Spendor D7.2, Focal Kanta 2, B&W 804 D3, PMC twenty5.24 and Audiovector R3

The other day I was finally able to listen to the Spendor D7.2s on the Naim Supernait 3.

I walked into a store, talked to a guy working there and another customer interjected us. He told me he was going to listen to everything on my list and asked if I would join him. Talk about being lucky.

The other customer first wanted to listen to the Audiovector R3 Signatures. I had heard them before and I found them a bit fierce in the highs. A lot of control and detail though. I was a bit shocked at the low bass loudness, but this turned out to be the overproduced pop we were listening to. When I played Steely Dan on them there was good balance in the sound.

Then the Audiovector R3 Avantgardes were hooked up. Quite an improvement over the Signatures. More control and tighter in the highs. There is something about the Audiovectors I do not like though. Maybe it is just the looks that put me off. I just think the metallic rim around the drives looks a bit cheap.

Then we listened to the Focal Kanta 2s. There was a lovely warmth and fulness to the sound, but the bass was woolly and not very well controlled. Which to me is quite a turn off. I dislike muddy bass in a speaker.

After the Kantas the Spendors sounded very detailed and in control, but a bit on the light side. They do not have the warmth of the Kantas. The detail though, the clarity… It is a lovely speaker and I think I could be very happy living with them. Still, they make me wonder if there is something better out there. I guess that is the typical pitfall for the audiophile…

We then had the PMC Twenty5.24 set up and they just did not have the control of the Spendors. The lows just weren’t as clear and defined. Not a bad speaker though. They just did not do much for me.

We then had the B&W 804 D3s hooked up to the Nait. I quite liked them. Warm, detailed, but not as much control as the Spendors. I might listen to the B&Ws on the Hegel H390. Maybe that is a better match.

We listened to all these speakers at quite high volumes for hours. It was good to see the Supernait did not have any trouble driving them. Or did it? Did the 804s need a bigger amplifier? And with that bigger amplifier, would they sound better than the Spendors?

I should give them a try on that Hegel, but something tells me it will not be better than the combination of the Supernait 3 and the Spendor D7.2s…