Spendor A6's Finally Arrived

[slippers-on]

I find that the refined sound of tube gear seems to appeal if you listen for long periods due to the lack of listener fatigue.
If you want it right up front and quickly, SS is the way to go. It takes a while for tubes to kind of heat up and deliver what they can, or for you to adjust to what magic they provide, depending on your perspective.
These are, of course, generalizations.
From a circuit perspective, simple tube circuits do no harm. For SS, the circuitry must be quite complex to do no harm. It can be done with either technology, but for my money, it's tubes. I know how to fix 'em though.

I love tubes as well....as long as its not Conrad Johnson with that syrupy sweet, thick veil sound....but I also like a good SS with FETS....or some of those Pass ""Stasis" designed amps...Threshold. Some of those early Classe' amps with the JFETS....with the right speakers and interconnect are good. I have never heard the newer Classe' but hear in the right setup they are good as well.

 

[charles 1973]

If you want some that that Tube sound, with the benifets of SS you might consider using a Hybred Integrated Amp, Hybred or Tube Preamp w/SS Power Amp or a Tubed Source w/SS Amps.

For many years I was of the Impression that Tubes were slow, Warm sounding with way more distortion than I could accept. I don't want warm or distorted sound. I wanted clean Transparent sound so good SS was a no brainer. I now realise much of that Tube Warmth comes from the Output Transformers employed with Tube Amps, and can be and is achieved with SS Amps using these output Transformers if thats what you want. That said Tube Pre-Amp's and Sources can give music extra depth or color that some really enjoy and I believe is responsible for the great sound of My FM Tuner.

A few years ago I heard a Magnum Dynalab Hybred Analog FM Tuner with the fastest, Most Transparent sound I ever heard from any source despite much higher distortion than it's SS counterpart (they make both). I had no Idea FM could sound this good. Those Philips 6922 Tubes in the audio path are as Neutral as the best SS Design's but provide a full bodied sound (not warm per say) that just sounds so right. All the music I grew up with now sound's new and exciting, hardly what I expected from Tubes.

 

[Permanent Waves]

Thanks, I'm listening now to Alchemy - Dire Straits Live on LP, but also love Diana Krall, Allen Toussaint, Horace Silver and mostly any kind of jazz, except Pat Metheny, Chick Corea and Keith Jarrett (a little too intense for me). I've never heard the Spendor SP100R's, a three way. It seems like I've always gone for the two-way loudspeakers, something about them I've never be able to put my finger on. The A6's are smooth but also remarkable in the detail they bring out and the timbre of instrumental reproduction.

I'm almost entirely a 2 way stand mount fan myself, but when I heard the SP100r2's I was impressed enough to make an exception. They are especially exceptional with classical material (and jazz) because they are so fluid, cohesive, (smooth) and can produce a convincing amount of scale that make the transitions in such material effortless and room filling (without a sub(s)) which belies their size (which, while large for stand mounts, are still small in comparison to most tower speakers). And they still have the wonderful imaging stand mounts have. They are also great all-rounders for when needed: they can rock very well for instance.

 

[MikeT.]

It's been a while since my last post and a lot has changed....except the Spendors. I tried my best to try some tube additions to my system and replaced my Parasound 2100 with a Quicksilver RCLS preamp and even rolled a pair of tubes. No dice.....I have finally reached the conclusion I must not be a "tube" person. Tomorrow I will replace both the Parasound 2125 power amp and the Quicksilver preamp with a Musical Fidelity M6i integrated amp I had listened to when I first auditioned my speakers but felt it was a little too much money....turns out not so much with all the changes I have been through. I've gotten good deals on all the electronics so should be able to get most of my money out of them. Strange thing though, my original preamp was an Emotiva USP-1 which I set out to improve upon. It was very good apparently because neither the Parasound 2100 or the Quicksilver was able to reproduce the details I originally heard on the Spendors and what drew me to them in the first place. I feel sure the M6i will get me back to where I should have been in the beginning.
More later

 

[slippers-on]

sorry the QS did not work for you. While I have never heard QS...I do feel the hybrid sound of Vincent may have been the better choice. It's in no way laid back nor syrupy. It's fast with lots of sizzle. I too am a Musical Fidelity fan and I think you have made a wise choice. that particular integrated amp is fast as well with a lot of sizzle and pop....I think the Spendors will handle them well. I can't wait for the review and pictures...that integrated amps sir will give you bragging rights as far as I'm concerned...And a good 200 watts per channel man! that is a hell of an amp!

