Spendor s8e Imaging/Soundstage?

I currently own the S8e. Just let me tell you its phemnomenal!

I never bought the S8e for soundstaging and imaging but it was an added bonus and surprise on how well it did this area.

With my equipment I have the deepest layered soundstage I have ever heard in my room. This speaker resolves ambient cues along with only a few others that I know of. Width is as good as most speakers and resolves height if the info is there. Only on hard panned sounds in left or right channels can you indentify the sound coming from the speakers but again few speakers can past this test. So generally, the sound hovers around the speaker slighlt behind the plane and goes waaay back. Properly set up you should be able to see "around the sound" too as reviewers say, as oppose to flat images with no body.

Good Luck!*>)

Hi Steve,

I still own the S3/5 and the S8e is more open and less boxy sounding.

I am getting more depth than probably Gary as my S8es are in a dedicated room with Argent Room Lenses, ASC tube traps and RPG diffusers. I can assure you this speaker's soundstage is deep (twice as deep as m Maggies), discreetly layered, holographic and able to resolve the sound of the hall.

Also my associated equipment I use helps in creating a vast soundstage: Cardas GC cables, Linn Ikemi, c-j 17LS2, c-j MV-60 (soon to be LP70S).

To beat this speaker for musicality and resolution you literally have to shop in the $20K and up market. When I move into my new digs I'll probably get another speaker but will always keep the Spendors for reference and haven't found one yet as well balanced as the S8e. Spendors are more about the musical performance and renderig authenic textures of voices and instruments. Without texture you have hi-fi which many uber high resoluton speakers can do.

I have one test for you as I have never heard the Spicas. If you play the Chesky ultimate demo disc using Sara K's track the trumpet that opens up in right channel should be at least 20ft back from the plane of the speaker with sounds of the trumpet reflecting off the studio walls. Sara's voice is warm and articulate.
This will give you an idea what the S8e can do. My guess is that the Spicas will not be able to resolve the studio refelections as well or if at all.

Bartokfan really likes his Tylers which I can't comment on because I haven't heard them. The Tylers use excellent parts but a excellent speaker is more than that. And as to the TAS review by Sally I would side with her. I think she comments on the high resolution of the Tylers but still prefer the magic of the Spendors. I can understand why because one of my friends tried to build a two way using the Seas excel driver used in the Tylers along with the Focal tweeter used in the $75,000 Khrama speakers with Alpha Core inductors and Infinicaps, etc.. and he has sophiscated measuring equipment too and he could not get a musical sound like the Spendor S3/5 which he also bought after listining to mine. Building a speaker is an Art which Spendor has a great heritage in as with Harbeth. Heard good things about JM Reynauds too.

Good Luck!*>)

BTW if you interested in speakers using the Seas Excel drivers do a search for Salk Audio. I beieve their crosssover implementation is more sophisticated than the Tylers.

Yes, Gary is correct the room is very important!

Also The S8e has more layers in the depth plane than most speakers. Most have the front middle and back, basically three. The S8e has about five or six and generally double the depth of most speakers.

Another example I can offer is track 16 on the Opus 3 test disk, "The House of the Rising Sun". I sometimes use this track for demoing speakers and I assuming most of us own this disk. On the Sax solo near the end coming from the left channel, almost all box speakers, have the sound coming forward from the speaker and planar speakers (Maggie) have the sound stuck on the panel. The S8e, when set up optimally, you should hear & SEE this image floating above the cabinet top and slightly behind the speaker in free space totally detached from the speaker, thus creating a better illusion of a musical performance and not being reminded that we're listening to a speaker.

Hi Steve,

Yes, the Spendor S8e in a living room setting will not be as good as what I'm getting but because of their coherence, crossover implementation and driver matching the will image better than most. Do you remember the Stereophile rave of the Proac 1SC for its imaging prowess, well I've have own it as well as the 2S and the S8e is better.

Have fun!*>)