Ok, so here is my take on my speaker demo.
First off, I had driven for three hours to get there and the demo started shortly after my arrival, so my ears might not have been totally ready at the start. Secondly the speakers were demo’d with a ND5XS2 (as I have) and a brand new, out the box SN3. It was warm, but still totally new. So please bear in mind that this test was to show the differences between the speakers, more than the outright performance of each set i tried.
First speaker was the Spendor A7. Now this was the speaker that I wanted to like. I think it looked great and from what I had read, a great piece of kit. After half an hour or so, I concluded that it wasn’t £3.5k better than the Epos ES14’s. Sure it had more detail and resolution, but not a big enough step up to make me part with my money. I had wanted to love it, but it just wasn’t a good enough step up and made me think how good the 14’s are.
Next up was the Spendor D7.2’s. Now I know I had said my budget was £3.5k, but I realised that I would be daft to not listen to a more expensive speaker that I could possibly own for twenty years or more. I would kick myself if i missed out on the sound I wanted for the sake of a hundred pounds or so a year. My immediate reaction was ‘Yes, this is what I am looking for’. Detail, resolution, imagery, soundstage etc. Beautiful in it’s presentation, smooth yet dynamic. But £2k (ish) more…
Next up was PMC Twenty5.24i. These were in place of the 23’s (they didn’t have those). The PMC’s were the speaker I was most interested to hear due to their transmission line and forward facing port, not to mention their reputation. It took ten minutes and the start of three tracks for me to stop this PMC demo right there. Midrange seemed to be lacking any magic at all and every time someone started to sing, i felt as if I had been slapped in the face (metaphorically speaking). I think that is described as forward? Don’t get me wrong, they are probably great speakers, but just not with that system and to my ears. Just not for me.
Next up were a pair of Harbeth C7ES-3 XD standmounts. We decided to add these to the demo as an alternative to the floorstanders I was interested in. They are a lovely speaker. With vocals, acoustic and jazz etc. they just make you want to melt into the sofa. They matched their reputation perfectly, and I loved them, but they were just not what I was looking for.
So finally, I asked for the Spendor D7.2’s to come back into the room. They did and a brand new pair in walnut finish are currently running in in my living room on home demo. Wow, what an amazing piece of kit. Over my original budget, yes, but just in a different league from the others I tried. As far as my 14’s are concerned, I will hold onto them for the time being, but I have a hunch the Spendors might be staying.
The 14’s have an incredible midrange, but lack the scale and finesse I have been looking for for many years. After 30 years of ownership and bought second hand for £400, I think they have served me very well indeed. At £5.5k for a significant replacement, it just shows how good they really are.
Hope that helps some of you in the same position as me.