 

[MikeT.]

I think it's going to work out great, thanks! On a positive note with all the gyrations, I'll end up with a Jolida JD9 phono preamp to use with my new line stage integrated. I may yet end up with a bit of tube sound in my system. I plan to get some pics added later.

 

[slippers-on]

I think it's going to work out great, thanks! On a positive note with all the gyrations, I'll end up with a Jolida JD9 phono preamp to use with my new line stage integrated. I may yet end up with a bit of tube sound in my system. I plan to get some pics added later.

Are you going to mod the Jolida? That MF amp is a real winner in my book. Man you are going to have a very nice system...very different from the norm.

 

[MikeT.]

Are you going to mod the Jolida? That MF amp is a real winner in my book. Man you are going to have a very nice system...very different from the norm.

I would not even know where to begin with a mod on the Jolida. I have NEVER had an amp as nice as the Musical Fidelity. I've always pieced things together around speakers though and ended up being pretty happy with the results.

 

[slippers-on]

You can find the mod instructions on line or look up Poultrygeist on The forum...he did his and can help you if you need it. I have a Musical Fidelity CDP with the XXX power supply. its nice...very nice Warm tube quality sound. Excellent build quality.

so I'm sure your MF with the Spendors are going to put you on a different level altogether...at least from what you are accustomed to...I really mean that.....That amp is huge, heavy, mono blocks in one case, the sound of it is airy, transparent and up front. Matted with the Spendors with 200 watt mono blocks will bring out the best in the Spendors. You are in for bliss. The only thing MF should have done with that unit is gave you at least 10 watts class A.

 

[MikeT.]

You can find the mod instructions on line or look up Poultrygeist on The forum...he did his and can help you if you need it. I have a Musical Fidelity CDP with the XXX power supply. its nice...very nice Warm tube quality sound. Excellent build quality.

so I'm sure your MF with the Spendors are going to put you on a different level altogether...at least from what you are accustomed to...I really mean that.....That amp is huge, heavy, mono blocks in one case, the sound of it is airy, transparent and up front. Matted with the Spendors with 200 watt mono blocks will bring out the best in the Spendors. You are in for bliss. The only thing MF should have done with that unit is gave you at least 10 watts class A.

I'm up for as much bliss as I can get I read a lot of opinions on several "other" forums (blasphemy) before I bought the M6i. Lots of good things to say and many comments about pairing well with Spendor and Harbeth.

 

[slippers-on]

Ok...pry your self from that fine system and tell me about it? Why make me suffer? high powered Musical Fidelity and Spendor??? You kidding me??? Come on man, spill the beans! No one has that system and ima suffering just waiting.

 

[MikeT.]

Spendor A6's, Musical Fidelity M6i and a Happy Ending

As some may know, I have been trying to upgrade my system after many, many years and landed on some Spendor A6's or they landed on me depending upon your point of view. After using the A6's with an Emotiva USP-1 and Parasound 2125 amp, I could tell there was so much more "in there" even though I have to hand it to the Emotiva for detail, the sound was a bit bright with the Spendors. That's when it got interesting and maybe a little STUPID but having not spent any significant money for almost 25 years on my system, I decided to plow ahead.
I kept the amp, bought the matching Parasound 2100 preamp but the detail disappeared. I have been working with a great dealer in Austin where I bought the speakers. I traded it for a Jolida DJ9A having decided to go with a line stage preamp in the future and in the meantime found a Quicksilver RCLS tube preamp (got it used and for a great price I think) figuring with so many raving about tubes, it would absolutely bring the life back into the speakers. No dice!
By now I am feeling like I am starting to flush money down the toilet and getting depressed with not getting the sound I was hoping for out of the Spendors. Again back to the dealer in Austin and decided to spring for a demo model Musical Fidelity M6i which I had listened to previously but thought it was too expensive.

Long story shorter, the M6i @ 200 watts per channel and high current capability has brought the life back to the Spendors and is absolutely stunning. This amazing integrated amp has incredible resolution at any frequency and any volume level with the ability to control the Spendors with ease. Listening to Allen Toussaint, Dire Straits, Diana Krall, Lyle Lovett and Monty Alexander today in addition to the entire Santana Shaman album last night (I have never listened to that entire album at a sitting). Add Ricki Lee Jones to that list. Everything I throw at this system now sounds incredible. The Spendors and the Musical Fidelity are everything I hoped for.

