So...I bit the bullet and bought a Spendor 3/5R2. Creating a separate post for this as it has no comparisons with others of it’s ilk. Also, there are many generations of these
speakers and I thought I will put all my googling and what I learned here in one place. Hopefully someone will try the Classic 4/5 and the beat goes on...
I have heard the pricier LS 3/5 brethren and their variations in different rooms and front ends - but there is no comparison to make here. I heard the Graham 3/5 driven by a Marantz all in one in a hifi show and it was great!!
This Spendor is for my bedroom and is up against the wall and it is not even on stands - in a shelf (and like a scene from the Gladiator “kill kill kill” the audiophiles scream). And it is magnificent for my purposes. And lighter on the pocket too.
Sound: midrange to die for and amazing vocals. Highs without fatigue. But that you knew, right?
And bass that works well with much of rock, jazz, (you hear it, you wont feel it and not much texture), classical as long as it is not complex -eg with Schoenberg’s Pelleas and Mellisande, those raw emotions of love, jealousy and betrayal get a bit miniaturised. Play Kendrick Lamar and the vocals are amazing but the deep bass goes “dok-dok-dok” as opposed to “dunnng dunngg” with the Graham even - you get da drift.
Play a string quartet and it sings. Listening to Arditti play Schoenberg and it is so textured with those strings chasing each other.
Everyone worries about small speakers and bass. And ends up with speakers that can be wrong for the room. The sound of the Spendor in my 15ft X 8ft room is perfect - the Graham needed space to breathe.
I am really enjoying this and suspect it is a keeper and hopefully not just a honeymoon period. Only time will tell. I am using the Clones 55pm and Elekit 8500 pre.
I googled like a maniac before I bought this and think will put in what I learned for the sake of others.
1. This is 165wx188mm depth. Exactly BBC LS 3/5a turned by 90 degrees. So this is a narrower baffle - some feel it does not float voices (see stereophile review of the 3/5se - thank you my friend DJ for pointing it out), but there is one difference in specs with the R2 - see later. Don’t know if it makes a difference sonically.
https://www.stereophile.com/content/spendor-s35se-loudspeaker-page-3
I have no complaints.
2. The 3/5R2 come in 2 versions. Ones that have serial number starting 206 have a 14 cm woofer and the later 236 with a 15 cm woofer. I could not find a review comparing the two. I got the 236 version.
3. This 236 series has the same dimension of woofer as the Spendor classic 3/5. That latter version (now discontinued) has apparently better quality parts. I could not find any comparisons, but I gather that under real life conditions they are pretty similar.
4. The new and the more expensive 4/5 is reverting back to the wide baffle format with. 90 degrees shift. Likely a big difference.
5. A shout out to Spendor UK and the distributor in India for outstanding service - including patient replies to queries. May the midrange be with you
speakers and I thought I will put all my googling and what I learned here in one place. Hopefully someone will try the Classic 4/5 and the beat goes on...
I have heard the pricier LS 3/5 brethren and their variations in different rooms and front ends - but there is no comparison to make here. I heard the Graham 3/5 driven by a Marantz all in one in a hifi show and it was great!!
This Spendor is for my bedroom and is up against the wall and it is not even on stands - in a shelf (and like a scene from the Gladiator “kill kill kill” the audiophiles scream). And it is magnificent for my purposes. And lighter on the pocket too.
Sound: midrange to die for and amazing vocals. Highs without fatigue. But that you knew, right?
And bass that works well with much of rock, jazz, (you hear it, you wont feel it and not much texture), classical as long as it is not complex -eg with Schoenberg’s Pelleas and Mellisande, those raw emotions of love, jealousy and betrayal get a bit miniaturised. Play Kendrick Lamar and the vocals are amazing but the deep bass goes “dok-dok-dok” as opposed to “dunnng dunngg” with the Graham even - you get da drift.
Play a string quartet and it sings. Listening to Arditti play Schoenberg and it is so textured with those strings chasing each other.
Everyone worries about small speakers and bass. And ends up with speakers that can be wrong for the room. The sound of the Spendor in my 15ft X 8ft room is perfect - the Graham needed space to breathe.
I am really enjoying this and suspect it is a keeper and hopefully not just a honeymoon period. Only time will tell. I am using the Clones 55pm and Elekit 8500 pre.
I googled like a maniac before I bought this and think will put in what I learned for the sake of others.
1. This is 165wx188mm depth. Exactly BBC LS 3/5a turned by 90 degrees. So this is a narrower baffle - some feel it does not float voices (see stereophile review of the 3/5se - thank you my friend DJ for pointing it out), but there is one difference in specs with the R2 - see later. Don’t know if it makes a difference sonically.
https://www.stereophile.com/content/spendor-s35se-loudspeaker-page-3
I have no complaints.
2. The 3/5R2 come in 2 versions. Ones that have serial number starting 206 have a 14 cm woofer and the later 236 with a 15 cm woofer. I could not find a review comparing the two. I got the 236 version.
3. This 236 series has the same dimension of woofer as the Spendor classic 3/5. That latter version (now discontinued) has apparently better quality parts. I could not find any comparisons, but I gather that under real life conditions they are pretty similar.
4. The new and the more expensive 4/5 is reverting back to the wide baffle format with. 90 degrees shift. Likely a big difference.
5. A shout out to Spendor UK and the distributor in India for outstanding service - including patient replies to queries. May the midrange be with you
