Spendor A6R Review: When Crossover Design Makes All the Difference

Not all recording engineers are knowledgeable about speaker and crossover design, but it’s my opinion that they should be.

Most studios can’t afford to equip every mix station with single-driver Yamaha NS10s, so the most common mixing and recording monitor style is the two-way.

The chief issue with achieving audiophile coherency from two drivers working as one is crossing them over without disrupting phase and timing relationships in the music. Most two-way conversations are crossed over right at the point where the human voice shines. To an engineer, this should be a point of focus in mixing, to make sure one doesn’t lose or miss hearing information that’s there.

The Spendor Floorstanding Speakers Sound

Musical transients like a mandolin pluck can have bass, midrange, and very high-frequency elements all at the same point in time. An excellent crossover design is paramount to retaining the cohesion and imaging possible with single drivers operating full range.

When I fire up a pair of Harbeth speakers, Magico floorstanding speakers, or other 2-way speaker designs, or these Spendor A6r floorstanding speakers, I instantly know these contain serious crossover designs. Each of these two ways gets the timing so right that adjectives like “palpable” enter into the description of what I’m hearing.

Sitting in the rough sweet spot of these Spendors tells me they are imaging and soundstaging monsters. And, cranking up a nice vocal performance to check for that crossover’s influence, I’m delighted with the timing, phase, and balance of this speaker. Definite head-turner.

Spendor makes some of the best floorstanding speakers on the market. Check out a few other used Spendor speakers that have made their way to TMRaudio through our consignment or trade-in program

World-class used Spedor Speakers:

• Spendor A6R Floorstanding Speakers  
• Spendor D7.2 Floorstanding Speakers
• Spendor Classic 100 Bookshelf Speakers