Spendor S3/5 Floorstanding Speakers
Spendor S3/5 Floorstanding Speakers
USER REVIEWS
[Apr 10, 2015]
Henri Oppenheim
Audio Enthusiast
Those very small speakers have the smoothest and most honest sound I've ever heard. Granted, the bottom end is rather short and the frequency response is very flat, so don't expect to be blown away by agressive high and deep lows. But any music that you play just sounds right.
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[Jan 29, 2011]
GoldenEar2007
AudioPhile
Speakers in general tend to distort the sonic picture rather badly and it is all most all ways a contest to see how little the speakers ruin everything, not how great they sound if you get my drift. I suppose beginners are easily impressed by ":detail" or "bass" or something else that causes their little hearts to go aflutter. The truth is a truly great speaker set up correctly will just get the heck out of the way of the music and have no personality whatsoever. It will in effect just allow the recorded product to be displayed exactly as it left the factory with no extra signature added to it. Once you hear how great recordings actually sound you won't want anything else "added" to them that makes them less believable. Believable is the coolest. It is the Absolute Sound.
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[Jun 21, 2009]
miket54
AudioPhile
Transparent with excellent transient response, imaging and depth. Will shortly be trying a B&W subwoofer with these gems.
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[Apr 17, 2008]
mfm6
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Sound quality is totally satisfying. Outstanding for long duration listening of various musical genres at moderate volumes in a smaller room (I've not tried them in any other situation). Fine build quality. There are many monitors in both cheaper and more expensive categories, but the Spendors in particular seem to maintain excellent resale value. Can be placed close to wall, and easily moved about due to small size.
Weakness:
Not necessarily a weakness, but they are rather inefficient. These are the SE model. I was able to audition at home these and the newer "R" model of the S3/5, and much preferred the SE. Hat's off to Lorne and Ed at Executive Stereo (Toronto) for allowing the home audition and considerable patience. I'm using them in a small room (11 ft x 12 ft) and with a 60 + 60 W/channel Bryston amp and Arcam CD72 source. The sound is just excellent. They are very easy to place, since there is no port, and present a very wide soundstage--way beyond where the speakers are placed. Their sound is extremely non-fatiguing, and yet very detailed. They create a huge ambient feeling in my room, and yet individual instruments are easily identified in their respective positions. At the same time, the speakers themselves truly disappear. Forget about the stats on their bass response--there is plenty, at least in the small room, and it is quite punchy in nature. I feel no compulsion to use a sub woofer. I tested the bass response with the Stereophile test CD, and these went way lower than expected --I could easily hear the 40 Hz signal. While the amplitude at these lower frequencies is certainly down, the drop off is very gentle. These speakers are justifiably famous for their excellent mid range--enough said. Customer Service While auditioning the S3/5R, I encountered a minor issue and emailed Spendor directly. I got back a very considerate response within a couple of days--very impressive! Similar Products Used: Monitors: Paradigm Atom and Mini MKII, PSB Alpha Mini, Totem Mite, B&W 601s2. Floor standers: PMC FB1, Totem Arro. Vintage: Large and Small Advent. Closest competitor to the Spendors among this set would be the Arro. Compared to the SE, the S3/5R have (1) a bigger mid bass boost, and (2) slightly more extended top end, but the lower treble region seemed less smooth. Overall the sound of the R was not as "big", with less ambience than the SE. |
[Jul 02, 2007]
Snilsen13
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
SOUND Image and tolerance for placement. No matter where I stick these speakers, they create a big clean sheet of music, where it's impossible to pin point the speaker's size or location, unless a sound is panned completely to one channel. Ambient textures. You can really hear the space of the recording, these take you into the hall or recording room very effectively. Mid range. Guitars, violins, voices, etc, all sound very "convincing". Detail. In the mid range, I can hear details in recordings that I didn't know were there, but I also can't hear certain instruments, like drums, very well.
Weakness:
DETAIL is somewhat lacking in the timber and mid-bass.
