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spendor 3/5 vs era vs avi vs vienna acoustics hayd

i may violate the cardinal rule when making a purchase. i may take a big chance and make a mistake.

i am looking for a mini monitor and have narrowed it down to:

spendor 3/5, era ($600), avi neutron 4 and vienna acoustics haydn 2.

i will not be able to compare them and may not be able to listen to all of them.

i will have to rely on judgements from dealers, manufacturers and serious listeners. i may be able to use logic and "common" sense (hope i have it) to try to wade through all of the comments on these products.

ok: i am trying to find a speaker under $1500, decent bass response (flat to 60 hz), little cabinet resonance, somewhat laid back and a soft upper mid/lower treble response.

which of the 4, if any would be the best choice, and why ?

this would be a second speaker. my primary speakers are quad 63s and maggie 1.6 .

thanks for your help.
mrtennis
bignerd100
515 posts
 
If he uses bass-limited speakers he can avoid some of the problems of having a square room though. A 15x15x8 box would have peaks at 75 and 150Hz at normal listening position with the coresponding nulls. Because even the best small speakers do not have the surface area or box cappacity to produce these frequencies at high volume levels he may have better luck with smaller speakers. I like the Spendors for just this application. THey give you a great sense of the bass that should be there because they roll off gradually.

Good luck!
tlh28
90 posts
 
Hi,

I have owned two pairs of 3/5s and heard the AVI and VA. Your description of what you are looking for sounds to me just like the S3/5s, except that the bass is not quite flat to 60 hz. Particularly since you are already a Quad owner, I would think you would like the 3/5s, because the small Spendors have a Quad-like sound to my ear. (I have heard the newer Quad ESLS and owned 57s.) Other option as mentioned above -- look for a pair of LS 3/5as, but those are getting pricy. I also like the AVI, but it is a more forward, punchy sounding speaker, more resembling Linn Kans that LS3/5as. I only briefly auditioned the Haydn once or twice, but I personally didn't find it quite that engaging as the other two speakers.

TLH
snipes
119 posts
 
It sounds like you have a couple of solid choices and wouldn't go wrong with either.
northwoods_maine
70 posts
 
My ear finds a preference to Harbeth vs. Spendors, though they both come from the same British genetic pool. I noticed a pair of Harbeth H-3s listed on here right now for asking price of a little less than $1,500.
aktchi
274 posts
 
Northwoods_maine: Indeed, of the two companies Harbeth remains more solidly anchored to its roots. Spendor has changed more. Few people know that Spendor founders' son left the company and actually moved to Harbeth. But nostalgia is one thing, audio another. Both are good companies and for a given situation/budget I'd look at all options and buy whatever was the best fit.
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