Spendor S8e (ca. 2003)
The Spendor S8e is a slim, two-way floorstanding loudspeaker from the British maker's S-Series. That line put the company's BBC-derived engineering into more contemporary, lifestyle-friendly cabinets. The "e" presumably marked an evolution of the original S8, but there's little documentation on exactly what changed between the two. What is clear is that the S8e kept Spendor's priorities - tonal accuracy, natural midrange, refined build - and put them in a taller, narrower enclosure than the classic monitor boxes the company built its name on.
All the drivers are Spendor's own design. A 210 mm polymer-cone mid/woofer handles the low end. It has a phase plug and an inverted, in-house formulated synthetic rubber surround. It crosses over at 4 kHz to a 27 mm treated fabric dome tweeter from SEAS, made to Spendor's specifications. The tweeter sits slightly below the ear height of a seated listener, and that was deliberate. The cabinets are tall (925 mm) and rear-ported through a slotted, wedge-shaped waveguide Spendor called the "3D linear flow port." Internal bracing grips the drivers from inside to attenuate vibration. Two pairs of terminals allow bi-wiring. Spendor claimed the S8e could go close to a wall, but reviewers found that at 20 cm the bass got too thick. Pulling the speakers roughly 90 cm into the room gave far better results. The wide plinth base works as both pedestal and the lower wall of the rear-firing port.
6moons (2003) praised the S8e's fit and finish — "From high-level veneer, robust terminals and spikes to the minuscule gaps around the driver rings, everything's in proppa order." — and was impressed by the bass extension, noting "I can't imagine getting deeper bass from an enclosure this size." The same review observed that "Way down low, things go a bit soft," while "The upper bass is agile, well differentiated and fleshed out... it's anything but soft or cushy." The midrange, as one would expect from Spendor, was singled out as "Two octaves higher in the midrange, things are potent and persuasive - voluminous in the best sense. Voices are well grounded, attached to bodies and, when called for, authoritative." A Russian-language review echoed these sentiments, calling the S8e "the true kings of timbre and deep bass," and noted its surprising ability to handle acoustic instruments and human voice with naturalness, while admitting the attack in the middle bass was slightly weaker than expected.
Known specifications:
- Type: 2-way bass-reflex floorstanding loudspeaker
- Impedance: 8 ohms
- Frequency response: 44 Hz – 20 kHz (48 Hz – 20 kHz at ±3 dB per one source)
- Sensitivity: 89 dB (2.83V/1m)
- Crossover frequency: 4 kHz
- Mid/woofer: 210 mm polymer cone with phase plug
- Tweeter: 27 mm SEAS fabric dome, made to Spendor spec
- Dimensions: 925 × 226 × 320 mm (H×W×D); a conflicting figure of 875 × 192 × 300 mm also circulates
- Weight: 25 kg each
- Amplifier power range: 15–250 W (per one source)
- Retail price (Europe): €3,590 per pair
Production years are not firmly documented, though circa 2003 is commonly cited. The S8e appears to have been sold into the mid-2000s. Used examples turn up now and then. A UK dealer recently listed a pair at £779, and The Music Room has offered them at $1,299. No original US price, production end date, or common failure information has been documented.
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