Brothers and sisters - Following a mishap I’d rather forget, I just rebuilt by stereo system with a BHK Signature preamp and 250 amp. At the terminating end are Spendor 1/2 speakers, which I am thinking of upgrading to a set of D7s. Are there any other community members who have paired PS Audio with Spendor? I’d be interested in talking with you. Great group! - Jim
Welcome Jim. I also have BHK 250 and pre along with DMP, DSD and Auralic streamer. I heard Spendors at the FL Audio Expo and was smitten. About two years ago I had a home audition of the Spendor D9s and A7s. Much to my surprise I preferred the A7s. The D9s (not the current D9.2) had a top end that just was not to my liking. After listening extensively to both I bought the A7s. To be fair, my room was not treated at the time and I have since purchased a pair of REL S/3 subs. I love my Spendors and it is a good pairing with my PS Audio kit. I would not call the RELs a must, but they sure are a great compliment to already excellent speakers.
In a few weeks I will be auditioning a demo pair of Spendor SP100r2 speakers from that same dealer. I was not in the market for new speakers, but this is too good of an opportunity to pass up!
My dealer has D9s in his home studio and loves them. He did say they take a little time to set up properly but is well worth the investment. I sometimes wonder if I auditioned both again if I would have still preferred the A7s. But I don’t worry about it, I am well pleased with my Spendor/REL set up.
Hope there are other Spendors owners out there to chime in.
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Thank you for writing back, brother. I really appreciate it. Let me know how you like the Spendor SP100r2. Visually it presents itself as a lazy uncle, but its sound is superb. Incidentally I have the same reservations as you about the D9, though they could go away were I to hear that speaker in a large enough room.
So, here I am, rebuilding a system from the ground up. I don’t have all of the components in my house at the moment (some are being shipped and others calibrated), Eventually the system will be a new configuration for me from platter to speaker: Rega P10 => BHK Signature preamp => BHK 250 => Spendor D7. Interconnects? Who knows. Speaker cables? No idea. I’m hoping that you and others might be able to make suggestions on what you’ve tried and what you’ve acquired.
For what I can afford, the Spendor line has been my favorite for many years. I listen primarily to jazz, classical, Hinduistic music and opera, and my greatest affinities are with the piano and standing bass, the timbres of which can be marvelous (but not identical) across all of the Spendor models. In my last system (may it rest in peace), I had Spendor SP 1/2s that could track McCoy Tyner’s piano though the maelstrom of John Coltrane’s Africa, clearly present the layers of featured-singer and choral fugues in Beethoven 9, keep flutes and triangles from unnatural freezing points, and even let the blood flow from the scream in Careful with that Axe, Eugene. The D7 has all of that, greater air, clearer timbre and an ease of flow. In general terms, it shares with the rest of the Spendor line an engaging sound that approaches a listener without being brash.
Again, thank you for writing. Let’s stay in touch.
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I have the Spendor D9’s and love it. I auditioned a few speakers and loved the D9’s.
Brother - Could I ask how large a room the speakers are in? I’ve heard them only in an audition room, and my impression was that the room’s dimensions too small for me to enjoy the D9s to their fullest. Also, if I could, what speaker cables are you using? - Jim
Room is 18L x 13W x 8H
Cables - i have used purist audio Musaeus up until now. But am choosing between iconoclast sptpc vs Purist Audio Corvus moving forward.
We have a few things in common: Spendor, PS Audio, room size and consideration of Purist Audio’s Corvus cables. I’m going to fuss with the cables first and then tweek with interconnects to keep my sanity. I have tried tweaking with speaker cables and not had a good time of it. I think you and I also might have similar ears. What you wrote about the D9 in a space similar in size to mine makes me want to audition that model. Thank you (I think)! - Jim
I chose the D9 over the Wilson Yvette.
Absolutely must - listen to the D9.
Holy cow! That is some mighty high praise. The sound doesn’t overwhelm your space? Based on what you said, I might borrow a pair of D9s and see how they sound in my room. Thanks for all the information, brother. - Jim
I chose D7 over about 20 other speakers I demo’d, the most expensive of which were 10k paradigm Persona, BW 804d3, and Focal Kanta.
Regarding the LPZ tweeter vs A series or classic, it is a much more modern sounding tweeter, which I love, compared to the laid back historical Spendor sound. I own both and don’t hold it against those who prefer the classical Spendor sound, but listen to both and you may find you much prefer the new tweeter as I did.
I pair with Audio Research and a Rel S5 in a midsize room
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Had home audition of the Spendor SP100r2s, and they have found their new forever home. Yes jimkiely1960, they do look like the lazy uncle compared to the svelte A7s. They came with the Spendor welded steel stands and spikes. Huge upgrade across the board, as should be going from A Line to Classic Series, and difference in MSRP. They fill the room much better and midrange is glorious. Same house sound if you will, but just so much more of it. Am rediscovering my music again.
Factory jumper plates were missing and they had a stranded copper wire connecting the top and bottom posts. Looking to get new Audio Envy speaker cables, either bi-wire or standard with matching jumpers. (Got their XLR interconnects awhile ago; a near component level upgrade in my system.)
Good point about the LPZ tweeter kzk. It is very different from previous designs. I, too have found those who prefer one or the other. Although I wanted the 3 way vs. 2 way, more bottom end and cabinet size, the tweeter difference is why I decided on the A7s over the D9s. But now I have best of both worlds with the SP100r2s!
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I’m using a BHK pre / BHK250 into a set of spendor d9.2. They sound fantastic.
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Jim, I had Spendor 1/2Es with Sound Ancors for a number of years and then upgraded to, current at the time, their S9s. They offered more of everything in a really good way. The D servers are even better brother!
Thank you for the information, which is an assurance that I should seriously consider the path toward the D series! Could I ask what you’re using for interconnects and speaker cables?
I use foil flex speaker & interconnect cables.
They sound fantastic. I have tried some chord cables and nordost cables but the foil flex were fuller and warmer.
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I have a pair of BHK 300s for those looking for the most out of their Spendors.
I am considering moving from Cambridge Edge W and Spendor D7 all the way up to Spendor D9.2 and BHK 300’s and preamp. But it’ll be awhile til I can swing it. Also looking at Luxman L-590axii class A integrated as a much less expensive alternative.
I can recommend the Luxman L-590axii as well as the Luxman 509x. The latter has more drive, or grunt, and is biased class A to 15 wrms. I have the 509x in on of my systems, and highly recommend it. Not taking anything away from the PSA stuff, but they are exceptional integrated amplifiers.
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Thanks, yeah I know. I’ve talked to someone who owned both the PSA 300’s and the Luxman 590axii and he said the Luxman is better.
I wish I could hear them side by side to compare, but I’ve complained enough about that in the past so I don’t want to go there again. Irrespective of his opinion, the 300s and bhk preamp have gotten great professional reviews and the enthusiasm on this forum for them is of course high. So I am not ruling them out. And I have some time to decide…
i am proud owner of a set of d9.2’s running from a BHK pre & BHK250 but the luxman was a major competitor when I was looking around at new gear. I really like the sound and features on the 590axii. In some practical ways it was better than the PS Audio gear but I found the bhk pre / amp combo just had an edge sound wise.