This was EXACTLY my experience with the S9's Kevin. I was hoping for that Spendor magic in a bigger cabinet. They sound great, but they simply don't deliver that voicing. Thanks mate, this was what I was trying to articulate in our recent discussions on this. Excellent video.
Great video… very accurate observations I think. I’ve owned the S8e - used with a Naim Nait5 with flatcap integrated amp. These were my favourite in a larger room (11’x23’) but couldn’t get that satisfaction when we moved (smaller room)… back to stand-mounts.
Great review. I have very little experience of floorstanders. I sometimes find they over-drive the room. Those sounded good. I like the way that stand mounts have great dispersion and dissipate their energy a little faster. The atmosphere that equates to reverb in recordings may be better portrayed by a floor-stander but I love the ATC SCM series they can just recreate soundstages and air in a very realistic way from their stands.
Thanks 😊 I’ve had a few floor standers but I much prefer stand mounts. Yes the bass is impressive but most stands mounts just seem to disappear better, to my ears anyway.
Benchmark DAC1 Quad Artera Pre Meridian 557 power. I’ve heard many integrated amps which sound great 👍 I personally like pre/power as you have greater choice of components for system matching. Also a greater ability to tune the set up to your tastes 😉
@@dittonworks You're probably going to want to climb through the undersea cable and throttle me to death like a bad Japanese horror movie, but I can't get the s8e's out of my mind. And since I live in Cambodia, it's effectively impossible for me to audition anything. So what I'd like to do here (and obviously ignore this if you're not into it -- obviously) is list out what I'm thinking, and see if any of those points garner a reaction. 1. First, you're absolutely right about the British sound. I had a pair of Ninkas and a Naim Nait 5si and they went together like peanut butter and jelly. Great, cohesive, detail-vibrant, toe-tapping sound. But the warmer side of that British philosophy hasn't always done as much for me. I like my toast very, very, *very* lightly buttered. So the first big point in favor of the 2/2's -- the extra warmth -- didn't land with me the way you may have expected. 2. You are absolutely right about stand-mounts vs floor-standers; I really, REALLY thought I was done with floor-standers. But (forgive me for this) the 2/2's are just so *incredibly* ugly. For starters they remind me of an unhappy childhood: They look like they stepped right off the pages of a stereo mag from 1977. And second, they're just ugly. Even some of the newer retro designs from companies like Wharfedale are just so much more aesthetically pleasing. 3. Please don't be angry with me, but I have a hard time believing that the difference in soundstaging and imagining is as minor as your review here makes it sound. Those 2/2's, with that huge front baffle, just ... can't be very good at imaging, can they? I look at the front of those things and I think, "Well I sure hope they sound good in mono because that's all it's ever going to sound like." Am I really that wrong? 4. All of this being said, my listening habits and my room actually favor the 2/2's, based on what you've said. I like small-ensemble piano jazz and swoopy romantic-era classical. Both extremely midrange-heavy types of music where neither micro-detail nor imaging are nearly as important. Low volumes, poured-concrete, slap-happy apartment with 260cm across a front wall made of glass. Plus I walk around a lot. Mostly I listen "companionably" -- I'm not a sit-still-and-focus-on-it audiophile. The 2/2's ... *probably* work better there? Plus you're *still* right about the stand-mounts. I freakin hate floor-standers; I really thought I was done with them when I sold my Salk Songtowers; Jeebus-Christmas on a Pink-Painted Bicycle those things were a pain in the ass. 5. On the other hand, my ideal placement just *might* be better for the s8e's, than yours, and I'm wondering if you'll agree. I use the "Cardas Speaker Placement Formula" and the stands for my current speakers are thus positioned such that the center of the tweeter of each speaker is about 95cm from the front- and side walls. Do you think that would shift the comparison in favor of the s8e's (perhaps making them feel a little more musical and a little less bass-show'y), or do you think that actually shifts things in favor of the 2/2's because the extra butter will be dialed down by the reduced room-reinforcement? (I know this is a lot. Obviously, reply or ignore strictly as you see fit. But TIA if you do decide to reply.)
@@dittonworks Maybe instead of plowing through all of that, you could treat my use-case from scratch and make a manufacturer-independent recommendation? Hotel-bar jazz (Oscar Peterson, Cyrus Chestnut, Tommy Flanagan, Beegie Adair), companionable listening levels, 90cm from front and side-walls, 260cm across the front, some walking around. Maybe something by Proac? Is Spendor even the right company for that use-case? People are after me to get the Zu Audio DWX but they're *so* huge and, for the volumes and source material and use-case they seem like overkill to me. Nice looking, though.
I have the A7 and they are my fave speakers. I tested loads too.. have so much liveliness and a good slam to them!
I am interested in buying Spender D9.2 speakers and I still find this video informative & helpful about the Spender brand.
Love your reviews only found your channel a couple of weeks ago so catching up.
Big fan off Proac and Spender keep up the good work.
Thanks 😊
This was EXACTLY my experience with the S9's Kevin. I was hoping for that Spendor magic in a bigger cabinet. They sound great, but they simply don't deliver that voicing. Thanks mate, this was what I was trying to articulate in our recent discussions on this. Excellent video.
I agree Chris.
These are mighty impressive but aren’t as musical as the SP2/2’s
Once the Classic 2/3 stands arrive I think that bridge will be crossed
Great video… very accurate observations I think. I’ve owned the S8e - used with a Naim Nait5 with flatcap integrated amp. These were my favourite in a larger room (11’x23’) but couldn’t get that satisfaction when we moved (smaller room)… back to stand-mounts.
