The Spendor Thread..

I have a pair of Spendor A5 in dark walnut, along with my Heco Direkt.
A5s are a joy to listen to. They are able to fill a large room like mine (40 m2). All the reviews are right, fantastic sound, speed and "endlessly listenable".
They work well with a wide range of amps. But i once tried them with a Naim Nait XS from a friend. They sounded bad, no sparkle, no punch, poor midrange. I dont know why. We tried them in his room as well but same result.
The best sound i've heard was when paired with Sugden A21SE. Just 30 W of class A so you need to be careful with the volume. It was the most organic sound ever. I can really describe it as liquid.
Some of the best speakers ever. As they are now discontinued they can be had for a very good price and are speakers for a lifetime.
 
Oh, and if you come across a comment like "polite sound" just ignore it. It means they sound just right. Other speakers may sound exciting on a short demo but once the thrill is gone you will be left with a fatiguing sound and a wish to change. Much like going home with that hot pole dancer and ending with someone unable to articulate a conversation.
Spendor is one of the very few makers that never made a bad sounding speaker in any of their range.
 
I just got my hands on a pair of Spendor Preludes, the way the surrounds meet the cones, it makes me think they were repaired by a drunk with parkinsons, but after seeing other spendor speakers of the era, it seems that they just looked like this at the time. What's up with that?

They work fine and sound great, BTW.

Here's a pic:
https://imgur.com/a/TyYcb
 
Congrats on your Spendors. My Preludes get the bulk of the playing time with my systems. I find they play well with my SS and my tube units. They also seem less finicky with placement than my only other British speakers some KEF 103.2's. For these and other reasons I can excuse their vinyl clad shell. I did have to re-center 1 woofer but the basket design made that a piece of cake. I also thought some repairs had been made to mine, but just accepted this was probably factory. Enjoy.
 
Can anyone relay their experience with getting replacement drivers for their Spendors?

I'm wondering if Spendor keeps a stash of replacement drivers for discontinued models and for how long. I believe they claim to maintain stock of old designs, but IME, claims are one thing, reality is usually something else.

They redesigned the drivers of the model I recently purchased, even the bolt pattern. I'm thinking I might be proactive and get backup drivers, as I doubt I'll ever sell the speakers. I know drivers last a long time if not abused, but accidents happen.
 
Been listening to my BC1's a few times in the last month and love the detail they bring to my ears but after an hour of listening each time, one of the alnico (red version) drivers would crackle pop etc and sounded like the voice coil was rubbing or blown.
I finally had time to figure out what the issue was.

The braided wire that attaches to the back of the terminal post had frayed. The inner wire coming off the terminal post seems to be angled too sharp which has caused this issue.

The braided wire looks OK in the pic below BUT with closer inspection she's not.
ZOE_0045_1.jpg
We now have a proper stable resistance.
ZOE_0046_1.jpg

So before you think you have blown up your driver, check to see if yours has the same issue.
 
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Can anyone relay their experience with getting replacement drivers for their Spendors?

I'm wondering if Spendor keeps a stash of replacement drivers for discontinued models and for how long. I believe they claim to maintain stock of old designs, but IME, claims are one thing, reality is usually something else.

They redesigned the drivers of the model I recently purchased, even the bolt pattern. I'm thinking I might be proactive and get backup drivers, as I doubt I'll ever sell the speakers. I know drivers last a long time if not abused, but accidents happen.


Have you asked them?
 
Hi all, just picked up a pair of sp-1's, I am looking to verify the wood veneer type, I have only seen a light oak. That is definately not what I have...thoughts? Here are a few pics...Thank you.
 

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Thanks StuartB...thats what I am thinking..but can find no info on available veneers for the sp-1. Nor am I able to find a pair that resembles mine.
 
I've just purchased an immaculate pair of BC1's (serial numbers 24419/20). Love the sound but I'm a little worried about the tweeters/woofers blowing as I've read that they're a little fragile. I have a vintage 70s amp arriving tomorrow with 75wpc, these speakers are the 55w verison.

How do you know when you're pushing them too hard? Is it simply a case of not taking the volume control passed halfway for arguments sake or are there other factors to take into consideration?

Cheers
 
Excellent choice of speaker! I recently auditioned some A6Rs but preferred my old BC1s (also 55 W rating, but with the earlier Red magnet). The A6Rs had too much bass for my musical tastes, and the treble was too bright. The mid was a little bit more detailed and immediate, but not enough to make up for the shortcomings elsewhere, and in addition, unlike the BC1s I found them tiring to listen to. If I do update, it will almost certainly be to a modern version of these BBC-derived thin-wall speakers.

