I never listened to the 8000S I demod the 8000Q and the 8000P with the spendor s6es alongside MF A5 and the Cyrus 8vs (that was the second time id demod the cyrus, not sure why because I've hated it both times!) I would say that the tonal balance wasnt as lean as the cyrus, the cyrus' treble sounded a little uneven and very forward; somewhat like a PA rig (i cringed during jeff buckleys hallelujah).
The audiolabs are a little on the lean side but I feel this is ok when partnered with the spendors as the treble isnt too bright.
In the end I went for the monos on a blind jump. They are a hell of a lot more controlled than the 8000P which is pretty controlled anyway, the bass stops and starts as it should. The 8000P seemed to have a little overhang which did suit things like prodigy and chemical brothers and it gave the impression of a slightly softer sound.
I'm listening to 'where will I be' by emmylou harris off wrecking ball at the moment and can say that the big drum (not big on my instruments hehe) sounds very real and pretty damn big. The bass line is also bouncing along nicely, although this could be something to do with the REL I remember that this sounded fantastic on the S6es too.
I'd definately give em a demo, bloody good value in my opinion. They amplify, dont get hot, go loud, go quiet (not as well as Class A though) and for me I like them because I just dont have to think about them.
In essence there isn't anything to love (like i sometimes loved my departed sugden) but also there isnt really anything to fall out with (i sometimes hated my departed sugden
).
I'd also give sugden a try, the new line looks the business and they definately dont have a lean sound. If you can survive with your listening room being a few degrees hotter I would give them a listen. They have probably the most physically real sounding bottom end I've heard for the money.
(I want the A21aSE quite a lot...).