Spendor Classic 2/3 

The new Spendor Classic 2/3 are built around a totally new generation of Spendor drive units. Featuring advanced polymer and Kevlar cones, cast magnesium alloy chassis, high-efficiency motor systems, optimised electro-dynamic damping and excellent thermal dissipation, they deliver a truly captivating sound with unprecedented transparency and dynamic contrast.

Over five decades Spendor Classic loudspeakers have earned iconic status as the reference standard for many audiophiles, musicians and professional sound engineers. Inspired by the enthusiastic world-wide response following the introduction of our flagship Spendor SP200, for 2017 Spendor are introducing the most significant performance improvements ever across all models.

With meticulously refined crossover networks, enhanced cabinet structures, new elastomer panel damping and new style magnetic grilles, the new Spendor Classic loudspeakers deliver music with the captivating warmth and charm of the 70s originals. Refined and perfected over five decades, Spendor Classic offers the ultimate in pure listening pleasure for serious audiophiles.

• 3-way Reflex Stand Mount
• Drive Units – LF 210mm, HF 22mm
• Sensitivity -88dB for 1 watt at 1 metre
• Crossover point -3.6 kHz
• Frequency response -35Hz – 25kHz
• Impedance – 8 ohms
• Amplifier Power – 25-200W
• Cabinet (HxWxD) – 543 x 273 x 338mm
• Weight – 14.5 kg each

Spendor Classic 2/3 review

These large retro-themed standmounters are capable of class-leading sound.

By What Hi-Fi? May 02, 2018

OUR VERDICT

The Classic 2/3s may look retro, but they sound as good as anything we’ve heard at this level

FOR

• Impressive scale and authority
• Finesse and insight
• Lovely, unforced presentation
• Dynamic bite and subtlety
• Fine build

AGAINST

• Partnering stands cost £600

Few speakers on the market can match the heritage of Spendor’s Classic 2/3s. This design can trace a direct line back to the highly regarded SA2s, which were launched in 1980.

But the engineering ethos behind the product goes back even further, to ideas developed by the BBC engineering department in the 1960s.

Does that put these speakers at a disadvantage compared to high-tech alternatives from the likes of Dynaudio or Bowers & Wilkins? As long as the distinctive styling and relatively large size aren’t an issue, we don’t think so.

Build and compatibility

These Spendors are 54cm tall, about a third bigger than most of their standmount competition, and they need to be positioned well clear of walls to sound balanced. They're likely to be most at home in medium-to-large rooms.

While the dedicated, open-framed wooden stands – the Fortis, made by Hi Fi Racks – cost a hefty £600, we can’t find a preferable alternative as far as performance and aesthetics are concerned.

The BBC-inspired engineering is most obvious in the speaker’s cabinet construction. Most rivals aim to make the enclosure as rigid as possible to give the drive units a solid foundation to work from and minimise any cabinet wall movement. Spendor’s Classic models take a different approach.

No matter how rigid you make the cabinet there will always be some cabinet resonance. This will add distortion to the sound the drive units make.

Making the enclosure more rigid will only make that resonance higher in frequency, crashing the midrange region where our ears are most sensitive.

The BBC approach is to make the cabinet walls thin (so they flex at low frequencies, where our hearing is less discriminating) and to control resonance by carefully, but heavily, damping the cabinet panels. Spendor’s Classic models have always used this method, and the 2/3s are no different - though this latest model features a far more rigid front baffle.

In these speakers, the company has further refined the technique by using new visco-elastic damping pads in strategic places. The pads absorb vibration energy and turn it into heat, but the speakers don’t get noticeably hotter during heavy use.

The Classic 2/3s’ mid/bass driver is all-new. It’s an in-house unit, which is something of a rarity for a manufacturer of Spendor’s modest size. Most rival companies buy in their drive units from OEM suppliers such as Scanspeak or SEAS.

The mid/bass unit has a 21cm diameter polyamide fibre reinforced polymer cone and a die-cast magnesium alloy chassis, the latter for its rigidity. Every aspect of the design has been honed, from the cone surround right the way through to the suspension and motor system, all in a bid to optimise performance.

The 22mm surround dome tweeter has been around for a few years, but remains a fine performer. Its unusual profile is designed to deliver extended highs while maintaining wide dispersion characteristics.

The tweeter and mid/bass driver are mated with a high-quality and carefully calibrated crossover network. It’s a relatively simple circuit and is none the worse for that.

Sound

The Classic 2/3s have an easy-going sonic nature, one that draws the listener into the music rather than shouting for attention.

These speakers may not win out in a quick dealer comparison, but given time their considerable charms are obvious. Most modern rivals sound smaller, leaner and more aggressive by comparison.

Tonally, the presentation is pretty even. There’s certainly less warmth to the midrange and bass than in previous generations, but there remains a lack of overt aggression.

This characteristic doesn’t go as far as taking the venom out of tracks such as Nirvana’s Come as You Are – where the 2/3s show a surprising amount of attitude – but it still makes poor recordings and below-par electronics a little more palatable.

As we listen to a range of classical music from the gorgeous Clair de Lune by Debussy right the way through to Stravinsky’s often frantic The Rite of Spring, we’re aware of the Spendor’s impressive sonic authority and their ability to deliver dynamics – both subtle and large-scale – with remarkable grace.

There’s a beautiful sense of fluidity to the way these standmounters go from quiet to loud, and it’s coupled with a delicate sense of ease most rivals struggle to approach.

Those large mid/bass drivers really manage to shift plenty of air without sounding like they’re working hard at all. Push harder and the Classic 2/3s retain their composure and refuse to harden.

Of course, there’s lots of bass – how could there not be with such a generous cabinet volume and such big mid/bass units? But it’s delivered with finesse as well as plenty of weight and power.

Compared to previous generations of this model, there’s far more in the way of precision – the Classics revealing the texture of low frequency notes with considerable skill.

There’s plenty of punch too, as we find out with Major Lazer’s Pon de Floor. Hard-hitting music such as this reveals a level of rhythmic momentum that challenges the likes of Dynaudio’s award-winning Special Fortys.

Earlier generations of this Spendor could sound a little sedate but, given the right music, the 2/3s are happy to party. That’s something we weren’t expecting.

It’s not all change though. The 2/3s remain true to their heritage in delivering a midrange that is seamless and inviting. Voices come through with body, weight and just the right degree of natural warmth.

There’s plenty of detail too, with the standmounts picking up subtle nuances and instrumental textures without highlighting the fact unduly.

These are speakers that we could listen to for hours on end without tiring, yet they have enough in the way of excitement and drive to entertain when the music demands.

Verdict

The 2/3s surprised us quite a lot during the review period. They retain the charm and easy-going nature of their highly regarded predecessors, but now have the punch and rhythmic precision to work well with a wider range of music.

We can’t think of a better all-round alternative at this price level.