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Spendor SP100R2 still a relevant speaker?

Was about to pull the trigger on some Tannoy Turnberry's but then found a beautiful pair of Spendor SP100R2's with stands that are within a long drive distance from me if I wanted to buy them.

They have some age on them, wonder if they can perform as good as the Tannoy or even better.  They are at the same price too $6k.

blkwrxwgn
twoleftears's avatar
twoleftears
5,320 posts
 

Yes, very much so.  Many people prefer either the Mk1 or the Mk2 to the Classic 100, as there have been subtle shifts to its voicing over time.  If it's a good deal and appears in good condition I would pounce.

blkwrxwgn OP
240 posts
 

Thank you everyone.  They are a good deal with stands, same price as the Tannoy actually.

I'm seriously giving it thought, it's a four hour drive, so I guess if I listened and didn't like them it's not too bad.  

roxy54's avatar
roxy54
8,122 posts
 

I owned the SP100's for years and enjoyed them greatly. They sound good (though different) with amplifier and cable changes, but always truthful and enjoyable. I don't think you'd be disappointed. By the way, they're heavy!

helomech
1,761 posts
 

The original SP100s outperform the 100R2s, but the latter should still be very good. The upside to the R2 variants is they won’t suffer the driver surround hardening problem of the earlier models. I would be happy to own a pair of 100R2s driven by 40 watts+ of tube power. I like just about any Spendor better than the Harbeth counterpart. 

alan60's avatar
alan60
196 posts
 

I have heard the Spendor and the Tannoys, to me the Spendors are very easy to listen to, but perhaps a bit polite, the Tannoys are more engaging with better dynamics, plus you can tweak the treble energy to your liking. Plus with the Tannoys being 3db more efficient makes them easier to drive with single ended valve amps.

If you read the reviews my impressions are pretty much supported by the reviewers.

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