Spica TC-50/REL Strata II vs. GMA Europa?

I'm a long time Spica fan, have owned them for almost twenty years and love them for certain things, but for rock my opinion is that they suck. No doubt a REL in the equation would help. But the problem I find with TC-50's is that they don't handle sonic complexity (such as the high distortion levels in a lot of rock) nor high volume very well. Their strong suit is simple, cleanly recorded stuff at moderate listening levels - folk, chamber music, small jazz ensemble, "new age". For a main system I'd think the GMAs are more versatile (though I haven't heard them). The Spicas are excellent bedroom system speakers - unless Courtney Love stays over occasionally.

The Eurpoa's are going to be a better speaker for your application. You could steal a pair of Spica's a few years ago. They were a great value, but I don't know that the technology has aged well. I always thought the Spica's were more suuited to chamber music and liter fair. That's not meant to be a put down, JMO.

Only a liar would tell you that Spica has kept up with the latest and greatest speakers out there. I'm not sure why a company that seemed to hold so much promise has fallen along the wayside. The Angelus was a step in the right direction but ultimately they bombed in the marketplace. The GMA is not an extremely expensive speaker, but they would kill the TC 50 in overall sound quality. I might be an idiot, but I can hear the difference. There will be no question in your mind once you compare the two.

I am not a big fan of subs because they never seem to integrate very well. You could spend your money better with a good pair of speakers. I'm not selling anything, so I'm not here to defraud you. These are just opinions. Good luck with your hunt!

I'm not familiar with the Spica's, but I'm confused by your comparison of either adding a Rel sub, or trading the Spica's for the Europas. If it's bass you want, you won't get it with the Europas. If however you want a rock speaker the Europas work nicely, and while the bass is not deep, it's tight. I still find I prefer to listen to mine with the sub.

Going to the Europas first makes more sense to me, but the maker suggests a minimum of 50 tube watts or so. And you would need a greater minimum distance from the Europas than with the Spicas, imo.

Driver technology has improved. Old drivers also can deteriorate in certain ways. The Europas will give you more low end by themselves than the Spicas, and the Europas can crank on rock if you have the wattage for your size room in a way the Spicas never could (and on other music).

Getting the REL bass is not more important than what is happening above 45 hertz. And the Europas are cheaper than just about all new RELs are in the US....

Add a sub later (if you need to and don't mind losing time alignment at the low end - which I wouldn't mind, personally.)

If you want a fuller range sound in one box, albeit with a bit less of the good Europa qualities I've mentioned so far, you could look at the under 1k Vandersteen and NHT floorstanders.

Thanks so for the responses so far. I would not say I listen primarily to rock, as I prefer more acoustic music, but I find I don't enjoy rock like I used to thru other speakers. In terms of sound quality, I much prefer the Spica's to the Vandersteen 1B which I owned for a short time. For me, in my system and listening environment, the Spica sounded much more natural and was able to draw me into the music much more effortlessly. The vocals and sounstage are particularly attractive. I'm looking for the same with a fuller range sound.

If you really like the Spicas and just want them to play louder and "rock" a little more, it wouldn't be crazy to pick up a reasonably priced pair of TC-60's. They're ported and so have more punch than the 50's, I believe replacement drivers are still obtainable, and they were John Bau's personal favorite of his own line. If they don't do it for you, you can easily resell them for what you paid.

First, to answer your question. There was a Kinergetics Subwoofer/amp and stand set made for the Spica TC-50s that fixed many of the problems that speaker had/has. Paired up it was one of the most holographic and musical speaker systems of the early 1990s. Yes, it rocked too. Unfortunately, they're hard to find and still expensive.

For the money, you're much better off getting a pair of newer Vandersteen 2CE Signatures. They'll provide better sound for the same cost as the Spica/Kinergetics combo. They're also not as fragile and have a support system in place.

Either way, you'll be happy I think. I hope this helps!