What will sound like my Spendor S3/5Rs with more bass presence?

[DomT]

I'm using a Roksan Kandy MK3 so a pretty powerful and well reviewed amp, 115w at 8ohms

Hi Olie yes it’s great at it price point and maybe it’s not the place to start, the speakers are, but having moved from a Marantz Reference amp to an Audio Research amp (again) with the same output there was a marked difference in sound. By way of comparison I also had a Quad Artera (also the same output as the others) and that was significantly behind the Marantz and Audio Research. Just something maybe to consider for the future. The difference that I heard with my amps was in bass depth and punch tonality timing and transparency even though specs were similar.

 

[Olie]

thanks everyone, lots of food for thought... I can listen to both the Graham Audio and Harbeth range at a dealer not too far from me, so that's probably my next step...

Turns out I'd got the wrong end of the stick about this, and the local-ish dealer (Igloo Audio) doesn't have a shop where I could compare... Does anyone know anywhere (preferably in the south east) that stocks both Harbeth and Graham Audio (or Stirling Broadcast) and has a listening room? I'd like to listen to a few things in one space and narrow down before setting up home loans, ideally

 

[cotes-du-rhone]

I suspect you’re going to have serious problems pursuing this… The problem being that your experience of the double bass and cello will be entirely different to ‘normal’, especially if you are used to ensemble playing. Firstly, recordings aren’t created for your live listening position(!) and secondly, your experience of the instrument will be coloured by your intimate relationship with it. I imagine the stage and your chair shake when both sections are sawing away!. Replicating that could be a challenge…

Having said that, the unconscious memories of your playing will help filling in the missing parts of a recording.



I think, based on my recent experience with my Spendor SA1s in a small room, that a well managed small subwoofer might take you a long way for very little expense. I imagine, (without knowing) that the S3/5rs, like my SA1s, don’t have the pronounced hump that can make a subwoofer integration so difficult. If they do then you might be looking at other solutions suggested here…

Good luck with your quest…

 

[TIU]

Depending on the type of music, too much bass can be annoying, to the point I stop enjoying the music. If your amp doesn't have a facility to lower the bass you're stuck with it. I have a sub so can always dial it down or turn it off.

 

[mrc]

I had S3/5R's for over 10 yrs but never considered them to be my ultimate 'all round' speaker for all types of music. I recently switched to Proac tablette 10's and couldn't be happier, especially as they are unfussy about placement. An ideal solution if room space is tight, I would suggest. Very similar but slightly better performance at the frequency extremes IMHO.

 

[Headcoat]

I'll be picking up some Spendor S5e on Sunday and will be able to compare these with Falcon LS3/5a. This is just a bit of hobby fun but in essence the Spendors will have the same or smaller footprint than the Falcons on stands and have a extra bass unit with a vent at the rear. The other two speaker units are of similar dimensions to the LS3/5a.

So perhaps not strictly speaking what you're after, though I won't be able to help myself from posting my thoughts anyway !

How did you get on with the S5E's?

I had a pair years back, at the time my room was a big issue and I sold them, only to get a worse sounding in room replacement,

At demo I thought the S5E's were amazing with an incredibly tuneful, taut and realistic bass. On paper they don't go that low, but wow in situ fantastic.

I was driving them from an old Quad 606.

The S5E's don't seem fashionable for some reason?

 

[Hifimad1]

To get close to real sounding instruments such as a double bass will be very difficult with the conventional ‘small’ speakers mentioned above. Larger coned ( 8 ‘) single driver, high efficiency speakers would get very close. Don’t get too concerned with bass extension as the magic is in the midrange, even with a double bass ! There are some single driver speakers that will work in a small room. Tannoy Dual Concentrics may also work for you.

 

[Ian]

How did you get on with the S5E's?

I had a pair years back, at the time my room was a big issue and I sold them, only to get a worse sounding in room replacement,

At demo I thought the S5E's were amazing with an incredibly tuneful, taut and realistic bass. On paper they don't go that low, but wow in situ fantastic.

I was driving them from an old Quad 606.

The S5E's don't seem fashionable for some reason?

I really liked them, nothing like 3/5a though really. Warm, an easy, lovely listen. Perhaps a little to0 large for my 12 x 12 foot room but they worked well. I couldn't live with them over the mini monitors though, they just work so well a room this size. The Spendors are a nice sized floorstander for smaller rooms though.

 

[Olie]

To get close to real sounding instruments such as a double bass will be very difficult with the conventional ‘small’ speakers mentioned above. Larger coned ( 8 ‘) single driver, high efficiency speakers would get very close. Don’t get too concerned with bass extension as the magic is in the midrange, even with a double bass ! There are some single driver speakers that will work in a small room. Tannoy Dual Concentrics may also work for you.

Some of the speakers I've been looking at have drivers of around 8' - the Harbeth C7es is just under, the Stirling Broadcast LS3/6 a bit over... Is there a specific reason single drivers would do better at double bass, or are you just thinking about the size of the bass driver? I'm imagining a single 8' driver would struggle to do the magical things my Spendors can do with violins and voice, but I've never heard one to be fair...

