Have you compared 4/5 with the 3/1 yet?
And have you heard previous versions of the 4/5? (3/5 classic, 3/5r2)
Have you compared them to the Proac Tablette 10? I’d be interested to know your views on this comparison.Nah, I've only compared them to a wealth of other, more modern speakers. Kef R3, Dynaudio Special 40, PMC 21, Spendor A4, Dynaudio Evoke 10, Kef Ls50, Q Acoustics concept 300, ATC Scm11.
Spendor 4/5 came out on top in terms of naturalness, coherence, soundstaging, integration from top to bottom, midrange tone, treble balance, bass speed (if not depth).
Certain other speakers aced in specific areas. Dynaudio S40s for dynamics, Kef R3 for razer sharp image stability, Atc scm 11 for being a clear window into recordings, Spendor A4 for bass depth.
But as an overall package, in my 4x4m bedroom setup, the Spendor 4/5s have been the best all rounder by some margin, and the most enjoyable and engaging.
Have you compared them to the Proac Tablette 10? I’d be interested to know your views on this comparison.
I just brought my 3/1's back out and rekindled that love for them. They sound lovely with any type of music and at any but the highest volume. I also like how easy they are to drive.
I’m a nightmare. Days after buying a subwoofer, that offer to home demo the Spendor 3/1’s has come to fruition, so curiosity has got the better of me. Upgrade rabbit hole.
The differences between the speakers are less than I expected. The 3/1’s definitely sound bigger and thicker, but not massively so. Certainly they feel slightly more effortless and clearly they’ll handle higher volumes better. A difficulty comes from the fact I only listen at low to moderate volumes, in a bedroom setup, which makes it a fairly moot benefit. I also get the impression they may be (slightly) more polite, which could be a good or bad thing, depending on preferences; jury is out on that one. I’d not call them punchy or toe-tapping, but they are natural and flow with the music in an engaging, unfatiguing way.
What’s nice about the 3/1’s is that the bass isn’t overblown, despite their cabinet volume and port. They sound controlled, with decent texture. The bass guitar on Sweet Home Alabama sounds delicious and fluid. Switching back to the 4/5’s (even with a sub connected) just doesn’t give quite the same satisfying, effortless depth.
Imaging isn’t too different. Perhaps the 4/5’s sound fractionally quicker and more immediate, but we are talking small differences.
The overriding difference isn’t sound related at all, but sheer size disparity. The 3/1’s dwarf them, particularly in terms of cabinet depth. So on form factor alone, they are far less balanced for domestic bliss. On the other hand, there would be no need for a subwoofer and extra cabling, not to mention the faff involved with that.
Going to spend a little more time with them to see where I want to go with this.
I also have a pair of Harbeth P3’s that I like to rotate in sometimes. Just for fun I’m running the 3/1’s with a Rega IO. Easy to drive and nearly impossible to make sound bad.Good stuff. Did you put them away for a while in place of other speakers?
I also get the impression they may be (slightly) more polite, which could be a good or bad thing, depending on preferences; jury is out on that one. I’d not call them punchy or toe-tapping, but they are natural and flow with the music in an engaging, unfatiguing way.
What’s nice about the 3/1’s is that the bass isn’t overblown, despite their cabinet volume and port. They sound controlled, with decent texture. The bass guitar on Sweet Home Alabama sounds delicious and fluid. Switching back to the 4/5’s (even with a sub connected) just doesn’t give quite the same satisfying, effortless depth.
Are they less "alive" than the 4/5?
This lack of depth in the bass is what I fear of when mating a sub to a small speaker. It's mid and upper bass effortlessness, and it's at a range mostly higher than the sub. what is your low-pass frequency?
Omer
If you get the 3/1's set up well in your room much of your objections will melt away. I had a sub for a few weeks with mini monitors. Thought it was great for a minute or two and then quickly tired of it. I am in a tiny cube of a room (8.75 x 9.5 x 8 ft) with the 3/1's and get no bass bloat.
Yeah I just picked up a set of second-hand Tab 10s and they sound great to me. The more I play them, the more I like them... and this is on a desktop without even proper stands or isolation. I was also looking at Spendor 4/5 and P3SER but managed to pick these up second hand at really good deal.No, only to the other speakers mentioned. Shame though, as I'd love to hear a Tablette 10 and P3ESR in comparison to them.
Yeah I just picked up a set of second-hand Tab 10s and they sound great to me. The more I play them, the more I like them... and this is on a desktop without even proper stands or isolation. I was also looking at Spendor 4/5 and P3SER but managed to pick these up second hand at really good deal.