Arcam A19 + Spendor Prelude 2/2

[Rodrigo Pereira]

Hi guys,

 

I have purchased an Arcam FMJ A19 today, and I'm considering buying a new pair of speakers to match it nicely. I would love to invest in a very nice pair of speakers but I can't do it at the moment. My budget is in between $500-$700 hence I need to go vintage (again).

 

I'm thinking of getting a pair of Spendor Prelude 2/2. The A19 and the Spendor sounded really nice together, but I would like to hear your thoughts around this combination. Do you guys have or had any experience with those speakers?

 

What else is out there that could be a nice match to my Arcam A19 around the $700 mark? I'm in Sydney btw.

 

Thanks,

 

Rodrigo

[barn door]

My advice would be to save for just a little while longer.

Keep watching the classifieds, and buy when you have closer to say $1.5K to spend. It’ll save you in the long run.

Kef LS50’s come up for ~$1200 from time to time.

[was_a]

Disagree. Those Spendors would be plenty for the Arcam FMJ - which doesn't go well with brighter speakers.

[Misternavi]

@Rodrigo Pereira If you like the Spendors with the Arcam then go for it. you could always sell the Spendors if you upgrade at not a big loss if you are spending $500-600 for the pair.

[SlugSR20]

The Spendors are oldies but goodies.

 

I think the Arcam will have plenty in reserve to drive them.

 

The other option perhaps consider other good quality newer bookshelves.

Personally for sound and value the New B&W 606 are great but cost around $1149 pr but with some haggling you should be able to get them at a better price. But know this perhaps is not an option at this stage for you.

 

With the newer 600 series being available this also means the older series are being offered at great prices in the S/H market. The older siblings being  B&W 685 S2 were great speakers for the price and still sounded awesome.They used the yellow Kevlar driver and they looked great too.

 

I know there was someone the other day selling some on SNA for around $600

 

I know sound is very personal but I have always liked the sound from the B&W

 

All the best!!

 

Edited April 14, 2019 by SlugSR20

[Chigurh]

There's a pair of KEF Q300 speakers in the classifieds at the moment. I had them paired with an FMJ A19 and I think they sounded superb. Under your budget too. You could spend the difference on some stands.

 

 

Edited April 14, 2019 by Chigurh

[Rodrigo Pereira]

6 hours ago, was_a said:

Disagree. Those Spendors would be plenty for the Arcam FMJ - which doesn't go well with brighter speakers.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Yeah they sound really well together. I can't comment on the KEF's yet. 'll try to visit a store next week to check them out. 

[Rodrigo Pereira]

17 minutes ago, Chigurh said:

There's a pair of KEF Q300 speakers in the classifieds at the moment. I had them paired with an FMJ A19 and I think they sounded superb. Under your budget too. You could spend the difference on some stands.

 

 

Thanks for the heads up.  That's great you had them together ... Really good to know that is a good combo. 'll check it out.

[Rodrigo Pereira]

1 hour ago, SlugSR20 said:

The Spendors are oldies but goodies.

 

I think the Arcam will have plenty in reserve to drive them.

 

The other option perhaps consider other good quality newer bookshelves.

Personally for sound and value the New B&W 606 are great but cost around $1149 pr but with some haggling you should be able to get them at a better price. But know this perhaps is not an option at this stage for you.

 

With the newer 600 series being available this also means the older series are being offered at great prices in the S/H market. The older siblings being  B&W 685 S2 were great speakers for the price and still sounded awesome.They used the yellow Kevlar driver and they looked great too.

 

I know there was someone the other day selling some on SNA for around $600

 

I know sound is very personal but I have always liked the sound from the B&W

 

All the best!!

 

I love the sound of the B&W. I don't think I had listened to this model but they sound impressive. I'll get on touch with the seller. He is in Sydney, I might be able to try out.  Thanks! 

[Rodrigo Pereira]

18 hours ago, barn door said:

My advice would be to save for just a little while longer.

Keep watching the classifieds, and buy when you have closer to say $1.5K to spend. It’ll save you in the long run.

Kef LS50’s come up for ~$1200 from time to time.

I had the KEF in mind. I read a good review of this combo, apparently they work well together. Thanks! 

Edited April 14, 2019 by Rodrigo Pereira

[SlugSR20]

2 minutes ago, Rodrigo Pereira said:

I love the sound of the B&W. I don't think I had listened to this model but they sound impressive. I'll get on touch with the seller. He is in Sydney, I might be able to try out.  Thanks! 