Bass guitar where I can "hear" the "thickness" of the string. The echo in the hall. Imaging ahead of, behind, left, right and above the speakers. A multidimensional strike and bite of the pick on the strings of Mark Knopfler's guitar on Sultans of Swing. I can close my eyes and swear Allen Toussaints piano is in the room with me. Drums and cymbals hard AND light!

Lyle Lovett and Kat Edmonson duet on his new album (Baby Its Cold Outside) sounds incredibly intimate like they are side by side on stage in front of me. Amazing bass response and perception of the power available to the speakers is apparent even at low volume levels, the amp never relents for a moment. I have not even had it "cranked" yet, no need. However, I just turned up the volume on East of the Sun, West of the Moon.....delicate but big band type dynamics as well. Ricki Lee Jones lyrics with clarity and detail that I can finally understand, the incredible inflection of her voice.

Everything as it should be and not more or less than required is about the only way I can describe it. I was very afraid I had poured a lot of money into a fruitless experiment but I've arrived at a happy ending or beginning.....

I am blessed I can take the time to experiment with a system of this caliber and have the means to do so. I am pretty sure this system will be my last significant upgrade, I'm no spring chicken.
No regrets! This is a system I am going to enjoy.....hopefully for another 25 or so years.....
A few pictures attached.

 

[Art K.]

Beautiful amp and a lovely setup. Congrats on putting a system together that you can really enjoy!

 

[slippers-on]

Congrats mt! You have a nice system. Tell me about the overall character of the amp. I mean whats that mid range like? Musical Fidelity's in the past have been rich and lush in the mids with a little warmth but not to much, while at the same time having a full bodied sound thats transparent with good high extension with nice weight at the bottom. That KW series of a few years ago was amazing, as well as those super charger amps. They had very good rhythm and pace....As you know MF also makes tubed amps and preamps and their SS had a little sweet character to them as well. I like the idea of the mono blocks in that one case which means that baby if not 100% quiet its almost silent as can be with no cross talk. I know its powerful at 200 watts, and I was thinking they should have given it a least the first 10 class A, but the way you discribe the micro it seems to do very well. I am a firm believer in gear that can lay it down so it touches you with the music on the inside...not just a sterile sound, but with feeling. Every MF amp I have heard was able to do that and I am sure yours does as well. Congrats man....I too may some day own a fine component like the M6i if I ever decide to get rid of separates. And with the Spendors...talk about British at its finest in that class....you did good.

 

[MikeT.]

Beautiful amp and a lovely setup. Congrats on putting a system together that you can really enjoy!

Thanks Art K.! Looking at your system signature, do you alternate between the Dynaudio and the Quad's or have them set up to play together? I have always had love for British speakers. I have never had the pleasure of listening to any Dynaudio but looking at their website, reviews would indicate, fast, dynamic and accurate.
Also saw a post from you for a Rega Elys cartridge I think. I'm using a Denon HOMC DL110 and have been wanting to try others and it seems like its a step up from the Denon. Any comparisons you could make between the two?

 

[MikeT.]

Congrats mt! You have a nice system. Tell me about the overall character of the amp. I mean whats that mid range like? Musical Fidelity's in the past have been rich and lush in the mids with a little warmth but not to much, while at the same time having a full bodied sound thats transparent with good high extension with nice weight at the bottom. That KW series of a few years ago was amazing, as well as those super charger amps. They had very good rhythm and pace....As you know MF also makes tubed amps and preamps and their SS had a little sweet character to them as well. I like the idea of the mono blocks in that one case which means that baby if not 100% quiet its almost silent as can be with no cross talk. I know its powerful at 200 watts, and I was thinking they should have given it a least the first 10 class A, but the way you discribe the micro it seems to do very well. I am a firm believer in gear that can lay it down so it touches you with the music on the inside...not just a sterile sound, but with feeling. Every MF amp I have heard was able to do that and I am sure yours does as well. Congrats man....I too may some day own a fine component like the M6i if I ever decide to get rid of separates. And with the Spendors...talk about British at its finest in that class....you did good.

