Spendor BC2 Advice

[IanS]

Hi all, this is my first post on this forum and was hoping some of you could offer some advice.

A few months ago i acquired a pair of Spendor BC2's. They weren't in great order so i've done some work in trying to get them back to fully working and cosmetic order.
The cabinets are now looking good.
Both bass drivers weren't working so i've had these reconed and re-coiled ( by DC Boultons / Audioloudspeakers) and these are now working. The other drivers "seem" OK. They measure OK and produce sound.
I've recapped the crossovers using Solen caps.

They now sound pretty good at low / normal volume levels, but if i crank the volume up they get very distorted. I've paired with a Rotel RA-820BX, a Kenwood TA-20 receiver and a Cambridge Audio A5 and although all three sound different i get the distortion with all three.

Is this normal with these speakers? I know they aren't really supposed to be driven too hard.
Could the mid range or tweeter be the culprits.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Ian.

 

[macgolf]

In the event you don't receive the info requested, there is a yahoo Spendor group you might consider joining. Many members seem to be located in the UK. AK also has a Spendor thread that may have some valuable information. I've also received great responses directly from Spendor. I have a pair of Spendor 2-way speakers but haven't heard any of the 3-way speakers. At what db level do they start to distort? I do hope you get them sorted so you can enjoy them.

spendor-subscribe@yahoo.com
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/the-spendor-thread.509633/

 

[sax6]

Distorted ? Woofer bottoming out ( plok-plok ) or audible high frequencies screeching ( yelling ) like screaming out with a sore throat.
Not for partying whatsoever speakers... but can take an good load of power IF power is clean >>>> good power amplifier with good power reserve - as in - 100watts per channel.

 

[Multimode]

Ian - It could help if you explained the form of the distortion. Is it definitely from both speakers? I'm hoping that it's easily resolvable, that the work done on the woofers isn't responsible.

I used nothing but BC1s from 1980 until earlier this year when I bought a pair of SP1/2R2. My BC1s were the "55W max input" version and were powered by a 100W Sansui AU-919 amplifier without any audible distortion even at high outputs, though I pulled short of organ music at realistic volume 'just in case'.

As sax6 said, the amplifier is the critical factor. I imagine Spendor gave a limit of 55W to cater for pairing with poorly designed amplifiers that might not maintain full control. I don't know the three amps that you've tried but would have thought they'd be OK up to quite high listening levels.

The only distortion I ever experienced with BC1s was with a pair bought 'used' by my teenage son in the mid-late 1980s for his short-lived interest in hi-fi, and which I then took over as my main pair until I sold them for him only last year.

That distortion took the form of a grating sound from one of the woofers, but I don't recall it as the "very distorted" that you are finding. I spoke to Spendor about a replacement but they said they no longer provided these and advised instead that I rotate the woofer upside-down as it seemed it had sagged and was rubbing. I turned it - in fact both of them - by 144 degrees (they have a five-hole fixing) and the problem was solved, long term.

Wonderful speakers! I still have the pair I bought new in 1980, now stored in my bedroom until I decide what to do with them. They're certainly going nowhere yet, and I may keep them forever just to enjoy the nostalgia as I pass them on my way to bed!

 

[Multimode]

I've just spotted that Ian's questions relate to BC2 speakers, and I answered for BC1s.

Some of my comments may still apply of course.