Spendor D9.2 Speaker System

Description

Forty-Five Years in The Making -

Forty-five years ago, Spendor developed the first loudspeaker with real transparency, articulation and natural sound specifically for BBC engineers who were mixing orchestras for live radio playback and needed to hear exactly what each musician was playing.

Over time and through their exhaustive R&D efforts, Spendor engineers achieved a series of technical breakthroughs and the company went on to become one of England’s leading loudspeaker manufacturers. Spendor continually developed landmark loudspeakers, always remaining true to the Spendor sound but also consistently improving transparency and thus creating “better” loudspeakers.

Three years ago, Spendor introduced the D7 which delivered an articulate, coherent and natural presentation, with a level of transparency never before heard in a conventional dynamic loudspeaker. As a result, the D7 became the most critically acclaimed Spendor ever, earning Stereophile’s coveted Class A recommendation - a remarkable accomplishment for a $6,000 loudspeaker.

Today, the new D9 takes the D7’s brilliance a step further. An elegant, modern, 3-way loudspeaker, the D9 delivers music with exceptional resolution and a vibrant realism with any genre. Easy to drive and highly efficient, the D9 is also remarkably flexible and can be placed in any living environment. This is a speaker 45 years in the making. This is the Spendor D9.

Spendor LPZ (Linear Pressure Zone) Tweeter -

The goal of every tweeter designer is to achieve linear acoustic output over a wide frequency range. In practice this is extremely difficult. Spendor’s approach to this age-old challenge is radical, and it works. The Spendor LPZ tweeter is built around a stainless steel front plate which forms a damped acoustic chamber directly in front of a lightweight woven polyamide diaphragm. The front plate incorporates a phase correcting micro foil to equalize sound wave path lengths across the diaphragm surface, simultaneously it generates a symmetrical pressure environment on both faces of the tweeter diaphragm so the tweeter operates in a balanced linear mode. The front plate also provides excellent mechanical protection for the delicate tweeter dome and a smart modern appearance.

“Imagine focusing an ultra-high quality camera lens until you see a clear bright image. That’s the effect of Spendor LPZ technology. Our sequential geometry micro-foil operates like an acoustic lens. The result is perfect focus, uninhibited sound transmission and a very wide listening window. Sound images are vivid, in-the-air, as bright or sweet as any music demands.” - Phillip Swift, Spendor Audio

The D9 mid-bass drive unit has an advanced EP77 polymer cone mid-range drive unit. Housed in an isolated enclosure at the top of the cabinet, it handles only mid-range frequencies which eliminates mid-low frequency intermodulation. It delivers music with superb clarity and vanishingly low coloration. The two D9 low frequency drivers have ultra-rigid, two part bonded, lightweight Kevlar composite cone assemblies. The drivers are in a large dedicated low-frequency acoustic enclosure.

Like Spendor’s highly regarded A9 loudspeaker (now superseded by D9) the D9 delivers accurate powerful bass without distortion or compression. All three drivers feature cast magnesium alloy chassis, high efficiency motor systems, optimized electro-dynamic damping, and excellent thermal dissipation for wide dynamic range. New polymer surrounds with very stable molecular composition reduce driver ‘break-in’ time significantly.

New Fifth Generation Spendor Linear Flow Port -

When extended low frequency sound reproduction is the goal there is simply no substitute for volume. In the D9 low frequencies are handled by two specially designed bass drivers in a substantial volume enclosure. For optimum low frequency response and power handling the enclosure is ported, but not like a conventional loudspeaker. The D9 incorporates our latest 5G Spendor Linear flow port technology. Inspired by Formula 1 diffuser technology, it offers significant advantages over any conventional port or transmission line loading. An aerodynamically profiled central baffle, like an aircraft wing, creates a tapered twin-venturi port. Air at the port extremities is smoothly decelerated and there is a further reduction in air velocity in the large tapered area at the cabinet base. The result is evenly balanced acoustic pressure and air-flow along the whole length of the port. Rapidly decreasing air velocity at the port extremities creates an air-curtain effect to eliminate port noise and spurious mid-band radiation. A carefully optimized combination of bass driver electrical and mechanical parameters, enclosure volume, air flow and wide-band (very low-Q, very low phase shift) port tuning allows the D9 to deliver deep, fast, articulate bass in a way no conventional loudspeaker can challenge.

Unconstrained Internal Airflow -

Conventional loudspeakers incorporate foam or fiber to provide low frequency acoustic damping. The damping material stores energy. As stored energy is released it is no longer in time with the music and it creates an unnaturally, heavy, slow sound. Inside the D9, the sound path, from the bass drivers to the listening room is unrestricted, there is no low frequency damping. As a result, the Spendor D9 is entirely free from damping material energy storage effects, the advantage is clearly audible, music sounds naturally fast, agile and coherent.

