On 16 Oct 2003 07:43:20 -0700, (Michael
Scarpitti) wrote:

RPS wrote in message ...
I have been living with a pair of old Spendor BC1 speakers. While I
bought these after careful research and auditions long ago, I have not
followed the market isince then. No doubt, much has changed.

I'd be grateful for your suggestions on what budget is rquired for a
meaningful upgrade, the next step up if you wish, in today's market. If
you can suggest a few names, primarily for classical music, that would
be even better.

A few friends have suggested Spendor's own S6, but I would like to
consider other options as well before choosing.

R

Back in 1981, I purchased a pair of Rogers Studio 1's, which are quite
similar to the BC1 by Spendor. Two years ago, I sold them and got a
pair of used Yamaha NS-1000M's, which are actually a few years older.
I have been deliriously happy with them. I strongly recommend them.
Strongly! The way the the Spendor/Rogers BBC design uses the woofer,
by running it up into the mid-range, makes it 'slow'. The Yammies are
MUCH, MUCH faster, and extraordinarily clean and uncoloured. You'll be
stunned. You'll skip sleep just to listen to them.

They're good speakers, and certainly 'classics' like the BC1, but they
don't really compare to modern speakers such as the B&W N804s, which
are in the same price bracket as the NS-1000M when it was available
new on the UK market. They were always an *exciting* listen, but
lacked the smooth neutrality of contemporary Proacs. My neighbour had
Proacs at the time I had the Yammys, and we had many a 'frank and
forthright exchange of views' about their relative sound quality!

Personally, if the poster likes the BC1, I'm sure that he'd find the
current Spendor and Proac ranges to be 'more of the same', but
generally cleaned up and with tighter bass.
--

Stewart Pinkerton | Music is Art - Audio is Engineering

Stewart Pinkerton wrote:

Personally, if the poster likes the BC1, I'm sure that he'd find the
current Spendor and Proac ranges to be 'more of the same', but
generally cleaned up and with tighter bass.

I do like the BC1's. I selected them 20+ years ago after agonizing
comparisons involving competing models form KEF, B&W, B&O, Rogers,
Canton, and several American companies. (Since then I have been happy
enough not to search any more. My trips to audio shops have been for
other components, or with friends on their listening sessions. This did
expose me to several very good and very expensive speakers, but nothing
I would/could consider for myself.)

I appreciate your response, this is just the kind of recommendation I
need.

Do you have any opinion on the Dynaudio and new Quad range?

In any brand, what would be the expected price range for a speaker that
would be "a step up" from the BC1's, if the concept makes sense to you?

I envy the schedule I had during my earlier purchase. Schedule of
classes often left entire days "free". I lived in NYC and had to travel
to England a couple of times for family reasons. Chicago is not exactly
wilderness but it does not match the "NYC + London" combination. That
and time make it essential for me to work much more systematically,
with a short list of brands to explore.

PS. Given that speakers are one thing the British (Japanese) have the
reputation of doing (not doing) right, I find it interesting that a
British audiophile should have owned Yamaha speakers; they must have
been quite good!

RPS

On Thu, 16 Oct 2003 17:57:46 GMT, RPS wrote:

Stewart Pinkerton wrote:

Personally, if the poster likes the BC1, I'm sure that he'd find the
current Spendor and Proac ranges to be 'more of the same', but
generally cleaned up and with tighter bass.

I do like the BC1's. I selected them 20+ years ago after agonizing
comparisons involving competing models form KEF, B&W, B&O, Rogers,
Canton, and several American companies. (Since then I have been happy
enough not to search any more. My trips to audio shops have been for
other components, or with friends on their listening sessions. This did
expose me to several very good and very expensive speakers, but nothing
I would/could consider for myself.)

I appreciate your response, this is just the kind of recommendation I
need.

Do you have any opinion on the Dynaudio and new Quad range?

The Dynaudio range is IMHO absolutely superb, but may be a little too
'in yer face' for someone who is happy with the slightly 'rose-tinted'
balance of the BC1.

In any brand, what would be the expected price range for a speaker that
would be "a step up" from the BC1's, if the concept makes sense to you?

