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SPICA revival and modification

When I just began getting into audio as I hobby, I remember reading about Spica loudspeakers. They were always able to get into Stereophile recommended ratings eventhough they were fairly affordable. Sadly, the company has been shelved after being bought by Parasound, and after having read an interview article with the mastermind of the RIP company, I wonder if these speaker can be bought used and refurbished with new drivers that would also preserve as much of their original sound as possible...The designer said that the Audax drivers used on the Spica Tc-50s, 60s and Angelus are gone, they are no more and that the crossover components may get corrupted. Any experience with these speakers gentlemen? I am very interested in hearing from actual owner with factual stories of what they did with the set ups when they blew up....I remember ST saying that the SPICAs needed to be matched carefully, not with high wattage. PAUL
bemopti123
restock
831 posts
 
The only thing that was missing when I opned the box was the hefty bill I had been expecting, so I called Spica again to ask how much I owed them and their reply was - ZERO - they didn't even charge me for the return shipping !!!

How about that for customer service on a pair of $500 speakers that I didn't even buy new?

...no wonder they went out of business.

I am still kicking myself - I lived in Albuquerque, NM for 8 years and never picked up a pair of Spicas. I retrospect I really regret that one.
ehider
286 posts
 
GR Research recently did an update to both the crossover and tweeter of a pair of TC-50s (at the owner's request). I urged Danny (of GR) to offer the modifications to the general public and am now glad to say he is offering them at a very reasonable price! Based on the measurements he has posted and the familuarity which I have of both the replacement tweeter and Danny's work, I think these mods are a no-brainer for anyone looking for modern update of an original classic. Danny even published a step response measurement to show how the mod didn't effect the orignal designer's intent of what made the TC-50 so unique (in it's day).
jeallen
3 posts
 
Great story!! I paid $250 to update my speakers from the first version to the second. The problem was they ran out of early drivers (Audax had a problem with a supplier)> Sapica had to start using a new version. This meant revised crossovers and a upgrade to the tweeter.

The revision is casually referred to as the TC-50i which started shipping in January of 1988. My guess is they wound up upgrading yours to the TC-50i specs
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