Spendor Classic 3/1 vs Graham Chartwell LS6 ?


Hello.

I am a beginner in audio system and currently interested in Spendor Classic 3/1 and the Graham LS6.

I listen to Jazz, Vocals, EDMs, Rap, as well as some chillout cafe music and classics.

From what I know about the Spendor Classic series, they have added improved high frequencies units to the older SP series, the sound stage is very wide, imaging is very clear, perhaps not the most opulent bass on 3/1 model as with all speakers of this size, but that is what my room can handle and I have no issues there. Here is a link that made me to pick the 3/1 as one of my candidate speakers Spendor Classic 3/1 playing EDM. In this video, the uploader uses an ambient electro music to demonstrate the speakers performance. It is absolutely stunning to my ears, but I do not know if this is close to real life experience. One interesting thing about the Spendors new Classic series, the company played EDMs on their Classic 100s and 200s in audio shows. I only saw a few youtube demos from the shows, but Spendor must had confidence in their speakers playing fast paced EDMs.

The Youtube demos Graham LS6 on the other hand do not play any EDMs. By all means, EDMs are not the only type of music I listen to, but that was what impressed me on the Spendor 3/1 and hoped to see what it is like on the LS6. Nevertheless, from what I see, the speaker sounds amazing with Jazz. Here is a link music starting at 2:00. It isn’t quite clear which speakers perform better to my ears because the demos don’t play the same track. Also, the reviews on LS6 are saying this is an awesome speaker, but no review on the 3/1 could be found.

I understand I will have to audition those speakers myself eventually, but there isn’t a Spendor or Graham dealers in my local area. I hope to learn about the differences of these speakers, which one would be less fatiguing, why you think one of them would be your choice, and more.

Thanks!

K
yggy1
I am glad this one was revived from 2020.  Am quite intersted in this very nice discussion!
I'm demoing the LS6 this weekend... although I don't have a way to demo the 3/1 at the moment....

I have owned the A1, A4, and LS6 speakers. The Graham LS6 provide a sense of natural scale and immersion that just feel much more involving to me; it is a more open and dynamic sound than Spendors and make me want to play loud; the Spendors faded into the background quite nicely with no distractions, which is also something one may want .

I did find the A1s bass shy for some genres (house, reggae, large scale opera) but a rather charming speaker. The A4 produced, by comparison, a great all around unassuming sound with tight actual bass and yet less of the stunning transparency of the Graham and A1 stand mounts. I do find myself applying DSP bass trim in Roon for the Grahams as they are seated near a wall. If you’re willing to go that route, and listen in a medium size space, the Grahams are end game speakers - rivaling some far, far dearer speakers I own (huge German Physiks and powerful WVL models for use in very large spaces) for sheer enjoyment. Their BBC lineage also makes them strikingly clear relay devices for sonic scale and vocal inflection; it’s not just a cliché.