I think I know what you mean about the blowing up. Ten years ago when I was shopping for new speakers. The TC-50 and angelus were on my short list. I didn't buy them however because the dealer demonstrated that they drove to distortion at moderate volumes. They imaged like nothing I had ever heard. I describe their sound as a little laid back like a vandersteen but with more detail, far less bass, and vastly superior imaging. I just bought a set of used tc-60's to use with my tv setup, and I think they sound excellent. These actually play as loud as I want (I've never driven them to distortion), and have pretty good power handling with bass that goes to the low 30's. They replaced my old vandersteen 2C's, and I think they are quite a bit better. They are excellent with vocals, and sound very good with my mid-fi solid state denon reciever. I think this is because they are inherently a little soft sounding. For nearfield listening, I think they are a steal.
SPICA revival and modification
When I just began getting into audio as I hobby, I remember reading about Spica loudspeakers. They were always able to get into Stereophile recommended ratings eventhough they were fairly affordable. Sadly, the company has been shelved after being bought by Parasound, and after having read an interview article with the mastermind of the RIP company, I wonder if these speaker can be bought used and refurbished with new drivers that would also preserve as much of their original sound as possible...The designer said that the Audax drivers used on the Spica Tc-50s, 60s and Angelus are gone, they are no more and that the crossover components may get corrupted. Any experience with these speakers gentlemen? I am very interested in hearing from actual owner with factual stories of what they did with the set ups when they blew up....I remember ST saying that the SPICAs needed to be matched carefully, not with high wattage. PAUL
- ...
- 13 posts total
to stevegolf1...HAHAHA, I also was browsing throught the window display in PARK AVENUE audio and I saw the same pair. That is why I got curious about these speakers and also due to this article in AUDIO ASYLUM. Nevertheless, it seems like no one here is addressing my question, modifications and repairs. PAUL |
In a former life I was the national sales manager at Spica and here are some facts for you ... the drivers for both the TC-50 and the Angelus were raw Audax units customized and matched in-house by Spica. All the crossover components were also individually graded and matched in-house. When the crossovers were assembled they were also matched. Although the crossover components showed "10%" they were all individually matched closer than "1%". A "service code" was assigned and that's how we supplied replacement parts and kept the speakers in spec. That's why when hobbyists replaced caps with better(?) grade pieces they found that their speakers sounded really different and always much worse. John Bau was a truly brilliant designer. The TC-50 and Angelus are truly outstanding loudspeakers and offer imaging and transparency rarely achieved at any price BUT they are OLD. Drivers age with time, use, and exposure to the atmosphere. With no replacement drivers available and the fact that a "loose nut in front of the volume knob" can blow anything up you are taking your chances. I don't have any experience with the TC-60, as I left the company before the sellout, but if there are no parts for them the same holds true. |
More information on Spica service codes and driver replacement can e found here on the Spica Speaker Enthusiast site: www.spicaspeakers.com |
- 13 posts total