bighead1707
pfm Member
I am selling a pair of excellent cosmetic condition Spendor SP1 bookshelf speakers for £700. They come with their original boxes, original trolley speaker stands (spikes shown are not included) and bespoke covers.
Size (h/w/d): 63.5 x 29.5 x 30.5 cm
Cabinet volume: 44 litres
Cabinet construction: Thin walled multiply, heavily bitumen damped and lined with acoustic foam. Reflex tuned with large offset ducted port.
Sensitivity: 87dB Bass roll-off: 41Hz
Recommended amplifier power: 12-150 wpc
Self pickup from North London is preferrable.
“The SP-1, like the BC-1, is a three-driver speaker, with two of the drivers being tweeters so that the sonic character is more nearly that of a two-way than a conventional three-way system. The cross-over from the bass-midrange eight-inch polypropylene driver to the mid-tweeter is at 3 kHz and from mid-tweeter to super-tweeter at 13 kHz. The eight-inch driver produced by Spendor for the SP-1 is new, different from the Bextrene one that Spendor produces for the BC-1. The SP-1 tweeters are the same as those for the BC-1, namely, the Celestion HF 1300 and the Coles 4001G units. The Celestion unit has a modified surround, compared to that occurring in the BC-1s (of my vintage, at least).”
”How do the SP-1s sound? In a word, marvelous. First, their midrange tonal accuracy is even better than that of the BC-1s, which is saying a lot. Inevitably, there are some minor box colorations, and there is still a touch of the nasality in the male voice that was fairly prominent in the BC-1. But overall the SP-1 midrange has exceptional tonal accuracy. The sounds of instruments and voices have a tonal rightness that goes beyond generalized naturalness to specifics: not just, say, "Does this sound like a violin?" but "Does this sound like a Guarneri violin?" This particular question maybe has significance only for violin fanatics, but whatever your musical tastes and interests, you will find the tonal rightness of the SP-1 musically meaningful to the point of being well-nigh addictive. There is no substitute for the accurate rendition of tone quality, and the SP-1 is superb in this regard.”
”The SP-1 can handle considerably more power than the BC-1, and the SP-1 is more efficient. In my largish listening room (5000 cubic feet), the SP-1s produce abundant sound. Unless you have an enormous listening room or are intent on rock-concert levels, I don't think you will find the SP-1s unduly restrictive dynamically.”
“The SP-1s produce what to my ears is an essentially ideal reverberant field. On well-recorded material, you get a close approximation of actual concert hall tonal balance, i.e., adequate direct high-frequency information with suitable high frequency roll-off in the room sound. This means that while the SP-1s reveal the excellences of correctly recorded material, they are also quite tolerant of close-miked recordings as far as tonal balance goes-nothing can fix the imaging problems of those multi-miked recordings. I find this tonal balance of the SP-1s compellingly musical. So, incidentally, did the majority of the listeners who have passed through during the months the SP-1s have been in residence with me, at least one of whom forthwith went out and bought a pair.”
”Enthusiasts of the BC-1 will want to know how the SP-1 fares comparatively. Think of the BC-1 as it might have been: with tighter bass, better dynamic range, less nasality, smoother and more extended treble, the same midrange tonal accuracy and coherence but improved midrange articulation.”
”For me, the SP-1s let the beauty of music shine through as few others anywhere near their price can. Spencer Hughes died soon after the SP-1 design was completed. His death is a great loss, but he has left behind a heritage to be treasured by all those who love music.”
Size (h/w/d): 63.5 x 29.5 x 30.5 cm
Cabinet volume: 44 litres
Cabinet construction: Thin walled multiply, heavily bitumen damped and lined with acoustic foam. Reflex tuned with large offset ducted port.
Sensitivity: 87dB Bass roll-off: 41Hz
Recommended amplifier power: 12-150 wpc
Self pickup from North London is preferrable.
“The SP-1, like the BC-1, is a three-driver speaker, with two of the drivers being tweeters so that the sonic character is more nearly that of a two-way than a conventional three-way system. The cross-over from the bass-midrange eight-inch polypropylene driver to the mid-tweeter is at 3 kHz and from mid-tweeter to super-tweeter at 13 kHz. The eight-inch driver produced by Spendor for the SP-1 is new, different from the Bextrene one that Spendor produces for the BC-1. The SP-1 tweeters are the same as those for the BC-1, namely, the Celestion HF 1300 and the Coles 4001G units. The Celestion unit has a modified surround, compared to that occurring in the BC-1s (of my vintage, at least).”
”How do the SP-1s sound? In a word, marvelous. First, their midrange tonal accuracy is even better than that of the BC-1s, which is saying a lot. Inevitably, there are some minor box colorations, and there is still a touch of the nasality in the male voice that was fairly prominent in the BC-1. But overall the SP-1 midrange has exceptional tonal accuracy. The sounds of instruments and voices have a tonal rightness that goes beyond generalized naturalness to specifics: not just, say, "Does this sound like a violin?" but "Does this sound like a Guarneri violin?" This particular question maybe has significance only for violin fanatics, but whatever your musical tastes and interests, you will find the tonal rightness of the SP-1 musically meaningful to the point of being well-nigh addictive. There is no substitute for the accurate rendition of tone quality, and the SP-1 is superb in this regard.”
”The SP-1 can handle considerably more power than the BC-1, and the SP-1 is more efficient. In my largish listening room (5000 cubic feet), the SP-1s produce abundant sound. Unless you have an enormous listening room or are intent on rock-concert levels, I don't think you will find the SP-1s unduly restrictive dynamically.”
“The SP-1s produce what to my ears is an essentially ideal reverberant field. On well-recorded material, you get a close approximation of actual concert hall tonal balance, i.e., adequate direct high-frequency information with suitable high frequency roll-off in the room sound. This means that while the SP-1s reveal the excellences of correctly recorded material, they are also quite tolerant of close-miked recordings as far as tonal balance goes-nothing can fix the imaging problems of those multi-miked recordings. I find this tonal balance of the SP-1s compellingly musical. So, incidentally, did the majority of the listeners who have passed through during the months the SP-1s have been in residence with me, at least one of whom forthwith went out and bought a pair.”
”Enthusiasts of the BC-1 will want to know how the SP-1 fares comparatively. Think of the BC-1 as it might have been: with tighter bass, better dynamic range, less nasality, smoother and more extended treble, the same midrange tonal accuracy and coherence but improved midrange articulation.”
”For me, the SP-1s let the beauty of music shine through as few others anywhere near their price can. Spencer Hughes died soon after the SP-1 design was completed. His death is a great loss, but he has left behind a heritage to be treasured by all those who love music.”
