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Former Spica owners ... what did you trade up to ?

This question is brought on by my borrowing of a friend's Spendor s3/5. The spendors are very highly reviewed, particularly in the area of imaging. To cut a long story short I lived with the spendors for 3 days and then put back my trusty Spica Angelus and the conclusion...

The spicas are head and shoulders above the Spendors in every possible way, but especially in imaging. With the spendors it was very apparent that the sound was coming from two small boxes. The sound was also veiled, which surprised me since their top end extension is supposed to be superior to the aging angelus.

Ok the Spendors win in looks. But that's it.

So that got me thinking, with all the review hype out there I need to hear from previous spica owners on which speakers they have found to be a clear upgrade, both monitors and floorstanders.
seandtaylor99

Showing 3 responses by seandtaylor99

seandtaylor99 OP
1,262 posts
 
Thanks everyone. It seems to me that it is a wise idea to hang on to the Spicas when purchasing "trade-up" speakers, since many have found that the "trade up" is more of a "trade sideways".

What a pity that Jon Bau is not still designing speakers.
seandtaylor99 OP
1,262 posts
 
I thought I'd update this ancient thread.

I ended up trading my Spica Angelus for Green Mountain Audio Europas about 2 years ago, and I am very happy with the move. The Europas better the imaging of the Spicas (though not by much) and improve the bass and the clarity. The Europas are rather like Spica Angelus imaging with ability to rock.

I still use a REL Strata 3 and it seems to integrate better with the europas, perhaps because it's crossed at 48Hz (versus 27Hz with the Spicas).
seandtaylor99 OP
1,262 posts
 
Cwoll, I think you'd like Green Mountain Audio Europas. They are like Spicas with a slightly more forward, detailed, less rolled off sound, firmer bass, much greater SPL and dynamic handling and ...... imaging that betters the spicas.

Like the Spicas they need very careful placement, but they really deliver once setup.
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