If you get a chance read the reviews both the new 606 and the older 685.

B&W reviews always came back pretty good for the price.

 

As I said sound is very personal.

 

If the seller is in Sydney that's great for you but definitely audition them if you can as the sound may not be for you.

 

I think there was a recent review on SNA on the new models. but the oldies were great as well.

 

I am sure you will find the right ones for you just be patient through the process

[buddyev]

I’d be wary of the Kef LS 50 with the Arcam. They need a bit of grunt - 85 dB and impedance drops to 3 ohms. I’d go for something a little more efficient. 

[Rodrigo Pereira]

23 hours ago, SlugSR20 said:

If you get a chance read the reviews both the new 606 and the older 685.

B&W reviews always came back pretty good for the price.

 

As I said sound is very personal.

 

If the seller is in Sydney that's great for you but definitely audition them if you can as the sound may not be for you.

 

I think there was a recent review on SNA on the new models. but the oldies were great as well.

 

I am sure you will find the right ones for you just be patient through the process

I ended up getting a pair of B&W 685 S2 to match my Arcam. I didn't get a chance to audition them, that's a bit tricky, but after reading and watching some reviews I believe they will match nicely. Thanks for your help mate and thanks to all fellow members that shared their thoughts here. I will post an update once I have the new gear setup. 

 

Cheers,

 

Rodrigo

Edited April 15, 2019 by Rodrigo Pereira

[SlugSR20]

13 hours ago, Rodrigo Pereira said:

I ended up getting a pair of B&W 685 S2 to match my Arcam. I didn't get a chance to audition them, that's a bit tricky, but after reading and watching some reviews I believe they will match nicely. Thanks for your help mate and thanks to all fellow members that shared their thoughts here. I will post an update once I have the new gear setup. 

 

Cheers,

 

Rodrigo

Rodrigo,

 

No problem.

I believe you will be more than happy!!

 

They are much newer and fresher compared to the Spendors you were thinking about.

 

You will have them for many years to come.

 

Your speakers will be happy as will your amp.

They will match well together and more importantly hopefully your ears will love them too!!

 

Please don't hate me if you don't like the sound

 

Ironically I don't own any but wished I did. I have plenty of friends that have them and love them.

 

look forward to hearing your thoughts on the sound but believe you have a great combo now.

And most importantly hopefully it didn't break the bank.

 

Oky

 

 

[Rodrigo Pereira]

On 15/04/2019 at 8:45 PM, SlugSR20 said:

Rodrigo,

 

No problem.

I believe you will be more than happy!!

 

They are much newer and fresher compared to the Spendors you were thinking about.

 

You will have them for many years to come.

 

Your speakers will be happy as will your amp.

They will match well together and more importantly hopefully your ears will love them too!!

 

Please don't hate me if you don't like the sound

 

Ironically I don't own any but wished I did. I have plenty of friends that have them and love them.

 

look forward to hearing your thoughts on the sound but believe you have a great combo now.

And most importantly hopefully it didn't break the bank.

 

Oky

 

 

I need to say that was a very smooth transaction, as usual around here. I have already received my new B&W speakers, I will be able to have a good run over the long weekend.

 

First impressions of the B&W speakers were interesting and got me confused. I'm not sure if I can even do a quick first impressions review but I will try.

 

I think I understand why @SlugSR20  said  "I hope you don't hate me if you don't like the sound".  Their sound isn't for everyone, but don't worry mate, I don't hate you.

 

The B&Ws sound very different from my current vintage pair of KEF, which was expected, but I'm not sure if I understood what they are trying to deliver in terms of sound.

 

The bass is extremely punchy, you can feel the air hitting you, and the Arcam amp was able to drive the speakers very well. 

 

Soundstage was very good, I could hear every instrument playing beautifully but maybe a bit too bright. Bear in mind that I only had vintage gear that are well known for their warmth. My Realistic + KEF setup gives extremely warmth sound - they are up for grabs by the way lol

 

Vocal ... humm that was the weird part. It sounded like I was in a tunnel, sometimes like I was listening to a music concert from a distance - I don't know how to explain.

 

I tried playing Dire Straits, The White Snakes, Pearl Jam (CDs and LP's), some random Jazz and R&B from my laptop + DAC.  R&B was definitely the best sound out of the bunch.

