Long post waffle warning!
I've had an interesting few days comparing all three of these small, sealed box designs.
I should probably preface this with saying I've never heard a proper LS3/5a, I'm not old enough to have been around when they were new and fairly cheap (and in spec!) and I'm not particularly interested in paying silly money for a pair that probably don't sound correct anyway.
I listen reasonably near field at approx 7ft from baffle front and I position them about 8ft apart for my taste, toed in just slightly less than directly aimed at the listening position and free standing on Target R4s with plenty of space around them. Music tastes vary wildly, I listen to a lot of electronic music but I'm not a bass nor SPL freak, what bass I get from these three in my room is adequate to listen to all my music without the sense of missing out, I don't know how that works (room?) but it's how it is and I don't feel the need for a sub or big speakers, I also listen to a lot of the usual suspects and a lot of new music, mainly vinyl but also plenty via Tidal.
The Tablette 10s are what I'm most familiar with, they have been my own pair of main speakers for almost the last 3 years, bought new by me (in the rather fetching premium ebony finish) after a dealer demo they're the first brand new item of Hi-Fi I've ever bought, which probably gives an impression of how impressed I was.
The Spendors are about 8 years old but were bought by me as an unopened pair, so essentially brand new, they were still sealed in their plastic bags.
The LS8s again are brand new, made for me after contacting Pro-Ac/Celef to see if they had any left, I have pair No. 0009, these use the mid bass driver from the 1sc and a special scan speak tweeter which I gather is rather expensive.
Build wise the LS8s feel the most dense which checks out on the scales, the Spendors are the lightest at 4.4kg, the Tab 10s a touch over 4.8kg and the LS8s 5.5kg. Dimensions point of view the Tab 10s and LS8s are almost identical for the sake of a few mm difference in depth, where as the S3/5rs are noticeably different, a fair chunk narrower and deeper than both the others.
From a sound perspective all three excel at what they're supposed to do, the Spendors are a nice listen, easy going and they seem easier to drive or give the effect of being fuller at lower volumes. I listen a lot late at night at low SPLs and I suspect the Spendor is the best of the three in this respect, I will try it tonight. What is apparent is a mid bass hump/warmth that whilst is nice on some music it can interfere with others, anything with a kick drum seems to show it up the most and becomes quite the drawback for me, I'd say this hump also gives the perceived initial impression of it having the best bass of the three which I wouldn't agree with but they are warmer than both the others (is this the LS3/5a hump?) and using the LP12 it can get a bit much, less so with digital but it's still obvious.
The LS8 are very interesting, I suspect the tweeter is what is most noticeable comparing with the other two. They give the biggest sense of air and detail whilst offering the best vocal performance and imaging of all three. Bass wise they sit between the other two, if you listen to them straight after the Spendors you'd be inclined to think they're a bit anemic but it is that Spendor hump that gives a false impression, Stewart Tyler said the LS8 was designed to offer an LS3/5a performance minus it's colouration, which is I suspect what I'm hearing. They sound stunning with both digital and analogue, the foibles of the LP12 seem less apparent when using the LS8s. I would say though with the volume raised a little above where I would consider normal for me they can be a touch on the hot side, only very slightly, but if you're inclined to turn the wick up then you'd probably notice it, the Tab 10s are similar but it's less obvious with them.
Tab 10 sits firmly in the middle for me, I'd say they offer a bit of the Spendor mid bass warmth and a touch less of the LS8's air/imaging. I reckon they're a more balanced all round speaker than either of the others without any huge compromises. It's hard for me to describe more of their sound because I've been listening to them every day for 3 years so nothing jumps out at me when I put them back in to rotation.
One thing that is quite noticeable about both of the Pro-Ac/Celefs is that they require a certain volume level before things click into place, which has always been the only slight drawback to me with the Tab 10, late at night they can lose a lot of their magic and the LS8 is similar, although the extra air can make up for it.
I can only describe it like focussing a camera lens, there's a certain level where everything is just perfect but a bit either way and both of them can suffer, I often find my self adjusting volume between recordings for the same reason, some sound a bit too hot and others require a bit more juice where as the Spendors I can set and forget. Spec wise the LS8s are 10-15ohm, Tab 10 are 10ohm and the S3/5r 8ohm, all three around 84db I think.
A final verdict is very hard to come to, I want to keep them all! From a VFM point of view then the Spendors win hands down, but only because you can't buy a new pair any more so at around £450-500 they offer stunning value, if you can live with that mid bass hump/colouration or whatever is going on.
They're all really stunning at what they do, I'd rank the Spendors 3rd place but I'm not sure I could sell them, so it comes down to the Tab 10 and LS8, it has been really difficult but I came to a final conclusion by asking myself which of the three do I miss the most when I remove them and put one of the others back in, and on that basis I would have to say the LS8 is my preference. The only test I have left to do is a more in depth late night/low level test but I suspect the Spendor may rinse the other two at that one. I may need a second system at this rate!
I'd like to hear some P3ESRs and maybe a pair of D1s to compare but they're probably out of my price range unless I can snag a used pair at a decent price.
