spendor SA1s with my Rotel RA03 (£450) for months with very good results indeed. Sorry to contradict common sense.

 

[proffski]

Go for it, they are sublime! At first they seem top lack something, but it soon dawns on you that it is all there in proportion. Nothing added nothing taken away. Bass is fast with no trace of boom or nasty box resonances, when there is bass in the material you get it, the enclosure never joins in with the music. Top end is articulate without being up front and in your face and without sibilance.

The HF does not drill holes in your eardrums like a laser, some speakers may seem to have more HF but it is all resonances.

Go on, do it and your ears will love you forever!

 

[jaxwired]

Lost Angeles:

Are these speakers not "a bit too good" for the amp and CDP or have I read this wrong. £350 amp & CDP & £1400 or £1800 for Speakers. Seems over the top to me

This is a interesting concept that I really find odd. Some speakers are too good for my NAD equipment? I should prefer mediocre speakers? They will sound better with my electronics? I'd say that is the real common sense violator. Why not buy the best speakers I can afford? I can always upgrade the electronics in the future.

I mean, if you can only afford to have one first class piece of equipment, would you pick speakers, amp, or CDP? I think speakers offer the best bang for the buck. In my opinion, the theory of diminishing returns kicks in much sooner with electronics than with speakers. Thoughts?

I would also argue that the NAD equipment is a great value and competitive with more expensive kit.

 

[Anonymous]

From my experience I would agree with you. I think that common sense suggests that if you have a pot of cash then it should be considerately distributed over all components rather than with imbalance. If you already have kit then fair enough.

I bought my Spendors with the view of upgrading each component in time. Now I've just done my amp I'm smiling like a Cheshire cat

 

[jaxwired]

Right on. That's what I want to do over time as well. I will eventually upgrade to more serious electronics. But for now, I still want a great pair of speakers. Also, it's not like I'm pairing my NAD equipment with some esoteric super high end speakers that require 300 watt mono blocks. These are simple 2 way speakers with a smallish single bass/mid.

 

[Anonymous]

If you _really_ can't audition any speakers first then I would suggest that the Spendors are a good bet. If you want anything other than a neutral, natural sounding speaker then look elsewhere. Not everyone likes the natural sound these drivers make but I think you soon adjust to what is a sublime, mesmerizing sound. Can't comment on which size to go for but I keep being drawn to the A6s with their simpler design.

Keep us posted!

 

[John Duncan]

jaxwired:Lost Angeles:

Are these speakers not "a bit too good" for the amp and CDP or have I read this wrong. £350 amp & CDP & £1400 or £1800 for Speakers. Seems over the top to me

This is a interesting concept that I really find odd. Some speakers are too good for my NAD equipment? I should prefer mediocre speakers? They will sound better with my electronics? I'd say that is the real common sense violator. Why not buy the best speakers I can afford? I can always upgrade the electronics in the future.

I mean, if you can only afford to have one first class piece of equipment, would you pick speakers, amp, or CDP? I think speakers offer the best bang for the buck. In my opinion, the theory of diminishing returns kicks in much sooner with electronics than with speakers. Thoughts?

I would also argue that the NAD equipment is a great value and competitive with more expensive kit.

Personally I'd have the best amp I could have.

But one thought that did cross my mind was that you could get, as you say, fantastic speakers, and then get electronics to suit if they somehow didn't match, and since your electronics are relatively modest (no disrespect) you wouldn't be writing off too much money.

So maybe not as daft as it sounds.

 

[Mike_Schmidt]

Jax Im with you I have a cyrus Pre Xvs with psx and two smartpowers running into a set of Proac D28's. Some would say over kill as well, maybe or maybe not but I agree once you have them you have them. For me and this is me, the reason I went so high up the speaker chain is well...there large, substantial and statement makers if ever for pure aesthetics. I will upgrade over time slightly as well. You can always upgrade your electronics later and there isnt to much that wont go with the Spendors.

 

[Anonymous]

I auditioned both the A5 and A6 a couple of weeks back.

The A5 is a great little speaker, with great detail and a natural sound, particularly in the mid-range, but for the size of room they were in and I need speakers for, they lacked something. They sounded a little strained at louder volumes and lacked punch.

I then tried the A6 and this had the same natural and open mid-range (vocals and guitars sound great) and a beautifully detailed treble with no harshness, but they also had more depth and scale, which, for me, made the whole experience much more exciting. I get them tomorrow and I am very much looking forward to it!

If you have the money for the A6s and can't listen, go for it.

Also, I might make an assumption about the size of the average US living room: They are generally much larger than our pokey UK living spaces, so the A6s make much more sense due to their ability to better fill the room with exciting music than the diminutive A5s. However, if you live in a small room, the A5s will be great!

As for the compatability of kit, I will say this: I have read in WHF and been told by the dealer that the A6s are so honest in their presentation that they will show where other parts of the system is lacking. If the NAD stuff is O.K., you may not notice, but conversely you may find yourself wishing to upgrade sooner than you expected!

 

[Frank Harvey]

This is a interesting concept that I really find odd. Some speakers are too good for my NAD equipment? I should prefer mediocre speakers? They will sound better with my electronics? I'd say that is the real common sense violator. Why not buy the best speakers I can afford? We've recently used the Spendor A6's with a Naim Nait 5i and a Nait XS, and it's surprising the difference in how these two excellent amplifiers drive something like the A6's. It's not so much driving the speaker, it's taking a grip of them and controlling them. The amount of current an amplifier can kick out varies, and the better the amp, the more current they're capable of. If you put smooth sounding equipment with the Spendors, they can come across as too smooth, as they're some of the smoothest speakers I've heard so far.

Initially, you won't be getting the best from them with your NAD, but once you do upgrade, you'll realise what it's not doing.....

 

[batonwielder]

Jaxwired, I'm also from the States, and going through a similar upgrade. I have, however, listened to quite a number of speakers, and perhaps I can help you with your search.

I can totally understand your logic behind spending a large portion of your budget on speakers.

However, at the price of the NAD amplifier, especially with their recent price increase, it is certainly not the best choice given the number of deals that can be had. Right now, it's the buyer's market, and if you play your balls right, you will end up with a killer system for the amount of money you are willing to spend.

What kind of music do you listen to? What kind of sound are you looking for? What is your room dimension? Why Spendor?

 

[Anonymous]

Frank H, I have the spendor s3e's, what amp would stop them being too smooth?

 

[Lost Angeles]

Jaxwired. I accept you did not like my answer but how long have you had the Nad gear and what speakers did you have before.