Spendor s8e Imaging/Soundstage?

Hi Steve,

I still own the S3/5 and the S8e is more open and less boxy sounding.

I am getting more depth than probably Gary as my S8es are in a dedicated room with Argent Room Lenses, ASC tube traps and RPG diffusers. I can assure you this speaker's soundstage is deep (twice as deep as m Maggies), discreetly layered, holographic and able to resolve the sound of the hall.

Also my associated equipment I use helps in creating a vast soundstage: Cardas GC cables, Linn Ikemi, c-j 17LS2, c-j MV-60 (soon to be LP70S).

To beat this speaker for musicality and resolution you literally have to shop in the $20K and up market. When I move into my new digs I'll probably get another speaker but will always keep the Spendors for reference and haven't found one yet as well balanced as the S8e. Spendors are more about the musical performance and renderig authenic textures of voices and instruments. Without texture you have hi-fi which many uber high resoluton speakers can do.

I have one test for you as I have never heard the Spicas. If you play the Chesky ultimate demo disc using Sara K's track the trumpet that opens up in right channel should be at least 20ft back from the plane of the speaker with sounds of the trumpet reflecting off the studio walls. Sara's voice is warm and articulate.
This will give you an idea what the S8e can do. My guess is that the Spicas will not be able to resolve the studio refelections as well or if at all.

Bartokfan really likes his Tylers which I can't comment on because I haven't heard them. The Tylers use excellent parts but a excellent speaker is more than that. And as to the TAS review by Sally I would side with her. I think she comments on the high resolution of the Tylers but still prefer the magic of the Spendors. I can understand why because one of my friends tried to build a two way using the Seas excel driver used in the Tylers along with the Focal tweeter used in the $75,000 Khrama speakers with Alpha Core inductors and Infinicaps, etc.. and he has sophiscated measuring equipment too and he could not get a musical sound like the Spendor S3/5 which he also bought after listining to mine. Building a speaker is an Art which Spendor has a great heritage in as with Harbeth. Heard good things about JM Reynauds too.

Good Luck!*>)

BTW if you interested in speakers using the Seas Excel drivers do a search for Salk Audio. I beieve their crosssover implementation is more sophisticated than the Tylers.

Hi Steve:

The Spicas are not what I would consider polite. To my ears, the S8e's are a bit rolled off on top. This was particularly the case when I had them paired with a Cary V12r amp and copper Kimber Bifocal XL cables. Switching to the MF KW-500 integrated and Kimber Select KS-3035 Silver/copper cables worked alot better, but at a price. Although I like my current system better, I could have lived quite hapily with the S8e's.

It appears tha Kw6 did have a different experience of the S8e's depth of imaging capabilities. Perhaps this is room dependent. Over the years I've owned various Spendor, Spica, Snell, Epos, Totem, Thiel and Reynaud speakers. My floorstanders have never had the same imaging magic as the monitors. By the same token, my floorstanders have mostly added a sense of fullness that most of the monitors couldn't match (Offrandes excepted). Why not keep both, if you can? Or seriously, look for a pair of used Trente's.

Yes, Gary is correct the room is very important!

Also The S8e has more layers in the depth plane than most speakers. Most have the front middle and back, basically three. The S8e has about five or six and generally double the depth of most speakers.

Another example I can offer is track 16 on the Opus 3 test disk, "The House of the Rising Sun". I sometimes use this track for demoing speakers and I assuming most of us own this disk. On the Sax solo near the end coming from the left channel, almost all box speakers, have the sound coming forward from the speaker and planar speakers (Maggie) have the sound stuck on the panel. The S8e, when set up optimally, you should hear & SEE this image floating above the cabinet top and slightly behind the speaker in free space totally detached from the speaker, thus creating a better illusion of a musical performance and not being reminded that we're listening to a speaker.

You know what. All speakers should be able to do that if set up right for a particular room. If you don't hear what you described then maybe the speakers need to be moved around some more. I know I'm not happy untill I do get that holigrahic floating image hanging out in the middle. That Iron Chef speaker placement method describes how to setup any speaker correctly in a room to get that effect.
My Usher CP-6371 does that trick with no problem at all. :)

That said, yeah, differant speakers do that trick better than others. Bigger, wider, deeper and more solid.

Kw6, I like what hear from you re. the S8e. I'm afraid the only thing that is "dedicated" about my listening room is that one has to be dedicated enough not to mind scooting the coffee table out of the way and sliding the chair down in order to listen at the proper place between the speakers! I will get and try those test cd's that you mention on my Spicas.

Everybody: thanks for the input; I have a lot to mull over. But that's part of the fun.

Steve O.