 

I was a bit upset with the sound. I then  remembered that I also got a pair of Chord signatures series jumpers included in the deal. I have installed them to check if that would change anything. That was when things got me confused - I must say that I have never bi-wired a speaker before, hence I didn't know what to expect. But I was shocked how the sound has changed, improving vocals big time. I had to call my wife in to ask for a second option. She has also noticed the big change. 

 

Is that normal? No idea ... I need to do some research, reading and of course I would be very interested in hearing your guys opinion.

 

Sorry for the long post

[buddyev]

How have you got your speakers wired? It doesn’t sound like bi-wiring.

i assume you have 2 wires from amp to each speaker - not 4 - and then jumpers?

if so it should be wired like this:

 

 

 

Edited April 17, 2019 by buddyev

[Rodrigo Pereira]

45 minutes ago, buddyev said:

I got a pair of those bi-wire speakers links. I tested them again this morning ...  there is a world in between the sound with and without.  

https://www.chord.co.uk/product/signature-bi-wire-speaker-links/

45 minutes ago, buddyev said:

 

 

 

 

[buddyev]

Yep, that’s the way to go.

[SlugSR20]

5 hours ago, Rodrigo Pereira said:

https://www.chord.co.uk/product/signature-bi-wire-speaker-links/

 

Hi Rodrico,

 

Sorry to hear that on first impressions you are a tad confused with the sound they produce.

They will be different to what you have been use to. And certainly play with speaker separation if possible and angles as this changes the staging overall. 

 

If when you are not using the jumpers are you using the standard connecting plates that join both the speaker connectors together? if not the jumpers  are 100% needed as without them you will only get part of the speakers working. without jumpers or connectors that link the speakers together.

 

Pictures shown by Russ and yours is correct and will mean both treble & mid range are linked correctly and will give the best sound possible.

 

Perhaps for another day but your speakers are designed to be bi wired provided your amp allows it. If you get the chance google this part.

 

Also not insulting your intelligence as I myself have made this mistake but please make sure that the positive and negative cables are correctly hooked up on both ends as if these are mixed up it will mean the speakers will be out of phase and will sound pretty average too. This means positive to positive and so forth and if both look the same e.g white in colour one usually has writing or is marked as your indicator but so long as it's the same on both ends you will be fine.

 

Regarding punchiness of bass, I cant recall but some brands gave you port socks (foam inserts) to put in speaker ports to soften the punshiness of sound. But if you have bass and treble on your amp this is the simplest way to tweak it to suit.

 

Just remember they will be different to what you have been use to but should be for the better

 

Oky

 

 

Edited April 17, 2019 by SlugSR20
grammar

[SlugSR20]

 

Wow,

These jumpers look really good and pretty pricey!! If you got these with purchase you did well

[Rodrigo Pereira]

Hi Rodrico,
 
Sorry to hear that on first impressions you are a tad confused with the sound they produce.
They will be different to what you have been use to. And certainly play with speaker separation if possible and angles as this changes the staging overall. 
 
If when you are not using the jumpers are you using the standard connecting plates that join both the speaker connectors together? if not the jumpers  are 100% needed as without them you will only get part of the speakers working. without jumpers or connectors that link the speakers together.
 
Pictures shown by Russ and yours is correct and will mean both treble & mid range are linked correctly and will give the best sound possible.
 
Perhaps for another day but your speakers are designed to be bi wired provided your amp allows it. If you get the chance google this part.
 
Also not insulting your intelligence as I myself have made this mistake but please make sure that the positive and negative cables are correctly hooked up on both ends as if these are mixed up it will mean the speakers will be out of phase and will sound pretty average too. This means positive to positive and so forth and if both look the same e.g white in colour one usually has writing or is marked as your indicator but so long as it's the same on both ends you will be fine.
 
Regarding punchiness of bass, I cant recall but some brands gave you port socks (foam inserts) to put in speaker ports to soften the punshiness of sound. But if you have bass and treble on your amp this is the simplest way to tweak it to suit.
 
Just remember they will be different to what you have been use to but should be for the better [emoji846]
 
Oky
 
 

All good mate, it's all part of the learning game, I really appreciate your input.

My speakers didn't come with standard connectors. They were replaced with those Chord jumpers. Now everything makes sense, you were spot on, those jumpers are now mandatory that's why the sound was bad without them, the speakers were not delivering the complete sound.

I will have plenty of time to play with my new setup during the long weekend - I can't wait.

Rodrigo

[SlugSR20]

Mate its an honest thing to do if you weren't to know and we learn every day including me:-)

 

Really glad if this is all it was as it all makes sense now. You were super polite in saying your confused but without the jumpers they would sound poo either only bass or treble.

