Spendor is a great company. They have the sense to look back to move forward, offering choices that appeal to a large and diverse population of enthusiasts.
I fell in love with these over TH-cam! Listened to dozens of others, but then i stumbled over "Sound sommeliers" clips about them and i was stunned!! I couldn't afford them yet and i'm already afraid of the price i have to pay one day, for the perfect matching amp, but the Spendor's D7.2 are a goal in life! I've never heard anything like that, in their price range and even under 10k$! Their accuracy is just enormous and extremely beautiful!
Just bagged a pair of Walnut D7.2 and cant wait to pick them up. Have had original D7 since 2018 and love them. I'm hoping for more of the same and no loss of bass.
Awesome review! Exceptional job describing the character of the Spendor D7.2 loudspeaker. I took a big stretch and reached to purchase a pair of these D7.2's a week ago. Haven't set them up yet, but the speaker cabinets are exceptional quality. Can't wait to run them in....
Great review. I thought it was all positive at 1st but you do discuss shortcomings which makes it honest and interesting and I like the way you try to relay your listening experience through descriptions. It’s sometimes hard to convey audio experience with just words but this comes across well. I’ve had these on my Next Speaker List for a while and am curious… 2 questions if you don’t mind me asking. 1) you talked about placement and toe-in being quite intricate and almost fussy. Does this mean to get the very best in terms of placement, a listener can’t venture too far out of the sweet spot on the sofa? Does it vary much if I’m not exactly in place? 2) if I pick these up I’ll be using them with a Denon X7200WA home cinema amp with the Audessy Multi EQ XT off, so similar to using in “Pure” mode. This allows a much more detailed and balanced presentation of music, and whilst reducing bass, presents a lot more detail & makes instruments sound more natural with tones of their material coming through. Is this an amp set up that should give excellent results? I’ve been fortunate enough to run my set up including a Linn DAC through an Audioquest Niagara 5000 with some decent AQ cabling too thanks to the AudioQuest guys sorting me out. I listen to all types of music, mostly Spotify (waiting for the CD quality service to launch) and I’m considering getting a Cambridge Audio Edge W amp to run off the Denon if the Mrs allows. Do you think the extra power amp is worth setting up as the Denon seems quite decent. I may also be up for a Theta digital surround pre & power amp, albeit before HDMI was common place so slightly older in tech. Do you think a power amp vs a powerful surround amp amp makes a big difference if prices around the same point (of course with the surround amp having much more tech)? Thanks in advance. I look forward to more of your reviews.
I heard these speakers recently whilst demoing a pair of speakers. I brought my own amp with me the Hegel H390. First off the speakers I was demoing was the Kef Reference 3 and were used. Now still a fair chunk of cash … I asked the dealer to let me hear something near the price point of the used R3’s … he connected up these 7.2’s. Wow I could not believe what I was hearing. There was zero bottom end and no fill of the room. My music is hard rock and metal … and the only thing I found impressive about these speakers was the vocals and mid range but there was little else. Needless to say these made me stick down the extra cash for the Kef’s. They literally wiped the floor with these in bass, dynamics, control and sound. To me the best British sound between the 2.
very very surprised with your findings. I think for sure bass and dynamics on the Kef win out but detail, timbre and tonality of the D series is superior. To my hear.
@@BelieveHiFi as I said I was very impressed with certain aspects of the 7.2’s but they struggled with my music tests on AB comparison. I was totally floored by the difference in terms of overall sound and dare I say it punch. The 7.2’s as you say provided certain aspects that were marginally better but in terms of presentation these were knocked out of the ball park by the Kef’s. I appreciate at full RRP the Reference 3’s are double the price in UK to these, but as I said I was purchasing a used pair and wanted to see how best to spend my cash and appreciate that we all hear and want different things. The joys of this hobby. Good luck with the channel 👍
@@ArPatterson73 this is what makes HiFi fun, its all subjective and we all have different preferences. Also most importantly different rooms and different partnering equipment!