You wouldn't need to spend more than £1,000 to obtain an *objectively*
superior speaker, but to get something with the same warm balance as
the BC1, but with the clarity of modern speakers, might take twice the
money and a *lot* of careful searching. There is a *huge* range of
highly competent speakers on the market these days, in the critical
£1,000 to £3,000 range. They all sound different, and only one will
the 'best' for you.

I envy the schedule I had during my earlier purchase. Schedule of
classes often left entire days "free". I lived in NYC and had to travel
to England a couple of times for family reasons. Chicago is not exactly
wilderness but it does not match the "NYC + London" combination. That
and time make it essential for me to work much more systematically,
with a short list of brands to explore.

Ahhhh, the farty city must indeed seem like one of the inner circles
of Dante's Inferno, after the stunning cultural combination of NYC and
London!

PS. Given that speakers are one thing the British (Japanese) have the
reputation of doing (not doing) right, I find it interesting that a
British audiophile should have owned Yamaha speakers; they must have
been quite good!

They were extremely good. Not neutral by any means, but always clean,
exciting and dramatic - 'musical' in the best sense.
--

Stewart Pinkerton | Music is Art - Audio is Engineering

Stewart Pinkerton wrote:
The Dynaudio range is IMHO absolutely superb, but may be a little too
'in yer face' for someone who is happy with the slightly 'rose-tinted'
balance of the BC1.

Too many people have said good things about Dynaudio for me to ignore
it, so I'll add it to my so-far-short-list of Spendor and Proac. Much
as I have loved my BC1's, it was twenty years ago when I did any
serious comparative listening when Dynaudio either didn't exist or I
didn't run into them. Anyway, it is good to revisit old decisions once
in a while.

Ahhhh, the farty city must indeed seem like one of the inner circles
of Dante's Inferno, after the stunning cultural combination of NYC and
London!

You must not like Chicago all that much then? :-) It is quite livable
and pleasant in so many ways. Of course NYC + London had more audio
salons and I took good advantage of that opportunity 20 years ago...

If you don't mind, and if it can be summarized briefly. what has been
your progression with loudspeakers?

Raghu

Stewart Pinkerton wrote:
The Dynaudio range is IMHO absolutely superb, but may be a little too
'in yer face' for someone who is happy with the slightly 'rose-tinted'
balance of the BC1.

Too many people have said good things about Dynaudio for me to ignore
it, so I'll add it to my so-far-short-list of Spendor and Proac. Much
as I have loved my BC1's, it was twenty years ago when I did any
serious comparative listening when Dynaudio either didn't exist or I
didn't run into them. Anyway, it is good to revisit old decisions once
in a while.

Ahhhh, the farty city must indeed seem like one of the inner circles
of Dante's Inferno, after the stunning cultural combination of NYC and
London!

You must not like Chicago all that much then? :-) It is quite livable
and pleasant in so many ways. Of course NYC + London had more audio
salons and I took good advantage of that opportunity 20 years ago...

If you don't mind, and if it can be summarized briefly. what has been
your progression with loudspeakers?

Raghu

On Thu, 16 Oct 2003 17:57:46 GMT, RPS wrote:

Stewart Pinkerton wrote:

Personally, if the poster likes the BC1, I'm sure that he'd find the
current Spendor and Proac ranges to be 'more of the same', but
generally cleaned up and with tighter bass.

I do like the BC1's. I selected them 20+ years ago after agonizing
comparisons involving competing models form KEF, B&W, B&O, Rogers,
Canton, and several American companies. (Since then I have been happy
enough not to search any more. My trips to audio shops have been for
other components, or with friends on their listening sessions. This did
expose me to several very good and very expensive speakers, but nothing
I would/could consider for myself.)

I appreciate your response, this is just the kind of recommendation I
need.

Do you have any opinion on the Dynaudio and new Quad range?

The Dynaudio range is IMHO absolutely superb, but may be a little too
'in yer face' for someone who is happy with the slightly 'rose-tinted'
balance of the BC1.

In any brand, what would be the expected price range for a speaker that
would be "a step up" from the BC1's, if the concept makes sense to you?

