Spendor Classic 1/2

Some Spendor A7 I’ve heard in another system though were really promising:: beautiful mids without a trace of a BBC dip as far as I could tell, silky and lively highs albeit a bit too pronounced, very nice upper bass detail, good timbre reproduction, good scale and bass extension considering their dimensions but ultimately trying too hard to descend where that 7 inch driver shouldn’t. This or it was the amplifier - a rather cheap Atoll I’ve never heard before or after so an unknown factor for me.

I owned A7’s for the past year and this is a great summary of their sound profile. I had them paired with a Line Magnetic 805ia SET amp. No slouch by any measure. What you heard re. trying to reach too deep, was one of the few issues I had with them. There was a lot of bass but the bottom did get congested/messy.

If I were to move on from my electrostats, which I might eventually, I could live with some hypothetical improved A7’s with better bass extension, a bit better scale and, of course, higher resolution overall.

They are called the D7.2’s and are now what I own. They improve upon the A7’s in exactly those 3 categories. Bottom end of bass has better extension, clarity, and articulation. The LPZ tweeter has much better resolution and clarity. Though some would say too much - and this is where pairing with electronics becomes crucial for the D7’s. I have them running off of the 4 ohm tap on my LM 805ia and they sound absolutely fantastic and almost perfectly balanced. It’s really hard for me to find fault with them at the moment.

All that said, they are simply not the same kind of sounding speaker as the Classics/SP1's or Devore's.

I listen more to the music on the Spendors (jazz, vocals, some pop/soul) and more to the system using the other speakers.

Same here. I notice this every time I throw my Spendor S3/5s in to my system. Which is why I wanted to hear the new Classic series. Unfortunately no one ever had them for demo, even local Spendor dealers.

I actually traced a demo pair to a dealer in Montreal when I was there, came in to hear them, but they suddenly didn’t seem keen on setting them up for me. Instead I got to hear the Devore O/96 speakers there again and they actually had a sound like my Spendors but "on steroids," - that is the same woody, organic tone, but more vivid, greater clarity and nuance, and more dynamic. (Though with sometimes overbearing bass).

Once the pandemic abates I’ll probably go sniffing around for an audition of Spendors again.

I've just bought a used pair of Spendor SP2/3R2 - the model that charmed me a couple of years ago. Actually, they might be the very same speakers I auditioned! Tomorrow I'll get to hear them again - can't wait! I'll post impressions if anyone is interested. 

Well, not much interest shown so I'll be short. They are amazing. The acoustic instruments are incredibly realistic - great tone and timbre. Piano is great, violin is great, acoustic guitar is astonishing. Very musical and inviting midrange. Low end is a bit slow, not particularly tight / punchy and starts gently rolling off around... 50 Hz? (just a guess) Quite (but not very) smooth and extended highs, good enough in my book. I like them more than the aforementioned Classic 100, they are more musically engaging to my ears and perhaps, just perhaps, more insightful in the mids and highs (!).

Did I mention they are amazing?

I had a set of Spendor SP1/2Es for several years. Absolutely one of the finest midranges I've heard -- if voice and smaller group or solo unamplified acoustic instruments were your thing, they may be one of the finest speakers out there. Bass was a bit weak, especially if you liked processed or electronic material, but within their element they were fantastic. I only ended up selling them because the wife said the 1970s boxes had to leave our living room. Even though I like my current speakers (Ohm 1000s in my main stereo and GE BRXs in the smaller system), there are days I still miss them.