Rocky Mt 2007: Spendor Updates a Classic Mini-Monitor Loudspeaker
October 19th, 2007 — By The Absolute Sound
By Chris Martens
When it comes to building accurate and highly musical mini-monitor loudspeakers, few firms can claim deeper roots than the British firm Spendor, one of a handful of specialty firms licensed to build the BBC’s now-classic LS3/5a small monitors.
Over the years, the LS3/5a has been superceded by newer, and some would say better, designs such as the S3/5R small monitor that Spendor introduced at RMAF 2007.
The S3/5R replaces Spendor’s critically acclaimed S3/5 speaker and offers a host of updates including a new 20mm soft dome tweeter, an improved 140mm mid-bass driver, a significantly revised crossover, and an enclosure that sports rubberized damping pads on internal cabinet surfaces.
The sonic benefits we observed in a brief listening session included smoother and more open-sounding midrange and more three-dimensional soundstaging, coupled with pleasing natural warmth—one of the hallmarks of the original S3/5 design. Read more from Rocky Mountain Audiofest 2007.
