I agree that the hype is real. I owned a pair of Spendor S8e's, and originally ran them with a Cary V12R tube amp and Audible Illusions pre. The midrange was indeed spectacularly lush and realistic. Bass response was excellent. I listen mainly to jazz, blues and chamber, but was surprised at how well they rocked. Things got better by far, when on the strength of Sallie's review, I changed electronics to a Musical Fidelity KW500 integrated. I've had some truly spine tingling moments with that system.
There is a caveat, however. I found the S8e's to be a bit too rolled off on top for my tastes. Alot of this was remedied by going to expensive Kimber Select KS-3035 cables, a silver/copper hybrid design. Also, while lateral soundstaging was excellent, I found them somewhat lacking in depth. This may have been related to my room setup. There are always tradeoffs, however, and I could have lived quite happily with the S8e's. Ultimately, I decided to try a pair of Reynaud Trentes, knowing I could always go back to the Spendors. While not having as much body as the Spendors, I find the Trentes better suited to my needs in the areas of imaging, transparency, and high end response. Of ourse, nothing is constant but change. I'm hoping to hold on to these virtues, but recapture a bit of what I lost from the S8e's by moving up to Reynaud Offrandes.
After 25 years of the agony and the ecstacy that is this hobby, I've certainly learned that there is no best component, some tradeoff is always involved, and something better always comes along. If you just want to enjoy your music, however, I feel confident that most listeners could be very happy with the Spendors for many years to come. Good luck with your decision.
There is a caveat, however. I found the S8e's to be a bit too rolled off on top for my tastes. Alot of this was remedied by going to expensive Kimber Select KS-3035 cables, a silver/copper hybrid design. Also, while lateral soundstaging was excellent, I found them somewhat lacking in depth. This may have been related to my room setup. There are always tradeoffs, however, and I could have lived quite happily with the S8e's. Ultimately, I decided to try a pair of Reynaud Trentes, knowing I could always go back to the Spendors. While not having as much body as the Spendors, I find the Trentes better suited to my needs in the areas of imaging, transparency, and high end response. Of ourse, nothing is constant but change. I'm hoping to hold on to these virtues, but recapture a bit of what I lost from the S8e's by moving up to Reynaud Offrandes.
After 25 years of the agony and the ecstacy that is this hobby, I've certainly learned that there is no best component, some tradeoff is always involved, and something better always comes along. If you just want to enjoy your music, however, I feel confident that most listeners could be very happy with the Spendors for many years to come. Good luck with your decision.