In the right room, those little matchsticks can sound awesome. I have been looking for a picture of mine but I couldn’t find one. Fondly remembered.
I still own a pair of BC-1s. Superb speaker if you want one that is uncoloured and has a ‘natural’ sound. Unfortunately, few are likely meet original factory specs today.
A few years ago I heard the D9 floor standers and thought the were very nice, albeit a couple of dB too hot in the highs. That could, of course, be easily addressed with a bit of eq.
Someone mentioned the high price of these speakers and I believe they have a valid point. In the US, where I am based, prices of ‘BBC Heritage’ speakers have risen at many multiples of the rate of inflation over the past decade or so to the point where they are not really competitive, price wise, in the marketplace. This is true of not just Spendor, but also of Harbeth, Stirling and Graham. As an example the Harbeth M40XD lists here for $ 22k+. At this price one can get, listed in no particular order, Magicos, Wilsons, Perlistens, Revels, big KEFs, Focals, Dynaudio, not to mention studio monitors from Neumann, Genelec or Geithain, to name but a few. At a fraction of this price one can opt for the Kii3 or D & D 8C.
So a very competitive market where press exposure and audiophile credibility can heavily influence purchase decisions.
P.S:- Not sure if links to review sites are permitted, but Stereophile, Sound und Recording, Erinsaudiocorner, Audiosciencerview, Soundstage have plenty of measured data on speakers.
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I bought Spendor BC2 speakers in 1974 also buying an early LP12 at the same time and had over 40 years of great listening including some replaced drivers after over enthusiastic parties. Then I tried the S9 which was a significant improvement especially in the bass while still having that sweet Spendor midrange. 2 years ago I splashed out on Focal Aria 948 speakers and have to say the improvement was phenomenal. I have only listened to the D series in shows (not a fair test), but compared to older Spendors, Focal has all the attributes plus massive soundstage and so much more bass. So impressed that I have replaced Spendor SP2/2’s in a second listening room with Focal Aria 906’s. Again massive improvement for £500 second hand.
Spendor A9s here. Listening to them tonight I have no desire to change. They have been in my lounge for over eight years. I bought the ex-demo model from a dealer in Bath when the D7 first came out and was getting good reviews. I had a 202/hicap/200 setup at the time, which I have turned into a 272/XPS/300 over time. The Spendors have revealed more with each change. The NAP300 brought control to the bass, which could get a bit out of control with the NAP200. I had always wanted a pair of Spendors after hearing a friend’s BC2s at University. His system was in a different league to the Heathkit AA1214 amp I built as a kit to run with a pair of Omar Wendover speakers.
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Hi Hollow
What’s the room size that you listen to these speaker and the stands that you use please?
I’m planning to use them in a room by 7x5m but my listening space is 4x5m
Thanks in advance
My room is a bit unconventional, it’s about a 8x4m mezzanine with a double height void at one end and a pitched ceiling which is about 14ft. I have them on the long wall about 2.5m apart and about 400mm from the wall. I have yet to get proper stands, currently they’re propped up on my Rogers LS1’s with a few tap washers in between - not ideal I know but they don’t sound too bad. Ideally you want rigid open frame stands or if you’re going flat plate make sure they’re very heavy. Custom Design FS104 signatures with the optional larger top dimensions seem a good choice, I might get something made up though a la the HiFi Racks Fortis. Hope you enjoy them, I think they’re wonderful and have been a revelation after my A7’s.
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