Midrange character I might say is just a bit forward in the vocals but not in a bad way. Sometimes I think I can hear the distance from the singer to microphone, strange way to put that but I'm going to leave it alone. The combination of the MF and Spendors I would not call sweet. More like incredibly revealing of the edge of instruments, the roughness of the reeds in woodwinds, piano pedal release in very quite passages, the vocal strains of performers, the raucous character of saxophones and violins. Since the arrival of the Musical Fidelity there have been moments as you say, where I have been very emotionally moved by the music or a particular passage or instrumental sound that reminded me of "being there" at some point in the past. Just bought Lyle Lovett's album Release Me, after seeing him in concert in Austin. Russ Kunkel was in my listening room, I swear. The high end presence of the the cymbals can be delicate when called for but explosive when the music demands it.
I'm listening more over the past 2 days than I have in the past 2 months when I first started down this road. I've made some mistakes, but not for a moment am I sorry I made them. What a ride!

 

[audiodon]

What a simple and beautiful combination!

This is how you learn what you don't want, and what you want.

It sounds to me like you have found a good dealer.
There is an interesting phenomenon when your speakers aren't your limiting factor, as in your case now. Those Spendors speak truth.
If the music is raucous, it sounds raucous. If it's intimate, it sounds intimate. Also, those two extremes sound the same whether the maximum volume is high or low.

While Spendors will sing fine with tubes, it sounds like your limiting factor was your amp, and it was the limiting factor only because it wasn't right for these speakers. Sometimes that happens.
I've never heard a Jolida that I love, though a couple were nice.

I'm excited for you. Simplicity is good in the end. I try and make it so anyone in my family can use my systems. That MF and Spendor combination looks to fill that qualification also.
Does that one have a remote?

 

[Art K.]

Thanks Art K.! Looking at your system signature, do you alternate between the Dynaudio and the Quad's or have them set up to play together? I have always had love for British speakers. I have never had the pleasure of listening to any Dynaudio but looking at their website, reviews would indicate, fast, dynamic and accurate.
Also saw a post from you for a Rega Elys cartridge I think. I'm using a Denon HOMC DL110 and have been wanting to try others and it seems like its a step up from the Denon. Any comparisons you could make between the two?

I've not ever run a Denon. The Elys 2 is a very organic sounding cartridge with great timbre.

With regard to speakers I am using the Quads as fronts for my HT (and occasional music in the front room) and my wife has hers running in her setup at present. I'm just running the Dyn's for now. They replaced Harbeth P3ESR's and I don't miss the Harbeth's (and they were splendid).

 

[slippers-on]

Midrange character I might say is just a bit forward in the vocals but not in a bad way. Sometimes I think I can hear the distance from the singer to microphone, strange way to put that but I'm going to leave it alone. The combination of the MF and Spendors I would not call sweet. More like incredibly revealing of the edge of instruments, the roughness of the reeds in woodwinds, piano pedal release in very quite passages, the vocal strains of performers, the raucous character of saxophones and violins. Since the arrival of the Musical Fidelity there have been moments as you say, where I have been very emotionally moved by the music or a particular passage or instrumental sound that reminded me of "being there" at some point in the past. Just bought Lyle Lovett's album Release Me, after seeing him in concert in Austin. Russ Kunkel was in my listening room, I swear. The high end presence of the the cymbals can be delicate when called for but explosive when the music demands it.
I'm listening more over the past 2 days than I have in the past 2 months when I first started down this road. I've made some mistakes, but not for a moment am I sorry I made them. What a ride!

Sounds like an incredible and musical system.?...What DAC are you considering?

 

[MikeT.]

What a simple and beautiful combination!

This is how you learn what you don't want, and what you want.

It sounds to me like you have found a good dealer.
There is an interesting phenomenon when your speakers aren't your limiting factor, as in your case now. Those Spendors speak truth.
If the music is raucous, it sounds raucous. If it's intimate, it sounds intimate. Also, those two extremes sound the same whether the maximum volume is high or low.

While Spendors will sing fine with tubes, it sounds like your limiting factor was your amp, and it was the limiting factor only because it wasn't right for these speakers. Sometimes that happens.
I've never heard a Jolida that I love, though a couple were nice.

I'm excited for you. Simplicity is good in the end. I try and make it so anyone in my family can use my systems. That MF and Spendor combination looks to fill that qualification also.
Does that one have a remote?

I like the way you say that "that they speak the truth". I hear the squeaks of the reeds, the musician singing under his breath, the raucous vocals and then you say to yourself,,,,yea music really sounds like that. I love 'em both. I'm pleasantly surprised so far the Canbridge Azur 350c is keeping pace. Still working on the turntable:yes: