Hi, I’m currently using Atom with KEF R3, but want to switch to Spendor A7. Comparing sensitivities of two speakers (87 dB for R3 and 88 dB for A7), it appears that Atom might be able to drive A7. But, nobody seems to use this combination. I’m wondering if anybody has tried Atom with A7 and found a problem.
Thanks in advance for your feedback!
You say you want to switch your speakers to Spendor A7. Can I ask why? Have your heard these speakers yourself? Spendor seems to divide opinion here (I quite like the ones I’ve heard) but at the least I would be cautious about going that way without an audition.
You ask about the Atom driving A7s. I doubt this will be a problem. What HiFi? claimed it drove ATC SCM50s happily and these are tough-to-drive £10k speakers. But, I don’t think drivability is the main consideration. With speaker cables included, an Atom + A7s is going to cost around £6k and the question I would ask is: is that going to get me the best sound for that money? Would spending more on the electronics with a cheaper pair of speakers sound better? I don’t know the answer as it’s your ears and taste in music reproduction, but at the very least I’d want to explore options and audition before jumping.
Roger
Roger, tanks a lot for your reply!
The reason I want to switch to Spendor A7 is because 1) I want to switch to floor standing speakers because bookshelf speakers have limitations; and 2) I auditioned the Spendor A4 at the shop and they sounded great. Since A7 is an upgrade from the A4 and gets good reviews (and higher sensitivity), I thought the A7 was the one. But, if you have a better suggestion, or better speakers to go with the Atom for the money, I would greatly appreciate!
I currently run. a set of A4’s with a Nova in my second system. Personally I would have thought the A4 or even A2 would be a better fit for the Atom. Speaker sensitivity isn’t everything, having high speaker sensitivity and a low powered amp is not a good match.
I didn’t know that high speaker sensitivity and low amp power was not good. I think I’ll try to audition A4 with the atom. Thanks for your feedback!
You want your amp/atom to exert control over your speakers. There is a thread on the site comparing the Nova with A4 and A7 speakers, @Hollow, moved from A4 to A7 he may offer some insight. The A7 however are very good speakers, do you have a big room to fill ?
Indeed I did, I started out with an Atom with A4’s but I was never really happy with it, the Nova was a big improvement. In my experience I would certainly avoid A7’s with an Atom, they’re a revealing speaker and I felt they showed up even the Nova as a source. I’m now running an SN3/NDX2 with the A7’s and it’s a big improvement although I can tell the speakers have still more to give. The Atom will ‘drive’ them no problem but they will also show up the Atom as a source
I currently have the A7’s paired with an Atom and love the sound.
I moved to them from a pair of Kef LS50’s and the difference was night and day.
Not only do they sound good - they look beautiful.
Speakers though are very subjective you really need to hear them and if possible have a home demo.
Room size and shape also factor into the sound.
From the first note played through A7’s I just had a sense of “YES” and sat in the room all day playing album after album. I also tried the A4 another very competent Spendor speaker but genuinely not in the same league as the bigger brothers refinement detail and sound.
With the Kef LS50’s I would listen to my system perhaps three time in a week - now I play my music every day hearing things I never heard before. As mentioned above I find that a lot of my older recordings which are not too good really are shown up with the detail produced by the Atom through the A7’s but this is to be expected with such decent pairing.
I prefer to listen to my music and appreciate detail but when I fancy playing loud - no problem.
Oh and another thing I see every where that the grills are sold separately - well my came complete with grills, and I believe Spendor now ship with grills as standard - worth checking if you do decide to go the A7 route.
I think the replies above show that system building is at least as much art as science and you’re unlikely to get universal agreement. Majority opinion here is likely to be against spending more on speakers than electronics, but others who have done the opposite will disagree. My view is that around a quarter to a third of the total system price for speakers is a good starting point. But at the price of A7s I would find a dealer who could demonstrate the speakers and alternatives. I recall once reading lots of excellent reviews for some particular PMC speakers which were in the right price bracket for me and went to audition them, cheque book in hand, only to find them dull as ditchwater. All this assumes you’re in the UK and prepared to wait until lockdown is eased enough to permit demos again.
If you’re prepared to consider (very) small floorstanders, Neat Iota Alpha are a good combination with the Atom.
Roger
Thank you all for your valuable comments!
I live in the South Korea and found that A7 is out of stock everywhere…
After reading all posts, I have decided not to hurry and audition as many speaker/amp combinations as possible before I make a decision.
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