 

Without jumpers the top connectors is your treble and the bottom is usually your midrange/bass and if you only hook these up you only get either one and not both.

 

those jumpers look really good and is a nice bonus to have.

 

The idea of those connections on the speakers is if you have a big enough amp or one that allows you to biwire it you can have more discrete power going to each one of those connectors.

 

For now and hopefully a while keep it simple with those connectors going strait into you Arcam and they should sound 100% better

 

Gooduck and Really hope you enjoy them

 

Oky

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 17, 2019 by SlugSR20

[SlugSR20]

1 hour ago, SlugSR20 said:

Mate its an honest thing to do if you weren't to know and we learn every day including me:-)
 
Really glad if this is all it was as it all makes sense now. You were super polite in saying your confused but without the jumpers they would sound poo either only bass or treble.
 
Without jumpers the top connectors is your treble and the bottom is usually your midrange/bass and if you only hook these up you only get either one and not both.
 
those jumpers look really good and is a nice bonus to have.
 
For now and hopefully a while keep it simple with those connectors going strait into you Arcam and they should sound 100% better
 
Gooduck and Really hope you enjoy them
 
Oky
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Purely FYI this is how the standard connectors look on your 685S2

Edited April 17, 2019 by SlugSR20

[Rodrigo Pereira]

On 17/04/2019 at 9:31 PM, SlugSR20 said:

Mate its an honest thing to do if you weren't to know and we learn every day including me:-)

 

Really glad if this is all it was as it all makes sense now. You were super polite in saying your confused but without the jumpers they would sound poo either only bass or treble.

 

Without jumpers the top connectors is your treble and the bottom is usually your midrange/bass and if you only hook these up you only get either one and not both.

 

those jumpers look really good and is a nice bonus to have.

 

The idea of those connections on the speakers is if you have a big enough amp or one that allows you to biwire it you can have more discrete power going to each one of those connectors.

 

For now and hopefully a while keep it simple with those connectors going strait into you Arcam and they should sound 100% better

 

Gooduck and Really hope you enjoy them

 

Oky

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi Oky, I'm a big fan of setup. Yesterday I have added a fine touch by adding a 10 inch Subwoofer to the set. Geez that made a huge difference. The B&Ws are beautiful, they have clear and amazing soundstage. The deep bass coming from the Sub has blended in perfectly.  I couldn't be happier. I can improve a bit further by connecting my sub to the amp speakers outputs  and connecting the speakers to the Sub. That should filter the lows off the B&Ws, letting they shine on the middle and highs. I will need a new pair of cables and banana plugs which I will get sorted today. 

Edited April 27, 2019 by Rodrigo Pereira

[SlugSR20]

On 27/04/2019 at 8:57 AM, Rodrigo Pereira said:

Hi Oky, I'm a big fan of setup. Yesterday I have added a fine touch by adding a 10 inch Subwoofer to the set. Geez that made a huge difference. The B&Ws are beautiful, they have clear and amazing soundstage. The deep bass coming from the Sub has blended in perfectly.  I couldn't be happier. I can improve a bit further by connecting my sub to the amp speakers outputs  and connecting the speakers to the Sub. That should filter the lows off the B&Ws, letting they shine on the middle and highs. I will need a new pair of cables and banana plugs which I will get sorted today. 

Hi Mate,

 

Thanks for the update as was wondering how you were going.

As you know sound is very personnel.

So glad and relieved:-)you worked out what was going on with the speakers as the Arcam is a great amp and value for money the 685 normally are a great sounding speaker for the price. Most bookshelves usually give you sufficient performance but depending on the individual can lack a bit of bass. If you managed to add a sub to the system that's great and a perfect way to improve that. Again my opinion only but depending on the quality of the sub I think the way you had it should work well as allowing the 685 to give full range including a little bit of bass should give you the full sound they are designed for and certainly wont hurt them and then you can tweak the sub to your taste depending on the music and bass levels you like. REL who are one of the sub experts,especially for 2 channel usually suggest the main speakers run at full range and the sub to then be added directly to amp outputs to give you a bit more control over the bass levels you like. But certainly play and experiment with it a bit more and over time I think you will get that perfect sweet spot for you.Really glad you are having some fun with it now and and think you should be happy for years to come with what you have. I know the B&W sound isn't for everyone but I think once you get use to that you will struggle to go back

Edited April 29, 2019 by SlugSR20