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spendor 3/5 vs era vs avi vs vienna acoustics hayd

i may violate the cardinal rule when making a purchase. i may take a big chance and make a mistake.

i am looking for a mini monitor and have narrowed it down to:

spendor 3/5, era ($600), avi neutron 4 and vienna acoustics haydn 2.

i will not be able to compare them and may not be able to listen to all of them.

i will have to rely on judgements from dealers, manufacturers and serious listeners. i may be able to use logic and "common" sense (hope i have it) to try to wade through all of the comments on these products.

ok: i am trying to find a speaker under $1500, decent bass response (flat to 60 hz), little cabinet resonance, somewhat laid back and a soft upper mid/lower treble response.

which of the 4, if any would be the best choice, and why ?

this would be a second speaker. my primary speakers are quad 63s and maggie 1.6 .

thanks for your help.
mrtennis
snipes
119 posts
 
I can only comment on the VA Haydn, but it matches up to your requirements exactly. I had the Haydns, not the newer Grands for a while and still have the floor stand version in the Bach's. If memory serves me correctly these two speakers share the same drivers, but the Bach is a floor stander. The silk dome tweeter is to me, the definition of silky smoothness. There were many times my wife and I listened to them for hours on end w/o fatigue and my equipment at the time was very modest. In the end though, they just couldn't handle loud Rock. If that is not your requirement than I'm sure you would enjoy them. Also, the cabinets are gorgeous.
bignerd100
515 posts
 
THe Spendor is hard to beat at that diminutive size. If you have room you may also want to consider the Spendor SP3/1P (ported, bookcase placement not an option) or even the little Von Schweikert VR1.

Good luck!
aktchi
274 posts
 
Although small size is certainly attractive, in many situations it is the footprint that matters. You don't gain any usable space, but do compromise on frequency respoone, by cutting down a speaker's height. Therefore consider if what you really need is a floorstander with a small footprint. At least it will increase the pool of your options.
bignerd100
515 posts
 
If he uses bass-limited speakers he can avoid some of the problems of having a square room though. A 15x15x8 box would have peaks at 75 and 150Hz at normal listening position with the coresponding nulls. Because even the best small speakers do not have the surface area or box cappacity to produce these frequencies at high volume levels he may have better luck with smaller speakers. I like the Spendors for just this application. THey give you a great sense of the bass that should be there because they roll off gradually.

Good luck!
tlh28
90 posts
 
Hi,

I have owned two pairs of 3/5s and heard the AVI and VA. Your description of what you are looking for sounds to me just like the S3/5s, except that the bass is not quite flat to 60 hz. Particularly since you are already a Quad owner, I would think you would like the 3/5s, because the small Spendors have a Quad-like sound to my ear. (I have heard the newer Quad ESLS and owned 57s.) Other option as mentioned above -- look for a pair of LS 3/5as, but those are getting pricy. I also like the AVI, but it is a more forward, punchy sounding speaker, more resembling Linn Kans that LS3/5as. I only briefly auditioned the Haydn once or twice, but I personally didn't find it quite that engaging as the other two speakers.

TLH
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