Here at Audio T Cheltenham we have an unwavering love for the classic looking Hi-Fi, which some would arguably now call “retro” or “vintage” in its design.

This month we’re looking at the rather cute Spendor Classic 3/1. A 2 way reflex ported stand mount speaker that encompasses that “retro” look…

Classic 3/1 sat on top of its own dedicated stand.

The Science Bit

Weighing in at a fairly hefty 9.9kg each and measuring 39.5cm tall by 22cm wide and 28.5cm deep the build quality is truly exemplary, but then Spendor do have their own cabinet making facility so you would expect nothing less really.

Sporting a very high quality 18cm EP77 polymer cone bass/mid driver supported by a cast magnesium alloy chassis. Available in cherry and walnut real wood finishes and they come supplied with grilles that attach to the solid front baffle by means of magnets, so there are no unsightly fixing holes if you are going to use them with grilles removed.

Sensitivity is a generous 88db for 1 watt at 1 metre, so a good match for either valve amps or solid state electronics. They have a typical in-room frequency response of 40hz at the bottom to 25 khz at the top (if you can hear that far up). Impedance is rated at a very amp friendly 8 ohms.

No Grilles for an arguably improved sound quality.

Spendor’s Obsession

All the design, engineering and manufacture work is based in Spendor’s East Sussex production facility where the distinctive Classic sound is honed to near perfection, thanks to their obsession for capturing the spirit of the musical performance.

Rear view showing chunky gold plated speaker plugs.

The rear of the speaker is where you will find a set of nice solid gold plated speaker sockets designed to facilitate bi-wiring or to bi-amp the speakers. Also round the back is where you will find the reflex port, which gives the speaker deeper bass extension.

The Importance of Good Support

The stands are important to mention here too as they are an integral part of the loudspeaker design. They support the speaker cabinet in each of the corners on four slim solid alloy pillars. The pillars are rigidly tied together via two independent machined solid alloy hubs. The result of this is a completely stable ultra-rigid lightweight non-resonant structure, that results in no spurious noise or vibration to detract from the natural dynamics, transparency, soundstage and detail of your music.

Sorrows Away

folky Goosebump time courtesy of The unthanks

Now onto the fun bit where I get to put the Spendors through their paces with some juicy music. First up I pulled out a copy of the latest LP from “The Unthanks”. “Sorrows Away” contains pretty much everything that makes the band great: impossibly luminous harmonies, great arrangements, sinuous ensemble work and a symphonic sense of scale. Wonderful artwork too which is inspired by a collection of beautiful nineteenth century Japanese firework illustrations. I chose the first track “The Great Silkie Of Sule Skerry” and was immediately transported by the delicate ethereal beauty of the voices with the gradually growing intensity of the music behind them. All made wonderfully real by the huge soundstage projected by the Spendor. Imaging from the Classic 3/1 is amongst the very best that you will hear from a loudspeaker of this size and price anywhere in the Hi-Fi world. The themes of this album of emergence from the dark and into the light, reaching from bleak times towards something warmer and brighter and driving “Sorrows Away” are really laid bare by the Spendor Classic 3/1’s… a truly moving listen.

Slip Into The Vortex

Spacerock improv lunacy from The Oresund space collective

The Spendor Classic 3/1’s were soooo good with “The Unthanks” album that I thought I would see how they coped with the album “Into The Vortex” by “Oresund Space Collective” who are a music collective from Denmark and Sweden that play totally improvised space rock music. They have released 38 records since 2006. Music for your mind to escape the Matrix...This was album number six and is still my favourite of theirs.

Now this can be a difficult listen if played through speakers that are not up to snuff, but on the Spendor, the immense eighteen minute long title track was revealed in absolutely all of its wonderfully blissed out psychedelic beauty. The interplay between the various band members sets up something truly hypnotic and mind bending, that comes across so well on the Spendor that you would swear you can follow everything at the same time without the music ever sounding over busy or confused at all.

Real Wood Veneers

A Spine Tingling Conclusion

To sum up then, here we have a loudspeaker that is assured and powerful and will take you to the very heart of the performance. They have warmth and richness combined with clarity and transparency, which brings out all the colours and textures in your music, creating an immersive and comforting soundscape that many listeners may find missing in other loudspeakers. They will send shivers down your spine and encourage you to rediscover the music you love. Above all else, they capture the real soul of the recording bringing a new intimacy and intensity to your listening experience.

If I have whetted your appetite even a little please feel free to give us a call and bring in a pile of your favourite music and have some fun… We do! We also make a great cup of tea or coffee and have some nice biscuits too.

Thanks for reading,

Andy, Jon and Farid - Audio T Cheltenham.

If you have any questions about any of the equipment featured in this article, or any other Hi-Fi or home cinema enquiries, be sure to Contact Us.

If you’ve enjoyed this, why not go ahead and read some more of our other blogs, and be sure to follow us on our social media channels below…