[Andy Katz]

Greetings high-enders.

I decided to try to upgrade my existing system, which consists of a
Rotel 908BX, Luxman TP 114, Marantz DV 6400, Keces 131 DA & a pair of
B & W CM2s which perforce sit at either corner of my oak desk riding
on a set of Isoblocks from Mapleshade. Component connections are
mid-quality Monster connectors, while the speakers relied on basic
Monster wire from Radio Shack in 14 gauge. Both were treated with
Silclear.

Although I had no real complaints with the system I felt I could do
better, and I decided to use the opportunity to upgrade by swapping
out the speakers (although the Marantz universal player is hardly
high-end, I didn't think spending money on a universal transport would
really translate into *that* much better sound).

My main problem is location. I work at home, nine - ten hours per day.
My desk is set in an alcove about 14' x 12'. Desk up against a solid
wall. There's really no place else for the speakers to go. Even if I
could afford a pair of say Focal Utopias I'd have nowhere to put them.

I started looking at choices such as the Harbeth Compact 7, Dynaudio
Contour 1.3, B&W 805, Proac Response D1 and a few others. Some would
have been more of a stretch financially, such as the Dynaudios, but I
was open-minded (I honestly don't see too many more major stereo
upgrades in my future--maybe a universal transport if I find a
bargain, or a better-quality sub-woofer). I'm not generally able to
listen to speakers in a store and walk out with a good idea of how
they'll wear on me in the long-run, particularly as my placement
requirements are nothing like those found in a good audio store
(though I have used Broadway Stereo Exchange, where I bought my CM2s
and Sound by Singer).

In short I'd rather rely on a certain quality/price level and word of
mouth.

I heard about the Spendors almost by accident. Everything I've read
over the years has convinced me that Harbeth & the "BBC sound" would
be ideal for me, given my druthers. Gven that Spendors are also BBC
monitors, I felt they would also be good choices. But I had no
opportunity to audition either brand here in NYC (strange, isnt' it?).

Several users & reviewers claimed the Spendors were very forgiving
about location. That, of course, was important to me. Normally I'd be
chary of buying such a small speaker (it's even smaller than the CM2s
& any of the other speakers I was looking at), but if its performance
transcended its size, then that was also a plus, given the limited
size of my desk surface.

What clinched it for me was a ad in Audiogon from Gene Rubin offering
a pair in piano-black that was very slightly used for 1400. One third
off. Now I realize I couldn't expect the kind of performance from them
I'd get out of say the Dynadios or even the Compact 7, but their size
& forgiving nature, combined with the lower price convinced me I ought
to buy them. After all, if I didn't like them I could also re-sell
them for at least what I'd paid. Furthermore, while I do spend 9 - 10
hours per day listening to music and/or watching movies, I'm also
working at the same time, so was I justified in spending three
thousand plus on speakers, especially when their placement would
necessarily be less than optimal?

So I contacted Gene and he agreed to the sale. I paid him, only to
find out later that he had sold the used SA1s & thus was sending a
brand new set for the price of the used!

I put them on the Isoblocks, set them with about a 10 degree toe-in
(in from parallel to the sides of the desk) & about 10" in from the
wall. I let 'em rip. I apologize that I can't offer readers the kind
of review John Atkinson does in the lastest Stereophile--I just don't
have the experience or the component history to do so. But I do think
they compared favorably with the B&Ws. Atkinson writes mainly about
soundstage in his review. I was looking for detail & a sense of bass
response. Thus far I feel well-satisfied.

My moment of audiofiend transcendence arrived about three weeks after
their installation. My wife came home from work while Nat King Cole
was singing Mona Lisa (The Very Best of Nat King Cole, Capital, CD).

"That sounds great! What is it, some of kind of special recording?"
she said, sans any prompting or pleading from me She knew I intended
to upgrade, but because the Spendors in black resemble the CM2s she
didn't realize I already had. Nor is she a music fan beyond carrying a
Iphone with the Beatles, Simon & Garfinkle & Joan Baez. Mostly she's
content if I don't do more damage to my hearing and don't spend all of
our son's college fund on stereo gear. She had never before commented
on the quality of music from my stereo,

And it was true. It really did sound as if Nat was singing just beyond
in the alcove (one quirk of our condo is that the office/alcove does a
good job of projecting sound into the living & dining rooms; music
actually sounds better there than while sitting at the desk).

I do hear more detail from the Spendors, and, I believe, I have a
better sense of "naturalism" from the music. Because I listen mostly
to either high-end, SuperAudio stuff, or intentionally lo-fi material
(e.g Goodspeed You Black Emperor, Neutral Milk Hotel) I haven't had
too may cds ruined by revealing flaws in their recording. I have,
however, lost many of the digital files I had on computer (and which
prompted the purchase of the Keces). They lack resolution now, even as
ogg files. I'll either have to re-rip them or re-puchase some of them.

The stiff, oak desktop vibrates more in spite of the isoblocks when
heavy baselines play, & Julee Cruise's voice sounds more natural, her
words easier to understand. I believe I'm starting to understand
soundstage principles when, for example, Willie Niles's House of a
Thousand Guitars plays, yet, interestingly or not, I notice very
little change when playing Dark Side of the Moon on SACD.

Take of it what you will & thanks for bearing with me this far...

Andy