Spendor Dynamic Cabinet Damping -

Timing is fundamental to the musical experience. In conventional loudspeakers rigid high density cabinet panels are mass-damped to reduce cabinet-talk. Spurious energy is stored and released slowly. This introduces unacceptable blurring and slowing of the sound. Spendor’s solution is asymmetric aperture bracing of the cabinet to disperse internal waves. Dynamic Damping with small low mass constrained polymer dampers at key energy interface points instantly convert any spurious energy in the cabinet structure into inaudible heat. The result is a silent rigid cabinet and a naturally fast clear sound.

Stabilizer Inserts -

The base of the cabinet has four levelling feet attached via forged steel inserts to hold the cabinet rock steady. The elimination of micro-vibration allows fine musical detail to be reproduced with delicate precision.

Crossover Network -

A meticulously refined crossover network with precision wound inductors and high-linearity plastic film capacitors integrates the drivers seamlessly in a minimum phase alignment.  Each crossover component and every complete pair of Spendor loudspeakers is calibrated and matched to stringent broadcast reference standards.

High Efficiency -

90dB efficiency and an easy to drive 8 ohm load ensure complete compatibility with a wide range of amplifiers and cables. With substantial power handling the D9’s can play very loud without sounding compressed. At low replay levels the sound is always clear and balanced.

Elegant Modern Design -

The Spendor D9 looks as good as it sounds. Our premium finishes perfectly complement today’s modern interiors.

REVIEWS:

HiFiPlus: "With so many stellar new entries in the £10K speaker stakes, the D9 is going to have to carve its own niche. It does so by doing what Spendors do. Play something quick and clean, like Eleanor McEvoy’s Yola [Moscodisc], with its crisp dynamics and surprisingly deep bass and the D9s don’t disappoint. The bottom end is deft and sure-footed, with plenty of instrumental character, rhythm, and definition, pushing things along at just the right pace; tight enough to be interesting without sounding hectoring or driven. Melodies and phrasing are articulate and the vocals – oh, the vocals: intimate, affecting, direct, and communicative, those vocals make this a captivating and addictive listen, one of those speakers where you set out to play a track and end up playing the whole side. Work up to larger scale works and the D9 might lack the expansive palpable acoustic space thrown by the Liszt or Wilson Sabrina, as well as the unburstably enthusiastic dynamics of the Sopra 2, but it more than makes up for those deficiencies through its sense of integration and musical integrity. Everything just slots in around that natural, expressive mid-band, underpinning voices and solo instruments with an unforced sense of musical shape and context. Did I mention the tweeter? No – that’s because you just don’t notice it, at least not as a separate entity. It’s simply a beautifully integrated extension of that open and intimate midrange. From this it might be easy to assume that the D9 is a beautifully balanced but fatally polite offering: nothing could be further from the truth. You want rude – the D9 can be positively bawdy when required. It just doesn’t make an unwelcome habit of it.

"Put those attributes together and what you have on the one hand is a classic British speaker, pace, rhythm, and timing all present and correct. On the other – you have a classic British speaker, tonally neutral, linear, and musically coherent. In a very real sense the D9 combines the two great traditions of UK speaker design, without diminishing either. It delivers the superbly open and communicative mid-band of a model like the D1, but succeeds in grafting on a bottom end that is as impressive as it is effective. Does that mean you can have your cake and eat it? Yes it does – and you can enjoy it with a surprisingly wide range of partnering amps too. In fact, the D9 is so system and room friendly that in many cases it might well be the best speaker you’ve ever heard, especially at the price – simply because it works more readily than the competition. With elegant lines to match its thoughtful engineering, and a range of attractive finishes, both modern and traditional, to match its room friendly bass voicing, the D9 really hits the sweet spot of attainable price, achievable performance, and acceptable domestic impact. Indeed, it’s so unmistakably English and so precisely suited to the English market that it probably needs a passport to travel. But when it arrives, I suspect it’s going to shake up more than a few of the locals. Tall, slim, and innately understated, this English gentleman might not shout, but the message is still delivered with purpose, clarity and where necessary, definite intent. A superbly balanced and beautifully judged design, this is the best Spendor yet – and that’s no mean feat." - Roy Gregory

SPECIFICATIONS:

• Description:  3-way floor standing loudspeaker
• Enclosure type:   Rigid, asymmetric braced, vented cabinet with dynamic damping
• Vent type:   Fifth generation Spendor linear flow, tapered twin-venturi port
• Input connection:  Single pair recessed precision binding posts
• Typical in-room response:  27Hz - 25kHz
• Power handling:  250 watts unclipped program
• Sensitivity:  90dB for 1 watt at 1 meter
• Nominal impedance:  8 ohms
• HF driver:  Spendor 22mm LPZ polyamide dome
• Mid driver:  Spendor 7" EP77 polymer cone
• Bass driver:  2 x Spendor 7" Kevlar© composite cone
• Crossover frequencies:  500Hz, 4.2kHz
• Net Weight:  87lbs
• Dimensions (HxWxD):  44.3" x 8.3" x 15.2"
• Finishes:  Cherry, Dark Walnut, Black Ash, Rosewood
• Accessories:   Height adjustable spike feet, grille, non-slip polymer feet

Spendor Videos

Video: How Spendor Speakers Are Made