I've had an interesting few days comparing all three of these small, sealed box designs.
I should probably preface this with saying I've never heard a proper LS3/5a, I'm not old enough to have been around when they were new and fairly cheap (and in spec!) and I'm not particularly interested in paying silly money for a pair that probably don't sound correct anyway.
I listen reasonably near field at approx 7ft from baffle front and I position them about 8ft apart for my taste, toed in just slightly less than directly aimed at the listening position and free standing on Target R4s with plenty of space around them. Music tastes vary wildly, I listen to a lot of electronic music but I'm not a bass nor SPL freak, what bass I get from these three in my room is adequate to listen to all my music without the sense of missing out, I don't know how that works (room?) but it's how it is and I don't feel the need for a sub or big speakers, I also listen to a lot of the usual suspects and a lot of new music, mainly vinyl but also plenty via Tidal.
The Tablette 10s are what I'm most familiar with, they have been my own pair of main speakers for almost the last 3 years, bought new by me (in the rather fetching premium ebony finish) after a dealer demo they're the first brand new item of Hi-Fi I've ever bought, which probably gives an impression of how impressed I was.
The Spendors are about 8 years old but were bought by me as an unopened pair, so essentially brand new, they were still sealed in their plastic bags.
The LS8s again are brand new, made for me after contacting Pro-Ac/Celef to see if they had any left, I have pair No. 0009, these use the mid bass driver from the 1sc and a special scan speak tweeter which I gather is rather expensive.
Build wise the LS8s feel the most dense which checks out on the scales, the Spendors are the lightest at 4.4kg, the Tab 10s a touch over 4.8kg and the LS8s 5.5kg. Dimensions point of view the Tab 10s and LS8s are almost identical for the sake of a few mm difference in depth, where as the S3/5rs are noticeably different, a fair chunk narrower and deeper than both the others.
From a sound perspective all three excel at what they're supposed to do, the Spendors are a nice listen, easy going and they seem easier to drive or give the effect of being fuller at lower volumes. I listen a lot late at night at low SPLs and I suspect the Spendor is the best of the three in this respect, I will try it tonight. What is apparent is a mid bass hump/warmth that whilst is nice on some music it can interfere with others, anything with a kick drum seems to show it up the most and becomes quite the drawback for me, I'd say this hump also gives the perceived initial impression of it having the best bass of the three which I wouldn't agree with but they are warmer than both the others (is this the LS3/5a hump?) and using the LP12 it can get a bit much, less so with digital but it's still obvious.
The LS8 are very interesting, I suspect the tweeter is what is most noticeable comparing with the other two. They give the biggest sense of air and detail whilst offering the best vocal performance and imaging of all three. Bass wise they sit between the other two, if you listen to them straight after the Spendors you'd be inclined to think they're a bit anemic but it is that Spendor hump that gives a false impression, Stewart Tyler said the LS8 was designed to offer an LS3/5a performance minus it's colouration, which is I suspect what I'm hearing. They sound stunning with both digital and analogue, the foibles of the LP12 seem less apparent when using the LS8s. I would say though with the volume raised a little above where I would consider normal for me they can be a touch on the hot side, only very slightly, but if you're inclined to turn the wick up then you'd probably notice it, the Tab 10s are similar but it's less obvious with them.
Tab 10 sits firmly in the middle for me, I'd say they offer a bit of the Spendor mid bass warmth and a touch less of the LS8's air/imaging. I reckon they're a more balanced all round speaker than either of the others without any huge compromises. It's hard for me to describe more of their sound because I've been listening to them every day for 3 years so nothing jumps out at me when I put them back in to rotation.
One thing that is quite noticeable about both of the Pro-Ac/Celefs is that they require a certain volume level before things click into place, which has always been the only slight drawback to me with the Tab 10, late at night they can lose a lot of their magic and the LS8 is similar, although the extra air can make up for it.
I can only describe it like focussing a camera lens, there's a certain level where everything is just perfect but a bit either way and both of them can suffer, I often find my self adjusting volume between recordings for the same reason, some sound a bit too hot and others require a bit more juice where as the Spendors I can set and forget. Spec wise the LS8s are 10-15ohm, Tab 10 are 10ohm and the S3/5r 8ohm, all three around 84db I think.
A final verdict is very hard to come to, I want to keep them all! From a VFM point of view then the Spendors win hands down, but only because you can't buy a new pair any more so at around £450-500 they offer stunning value, if you can live with that mid bass hump/colouration or whatever is going on.
They're all really stunning at what they do, I'd rank the Spendors 3rd place but I'm not sure I could sell them, so it comes down to the Tab 10 and LS8, it has been really difficult but I came to a final conclusion by asking myself which of the three do I miss the most when I remove them and put one of the others back in, and on that basis I would have to say the LS8 is my preference. The only test I have left to do is a more in depth late night/low level test but I suspect the Spendor may rinse the other two at that one. I may need a second system at this rate!
I'd like to hear some P3ESRs and maybe a pair of D1s to compare but they're probably out of my price range unless I can snag a used pair at a decent price.
