Economic conditions force this sale.
Spendor FL9 ...........................$1600 $1500 $1400 obo............$4800 listI feel these are priced fairly and provide alotta speaker for the $$.
Offers will be considered, but please be reasonable....I'm not gonna give them away!
Will also consider trades.
Interested in small to medium floorstanders.
Tell me what you have!
The
FL9 is a fantastic 3-way speaker introduced by
Spendor in 2002. The FL series were essentially floor standing versions of the Spendor Classic series. They were very solidly and beautifully made, had upgraded crossover components. They were only in production for a short while because they were too expensive to make and then sell at what was considered a competitive price.
Specifically, the FL9 evolved from the wonderful Classic Series SP 100. It preceded the acclaimed S9, and I believe it uses the same drivers, different porting (front vs. rear), and possibly different wiring (?). Current version is the incredible S9e.
Rare on the used market (as are any of the "9" series), and for good reason. Folks like them and hold onto them! They have been well cared for and gently driven in a pet, smoke and child free home, so the condition is excellent both cosmetically and sonically.
These were dealer demos and were used with grills in place, so there is a slight grill mark in which the finish under the grill is slightly darker than the rest of the cabinet. It is a bit more noticeable on one cabinet, but this should fade and even out with time and exposure to light.
I have gone over these carefully and apart from the fading, I can't really find any other nicks, blemishes or scratches. To be conservative I rate them 7/10 on the AG scale, but they are probably closer to 8 or 9. The photos represent it accurately.
Internal bracing and separate driver section reduce driver interaction. Elliptical port at front bottom of cabinet for exceptional bass response. Hand crafted cabinet with selected and matched real wood medium Cherry veneer. This veneer completey wraps around the full speaker and gets richer with age.
* Mid unit: Spendor 120mm homopolymer polypropylene
* LF unit: Spendor 200mm homopolymer polypropylene
* HF unit: 19mm soft dome
* Crossover points: 600Hz and 3.5kHz
* Frequency response: 35-20kHz (+/-3db)
* Pair matching within 1 db
* 8 ohm nominal impedance
* 89 db 1W/1M
* Tri-wireable with 4mm gold terminals
* 39h x 9.5w x 14.5d
* 65 lbs each
Very few speakers reproduce music like a Spendor. The FL9 is captivating and sublimely musical...the type of speaker that just makes the gear melt away and immerses you in the music. It has all of the traditional Spendor qualities: warmth, midrange detail, and resolution.
Le Festival Son et Image De Montreal 2001 show comment:The next room showed off the Rogue Audio tube amplifier system. The improvement in the Rogue gear from the 1998 Toronto Show was very obvious to Roy Gandy's new best friend. Now, you can buy the Rogue 66 tube pre-amplifier for $745 and the Rogue M-120 tube monoblocks for $2,800 with matched quads of KT88 output tubes. An Audio Analogue Paganini CD player and a pair of Spendor FL9 loudspeakers rounded out this very warm and liquid sounding system. The FL9 ($4,800) had all of the traditional Spendor qualities; warmth, midrange detail, and resolution. We were both very impressed by the smooth tonal balance that also included some kick in the bass, something that has never been a trademark of Spendor loudspeakers.The dedicated mid-driver covers 600Hz to 3.5kHz, and as a true midrange driver it provides a very pure, smooth and accurate midrange. The smooth tonal balance also includes some kick in the bass, something that not all Spendors have.
They are smooth, warm and liquid so a robust neutral amp with some speed and punch will make them come alive. I did some research and the word is that they really excel with neutral SS muscle..... probably 150 to 200wpc, or more. I hear Plinius is excellent. Spendor is always excellent with Naim gear. Their potential beckons to be tapped, but I don't really have the funds right now to play around with different amps.
To my ears, the FL9 outperforms many of the countless transducers I've heard over the years, regardless of price. Along with my Meadowlark Heron "i", I prefer them to everything I have personally owned, including some highly regarded names:
Coincident Super Eclipse
Coincident Visionary Reference
Coincident Odyssey
Merlin VSM Gen3 w BAMM <======= (despite their hefty price tag and high acclaim, not even close!)
Gallo Nucleus Reference
Silverline Sonatina II
Proac Response 2.5
Reference 3A MM deCappos
....and the list goes on....and on....
Complete with spikes, manuals, grills, jumpers, port plugs.
I have boxes and packaging inserts, but I don't trust them for shipping, so local pickup is preferred.
********* SHIPPING UPDATE!! ***************************I am now willing to ship through my local UPS Pack and Ship outlet. I investigated their facility and am satisfied that materials and packaging techniques will insure safe arrival. Buyer pays actual costs.
Packaging will be about $60. Insured ground ship to CA is about $170, and about $120 to FLA.....to give you an idea.
If you require greater "white glove" treatment for packaging and pallet shipping, I can use Gonavis.com, but cost will be at least double.
Delivery w/in a reasonable distance can be discussed.
More pics can be seen in my Gallery.
Auditions are always welcome. Bring your amp over. No pressure, no obligation.
Thanks for your consideration.
~John
