New speakers day

dave6v

Wammer
Wammer
Mar 14, 2013
165
159
73
Bristol
AKA
Dave
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
A fresh pair or Spendor Classic 3/1 and matching stands, admittedly very expensive, but more on this below.

I did own a pair of Spendor Classic 4/5 in this 4.5m x 4.5m room. Overall they worked really well, and gave surprising presence and bass response (at times).

In the end, and after lots of agonising over it, I sold them and decided to upgrade to the Spendor Classic 3/1.

https://www.hifiwigwam.com/forum/threads/spendor-classic-3-1-demo-impressions.98821/
When I first demoed them, I found them a bit much for the room and found the smaller speakers were a bit more involving in some ways. However, after keeping the 4/5’s for a few more months longer, I continued to feel dissatisfied with the level of scale and bass on offer (tried a sub, didn’t get on with it).

So I then re-demoed the 3/1’s at length and gave them more time, but paid particular attention to playing with positioning, and tried them in other rooms in the house, and ended up preferring them, as an all-rounder, with more convincing scale and depth, better tone and texture of bass compared to the 4/5s with a sub, yet retaining (most) of the smaller speakers' other virtues. I think a lot of the initial feeling of ‘these may be too much for the room’ was as a result of not giving them a fair chance, and therefore not getting acclimatised to them (having been so used to the limited bass response of a ls3/5a type speaker, which was the norm of what my brain was used to).

And...I'd not tried them on proper, open stands. They've made such a difference! Tighter, more open sound. When in use, I tend to pull them right out into the room, which enhances that further.

I'm delighted with them and just can't stop listening to them.

Pictures below. Ahem, media unit is incoming. The amp is a little out of place on the floor! 2022_0317_11584400-01.jpeg 2022_0317_12013800-01.jpeg

2022_0317_12011200-01.jpeg
 

Idlewithnodrive

You should hear our version of Louie Louie
Wammer Plus
May 7, 2018
7,310
12,608
183
Virtually, everywhere
AKA
Mike
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
A fresh pair or Spendor Classic 3/1 and matching stands, admittedly very expensive, but more on this below.

I did own a pair of Spendor Classic 4/5 in this 4.5m x 4.5m room. Overall they worked really well, and gave surprising presence and bass response (at times).

In the end, and after lots of agonising over it, I sold them and decided to upgrade to the Spendor Classic 3/1.

https://www.hifiwigwam.com/forum/threads/spendor-classic-3-1-demo-impressions.98821/
When I first demoed them, I found them a bit much for the room and found the smaller speakers were a bit more involving in some ways. However, after keeping the 4/5’s for a few more months longer, I continued to feel dissatisfied with the level of scale and bass on offer (tried a sub, didn’t get on with it).

So I then re-demoed the 3/1’s at length and gave them more time, but paid particular attention to playing with positioning, and tried them in other rooms in the house, and ended up preferring them, as an all-rounder, with more convincing scale and depth, better tone and texture of bass compared to the 4/5s with a sub, yet retaining (most) of the smaller speakers' other virtues. I think a lot of the initial feeling of ‘these may be too much for the room’ was as a result of not giving them a fair chance, and therefore not getting acclimatised to them (having been so used to the limited bass response of a ls3/5a type speaker, which was the norm of what my brain was used to).

And...I'd not tried them on proper, open stands. They've made such a difference! Tighter, more open sound. When in use, I tend to pull them right out into the room, which enhances that further.

I'm delighted with them and just can't stop listening to them.

Pictures below. Ahem, media unit is incoming. The amp is a little out of place on the floor! 2022_0317_11584400-01.jpeg 2022_0317_12013800-01.jpeg

2022_0317_12011200-01.jpeg
Nice and simple. Like it.
 
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bigfish786

Wammer
Wammer
May 15, 2013
823
1,530
123
Yorkshire
AKA
Lee
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
I’m jealous of the cheese plant. Ours is a foot tall and has three tiny leaves 🤣
 

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hifinutt

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Wammer Plus
Dec 23, 2007
16,573
4,865
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midlands , , United
AKA
phil
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
they would also sound exceptionally good with the norma 70b . but the sa30 is a superb amp so it would be good to compare . the remote on the arcam is better than the aethos remote which has attracted a great deal of criticism on forums . of course the arcam has dirac which some like . when you get it on the rack some nice iso pucks underneath will further improve it. and getting a much better mains cable will uplift the arcam too

I get incredible results from an arcam tweaking it in this way . they really are great amps for the money . at some point be good to try the sa30 here . they come up a fair bit s/h at around £1300
 
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dave6v

Wammer
Wammer
Mar 14, 2013
165
159
73
Bristol
AKA
Dave
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
they would also sound exceptionally good with the norma 70b . but the sa30 is a superb amp so it would be good to compare . the remote on the arcam is better than the aethos remote which has attracted a great deal of criticism on forums . of course the arcam has dirac which some like . when you get it on the rack some nice iso pucks underneath will further improve it. and getting a much better mains cable will uplift the arcam too

I get incredible results from an arcam tweaking it in this way . they really are great amps for the money . at some point be good to try the sa30 here . they come up a fair bit s/h at around £1300
Interesting looking amp, that Norma. Not heard of it before, thanks.

Yeah I agree on Arcam value for money, they offer a lot of bang for the buck. You're welcome to hear mine if you're ever Bristol way.
 
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Brown Bottle

Wammer
Wammer
Jul 27, 2005
6,441
2,639
158
The Hoo Peninsula
AKA
Steve
HiFi Trade?
  1. Yes
  2. No
There is something ‘just right’ about the look of the 3/1. Hope you enjoy them, I’ve read nothing but praise for them, will try to get to listen to some when I can.

Cheers BB
 
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hifinutt

Wammer
Wammer Plus
Dec 23, 2007
16,573
4,865
208
midlands , , United
AKA
phil
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
Interesting looking amp, that Norma. Not heard of it before, thanks.

Yeah I agree on Arcam value for money, they offer a lot of bang for the buck. You're welcome to hear mine if you're ever Bristol way.
thanks . thats kind of you . at some point i will probably get a sa30 to try . i will say though that the build quality of the norma is like a a high end mercedes . extremely impressive but then it costs a bit more than the sa30 .
 

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