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Something interesting about the new Spendor Classic 4/5

I'll be picking up a set of 4/5's in about 35.5 hours to demo ... but who's counting. :) They'll have about 50-60 hours of music played through them when I get my mitts on 'em.

Audition to take place in my 20' x 18' room, at the end of a Nait XS 2. I think I've read every English-language review of these available online, so I'm hoping for an enjoyable musical experience.
 
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Oh, why did you do that?! Just spent money on a Qutest and my Nait 2 most probably won’t drive them very well...... But I’m tempted.
 
badlyread said:
Let’s find out......
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Were you the winning bidder? I typed in a figure myself & had my finger hovering over the "confirm bid" button, for some reason I bottled out at the last second. If you were the winner then at least I don't feel so bad about missing out.
TS
 
Yes, I was lucky enough to win. I thought the price would move quickly towards the end but nothing. 60% of the original price for a new pair of speakers. Let’s see if the Nait 2 can cope (emailed Spendor and got a very quick reply saying a customer was using them with a Nait 1 and was very happy).

Having trouble sleeping TS? My sleep pattern is shot in the current situation. I see that Miles maybe your man - good luck.
 
badlyread said:
Yes, I was lucky enough to win. I thought the price would move quickly towards the end but nothing. 60% of the original price for a new pair of speakers. Let’s see if the Nait 2 can cope (emailed Spendor and got a very quick reply saying a customer was using them with a Nait 1 and was very happy).

Having trouble sleeping TS? My sleep pattern is shot in the current situation. I see that Miles maybe your man - good luck.
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Yep, insomnias been crap recently, I've always suffered but it's been worse during the current period.
Definitely a great score with those speakers, I thought they would shoot up at the last second as well, can't wait to hear what you think.
Done a deal with Miles over the Stirlings.
TS
 
Just got the 4/5's home today, for an extended demo.

I'm informed that they've only about 24 hrs. of break-in. Having said that, I quite like the sound so far -- they already have that magic, fruity midrange thing going on that I like with Naim amps and the right speakers. They seem more 'open'-sounding than the A1's or S3/5R's I've auditioned. Also -- no bass booming like I sometimes get with my LS6's, which have big rear ports. The midrange driver cone is made of Spendor's new(?) EP77 material; I think Harbeth's Radial has some formidable competition.

I like that the speakers crossover is set above 4k, so the midrange driver actually covers more of the mids, and the tweeter covers mostly treble.

Anyone have any notion of how long similar Spendors take to break-in? ...
 
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bhazen said:
Just got the 4/5's home today, for an extended demo. :)

I'm informed that they've only about 24 hrs. of break-in. Having said that, I quite like the sound so far -- they already have that magic, fruity midrange thing going on that I like with Naim amps and the right speakers. They seem more 'open'-sounding than the A1's or S3/5R's I've auditioned. Also -- no bass booming like I sometimes get with my LS6's, which have big rear ports. The midrange driver cone is made of Spendor's new(?) EP77 material; I think Harbeth's Radial has some formidable competition.

I like that the speakers crossover is set above 4k, so the midrange driver actually covers more of the mids, and the tweeter covers mostly treble.

Anyone have any notion of how long similar Spendors take to break-in? ...
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Good to hear your initial thoughts.

I’d agree about the midrange – I’d describe it as detailed, snappy and layered, yet slightly laid back. Quite punchy too, especially in the mid-bass. Unlike you, I’ve not actually heard the A1 or 3/5s to compare them to, so it’s interesting to note the 4/5’s seem more open. Certainly to my ears, they have tons of detail, without being forward. How do they compare to the Harbeths?

As for driving them, it’s tricky for me to objective about how much amp is required, as I’ve only heard them with my current amp, an Arcam SA30, which has 120W into 4ohm (although according to HiFi News’ lab report it’s closer to 145W). It’s known to excel in muscular grip and soundstage detailing, which can only help give the speakers a good kicking. That said, the Spendors, despite low sensitivity, are apparently easy to drive in terms of not dropping below a 9ohm load. So I expect your Naim will be all good.

Break in – no idea. I have had mine for a few weeks, but only listen at low – moderate volumes. They have definitely opened up a bit, but as ever, it’s hard to quantify that in absolute terms. I do know though, that put a track on with pronounced bass, like Angel by Massive Attack, Bad Guy by Billie Eilish, or Limit to your Love by James Blake (basically ‘’loud’’ modern pop records) and I catch myself thinking ‘’blimey, where on earth is that bass coming from?!’’ They don’t overcome the laws of physics of course; larger speakers still produce more satisfying bass on thinner recordings, but I find the 4/5’s can definitely surprise at times, and most of the time, be very satisfying in terms of the information they communicate on lower frequencies. A lot of that comes down to seamless integration, steady roll-off and transient speed I guess.
 
Goat said:
[...] Certainly to my ears, they have tons of detail, without being forward. How do they compare to the Harbeths? [...]
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Bearing in mind it's been awhile since I had P3ESR's here, I'd say they are a bit less forward. Things like acoustic guitars are a bit more wood-y, male vocals more resonant.

Today I'm going to search out CDs in my collection that are a bit glare-y, see if the 4/5's make them a less edgy listen.
 
My 4/5s arrived today and the Nait 2 is handling them rather well. Spoke to Paul Clewes at Spendor before I purchased them and he said it was more about current than wattage which the Nait has plenty of apparently.

Speakers sound rather good but I need more time as they had less than 10 hours on them when I bought them. Hopefully a listening weekend ahead.
 
I understand he is/was.
Terry Miles ( no relation ) who goes back to early Spencer Hughes days, had involvement.
He has gone off to Harbeth.
I hope he doesn’t ‘clash’ with Alan Shaw...
 
badlyread said:
My 4/5s arrived today and the Nait 2 is handling them rather well. Spoke to Paul Clewes at Spendor before I purchased them and he said it was more about current than wattage which the Nait has plenty of apparently.

Speakers sound rather good but I need more time as they had less than 10 hours on them when I bought them. Hopefully a listening weekend ahead.
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How are you finding the 4/5's, now they've had a bit more time on them?
 
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The Nait 2 has no problem driving them at all (unlike the Tab 10s I tried) but I never listen at loud volumes however, my better half might disagree (define ‘loud’).

I am not going to describe the sound of the speakers as this has been done rather well and more eloquently than I could do but I will say 2 things:

I do not find these speakers lacking bass at all (unless you are a complete ‘bass head’). It is deep, taut and fast. Not as low as my Gurus but perfectly fine.

I sold my Guru Juniors which is something I thought I would never do.

I think that says enough.
 
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Totally useless review. Could have been written without even listening to them and for all we know it was.
 
Hi guys I have a question has anyone heard p3esr compared to classic 4/5?
I love p3esr basically in everything except on bass light songs I feel bass is lacking and leaves me dissatisfied.
So I'm thinking maybe I should get 4/5 as they seems to go little lower?
Another one I'm thinking about is Tablette 10.
I also have SCM7 mk3 in office and they are perfect in my opinion (with pass int-25).
 
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