Great speakers for their size. Almost any amp can power them, but 50-70W of clean power, solid state, is best. These really sing when played loud, so you can hear all the details in the recoding and the percussion will sound nice too. They are essentially a lot like the famous BBC monitor the LS3/5a, but the drivers are on the narrow side of the cabinet, and a different type of tweeter is used. Compared to the LS3/5a, although I've not put them in the same room, they sound very similar, perhaps giving up a little of the mid range sweetness for better bass and power handling. Similar Products Used: monitors from:
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[Oct 05, 2006]
inmyview
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
First thing I noticed was that they sound REALLY BIG, I mostly listen to Rock/POP music, tremendous bass slam for a small speaker, extremely strong centre image, and the result is a 3D SOUND TO DIE FOR. AND TONS OF LOW LEVEL DETAIL HERE specially the vocals, either solo or group, sound soooo real, you have to hear these to know what I mean. Overall sound is really well balanced, I have been using these for over a year now, and I do not think that I will get tired of these. Once you audition them, you are going to keep them for a very very long time.
Weakness:
You do need a power full amp to drive these, my guess is a min. power of 70WPC clean signal should do it, if you can afford more power, it will be even better, these are about 84db sensitive. In the past, I have always spent money on electronics only, buying pre amps, and power amps, and kept changing them after every year or so, the speaker I had for over five years were, Energy C2s, stand mounting two way, they were pretty good, but I sometimes felt there was something missing. Then I bought Totem speakers, there bottom of the line, which was not too too bad, nice warm sounding. But me, I got tired of them too in about a year or so.
Similar Products Used: Energy, Thiel, Totem, Mission, Paradigm, Signet and Linn Tukan. |
[Aug 21, 2006]
seanbeer
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Weakness:
US$400 2ND HAND.
Customer Service
Similar Products Used:
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[Apr 28, 2006]
Marc M.
AudioPhile
Strength:
Image. Soundstage. Depth. Natural Sound. Crazy bass for such a small speaker when used fairly - rap and metal aren't going to satisfy. Build quality. Parts quality. Finish - Rosewood and Bird's Eye Maple are to die for. Not dependent on mega dollar equipment - quality gear will give you 98% of the mega brands. Not very picky about placement. Should be at least 18" from rear wall and 4' from side walls for great performance. Binding posts - you can hang from them and they won't budge. make sure you use quality jumpers if not bi-wiring. I recommend Cardas jumpers at $4.00 each = $16.00 well spent.
Weakness:
Look elsewhere if you are into metal, rap or real hard rock. The Spendor's will do this music, but it is not their specialty. Need some good power. Some experimentation needed here. Can be used with tube amps, but need a good 20 watts or more. @ watts won't cur it! 84db sensitivity a little low, but it maintains a 6-8 ohm impedance which helps. It will expose poor equipment within the system.
I don't hand out 5's very often for gear. It has to be of extraordinary merit. But, A "5" has been born. The Spendor S3/5 SE version is just downright incredible for it's price and for any price for that matter. A small unobtrusive box that look like it should be part of a mini system...that is until you power it up. WOW, image, soundstage, depth, bass that should be illegal for this size speaker. First off, the build quality is superb, the finish (mine is Rosewood) is first class. Binding posts are top notch, while only weighing in at 11 lbs. and measuring 12" high X 6.5" wide X 7" deep close your eyes and they sound 10 times larger. The highs, midrange and bass are 3d - holographic. The bass is stated at around 80hz but rolls off slowly and gives the effect of a much larger driver. I listen to Muddy Waters - Folk Singer all the time. For the first time, I heard Muddy tapping his foot during several tracks. I NEVER heard this before on any speaker...it was scary, i thought it was a tape irregularity. Female voice...to die for...I heard Diana Krall literally wet her lips during one set! Jazz groups...right there in the room with you. Classical...you can hear the wind from the conductor moving his baton. Pop music actually pretty damn good. Hard rock, metal, rap can be handled but this is not why you would buy this speaker. I don't need a sub with the Spendor's. If you choose to buy one, make sure it is of high quality because it will be showed up big time by the Spendor's. Electronics - the better they are the better the results...to a point of diminishing returns. I am using the Quad 99 pre, Quad 909 amp (140 watts) and Unison Unico cd player with great results. Cables - good quality, but don't break the bank. I tried a $100 pair of interconnects against a $500 pair and the results were not as dramatic as the electronics. The Spendor's like a little current from the amp. A good quality 50 watts would be the minimum starting point. i can listen for several hours without fatigue. I recently had JM Labs Electra's - great speakers, but after an hour, my nerves were shot...too much detail and not enough smoothness. Use good stands - 24" to 30"! Buy these and never look back.
Customer Service So far, so good. All my questions answered and innovative feedback given on topics not covered in the manual. Q,S and D, the distributor is is very receptive to questions and providing feedback. Similar Products Used: JM Labs Electra, Paradigm Studio 20 V3 & 60 V3, Proac Tablette, Acoustic Energy AE 1 MKII, Dunlavy, Revel. |
[Apr 28, 2006]
Marc M.
