Spendor s8e Imaging/Soundstage?

I've owned the S8e's,and many years ago, Spica TC-50's. I thought the S8e's threw a nice lateral soundstage, particularly when I paired them with a Musical Fidelity KW-500 integrated. They were average in terms of depth. I would expect your Spicas to beat them handily in terms of holographic imaging.

These are very different speakers, however. There is no comparison in terms of the S8e's ability on the bottom end. The midrange is gorgeous. They are much more refined, but ultimately a bit too polite for me. I was much happier with Reynaud Trentes, which embody the best qualities of the S8e's and TC-50's, and now, even more so, my Reynaud Offrandes (although more expensive than the Trentes or S8e's).

You'll have to do your DD. i posted some comments on my experience of the S8SE.
Also my friend had a pr of spica 50.s Good in their day.

I currently own the S8e. Just let me tell you its phemnomenal!

I never bought the S8e for soundstaging and imaging but it was an added bonus and surprise on how well it did this area.

With my equipment I have the deepest layered soundstage I have ever heard in my room. This speaker resolves ambient cues along with only a few others that I know of. Width is as good as most speakers and resolves height if the info is there. Only on hard panned sounds in left or right channels can you indentify the sound coming from the speakers but again few speakers can past this test. So generally, the sound hovers around the speaker slighlt behind the plane and goes waaay back. Properly set up you should be able to see "around the sound" too as reviewers say, as oppose to flat images with no body.

Good Luck!*>)

Garyralph: would you consider the sound of the Spicas "polite"?

Bartok: I have read your old posts re. the Spendors. As I recall you were not terribly impressed.

Kw6: You seem to have had a different experience than Garyralph with respect to the Spendors soundstage. Hmmm...

About the Spicas and soundstage I had a curious and interesting thing happen. In my listening room I have the tc-60's about 8 ft. apart, 3 ft. from walls and back wall. But the back wall has old pocket doors (7 ft. wide), which are left open when I listen. So I see the adjacent room, about 16 ft. deep, as I'm listening. Soundstage depth seems to go all the way back to the far wall of adjacent room. But when I close the doors, the depth seems to collapse. Don't know if this is psychological or physical, maybe a comb. of both.

My search for a new speaker will be slow and deliberate, and there is not much chance of auditioning. But whatever I choose, I do NOT want to give up the tc-60's wonderful s.s. and imaging. From what I've read, the S8e's sound like they might fit the bill. I listen exclusively to classical.

Steve O.

I also listen exclusively to classical. Give us a review when you get the S8"SE". Whats the asking price?