Matched pair of Spendor SP1
Immaculate
Here is a beautiful factory matched pair of these classic British Spendor monitors, totally original and unmolested and in fabulous showroom condition (see close-up pictures). Definitely the nicest examples and the best condition we’ve seen in very many years. You won’t see a pair as nice as this again.
You already know just how wonderful these are or you wouldn’t be looking here. These sound sublime on all types of music but especially classical, jazz and orchestral. With piano and female vocals they are simply wonderful.
These are in full & glorious working order and yes…both super-tweeters are working just fine.
The following text is extracts taken from a review in ‘The Absolute Sound’. Click here if you would like to read the full (and very long) review.
“The SP-1, like the BC-1, is a three-driver speaker, with two of the drivers being tweeters so that the sonic character is more nearly that of a two-way than a conventional three-way system. The cross-over from the bass-midrange eight-inch polypropylene driver to the mid-tweeter is at 3 kHz and from mid-tweeter to super-tweeter at 13 kHz. The eight-inch driver produced by Spendor for the SP-1 is new, different from the Bextrene one that Spendor produces for the BC-1. The SP-1 tweeters are the same as those for the BC-1, namely, the Celestion HF 1300 and the Coles 4001G units. The Celestion unit has a modified surround, compared to that occurring in the BC-1s (of my vintage, at least).”
”How do the SP-1s sound? In a word, marvelous. First, their midrange tonal accuracy is even better than that of the BC-1s, which is saying a lot. Inevitably, there are some minor box colorations, and there is still a touch of the nasality in the male voice that was fairly prominent in the BC-1. But overall the SP-1 midrange has exceptional tonal accuracy. The sounds of instruments and voices have a tonal rightness that goes beyond generalized naturalness to specifics: not just, say, "Does this sound like a violin?" but "Does this sound like a Guarneri violin?" This particular question maybe has significance only for violin fanatics, but whatever your musical tastes and interests, you will find the tonal rightness of the SP-1 musically meaningful to the point of being well-nigh addictive. There is no substitute for the accurate rendition of tone quality, and the SP-1 is superb in this regard.”
”The SP-1 can handle considerably more power than the BC-1, and the SP-1 is more efficient. In my largish listening room (5000 cubic feet), the SP-1s produce abundant sound. Unless you have an enormous listening room or are intent on rock-concert levels, I don't think you will find the SP-1s unduly restrictive dynamically.”
“The SP-1s produce what to my ears is an essentially ideal reverberant field. On well-recorded material, you get a close approximation of actual concert hall tonal balance, i.e., adequate direct high-frequency information with suitable high frequency roll-off in the room sound. This means that while the SP-1s reveal the excellences of correctly recorded material, they are also quite tolerant of close-miked recordings as far as tonal balance goes-nothing can fix the imaging problems of those multi-miked recordings. I find this tonal balance of the SP-1s compellingly musical. So, incidentally, did the majority of the listeners who have passed through during the months the SP-1s have been in residence with me, at least one of whom forthwith went out and bought a pair.”
”Enthusiasts of the BC-1 will want to know how the SP-1 fares comparatively. Think of the BC-1 as it might have been: with tighter bass, better dynamic range, less nasality, smoother and more extended treble, the same midrange tonal accuracy and coherence but improved midrange articulation.”
”For me, the SP-1s let the beauty of music shine through as few others anywhere near their price can. Spencer Hughes died soon after the SP-1 design was completed. His death is a great loss, but he has left behind a heritage to be treasured by all those who love music.”
The last two pictures are from the 1985 Hi-Fi Choice, when these beautiful monitors received a ‘Recommended’ status.
£725 (GBP) Pair.
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