To get to the question:
The volume control at half-way almost certainly doesn't mean half-power, since the control will most likely be logarithmic, not linear. There are better ways of ensuring you don't push the speakers too hard.

A well-designed powerful amplifier is better for the BC1s than one that is underpowered to the point that it could go into clipping when run at high level. Clipping is the killer, and you'll know when it happens by the distorted sound. Catch it very quickly and the speakers should be OK, but of course far better to avoid it altogether! Another thing to avoid is working the speakers hard and long on things like low organ notes. Other than that, the speakers should be fine at all sound levels that you're likely to want unless you are trying to fill a big room.

My present room is 13 x 15 ft and the previous one was 18 x 12, and I've run my BC1s in them with a Sansui AU-919 amplifier (100 Wpc into 8 ohms) for 38 years, often at a sound level as high as my ears could stand, and never experienced clipping. An amp with plentiful output also brings out the very best of the BC1s including better control of the base than I experienced with several other amplifiers that I trialled in c.1980. I'm no expert but would say the amp's damping factor of 100 helps here as well, though I think most amplifiers will be sufficient in that respect. The recommendation seems to be for a DF of at least 80, and most amplifiers that I've studied meet that.

We really need to know the make and model of your 'new' amplifier. It will then be much easier to judge its suitability for the BC1s, though 75 Wpc sounds about right for them (unintended pun).

It would also be good to know where you are situated. Perhaps your location, if nothing else, could be added to your Profile?
 
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Hi David

Thanks for the detailed reply. Its good to hear that yours have lasted so long playing without a leash.

Whilst I really wanted a powerful Sansui (like yours) or a Martantz from the same era, I was a little limited on funds and read positive reviews of the old high end range of Realistic receivers made in the 70s and managed to locate an STA-2000 which I'm expecting soon. I wanted something from the 70's and something above 50wpc, it also sounds a little tube-like too apparently.

I'm currently listening to Black Sabbath's Black Sabbath through a 60wpc av amp and it still sounds amazing. The drums/high hat are sounding so real and authentic. I've been using Meridian Actives until now, but these BC1's are just so musical.

Specifications
Tuning range: FM, MW

Power output: 75 watts per channel into 8Ω (stereo)

Frequency response: 15Hz to 25kHz

Total harmonic distortion: 0.25%

Signal to noise ratio: 70dB (MM), 75dB (line)

Dimensions: 19.25 x 16.5 x 6.25 inches

Finish: silver front, walnut veneer side panels

Year: 1977

Price: USD $499.95 (1978)
 
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I’d never studied Realistic until now. What a machine you have! Same era as my Sansui, and probably around the same cost new (mine was £400, list price £480).

It looks as though the STA-2000 will be very relaxed driving the BC1s, so they should have an easy time of it too.

It’s good to find you are in the UK - in one of my favourite areas too - and it’s unfortunate that we’re too far apart to share listening experiences.

I’ve just been listening to Massive Attack’s ‘Angel’ at very high volume (-16dB on the volume control, which coincidentally is physically midway on the -70 to 0 dial) with no sign of any speaker stress. My usual music is easier than this, typically saxophone jazz or classical piano / violin, but I like an earwax-clearing session as well most evenings! I also enjoy Jimmy Smith’s jazz on the Hammond organ at high volume.

My wife used to wonder why the ornaments kept moving in her display cabinets. When she discovered the reason to be my music playing, I offered to stick them in place with Blutack. :biggrin:

Your BC1s being the later version, I assume they have a 3” port fitted with a 5”(?) long tube lined with 1/2” foam, rather than the earlier 2” port with 1/4”-ish foam and no tube? I converted mine In the early 1980s with parts bought from Spendor and it gave a massive improvement in the bass. (n.b. Anyone contemplating this modification must ensure the foam is open-cell.)

Best wishes for long and happy listening with the STA-2000 and BC1s. :music:


Edit: Having said last night about listening to Massive Attack at very high volume, I ought to mention that I don't normally play anything quite that loud - it was more a case of being able to say to you "this is what the BC1s can do" - and I switched off before the end of the track as it's not my kind of music.

Heavy Metal, like Black Sabbath, is not for me either so I don't know how the BC1s will handle it at continuous high volume. I think you should be able to feel if you are stressing them; if in a smallish room your ears may hurt before the speakers do!

Other AK members may have experience of Heavy Metal played through the BC1s?
 
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I’d never studied Realistic until now. What a machine you have! Same era as my Sansui, and probably around the same cost new (mine was £400, list price £480).

