But can a little speaker be made to sound like a big one? Generally, no. Moving a 5" plastic cone back and forth 41 times a second is not the same as reproducing the lowest note of an electric bass, and loudness is not the same as scale. Like it or not, in 2003 as in 1903, the only way to move a lot of air is to move a lot of air.
But the Spendor S3/5se does one of the nicest end runs around the…
Other than that, the standard S3/5 ingredients prevail, including a beautifully made woofer with a molded frame, Spendor's own individually made inductors (I've been there! I've seen them do it!), and an intelligently designed thin-walled cabinet that uses a…
Description: Two-way, stand-mounted, sealed-box loudspeaker for use with stands 24-31" high (not included). Drive-units: 0.75" coated fabric-dome tweeter, 5" homopolymer cone woofer. Crossover frequency: 3.5kHz. Frequency response: 90Hz-20kHz, ±3dB. Impedance: 8 ohms nominal, 6 ohms minimum. Sensitivity: 84dB/W/m.
Dimensions: 12" H by 6.5" W by 7" D. Weight: 10 lbs.
Finishes: Light cherry, rosewood, bird's-eye maple veneers.
Serial numbers of units reviewed: 201A00011, 201A00012.
Price: $1249/pair in light cherry veneer, rosewood veneer adds $100/…
Analog sources: Linn LP-12 turntables (two) with Linn Lingo and Naim Armageddon power supplies; Naim Aro and Linn Ekos tonearms; Supex 900 Super, Miyabi 47, Denon DL-103D, and Lyra Helikon Mono phono cartridges; Audio Note AN-S2 moving-coil step-up transformer; Rega Planar 3 turntable with Rega RB-300 tonearm and Rega Elys and Exact phono cartridges.
Digital source: Sony SCD-777ES SACD/CD player.
Preamplifiers: Naim NAC32-5, Linn Klimax Kontrol.
Amplifiers: Naim NAP110, Linn Klimax Twin.
Cables: Nordost Valhalla, Linn Balanced, Linn Analogue,…
As expected, Spendor's little S35/se is not very sensitive, 2.83V raising just 81.5dB(B) at 1m—a dB less than the BBC's original LS3/5a. However, its plot of impedance magnitude and electrical phase against frequency (fig.1) indicates that it is a kind load for the partnering amplifier to drive. The impedance drops below 8 ohms only below 40Hz and in the lower midrange, and stays above 10 ohms for much of the audioband. The peak of 28 ohms at 71Hz indicates the tuning of the sealed box, which in turn implies limited LF extension.
Fig.1 Spendor S3/…
Originally designed by the BBC for monitoring of on-location broadcast and recording pickups (footnote 1), they hide most of their cost—a complex equalizer and phase-corrected crossover network—inside a cabinet only slightly larger than a shoe box. They were intended for "close-in" listening in a small control room rather than to fill a large…
The speakers in this survey range in price from $300 to $500 per pair which makes them less than extremely budget (eg, the Boston Acoustics A40 at $150/pair). It has been my experience that $400 or thereabouts is about the least one can pay for a pair of speakers with the expectation of audiophile-calibre sound.
Design constraints are quite serious in this price range. Cabinet size is kept modest so that lumber and finishing costs are kept to a minimum. Driver quality and…
It is unusual for a loudspeaker to remain in production for more than three years. It is rare for one to still be sold five years after its introduction. It is virtually unknown for a speaker to be still available, virtually unchanged, 14 years after that date. Such is the case, however, with the $650/pair LS3/5a design, which is still popular well into its teenage. (Only a number of horn speakers from Tannoy and Klipsch have been around as long.)
Its…