Your music doesn't match the needs of a real Hi-Fi-enthusiast... Rock and metal are dirty and you need the touch of a companies own sound imaging, to make it sound good. The Spendor's play the music, just as it really is. Pure.
@@skankhunt420 it’s not just rock/metal I listen to. I would listen to some classical and film composer soundtracks and these were in my AB testing. The Kef’s deliver sonically a bigger range. Also when it comes to music you listen to what you love and not what makes the hi-Fi sound good else it’s a bit crap 😃 Your comment regarding being a “real hi-Fi enthusiast” is a bit sad mate tbh. You sound like a really nice guy tbh. You must be fun to be around 🤔👏
@@fryderykmichalak1622 I have a Hegel H90. I bet these would be incredible with the H390. Another great match might be a Sugden. The A21 Signature is 30watts of pure class A power. Definitely not as powerful as the Hegel though. If you want to go for broke, demo them with the new Luxman 509z, or a Constellation or Vitus. I’d stay away from Naim, Boulder and Pass Labs because they have a much brighter sound which may not pair well.
Super excellent review. It's a pleasure to listen to such an enthusiastic guy like you! Have you maybe listened to the latest speakers from Living Voice like the R25 and could do a quick comparison? Cheers!
Interesting with the treble response....My original BC1 loudspeakers are still outstandingly transparent but even with the classic BC1, the Celestion 1300 have always been a trifle "hot" depending on the program sources. Have not heard the D7 as of yet.
I have had the original D7 for about 4 years now and love them. One thing I just cannot find anywhere, (frustratingly), are expressed thoughts and observations from anyone who has gone from the D7 to the D7.2. I am in no doubt that there are a good number of D7 owners, like myself, who would love to find this. Without such available info, it does make you wonder if the sonic changes are so subtle as to not really be worth the big spend to 'upgrade' ? - I mean we are now talking £5650 for the D7.2.
Hi mate, I actually do have a friend in the industry who preferred the sound of his original D9 over the D9.2 due to having a heftier bass response... However I was skeptical as his pair was many years old and the new pair had only 200 hours... So his pair may just have sounded considerably different in the bass due to more wearing in. In the AB I found the .2 version more later focused in the imaging and a bit more refined.. again flawed comparison potentially.
I replaced my D7 to D7.2 about 8 months ago. For me its a huge difference. Details, clarity and accuracy are much better. Please none, I changed not only the speakers but my amplifier as well. Moved from Hegel H160 to H390.
@BelieveHiFi Love my D7s which I've had since 2018, but being a passionate audiophile, I will nab a pair of D7.2, I just sense, regardless of trying to define size of improvement, it'll be worth it, Spendor know what they are doing and have clearly set out to improve an already excellent speaker, hence now scalpel like precision, detail, accuracy, tonality. In my experience the D7 character is that of a studio monitor, the D7.2 sounds like an exceptional studio monitor, accurate, revealing, forensic.
Thanks. Looking for a proper possible upgrade to my Tannoy XT6fs, and these could be the ones, I need speakers that are similarly easy to drive, but with improved dynamics and speed. However, I worry that I'm spoiled by the concentric drivers, as my previous speakers were KEF LS50s.
I have a Cyrus stream Xa and a CDi, using an 8XPD as a pre amp and then into a Cyrus Stereo 200 power amp and running Spendor A5’s. I’m looking at these for my next upgrade.
They are an upgrade for sure when it comes to resolution, however they are going to give you potentially the upgrade bug because they are so sensitive to any change in the electronic chain
@@BelieveHiFi I’ve had the upgrade bug the last few years anyway, getting the CD player upgraded in early 2019 then adding the power amp last year which made it sound almost three dimensional on some tracks. I was just running it with the 8XPD before but the power amp has opened it up.