AudioPhile
Strength:
Image. Soundstage. Depth. Natural Sound. Crazy bass for such a small speaker when used fairly - rap and metal aren't going to satisfy. Build quality. Parts quality. Finish - Rosewood and Bird's Eye Maple are to die for. Not dependent on mega dollar equipment - quality gear will give you 98% of the mega brands. Not very picky about placement. Should be at least 18" from rear wall and 4' from side walls for great performance. Binding posts - you can hang from them and they won't budge. make sure you use quality jumpers if not bi-wiring. I recommend Cardas jumpers at $4.00 each = $16.00 well spent.
Weakness:
Look elsewhere if you are into metal, rap or real hard rock. The Spendor's will do this music, but it is not their specialty. Need some good power. Some experimentation needed here. Can be used with tube amps, but need a good 20 watts or more. @ watts won't cur it! 84db sensitivity a little low, but it maintains a 6-8 ohm impedance which helps. It will expose poor equipment within the system.
I don't hand out 5's very often for gear. It has to be of extraordinary merit. But, A "5" has been born. The Spendor S3/5 SE version is just downright incredible for it's price and for any price for that matter. A small unobtrusive box that look like it should be part of a mini system...that is until you power it up. WOW, image, soundstage, depth, bass that should be illegal for this size speaker. First off, the build quality is superb, the finish (mine is Rosewood) is first class. Binding posts are top notch, while only weighing in at 11 lbs. and measuring 12" high X 6.5" wide X 7" deep close your eyes and they sound 10 times larger. The highs, midrange and bass are 3d - holographic. The bass is stated at around 80hz but rolls off slowly and gives the effect of a much larger driver. I listen to Muddy Waters - Folk Singer all the time. For the first time, I heard Muddy tapping his foot during several tracks. I NEVER heard this before on any speaker...it was scary, i thought it was a tape irregularity. Female voice...to die for...I heard Diana Krall literally wet her lips during one set! Jazz groups...right there in the room with you. Classical...you can hear the wind from the conductor moving his baton. Pop music actually pretty damn good. Hard rock, metal, rap can be handled but this is not why you would buy this speaker. I don't need a sub with the Spendor's. If you choose to buy one, make sure it is of high quality because it will be showed up big time by the Spendor's. Electronics - the better they are the better the results...to a point of diminishing returns. I am using the Quad 99 pre, Quad 909 amp (140 watts) and Unison Unico cd player with great results. Cables - good quality, but don't break the bank. I tried a $100 pair of interconnects against a $500 pair and the results were not as dramatic as the electronics. The Spendor's like a little current from the amp. A good quality 50 watts would be the minimum starting point. i can listen for several hours without fatigue. I recently had JM Labs Electra's - great speakers, but after an hour, my nerves were shot...too much detail and not enough smoothness. Use good stands - 24" to 30"! Buy these and never look back.
Customer Service So far, so good. All my questions answered and innovative feedback given on topics not covered in the manual. Q,S and D, the distributor is is very receptive to questions and providing feedback. Similar Products Used: JM Labs Electra, Paradigm Studio 20 V3 & 60 V3, Proac Tablette, Acoustic Energy AE 1 MKII, Dunlavy, Revel. |
[Oct 04, 2005]
navou
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
natural sound
Weakness:
maybe too much care not to exceed power handling should be taken - if you can call it weakness! I've listened to hundrends of speakers already seeking for naturalness. I'm a musician so i know what to expect as far as realistic sound is concerned, and i finally chose spendor sp2/3e, two years ago, exactly because they sound so natural!! But nice things usually don't last,and it seems i'm no exception as i had to move for a new much smaller appartment 2 months ago. As you understand ,finding it difficult to make the relatively large 2/3's work, i had to think of smaller speakers end eventually bought 3/5s just as a temporal solution till i move again! Well, after one month, and having owned many famous respectable speakers in the past, i believe they're something else ,surely not temporal, in fact they're magical! My experience in terms of listening to hi-fi can't stop the illusion that i'm not listening to speakers but to the real event, and i think that says everything - rather than describing the audio spectrum etc, as i feel the goal of real hi-fi is to sound real rather than just enjoyable.. Similar Products Used: proac tablettes, atc scm 10,12,20, monitor audio pcm703 ,etc |