Most of your ‘buts’ are actually just about getting them set up properly in the first place. Lots of advice out there about choosing and installing them. Take your time, get it right and then in my experience you can just leave them alone. You must have them against a wall of course-which for me is a major advantage.
Every upgrade I threw at my system revealed more of the SBL’s potential. I started with a single 140, then active 2 x 140 and onwards. They now live in my office system where a single old and pretty cheap olive 250 makes them sing pretty nicely.
I bought mine new, and ran them for 13 years.
Initially I used a 72/140. Then swapped to a 250. Then I swapped the 72 for an 82. Then when I went active with another 250 I also swapped to a 252 pre-amp at the same time and added a supercap for the SNAXO and on it went, with the speakers easily showing these improvements.
I had them against a brick wall but on a timber floor. No issues at all for me.
After a few years, I upgraded them to the new drivers and it was a worthwhile improvement. However, even the MK1 drivers were still damn good.
As mentioned in previous posts, they can easily reveal source and amplifier upgrades.
For the money, they are still a terrific speaker and convey a certain magic which many other, newer speakers fail to deliver.
The ideas introduced with the SBL were further developed into the even better SL2 - a remarkable loudspeaker, crazy to many, but one developed with a rare engineering free hand without too much (enough?) input from the bean counters.
Shocking. The SL2s curved front is more contemporary and if anything helps to disguise their bulk I think. Mrs W preferred their appearance before she got to hear them-then definitely no going back.
I always thought SBLs were better than SL2s Richard. I understand this is not the majority view. I was ready to buy a pair but they just didn’t sound better to me. I also think SBLs are actually easier to set up. So, better run for cover now…
SBL’s have never been fatiguing to me. I have a very difficult room right now, one that does not suit SBL’s at all but they still sound beautiful. New build house with one ‘sound proofed wall’ patio doors on one side and a dab and dot wall behind the speakers! Oh and a concreate slab floor that has hard vinyl flooring layed on top! The walls have pictures and the sofas are leather. Nothing too absorbing in there! I rebuilt them and let them settle in and they sound wonderful. Yes they might sound even better in a perfect room but sadly life is not always like that! The house is way better for us as a family and if I had to change the SBL’s that would have been a small price to pay but right now they have adapted like a chamelion to their surroundings. They are a cheap speaker. Buy some new grills from TomTom, yes they are expensive for foam BUT very cheap for the sonic difference they bring. They need to be carefully repaired and sealed also, take your time. Replace the alloy pads and staple them down. Don’t just seal them. Level the bottom boxes first and then everything else should go smoothly. I use chips on the spikes which are necessary on a hard floor. The grills, rebuild kit and chips cost less than a powerline and the difference is greater. Look at it like that!
Just enjoy your music.