I had the d7 sold until 2 years ago as the bass was a bit exuberant my room is 20 square meters. I ask you what difference in general with these new spendor d7 / 2 especially the lower part is the same or have they changed something? Thanks
Hello! I`ve just changed my old Canton Ergo 100 DC from early 90´s with one of their new called 896 DC but ,despite their obvious qualities,the bass is not punchy like at the old ones,a little too ``polite``,closer to Dali Rubicon 6 or some Dynaudio,which are very laid back and I don`t like it. I mean,I like rock to sound like is supposed to sound (not like easy listening music) but to have finesse when is neaded.My collection:vinyls and cds classic rock,prog,blues and some jazz.Plinius amp. D 7.2 would be a better solution?
@@morespinach9832 Something much cheaper. Acoustic Energy AE520. I would've gone the Dyn Contour route, but I've heard the Confidence. I decided the Confidence could be for a future system instead.
Thank you for this great review. I’ve heard they are somewhat hard to drive, that they need a good amount of current to show their best, so i want to ask you about some examples of integrated amps that can drive optimally those d7.2.
This is not true. I drive my D9.2 speakers with Audio Note Jinro, which is 20 watt amp. Of course a little more is better, but as these Spendors are sensitive, they don't need a lot of power to play loud.
They arent too hard to drive actually. However they scale amazingly with great amplification. I heard them with Bricasti Monoblocks and they sounded out of this world in comparison to a really strong 10k euro intergrated we compared it to.
Informative and thorough review! Understand that setup and placement can affect the performance greatly, but would you say these are particularly sensitive with respect to set up compared to other comparable speakers?
Hey Simon, I actually just got into a position to relaunch the channel.. Got some pretty interesting content coming up that I haven't found on TH-cam as of yet.... Really nice to see you checked in mate! All the best and I have still been following all your videos closely. Hoping the new content is interesting
Appreciate the fairly thorough description of these Spendors, but system building is always contextual and the failure to name associated equipment used and the refusal to mention the benchmark speakers that did better in certain areas make this an incomplete review. I hope you will reconsider your style of presenting your findings. Be more transparent and open (no pun intended) about the gears and benchmarks used. Only then can I, and your other viewers, get a more accurate context of how these speakers were tested. The fact that I'm seeing a Hegel in the background leads me to assume this was the amp used? The same with benchmark speakers that you mentioned were more neutral in the highs, again it would be helpful to name it.
I've always wondered if a hi-fi speak like this can be used to mix music down and have it translate to other systems well, assuming the room acoustics are done well. What's your take?
I am not quite understanding the question, but I think you are referring to whether or not this speaker could be used by a mixing engineer? I couldn't see why not, however mixing and mastering engineers typically use multiple speakers and headphones.
Hegel on the table... Do these pair up well or is it going too far away from an easy listen ? I've got a h390 and hoping to demo these once my dealer is able
For me the D7.2 is absolutely worth it. BUT I think the question comes down to how much you want the speaker to scale. The D series scales AMAZINGLY well with high end amplification. I feel if you want to keep the amplifier and source fairly budget probably go with the A7
I don't think its a worry to have unless you really love th .1 edition harbeths type warmth. Also keep in mind equipment matching will be a really big factor with these speakers
Spendor is a great company. They have the sense to look back to move forward, offering choices that appeal to a large and diverse population of enthusiasts.
I fell in love with these over TH-cam!
Listened to dozens of others, but then i stumbled over "Sound sommeliers" clips about them and i was stunned!!
I couldn't afford them yet and i'm already afraid of the price i have to pay one day, for the perfect matching amp, but the Spendor's D7.2 are a goal in life!
I've never heard anything like that, in their price range and even under 10k$!
Their accuracy is just enormous and extremely beautiful!
Just bagged a pair of Walnut D7.2 and cant wait to pick them up. Have had original D7 since 2018 and love them. I'm hoping for more of the same and no loss of bass.
Great indepth review. Really useful in my final decision, thanks
Awesome review! Exceptional job describing the character of the Spendor D7.2 loudspeaker. I took a big stretch and reached to purchase a pair of these D7.2's a week ago. Haven't set them up yet, but the speaker cabinets are exceptional quality. Can't wait to run them in....
How were or are they?
