Coherency, imaging, musicality, tonality. Disappears to reveal the music. Well-made.e

low bassX

A really great speaker for the money and size, especially the size. Very easy to live with. L compared it head to head with the old version of the LS3/5a and I liked the 3/5 better, but it lacks the mid-bass bump of the LS3/5a.

Similar Products Used:

LS3/5aÃ

musicality, midrange, overall presentation of the music, you get sucked in....

sore ass from long extended periods of listening....

Placed on my 24" Targets, replacing my ProAc''s.... the Spendors are smoother, purer and very satisfying. I did not think anything could replace the ProAc''s. Been loyal to that brand for a long time now. Anyway, the 3/5 is coherent, very coherent and easy to listen too., very good bass for it''s size, actually has deeper bass than the Tablette 50 but, not as much midbass punch. The midrange is clear, pure and the best I have heard, just musically spectacular. The treble seems rolled off at first, takes time to get used to it, after that, all the detail you''s want is there, brillance when needed, and smoothness too. Pulls off the disappearing act very well and has the most appealing central images I''ve yet experienced, spooky floating voices and a pureness that''s totally pleasing. Lastly, a superior products balanced very nicely that make listening a real plesure.

Similar Products Used:

ProAc''s, Kindels, Vandersteen, Vienna Acoustics, Totem One''s

Exceptional midrange clarity and sound-staging. Great value at $900/pair (and that's not an oxymoron!)

Subwoofer needed to get the full audio experience. Noticable high-end rolloff. May be too understated for some.

In my search for the ultimate near-field 2-way I auditioned the following speakers: Spendor S3/5, Sonus Faber Concertinos, PSB Stratus mini, Phase Tech 2.5, Boston Acoustic VRM50, NHT 1.5, M&K LCR175, Paradigm Studio 20, and (unfairly) Wilson Audio Watt Puppy.
The Spendor won this battle for one reason. It is the only small monitor that come close to the experience of listening to the Watt Puppies. The imaging of the Spendors and clear, unharsh delivery really let me become involved in the musical experience in a way that the other small monitors had not.
There are two other benefits, one which I expected and the other which I did not. The first benefit is that they come closest to what, before I heard the Spendor, was my favorite speaker, the KEF RDM1. I used to love the KEFs when I worked at a stereo retailer a few years back, but I could not find a vendor that still carried these. The other benefit was that I did not have to get a new amp for the Spenors. I have an old Denon reciever that I was full expecting to replace a month after buying my new speakers, but the power in the Denon seems to be more than sufficient for the Spendors. In fact I was going to bring home a pair of Sonus Fabers home to compare against the S3/5s, but I know that I will have to get a new amp for the Concertinos, having sold them in the past. Therefore, I'm forgoing the side-by-side and am sticking with my Spendors.
I used a variety of material to audition these speakers: Ani DiFranco "Dilate"; Tom Waites "Mule Variations" and "Blue Valentine"; the Viola solo in Berliotz's "Harold en Italia"; and Smashing Pumpkins "Siamese Dream" (specifically, the song "Soma").
At first, I was not impressed by these, listening to them side-by-side with the PSB mini's. However, after listening to a variety of material, I found that the Spedors were simultaneously non-fatigueing and the truest to the source material out of any speakers I had auditioned in thier range.
Working in the audio business as both a recording engineer and salesman, I have had the opportunity to hear many speakers, especially 2-way near fields. The Spendors are the best bang for the buck around!

Similar Products Used:

KEF RDM1, Polk M3, ProAc Studio 100, Yamaha NS10 & MSP5

small size

veiled, restricted dynamics

first off, i don't own this product, i auditioned it in my home against the speakers noted above ~ sorry folks, but for $900, i expected more. this speaker was not even as good as the krix, which retails for only $600, and the totem absolutely creamed it, while the the proac is (in my book) the benchmark in mini monitors. i was expecting the spendor to sound something like the original rogers 3/5a which i owned and loved....it didn't even come close to the midrange magic of the rogers. in fact, this spendor sounded veiled and lacking life. hey folks, some people like this sort of sound...not me ~

Similar Products Used:

proac 1se, totem rokk, krix equinox

These are hot speakers. Very small with UNBELIEVABLE sound. Great value too at about $900/pair. I auditioned these against Totem Arros ($1100 -- which are quite nice too and stunningly attractive) and the Spendors were definitely a step above in detail, imaging and overall sound. They need a fairly substantial amp to drive them, ala a Rega Mira or Naim Nait. My NAD 314 doesn't quite cut it...

Articulation, accuracy, warmth without brightness, mid- and high- frequency response you can listen to loud for hours without fatigue, beautifully tight bass as far as it goes.

For a small listening environment, this speaker is nigh on to perfect. Its amazing to hear what happens when the cabinet design is focused on complementing, rather than compensating for, the drivers. I would recommend using a subwoofer with the S3/5.

I realize that the "similar products" I listed above are not a fair comparison, since they run $200 to $400 and the Spendors are closer to $900 or $1000 depending on the finish. However, that's sort of the point. I wanted an excellent speaker which was also small. I couldn't find one for less than the price of the Spendor. And, for the price of the Spendor, I have sound which amazes me every time I crank them up.

I listen to mostly classical, folk and rock.

Similar Products Used:

NHT super one, NHT 1.5, PSB alpha.

Silky balanced beautiful highs (not too bright, not too laid back), accuracy in mid-range, size, nice wood cabinet. 70 Hz roll-off makes it a good mate for a sub-woofer.