It looks as though the STA-2000 will be very relaxed driving the BC1s, so they should have an easy time of it too.

It’s good to find you are in the UK - in one of my favourite areas too - and it’s unfortunate that we’re too far apart to share listening experiences.

I’ve just been listening to Massive Attack’s ‘Angel’ at very high volume (-16dB on the volume control, which coincidentally is physically midway on the -70 to 0 dial) with no sign of any speaker stress. My usual music is easier than this, typically saxophone jazz or classical piano / violin, but I like an earwax-clearing session as well most evenings! I also enjoy Jimmy Smith’s jazz on the Hammond organ at high volume.

My wife used to wonder why the ornaments kept moving in her display cabinets. When she discovered the reason to be my music playing, I offered to stick them in place with Blutack. :biggrin:

Your BC1s being the later version, I assume they have a 3” port fitted with a 5”(?) long tube lined with 1/2” foam, rather than the earlier 2” port with 1/4”-ish foam and no tube? I converted mine In the early 1980s with parts bought from Spendor and it gave a massive improvement in the bass. (n.b. Anyone contemplating this modification must ensure the foam is open-cell.)

Best wishes for long and happy listening with the STA-2000 and BC1s. :music:


Edit: Having said last night about listening to Massive Attack at very high volume, I ought to mention that I don't normally play anything quite that loud - it was more a case of being able to say to you "this is what the BC1s can do" - and I switched off before the end of the track as it's not my kind of music.

Heavy Metal, like Black Sabbath, is not for me either so I don't know how the BC1s will handle it at continuous high volume. I think you should be able to feel if you are stressing them; if in a smallish room your ears may hurt before the speakers do!

Other AK members may have experience of Heavy Metal played through the BC1s?

I was also fairly unfamiliar with the Realistic brand too, always had it down as very low quality, but having researched 70's amps I came across several mentions of the STA-2000 model and above. These were part of the monster amp war of the 70's, and made by a company called Foster Electronics in Japan. The benefit with this is that these amps can be purchased for a third of the price of the better known counterparts.

I listened to a lot of Massive Attack in my student days, and from what I recall, some of it was very bass heavy, so that may be a good indicator of what the speakers are capable of. I don't tend to listen at really high volumes, but I do like it to be loud enough to really enjoy.

Black Sabbath's self titled album is one of my favourite recordings, for the most part it sounds superb and is well worth listening to even if its not your cup of tea. I'm not just a metal head though, I love music, with a collection including John Coltrante, The Beatles, Debussy, Neil Young, Dvorak and Pink Floyd to give you some idea. Some of my favourite music over recent years are film scores from the likes of Michael Nymann, Max Richter and Ennio Morricone.

I've yet to take the grills off the speakers or open them up from the back, so can't confirm, but will have a look.
 
The BC1 grills tend to be fiddly to remove. I use a 2”-wide thin filling knife (the type used for filling cracks in plaster), inserting this near a corner at the top or bottom and carefully levering against the cabinet. Once it starts moving it becomes fairly easy. There are 6 pins on the grill that are push-fits into plastic inserts on the baffle (speaker board), two each at top and bottom and two exactly midway.

Our musical tastes aren’t too far apart. I’ve just played a Black Sabbath album for the first time, streamed from Spotify, and the instrumental parts were good to listen to (I’m not so keen on the singing). I wouldn’t have thought that type of music would stress the speakers even at pretty high volume with the Realistic.
 
Off topic, but there’s something I should add...

I forgot to mention that you will probably need to fit in-line attenuators to any inputs of your Realistic STA-2000 that you will be feeding from a CD or network player, since the standard CD and network player output is 2 volts and the receiver’s input sensitivity will be nearer 150mV. Otherwise overloading will occur.

Attenuation of the input is one reason why my AU-919 can have the volume control at midway position without risk of damage to the BC1s. The attenuators avoid overloading the inputs and actually improve the sound quality very noticeably. They let the volume control operate well up the scale instead of ‘just off the stop’, and sound reproduction is far more accurate there.

I fitted Rothwell -20dB attenuators but yours may need a smaller reduction. The Rothwells are beautifully engineered, but that does make them a bit expensive.

Now back to listening to my BC1s. ‘All Melody’ from Nils Frahm being streamed from Spotify Premium - at high volume of course!
 
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Thanks for that information David, I've not heard of inline attenuators before and will take that into consideration with a new amp. Unfortunately the amp I ordered had already sold (the shop hadn't updated the website) so the Realistic is no longer an option. I'm now back to hunting for a new amplifier to suit the BC1's and welcome any suggestions for a budget of up to £300 and preferably something of 70s vintage.
 
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