They need a few hundred hours to burn in, sweet when you get there….😊
Great review. I thought it was all positive at 1st but you do discuss shortcomings which makes it honest and interesting and I like the way you try to relay your listening experience through descriptions. It’s sometimes hard to convey audio experience with just words but this comes across well.
I’ve had these on my Next Speaker List for a while and am curious… 2 questions if you don’t mind me asking.
1) you talked about placement and toe-in being quite intricate and almost fussy. Does this mean to get the very best in terms of placement, a listener can’t venture too far out of the sweet spot on the sofa? Does it vary much if I’m not exactly in place?
2) if I pick these up I’ll be using them with a Denon X7200WA home cinema amp with the Audessy Multi EQ XT off, so similar to using in “Pure” mode. This allows a much more detailed and balanced presentation of music, and whilst reducing bass, presents a lot more detail & makes instruments sound more natural with tones of their material coming through. Is this an amp set up that should give excellent results? I’ve been fortunate enough to run my set up including a Linn DAC through an Audioquest Niagara 5000 with some decent AQ cabling too thanks to the AudioQuest guys sorting me out.
I listen to all types of music, mostly Spotify (waiting for the CD quality service to launch) and I’m considering getting a Cambridge Audio Edge W amp to run off the Denon if the Mrs allows. Do you think the extra power amp is worth setting up as the Denon seems quite decent. I may also be up for a Theta digital surround pre & power amp, albeit before HDMI was common place so slightly older in tech.
Do you think a power amp vs a powerful surround amp amp makes a big difference if prices around the same point (of course with the surround amp having much more tech)?
Thanks in advance. I look forward to more of your reviews.
I heard these speakers recently whilst demoing a pair of speakers. I brought my own amp with me the Hegel H390. First off the speakers I was demoing was the Kef Reference 3 and were used. Now still a fair chunk of cash … I asked the dealer to let me hear something near the price point of the used R3’s … he connected up these 7.2’s. Wow I could not believe what I was hearing. There was zero bottom end and no fill of the room. My music is hard rock and metal … and the only thing I found impressive about these speakers was the vocals and mid range but there was little else. Needless to say these made me stick down the extra cash for the Kef’s. They literally wiped the floor with these in bass, dynamics, control and sound. To me the best British sound between the 2.
very very surprised with your findings.
I think for sure bass and dynamics on the Kef win out but detail, timbre and tonality of the D series is superior. To my hear.
@@BelieveHiFi as I said I was very impressed with certain aspects of the 7.2’s but they struggled with my music tests on AB comparison. I was totally floored by the difference in terms of overall sound and dare I say it punch. The 7.2’s as you say provided certain aspects that were marginally better but in terms of presentation these were knocked out of the ball park by the Kef’s. I appreciate at full RRP the Reference 3’s are double the price in UK to these, but as I said I was purchasing a used pair and wanted to see how best to spend my cash and appreciate that we all hear and want different things. The joys of this hobby.
Good luck with the channel 👍
@@ArPatterson73 this is what makes HiFi fun, its all subjective and we all have different preferences. Also most importantly different rooms and different partnering equipment!
Your music doesn't match the needs of a real Hi-Fi-enthusiast...
Rock and metal are dirty and you need the touch of a companies own sound imaging, to make it sound good.
The Spendor's play the music, just as it really is. Pure.
@@skankhunt420 it’s not just rock/metal I listen to. I would listen to some classical and film composer soundtracks and these were in my AB testing. The Kef’s deliver sonically a bigger range. Also when it comes to music you listen to what you love and not what makes the hi-Fi sound good else it’s a bit crap 😃
Your comment regarding being a “real hi-Fi enthusiast” is a bit sad mate tbh. You sound like a really nice guy tbh. You must be fun to be around 🤔👏
Very simple and honest! I adore Spendor speaker, especially A7. Keep up the great work!
Hi, any recomendation of amp for A7 speakers?
@@fryderykmichalak1622 I have a Hegel H90. I bet these would be incredible with the H390. Another great match might be a Sugden. The A21 Signature is 30watts of pure class A power. Definitely not as powerful as the Hegel though. If you want to go for broke, demo them with the new Luxman 509z, or a Constellation or Vitus. I’d stay away from Naim, Boulder and Pass Labs because they have a much brighter sound which may not pair well.