They could have provided threaded holes in the bottom for mounting spikes, sealed cabinet design makes this a very inefficient speaker (84dB) but I recognize this is a general trade-off in speaker design for accuracy. My 100 watt NAD 2200 handles the load just fine though, and I get more than enough volume.

So are these worth almost the three times what I paid for the polk RT25's? - Yes. The high-end is more engaging, dreamy and you simply want to listen for longer periods of time. Just more accurate. Are the Polks bad? - no, they're fine for the money.

I also auditioned Proac Tablettes in my house for a few days - I think the top-end on these is a little more grainy, but this isn't why I bought the S3/5's over the Proacs. The Proacs were just a little too big for the space I was using, and they had a port on the back side which encourages interaction with a wall that was only 8" behind the speaker. So inspite of the efficiency penalty, the sealed box of the Spendors paid off quite well in my case.

What about the bass you say? Well, I've basically got a bi-amp arrangement, the Spendors are seeing nothing below 90 Hz which keeps their small 5" drivers from being strained. For 90 Hz down, I have two 10" PSB subs, one below each of the Spendors. No lack of low-end here; I wouldn't expect (or judge) any speaker the size of the Spendors to fill my 13'x26'x9' room with waves of bass.

For reference, I found the Spendors treble brightness somewhere between my PSB Stratus Bronze (soft, very smooth) and a pair of small Triangle speakers I auditioned (bright!).

Hope this helps.

Similar Products Used:

Polk RT25 (mass market bookshelf).

LS3/5a lineage. Superb mid-band accuracy.

treble transparancy--small nitpick

These speakers will make you re-think your attitudes toward speakers and speaker design; i.e. minimum defraction baffles, heavily mass-loaded enclosures, exotic metal and composite diaphragms, and so on and so forth-cos the Spendors possess none of that! Yet, they clearly put into perspective what solid engineering prowess can accomplish vs. all the 'designer' inventions that get passed along as the de-facto truth. What the S3/5 does, is in a word, STUNNING.

What first grabs the listener is the superb mid-band accuracy particularly on voice and acoustic instruments. When properly placed, the S3/5 will project a very accurate sound field with lots of depth and great 'room sound' or the sense of volume of the actual recording venue. I liken the tonal balance of the S3/5 to be on par with my reference Quad ESL 57. At the frequency extremes, the treble might seem too polite or rolled off for some tastes. The in-room bass response is fairly good dispite the published figures. This, attributable to the sealed enclosure which has a slower roll-off that reflex types.

I think everyone should own a set of these, consider them the ultimate audiophile accessory! These guys will tell you more about what's going on upstream than any hardware change, cable swap, tube upgrade or whatever, could do for your system.

Similar Products Used:

Spendor LS3/5a, Celestion SL600si, ProAc Tablete.

Involving, easy on the ears and speakers disappear.

This is not a weakness but it doesn't have the slam of a larger speaker.

This review is for the KEF LS3/5A Special Edition.

These are a very enjoyable speaker. I have been rotating them with the above mention speaker's and they occupy my listening my room more than any of the other speaker's.

The sound they produce is very engaging. They throw a wide, deep and accurate soundstage when used with my Audio Research LS-15 preamp and Pass 3 amplifier. I use both digital and analog sources. With the Pass amp the sound is so good that my toes curl like a cat on a rug! You can put on some Phoebe Snow, James Taylor or Jewel and end with a sore face from the big dumb grin that end's up on your face.

These speaker's are good for most music, but if I want to jam with some Front Line Assembly or Godsmack, the Von Schweikert's are pressed into service with some Bryston monoblocks. Speaking about monoblock's, the KEF's like the power and can get pretty loud! They sound awsome and clear as a bell.

If you were blind (thank GOD for blessing me good eye's!) you would think that you were listening to a much larger speaker. I won't be parting with them. But everything has it's price!!!!

If the other similar design's have the same sound as the KEF's, I think that people still have the option of having some superb speaker's at a lower price.

Good luck and happy listening from Texas!!!

Similar Products Used:

Celestion Kingston, VR4 Gen II, Apogee Column

Magical midrange. Beautiful with vocal and strings. A very good speaker indeed if used within its limitations

I have owned these spendors for almost a year now. Right from the very beginning, they sounded beyond what I had expected. Earlier, I had always been a fan of ls3/5a (I did own all of the brands listed at one time or another). When these new spendors were first introduced, I told myself that they could never replace the ones that I have already got. Thus, the acquisition of these speakers had been delayed until last august when I happened to swing by a local dealer for a listen. He paired these little jewel boxes with Cary mono tube amps which I had neither interest nor enough money to buy. However, the combo just simply took my breath away. No wonder why people rave so much about pairing spendors with tube amps. I later told the dealer to hook them up to some systems that were comparable to what I had at home at the time. Once again, these little guys proved to me that they were worth a listen, which was dangerously followed by a quick purchase. I do agree with some posts below. These spendors are totally different beasts from their predecessors even though they can bring back nostalgia with their name. If you are ls3/5a fans and you want to hear something equally nice but quite different, here is your chance. These spendors faithfully retain the BBC qualities of naturalness, truthfulness, and musicalness. I hope that they will remain in my system for another while until my audiophilic itch resumes its rampage. Maybe one day I'll be eternally punished by my wife and children and then I'll learn to stop drooling at the sight of stereo gears. Until then, I remain as a sick, homeless, and hungry audiophile.

Similar Products Used:

Rogers ls3/5a, Spendor ls3/5a, Harbeth hl3es, proac response 1sc, dynaudio contour 1.3es, sonus faber concertino, vienna acoustic hayden