why doesn't everyone own a pair of spica's???

I used to own spica angelus for 6 years. I sold them a few months ago and replaced them with Green Mountain Audio Europas (999 new).

The Europas do everything the spicas did and then some. They image equally well left to right, but with better depth of image. The micro and macrodynamics of the Europas is superior to the Angelus, and the high frequencies are much clearer on the Europas. I hear details on my LPs and CDs with the Europas that I've never heard before with the Spicas.

The angelus are fabulous speakers, no doubt, but there are now better speakers available in the sub-1000 price range.

I'd buy TC-60s, or Angelus speakers if someone was selling them for under $400, as IMHO this is all they're worth. As soon as prices go over $500 start looking for a used pair of Europas. I sold my angelus for $350 as they were a little untidy cosmetically. They're just not worth what some are charging for them.

Where is John Bau nowaday, anybody knows? Great speaker designer.

I had Angelus speakers, they were limited in terms of low-end but imaged beautifully. I suspect that Spica's do well in a smaller room and at low volume. When driven hard the woofers bottomed out and subsequently "blew up". Nope, the Classe amplifier didn't clip, the woofers just couldn't handle the source material at a relatively high volume. I replaced the woofers and sold 'em, they just aren't suited for rock music at high spls.

"the tc-60's coupled with a good sub apparently can compete with almost anything playing anything on the market today"....

Unfortunately that is quite a bit if an overstatement!

Spica was at the leading edge in affordable high end audio 20 years ago, but there has been quite a few advances in driver materials, measurement techniques and overall understanding of crossover design since that time.

Spicas are very coherent, with a very natural sounding midrange as compared to many other offerings near their price point. BUT.... as far as "cost no object speaker comparatives, there are a PLETHORA of high end speakers (read more expensive)that will convy much better inner detail, have faster transients with more high frequency extension not to mention better dynamics and lower distortion too! (just to name a "few" sonic improvments over the Spicas ...read; "cost no object" can potentially buy much better sounding drivers and crossover parts!).

FYI: Here is a "short list" of monitor speakers I have experienced that I am very confident will eclipse the Spicas in virtually every sonic parameter:

- Ridge street Audio Sasson Ltd
- Merlin TSM MM
- Totem Rainmaker
- GR Research Dilucio
- Cliffhanger Bulldog

I'm sure that there are dozens more, but the above list I cited I know very well. I should also note that I owned both the TC-50's and the Angelus at one time, i.e. many years ago.

Ehider,

TC 60 costs $895 including stands back at the time Audio Advisor sold them in the late 90s.

It would be fair if you give an example of speakers that costs
around 1k that clipses the TC 60 performance. How much does Merlin TSM MM cost a pair?