The main challenge I'm finding so far is actually getting to hear anything! The dealers I've contacted seem to generally just have one model available to hear, or just want to have a chat and do a sale - or in some cases simply don't answer emails... I was thinking of buying new this time as a) I wanted to audition quite a wide range and b) its a very rare opportunity for me and I want them to last decades - but increasingly I'm leaning towards just buying the 2nd hand LS3/6 on here which I bet will sound amazing

 

[Olie]

I suspect you’re going to have serious problems pursuing this… The problem being that your experience of the double bass and cello will be entirely different to ‘normal’, especially if you are used to ensemble playing. Firstly, recordings aren’t created for your live listening position(!) and secondly, your experience of the instrument will be coloured by your intimate relationship with it. I imagine the stage and your chair shake when both sections are sawing away!. Replicating that could be a challenge…

Having said that, the unconscious memories of your playing will help filling in the missing parts of a recording.



I think, based on my recent experience with my Spendor SA1s in a small room, that a well managed small subwoofer might take you a long way for very little expense. I imagine, (without knowing) that the S3/5rs, like my SA1s, don’t have the pronounced hump that can make a subwoofer integration so difficult. If they do then you might be looking at other solutions suggested here…

Good luck with your quest…

I feel quite resistant to the idea of a sub, though not sure I can justify that logically...

Just for clarification, I'm a jazz double bassist not an orchestral one, although I do listen to probably a 50/50 split classical and jazz at home

 

[JANDL100]

I think you are right to be wary of single driver speakers, imo they aren't fit for purpose. Things can get very unruly at high frequencies.

I'm a big classical fan, jazz not so much, but I suspect we look at things audio in a similar fashion.

Way back, I had LS3/5a and I was really surprised how well a small subwoofer worked with them. It was a bit like waving a magic wand over the speakers, extending the bass was effective, but the main improvement, surprisingly, was a dramatic expansion in the dynamic expression of the presentation. It seemed to turn them into genuine full rangers but without compromising what they did well. Amazing synergy.

 

[Hifimad1]

Some of the speakers I've been looking at have drivers of around 8' - the Harbeth C7es is just under, the Stirling Broadcast LS3/6 a bit over... Is there a specific reason single drivers would do better at double bass, or are you just thinking about the size of the bass driver? I'm imagining a single 8' driver would struggle to do the magical things my Spendors can do with violins and voice, but I've never heard one to be fair...

The main challenge I'm finding so far is actually getting to hear anything! The dealers I've contacted seem to generally just have one model available to hear, or just want to have a chat and do a sale - or in some cases simply don't answer emails... I was thinking of buying new this time as a) I wanted to audition quite a wide range and b) its a very rare opportunity for me and I want them to last decades - but increasingly I'm leaning towards just buying the 2nd hand LS3/6 on here which I bet will sound amazing

High efficiency, full range drivers have excellent tonality due to having no x overs. They allow superb instrument reproduction With great scale, Zu Audio are also great at this.

 

[Olie]

Thought I'd update here in case anyone is reading on a similar mission... a pair of ex-demo Graham Audio LS5/9 should arrive here tomorrow! Will post thoughts after living with them for a while...

 

[wizmax]

Thought I'd update here in case anyone is reading on a similar mission... a pair of ex-demo Graham Audio LS5/9 should arrive here tomorrow! Will post thoughts after living with them for a while...

Well done Olie.

 

[britishcomposers]

My late neighbour's S100's I've recently acquired and am sitting on (and wondering as to what to do with them) would do justice for double-bass. Very tight and controlled. S20's with 12" dual reflex loading, plus custom stands and with all the packaging.

 

[tuga]

My late neighbour's S100's I've recently acquired and am sitting on (and wondering as to what to do with them) would do justice for double-bass. Very tight and controlled. S20's with 12" dual reflex loading, plus custom stands and with all the packaging.

I owned a pair of SP9/1s which use the S100 drivers in a larger, floorstanding cabinet.
Really nice speakers, particularly in the low- and sub-bass, but overall not as good as my current pair.

 

[karlsushi]

Thought I'd update here in case anyone is reading on a similar mission... a pair of ex-demo Graham Audio LS5/9 should arrive here tomorrow! Will post thoughts after living with them for a while...

Great stuff. Absolutely top notch speakers and a bargain even at the RRP.

Was incredibly close to getting some myself earlier this year and although I chose something else in the end, I could happily have lived with the Grahams for ever and a day.

And for the record, you will be getting more than just extra bass with the Grahams when compared with your Spendors. Completely different league in all areas IMHO.

 

[britishcomposers]

I owned a pair of SP9/1s which use the S100 drivers in a larger, floorstanding cabinet.
Really nice speakers, particularly in the low- and sub-bass, but overall not as good as my current pair.

I always liked the look of those. Beautiful, albeit brief and probably prohibitively costly to manufacture design. What do you listen through now? Nice listening room/set-up there.

 

[tuga]

I always liked the look of those. Beautiful, albeit brief and probably prohibitively costly to manufacture design. What do you listen through now? Nice listening room/set-up there.

I have moved 4 times since, and had to sell the speakers. After 3 different sets of speakers I've settled on a pair of Kef Reference 3s.

 

[CnoEvil]

I have moved 4 times since, and had to sell the speakers. After 3 different sets of speakers I've settled on a pair of Kef Reference 3s.

Fantastic speakers.