Tablette 10 / Spendor A1

[Mystic Mac]

Having had a pair of LS50 for a year it’s time for a change, or more accurately it’s time to get a pair of speakers more suited to my small room 4.4m x 3.2. My speakers need to be no more than 10-12inch away from the back wall.

I’m looking at sealed standmounts and I’m interested to know if anyone has heard both the Spendor and Proac, if so what was the differences.

Thanks in advance

 

[Tarzan]

Not heard the Spendors but own the Tab 10's and will bore all and sundry about how blooming good they are- you want to listen all day to them.

Apologies for the very biased opinion.

 

[Singslinger]

I used to own the Tablette Anniversary (rear ported though, not sealed box) and the Spendor SA-1, the predecessor to the D-1. Both were used in my bedroom with a Naim SuperNait amp first, then a Sugden A21SE. I found the ProAc to be less amp-fussy.

The ProAc was livelier and had better bass, whilst the SA-1 had a better midrange. In terms of room-filling sound, the ProAc had the edge.

The ProAc benefited from being placed on heavy stands, the SA-1 was less fussy.

The ProAc was biwireable, the Spendor was single-wired but had better quality speaker terminals.

The finish on the ProAc was better (I opted for Ebony) even though the Spendor came in Gloss Zebrano.

Overall, the Spendor was the more polite speaker, perhaps better suited to light jazz and vocals. The Tablette could rock a bit harder.

I would recommend also auditioning the Harbeth P3ESR if you're set on getting a sealed box.

Hope this helps.

 

[Mystic Mac]

I’m pretty much set on sealed or front ported speakers. The Tablette 10s seem to get lots of love on here, but have seen barely any posts about the Spendor.

 

[Jodet]

Of all the 'LS3/5a' type speakers I've had I find my Tab 10's sound best closer to a wall. I have a pair in bookcases and they sound very open. Most of these types of speakers (Spendors, etc) I find they really do better on stands out from the walls.

 

[ThELiZ]

This is the exact comparison I’m looking for. I heard the A2 at a show and was very keen on their sound signature. Hoping the A1 is similar in presentation. Heard many good things about the 10s.

Hopefully I can demo them both together at home when we finally get this bloody renovation work done!

 

[novak]

I enjoyed the Tablette 10 Signatures for a couple of weeks back to back with my P3ESR. They’re nice speakers, great value, more immediately detailed sounding and lively than the Harbeths but, for me, didn’t have the same refinement, warmth and natural character over time. It’s all subjective of course.

Surprisingly, compared to my Harbeths I found them too bass light in my room (not tiny, around 5m X 4.5m with a double width opening on one side to another equally sized room.

I have tried many bookshelves and small speakers, as well as bigger Harbeths, Kefs, Spendors, Proacs, Shahinians... and more, but I have always returned to the Harbeth P3ESR. They have their flaws, but are a great long term companion! I find they’re good close-ish to the wall also.

Enjoy the listening!

 

[ryder]

I enjoyed the Tablette 10 Signatures for a couple of weeks back to back with my P3ESR. They’re nice speakers, great value, more immediately detailed sounding and lively than the Harbeths but, for me, didn’t have the same refinement, warmth and natural character over time. It’s all subjective of course.

Surprisingly, compared to my Harbeths I found them too bass light in my room (not tiny, around 5m X 4.5m with a double width opening on one side to another equally sized room.

I have tried many bookshelves and small speakers, as well as bigger Harbeths, Kefs, Spendors, Proacs, Shahinians... and more, but I have always returned to the Harbeth P3ESR. They have their flaws, but are a great long term companion! I find they’re good close-ish to the wall also.

Enjoy the listening!

Certainly interesting as I used to have the Tablette 10 Signatures in my shortlist sometime last year, hoping that they would be the ultimate mini-monitor in my system. Fast forward to today that idea somehow evaporated as I now concentrate more on the music and less on the hardware especially since I am getting a lot of enjoyment from my current speakers, both the Harbeth SHL5 Plus and Dali Mentor Menuet. I used to frequently compare the Harbeth and Dali in different rooms and the SHL5 Plus always gained the upper hand while the Dali Mentor Menuet was relegated to backup duties in the 2nd system (where it gets much lesser use).

 

[Mystic Mac]

I enjoyed the Tablette 10 Signatures for a couple of weeks back to back with my P3ESR. They’re nice speakers, great value, more immediately detailed sounding and lively than the Harbeths but, for me, didn’t have the same refinement, warmth and natural character over time. It’s all subjective of course.

Surprisingly, compared to my Harbeths I found them too bass light in my room (not tiny, around 5m X 4.5m with a double width opening on one side to another equally sized room.

Interesting. May I ask what amp you are driving the Harbeth’s with?