Thanks Kevin, excellent review as always
Thanks mate.. I enjoyed this one ☝️
Great review. I have very little experience of floorstanders. I sometimes find they over-drive the room. Those sounded good. I like the way that stand mounts have great dispersion and dissipate their energy a little faster. The atmosphere that equates to reverb in recordings may be better portrayed by a floor-stander but I love the ATC SCM series they can just recreate soundstages and air in a very realistic way from their stands.
Thanks 😊
I’ve had a few floor standers but I much prefer stand mounts.
Yes the bass is impressive but most stands mounts just seem to disappear better, to my ears anyway.
I’ve had 3 Spendor speakers….first the A5 then A6 and currently the have the D7’s which are super fast. I actually preferred the A5 to the A6.
Thanks for the video. You answered my question about my S5e
Great review, thanks again.
I have a pair, and I love them with my hegel integrate amp
I like you talk about spendor. One day spendor official will see you and send u speaker for review.
Hah, thank you.
That would be amazing
Excellent review. Thank you!
What transport, DAC, preamp & power amp are you using? Do you generally prefer a pre & power combo over an integrated?
Benchmark DAC1
Quad Artera Pre
Meridian 557 power.
I’ve heard many integrated amps which sound great 👍
I personally like pre/power as you have greater choice of components for system matching.
Also a greater ability to tune the set up to your tastes 😉
I have the s5e brilliant speakers the little brothers of these.
I bet they are fantastic 👍
Yes really nice speakers 👊
I think I'd like them.....🤪
Oh you most certainly would mate
Try the stand mounted S100s. 😉
Have you ever heard the s5e and, if so, how does it compare?
I haven’t sorry. I would say sonically similar, powerful and clean but lacking musicality
@@dittonworks You're probably going to want to climb through the undersea cable and throttle me to death like a bad Japanese horror movie, but I can't get the s8e's out of my mind. And since I live in Cambodia, it's effectively impossible for me to audition anything. So what I'd like to do here (and obviously ignore this if you're not into it -- obviously) is list out what I'm thinking, and see if any of those points garner a reaction.
1. First, you're absolutely right about the British sound. I had a pair of Ninkas and a Naim Nait 5si and they went together like peanut butter and jelly. Great, cohesive, detail-vibrant, toe-tapping sound. But the warmer side of that British philosophy hasn't always done as much for me. I like my toast very, very, *very* lightly buttered. So the first big point in favor of the 2/2's -- the extra warmth -- didn't land with me the way you may have expected.
2. You are absolutely right about stand-mounts vs floor-standers; I really, REALLY thought I was done with floor-standers. But (forgive me for this) the 2/2's are just so *incredibly* ugly. For starters they remind me of an unhappy childhood: They look like they stepped right off the pages of a stereo mag from 1977. And second, they're just ugly. Even some of the newer retro designs from companies like Wharfedale are just so much more aesthetically pleasing.
3. Please don't be angry with me, but I have a hard time believing that the difference in soundstaging and imagining is as minor as your review here makes it sound. Those 2/2's, with that huge front baffle, just ... can't be very good at imaging, can they? I look at the front of those things and I think, "Well I sure hope they sound good in mono because that's all it's ever going to sound like." Am I really that wrong?
4. All of this being said, my listening habits and my room actually favor the 2/2's, based on what you've said. I like small-ensemble piano jazz and swoopy romantic-era classical. Both extremely midrange-heavy types of music where neither micro-detail nor imaging are nearly as important. Low volumes, poured-concrete, slap-happy apartment with 260cm across a front wall made of glass. Plus I walk around a lot. Mostly I listen "companionably" -- I'm not a sit-still-and-focus-on-it audiophile. The 2/2's ... *probably* work better there? Plus you're *still* right about the stand-mounts. I freakin hate floor-standers; I really thought I was done with them when I sold my Salk Songtowers; Jeebus-Christmas on a Pink-Painted Bicycle those things were a pain in the ass.
5. On the other hand, my ideal placement just *might* be better for the s8e's, than yours, and I'm wondering if you'll agree. I use the "Cardas Speaker Placement Formula" and the stands for my current speakers are thus positioned such that the center of the tweeter of each speaker is about 95cm from the front- and side walls. Do you think that would shift the comparison in favor of the s8e's (perhaps making them feel a little more musical and a little less bass-show'y), or do you think that actually shifts things in favor of the 2/2's because the extra butter will be dialed down by the reduced room-reinforcement?
(I know this is a lot. Obviously, reply or ignore strictly as you see fit. But TIA if you do decide to reply.)
@@CinemaDemocratica bless you buddy.
I’ll try and answer this when I’ve got spare time
@@dittonworks Maybe instead of plowing through all of that, you could treat my use-case from scratch and make a manufacturer-independent recommendation? Hotel-bar jazz (Oscar Peterson, Cyrus Chestnut, Tommy Flanagan, Beegie Adair), companionable listening levels, 90cm from front and side-walls, 260cm across the front, some walking around.
Maybe something by Proac? Is Spendor even the right company for that use-case?
People are after me to get the Zu Audio DWX but they're *so* huge and, for the volumes and source material and use-case they seem like overkill to me. Nice looking, though.
They sound smooth af btw. But you saying the midrange is listenable isn't really a glowing endorsement. Scared me a bit
Isn’t “as” listenable as some of the other Spendor’s I’ve owned.
For scale! The S8E are impressive.
I'm the first viewer!
Awesome 😎
How large is your room
Not sure never measured it.