Spendor D7.2 with Supernait3 and NDX2 too much clarity?

I recently upgraded from Spendor A6 s to the D7.2s running through NACA5 cables. The interconnects are Snaic din. I was looking for more bass response and more clarity. I have got both in spades! But I am finding some types of music particulary thrash guitar, some metal and post punk sounds a bit harsh. The speakers are ex dem so I have no idea how much running time they have had. I have played around with speaker positions with some improvement. My ears will probably get accustomed to the new sound, I just wondered if anyone had any other ideas?

I love my Spendors and wouldn’t want you to give up on the 7.2’s but I wonder if they are the right match for the sn3 at higher volumes? I am surprised that they sound harsh. Can you get a demo with a hicap, or even with a 250DR to compare (plus your sn3) ?

I had the Spendor D7.2’s on home demo for a few weeks found the same thing, loads of detail, too much harshness on the tweeter had me turning off rather than up. Lots of people like them, great reviews but not for me.

Hi @akinoshima
Welcome to the forum.

Speakers are a very personal thing; one person’s detailed and revealing can be another’s harsh treble.
I tried the Spendor A7 and D7 - not the D7.2 which is a better speaker again - in my living room. I thought they sounded good in the shop demo room but I found them too fatiguing when I demonstrated them at home.

What is your situation?
Are you able to talk to your dealer - assuming you have one, you may not?
What is your room like?
Do you have a rug/carpet curtains, plants, sofa, other soft furnishings?

You have to get serious about room treatment.
Have you tried positioning the speakers straight ahead (as opposed to toed in) as this can help.

I dislike bright or harsh sounding speakers but I really like my D7.2’s. They are detailed but not harsh at all except on poor recordings perhaps. My dealer warned me that they would take many months to run in and he was right. I use them on the end of an Auralic Aries G2, Naim Dac, 282, Hi-cap DR and 250DR. My musical tastes are more roots and acoustic. I’m not sure I would recommend them for thrash guitar or metal though.

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I recently demo’d the D7.2s myself on the end of a SN3. I compared to others from PMC, Sonus Faber et al…

The Spendors seemed the most revealing of all; so perhaps they are just showing up the qualities of the recordings?

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Revealing thrash guitar and metal as somewhat edgy or harsh is surely a measure of their faithful reproduction of the artist’s intentions, no?

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Spenders certainly have more bass on audition against other makes.However we found it messy and overwhelming.

Speakers are a very personal choice and the power amp used and room/setup may determine a lot of the sound.

I can tell you that here last night SF sounded fantastic playing Metallica’s Kill Em All.

Maybe the simplest and most cost effective solution would be to change speaker cable?

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I had A7’s with a SN3 & NDX2, I found the A7’s too forward & fatiguing in the upper mids and they got chopped in for Classic 3/1 standmounts which are a much easier listen and ironically have more detail & textures particularly in the upper bass regions. I suspect the D72 with a SN3 is not a happy marriage but as said above a lot is down to personal preference

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I purchased a pair of D7.2’s in January. I had buyers remorse as they were much brighter and fatiguing than the pair I demo’d.

They took about three months to break in and now they are fantastic. One of the fastest speakers I’ve heard.

Thanks for your reply. I bought the speakers ex dem from a dealer on ebay. I have a good local dealer that I can talk to though. I think room treatment may help as my listening room has hardwood floors. I have already tried less toe in and it has helped. I will getting a rug and see if the speakers run themselves in.

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Thanks that is really good to know. I will keep listening and wait.

@akinoshima
You may need to do a combination of things:

  1. Treating the room by adding a rug will absolutely help. There are plenty of other things you can do with a room without resorting to acoustic panels and bass traps.
  2. Letting the speakers properly burn in - my PMCs needed 6 weeks to properly settle down. As @nicnaim has pointed out, they may sound like a different speaker in a few months time.
  3. Cables - what are you hooking your amp and speakers with? TQ black 2 are great with detail and a gently smoothed out top end.
  4. Adjusting to the sound. There is something to be said for spending time with any new kit long enough to properly evaluate any changes.

Having said all this, I think you tend to know in your gut whether you’ve got something that just isn’t right for you. Good luck with it.

The problem I have with adding a rug is that if you didn’t want a rug then you have the wrong speakers for the room.
Of course you can adjust multiple elements to ‘make’ the speakers work, but if they don’t work for you in your system in your room then find a pair that do work.
Obviously being a Spendor fan I hope that these do run in and give you the sound you are comfortable with.

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