Our experience of the Event Opal was a specific fault with an eq control, not a quality variation per se

it worked fine but one control was not active on the first sample

for the genre, transparency , and low level detail, were both outstanding at the price, but we all get habituated to our favourites

It helps that I get to hear a lot of speakers.


Martin Colloms

Ask Spendor for the transfer functions and consult the Doug Self book on active filters for the synthesis

Or Spendor may be able to suggest someone to knock them up ........


Martin Colloms

I had a pair of SA3 passives in the 80s and always liked the BC1 and BC3 better. Perhaps if I had my CJ 350 then or the Krell I had a few years later I would have liked them better. To American readers unfamiliar with British idiom ; "Getting something knocked up" has a different meaning than it does over here. Sorry, couldn't help myself.

BC!s still still set a remarkably high standard, especially through the midrange - better than BCIIIs here I feel, possibly because of their alnico magnets (my early 1970s examples)

Heard the Event Opals at the Wigwam show near Melton Mowbray excellent dynamics and a great sense of fun to their sound, there were several systems using small 2 way actives to great effect

I have found a pair of Spendor SA500 three-way active monitors nearby. I don't really need them, but being active Spendors I am curious as to how they'd sound. I might go and have a look.

What I wondered about was the price of the components used. I found out they have used a Vifa tweeter that is now produced by Scanspeak. This thing is only about 35$ in the USA:
http://www.madisoundspea...-1-textile-dome-tweeter/

About 17 or so years ago I think I already bought a pair of these Seas Excel tweeters for a home built project. These are still in production and would cost about 120$ now. 4 times the SA500 tweeters. These now lay unused somewhere, their boxes gathering dust:
http://www.madisoundspea...t25cf-001-e0006-tweeter/

I always wonder why they put such humble components as a 35$ tweeter in a pair of SA500 that would have cost about 8000$ when new. Why not just put in the Seas Excel one for a little bit more. Things like this always keep me from buying factory speakers. I know, I know, tuning, good enough, margin etc. But how about ultimate quaity!

On another note, I reread a review of Martin about a Naim streamer and read there that the sound quality improved about 30% (I think it was) when the switch mode power supply was changed for a lineair one. Then why not put in a lineair one in the first place!

But ok, would the Spendor, despite a 35$ tweeter be good enough to pay them a visit and see what they are like? Or were these active monitors more aimed at volume instead of the famous Spendor balance. I did read though that the cabinet walls were only 13mm thick, so that would mean they were built the classic way.

Edited by user 26 March 2013 14:54:39(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

You got me onto the SEAS website again.

These look cool......

white diamond

Quite a bit of roll off at the top end and 8dB down at each end of its response. Hopefully it will have other virtues outside a funky Corian surround and shaped finger guard.

SA-500 a rare beast; be interested to learn how much these are?