Loving these reviews man, those speakers look awesome!
thanks for always tuning in!
Great review. Very detailed.
Super excellent review. It's a pleasure to listen to such an enthusiastic guy like you! Have you maybe listened to the latest speakers from Living Voice like the R25 and could do a quick comparison? Cheers!
Interesting with the treble response....My original BC1 loudspeakers are still outstandingly transparent but even with the classic BC1, the Celestion 1300 have always been a trifle "hot" depending on the program sources. Have not heard the D7 as of yet.
I have had the original D7 for about 4 years now and love them. One thing I just cannot find anywhere, (frustratingly), are expressed thoughts and observations from anyone who has gone from the D7 to the D7.2. I am in no doubt that there are a good number of D7 owners, like myself, who would love to find this. Without such available info, it does make you wonder if the sonic changes are so subtle as to not really be worth the big spend to 'upgrade' ? - I mean we are now talking £5650 for the D7.2.
Hi mate,
I actually do have a friend in the industry who preferred the sound of his original D9 over the D9.2 due to having a heftier bass response...
However I was skeptical as his pair was many years old and the new pair had only 200 hours... So his pair may just have sounded considerably different in the bass due to more wearing in.
In the AB I found the .2 version more later focused in the imaging and a bit more refined.. again flawed comparison potentially.
I replaced my D7 to D7.2 about 8 months ago. For me its a huge difference. Details, clarity and accuracy are much better. Please none, I changed not only the speakers but my amplifier as well. Moved from Hegel H160 to H390.
@@sabisim5 thanks Ofer, much appreciated, it's a shame the comparison wasn't with same amp, which would have been ideal but thanks anyway.
@BelieveHiFi Love my D7s which I've had since 2018, but being a passionate audiophile, I will nab a pair of D7.2, I just sense, regardless of trying to define size of improvement, it'll be worth it, Spendor know what they are doing and have clearly set out to improve an already excellent speaker, hence now scalpel like precision, detail, accuracy, tonality. In my experience the D7 character is that of a studio monitor, the D7.2 sounds like an exceptional studio monitor, accurate, revealing, forensic.
Thanks. Looking for a proper possible upgrade to my Tannoy XT6fs, and these could be the ones, I need speakers that are similarly easy to drive, but with improved dynamics and speed. However, I worry that I'm spoiled by the concentric drivers, as my previous speakers were KEF LS50s.
I would say that the D7.2 do demand a lot from electronics for them to reach their best, they seem to infinitely scale
Looks awesome!! Need for my crib
they upgrade any crib thats for sure
I have a Cyrus stream Xa and a CDi, using an 8XPD as a pre amp and then into a Cyrus Stereo 200 power amp and running Spendor A5’s. I’m looking at these for my next upgrade.
They are an upgrade for sure when it comes to resolution, however they are going to give you potentially the upgrade bug because they are so sensitive to any change in the electronic chain
@@BelieveHiFi I’ve had the upgrade bug the last few years anyway, getting the CD player upgraded in early 2019 then adding the power amp last year which made it sound almost three dimensional on some tracks. I was just running it with the 8XPD before but the power amp has opened it up.
I had the d7 sold until 2 years ago as the bass was a bit exuberant my room is 20 square meters. I ask you what difference in general with these new spendor d7 / 2 especially the lower part is the same or have they changed something? Thanks
Hello!
I`ve just changed my old Canton Ergo 100 DC from early 90´s with one of their new called 896 DC but ,despite their obvious qualities,the bass is not punchy like at the old ones,a little too ``polite``,closer to Dali Rubicon 6 or some Dynaudio,which are very laid back and I don`t like it.
I mean,I like rock to sound like is supposed to sound (not like easy listening music) but to have finesse when is neaded.My collection:vinyls and cds classic rock,prog,blues and some jazz.Plinius amp.
D 7.2 would be a better solution?