You wouldn't need to spend more than £1,000 to obtain an *objectively*
superior speaker, but to get something with the same warm balance as
the BC1, but with the clarity of modern speakers, might take twice the
money and a *lot* of careful searching. There is a *huge* range of
highly competent speakers on the market these days, in the critical
£1,000 to £3,000 range. They all sound different, and only one will
the 'best' for you.

I envy the schedule I had during my earlier purchase. Schedule of
classes often left entire days "free". I lived in NYC and had to travel
to England a couple of times for family reasons. Chicago is not exactly
wilderness but it does not match the "NYC + London" combination. That
and time make it essential for me to work much more systematically,
with a short list of brands to explore.

Ahhhh, the farty city must indeed seem like one of the inner circles
of Dante's Inferno, after the stunning cultural combination of NYC and
London!

PS. Given that speakers are one thing the British (Japanese) have the
reputation of doing (not doing) right, I find it interesting that a
British audiophile should have owned Yamaha speakers; they must have
been quite good!

They were extremely good. Not neutral by any means, but always clean,
exciting and dramatic - 'musical' in the best sense.
--

Stewart Pinkerton | Music is Art - Audio is Engineering

In article ,
RPS wrote:
PS. Given that speakers are one thing the British (Japanese) have the
reputation of doing (not doing) right, I find it interesting that a
British audiophile should have owned Yamaha speakers; they must have
been quite good!

The NS-1000Ms were a bit of a rose among thorns. ;-)

--
*Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups

Dave Plowman London SW 12
RIP Acorn

The NS-1000Ms were a bit of a rose among thorns. ;-)

Well screw all that. They were sensitive!

I well remember to this day (like it'd be forgettable; no!) listening/
being nearly deafened by a Quad 606 at full whack feeding NS-1000Ms in
a small listening room upstairs in the Chatham branch (where I worked
part-time) of Sevenoaks Hi-Fi, playing Metallica's "One"! Imagine it:
100+ watts into NS-1000Ms in a small room, and it was LOUD! WOW! We sat
there transfixed, our ears nearly bleeding! I still have that 12", and damn
good it is too!

Mind you, we were the ones who had Kef 104 Mk II speakers downstairs
and who used to let rip with "Money For Nothing" and Belinda Carlisle's
"Nobody Owns Me" (or whatever that track was called) and wander off down
Chatham high street and see how far along we could still hear it!


Happy days!


Martin
--
M.A.Poyser Tel.: 07967 110890
Manchester, U.K. http://www.fleetie.demon.co.uk

The NS-1000Ms were a bit of a rose among thorns. ;-)

Well screw all that. They were sensitive!

I well remember to this day (like it'd be forgettable; no!) listening/
being nearly deafened by a Quad 606 at full whack feeding NS-1000Ms in
a small listening room upstairs in the Chatham branch (where I worked
part-time) of Sevenoaks Hi-Fi, playing Metallica's "One"! Imagine it:
100+ watts into NS-1000Ms in a small room, and it was LOUD! WOW! We sat
there transfixed, our ears nearly bleeding! I still have that 12", and damn
good it is too!

Mind you, we were the ones who had Kef 104 Mk II speakers downstairs
and who used to let rip with "Money For Nothing" and Belinda Carlisle's
"Nobody Owns Me" (or whatever that track was called) and wander off down
Chatham high street and see how far along we could still hear it!


Happy days!


Martin
--
M.A.Poyser Tel.: 07967 110890
Manchester, U.K. http://www.fleetie.demon.co.uk

On Thu, 16 Oct 2003 23:25:53 +0100, Dave Plowman
wrote:

In article ,
RPS wrote:
PS. Given that speakers are one thing the British (Japanese) have the
reputation of doing (not doing) right, I find it interesting that a
British audiophile should have owned Yamaha speakers; they must have
been quite good!

The NS-1000Ms were a bit of a rose among thorns. ;-)

Indeed yes, and *not* to be confused with the ubiquitous NS-10M!!
--

Stewart Pinkerton | Music is Art - Audio is Engineering