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Spendor BC1's -How do you set them up best?

I had Spendor BC1s on 18" Sound Organization stands and the treble was a bit shrill, rough and edgy, the bass tuneful but boomy, the midrange recessed and the imaging shut in. For a while, I wondered how they ever got their legendary name and status. They didn't sound anywhere near as good as the LS 3/5a's I was using earlier with my Scott 222c integrated. I am fond of the BBC speaker sound and was wondering "how good a sound can I get from these 1960's designed speakers with this 1960's integrated amp?"

I got a $20 pair of 12" oak stands by Wood Technology. I would have preferred metal stands, but these are hard to find in this height. Now, the Spendors seem much better balanced tonally. The imaging is better also with the tweeters lower. There seems to be a bright and rough sounding spot between the tweeter /supertweeter combo of these speakers, and when the speakers are too high it is aimed at the listener.

Apparently, these speakers are very sensitive to setup. There is some tweaking that can be done with these, and I have heard of things that are not too drastic that bring them to their full potential - specific stands, speaker positioning and alignment, modifications to the port to reduce bass boominess, and even minor crossover modifications to remove a 12 kHz peak near the tweeter / supertweeter crossover point.

Clearly, there is potential here. I don't want to completely redesign and modernize them or the associated electronics. Apart from that, any sugestions on how to make these babies really sing?
johnnybgoode
jtgofish's avatar
jtgofish
515 posts
 
the BC1s are superb speakers but by modern standards are a bit boomy and shut in sounding.That does not mean that they are inferior though.
I have always thought they have superb treble but perhaps this is room dependent.
You should be using light open frame stands not pedastal type[Linn Kann type].
I also think a chip amp would match these really well-they have a very fresh,open,dynamic and slightly lean sound compared to the vast majority of transistor amps.
You also need an open sounding preamp.
johnnybgoode OP
24 posts
 
jtdesigns, you are right about open stands. I found a set of SP-1 stands and the tonality and imaging have improved considerably - amazingly. Misstl, I tried registering for that Yahoo group and got no response, but will try again. Thank you both for some really good advice.
aktchi
274 posts
 
Spendor BC-1's like air around them. Away from the room boundaries, off the floor on open stands. That's all I can say based on my experience. And good amplification.

It is interesting how subjective certain things are. When I chose BC-1's many years ago, I paid a great deal of attention to LS3/5a's, which were just as famous and their size would have been more convenient for me, but I liked the BC-1's better. (FWIW, I liked the BC-3 even more, and Quad ESL the best of all, but no way could I accommodate those sizes!)

Good luck. Please continue to share your experience with us.
gofast
19 posts
 
You should search the archives of the Spendor Yahoo group. There is LOTS of information on how to best set up the BC1s, and how to tweak them to improve the bass (port modification), and how to rebuild the crossovers.

That being said, you can figure out the best height for you by stacking cinderblocks, and then go chase down the right height stands.

If you do find the Spendor BC1 stands - beware - they flex and came with castors. They can be improved on very simply- I've modded my BC3 stands - and can sound great with mods.

Samir.
r3mor182c
6 posts
 
The BC1 is classic, and im surprised youre having trouble!
They should be on metal spiked stands , about 12-15 inches
from the floor,a minimum of two feet from back walls and three from side walls and angled in, so your in the direct
cross of the stereo sound path as you sit in the middle.
Sit, at least ten feet away if you can and then be thrilled
by an operatic voice just "singing magically" in the center
or left of center postion of the soundstage, as the imaging
is stupendous.The orchestra floats in and behind the speakers and the woodwinds and horns are like real,if your
eyes are closed. The bass will be shy, and dont play to loud or youll bust the bextrene cone. Other than that, their hard to part with, unless you need higher sound pressure levels and a tighter bass. Then go to sp1 or sp2/3
regards
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