Thank you
I'm having a demo of these and the D9.2 over the weekend. Hoping they sound as good as the reviews say.
I got to know?
@@jasonme3557 they kinda fell apart with rock and metal. Not the speakers for me.
@@sleeper1023 which speaker did you end up going with?
@@morespinach9832 Something much cheaper. Acoustic Energy AE520. I would've gone the Dyn Contour route, but I've heard the Confidence. I decided the Confidence could be for a future system instead.
@@sleeper1023 was Dyn Contour that audibly worse than Confidence or Heritage?
Thank you for this great review. I’ve heard they are somewhat hard to drive, that they need a good amount of current to show their best, so i want to ask you about some examples of integrated amps that can drive optimally those d7.2.
This is not true. I drive my D9.2 speakers with Audio Note Jinro, which is 20 watt amp. Of course a little more is better, but as these Spendors are sensitive, they don't need a lot of power to play loud.
They arent too hard to drive actually. However they scale amazingly with great amplification. I heard them with Bricasti Monoblocks and they sounded out of this world in comparison to a really strong 10k euro intergrated we compared it to.
@@BelieveHiFi Would Hegel H390 be a good match?
@@fepetterse I'm getting them for my H590.
Thanks for the review. Are you familiar with Accuphase house sound? Do you think these would pair well with Accuphase E-480?
I saw you had Hegel amplifier there. What do you think pairing it with the Hegel?
Informative and thorough review! Understand that setup and placement can affect the performance greatly, but would you say these are particularly sensitive with respect to set up compared to other comparable speakers?
Instablaster...
today in 2023 you still think they best for the price point or have better?>
A4 Review and comparison please if possible.
Hi Theo, are you not doing this anymore? Regards Simon
Hey Simon,
I actually just got into a position to relaunch the channel.. Got some pretty interesting content coming up that I haven't found on TH-cam as of yet....
Really nice to see you checked in mate! All the best and I have still been following all your videos closely.
Hoping the new content is interesting
Appreciate the fairly thorough description of these Spendors, but system building is always contextual and the failure to name associated equipment used and the refusal to mention the benchmark speakers that did better in certain areas make this an incomplete review. I hope you will reconsider your style of presenting your findings. Be more transparent and open (no pun intended) about the gears and benchmarks used. Only then can I, and your other viewers, get a more accurate context of how these speakers were tested. The fact that I'm seeing a Hegel in the background leads me to assume this was the amp used? The same with benchmark speakers that you mentioned were more neutral in the highs, again it would be helpful to name it.
I've always wondered if a hi-fi speak like this can be used to mix music down and have it translate to other systems well, assuming the room acoustics are done well. What's your take?
I am not quite understanding the question, but I think you are referring to whether or not this speaker could be used by a mixing engineer?
I couldn't see why not, however mixing and mastering engineers typically use multiple speakers and headphones.
Hegel on the table... Do these pair up well or is it going too far away from an easy listen ? I've got a h390 and hoping to demo these once my dealer is able
I’m interested to know about this exact pairing also. Trying to find a local dealer who stocks both but it’s a bit tricky
My local Hegel/Spendor is Soundstage in Cockfosters. We tried the A7 before lockdown which were lovely, but obvs a tier below the D7.2
wonderful pairing.
Very hard to beat for the price that is for sure!
Hello! Thank you for the review! How would you compare A7 to D 7.2? Is 7.2 worth the extra money?
For me the D7.2 is absolutely worth it. BUT I think the question comes down to how much you want the speaker to scale.
The D series scales AMAZINGLY well with high end amplification.
I feel if you want to keep the amplifier and source fairly budget probably go with the A7
@@BelieveHiFi thank you! 🙏🏻
Bookshelf speakers survive better the inclinations of cats!
Are they suitable for a small room?
Actually they are surprisingly okay in a small room, but it depends what you define as small. Just make sure you have absorption sorted
im a bit worried they will be too bright for me
I don't think its a worry to have unless you really love th .1 edition harbeths type warmth.
Also keep in mind equipment matching will be a really big factor with these speakers