ALL SIX OF this month’s contenders are given a few hours of general running-in time before testing begins in earnest to discern toe-in and proximity to the rear wall, and those speakers that have bungs are tested both with and without them in place.
The speakers are placed on a pair of Partington Dreadnought stands (the exception to this being the Q Acoustics, which is tested on its own stand in the manner of how it is sold) before levels are set with a pink noise test tone and by checking the voltage at the speaker terminals with a meter. The real-world sensitivity differences between the six cabinets here is sufficiently small that only relatively fine adjustment is required
With this done, the test programme is played from a Melco N1A controlled via Roon Nucleus and wired directly to Chord Electronics’s 2Go.
The six speakers are tested back to back before a process of returning to specific models playing certain tracks to identify initially noted strengths and weaknesses. With this done, the cabinets also enjoy a few hours of more general listening to help further identify their overall character and performance traits. As with all our Group Tests, as well as their out-and-out performance, the design, build, price and overall feel of the contenders is taken into consideration when establishing the final placing.
Group test verdict
An exceptionally capable selection of standmount speakers, all with some singular talents. Ed Selley picks his winner
THE LEVEL OF ability on display in this group is unusually high and results in some unique scoring as a result. Pointing out that the JBL has the most apparent limitations in its performance has to be done at the same time as noting it costs at least £ less than any other speaker in the group and that its treble is near the top of the pack.
After much deliberation, I find myself unable to split the Fyne Audio, PMC and Q Acoustics. These are three very different speakers, but their capabilities are all worthy of note. The Fyne’s superb spaciousness, three-dimensionality and excellent tonality is tempered by the slight lack of scale, but it’s a very engaging speaker. The Q Acoustics on the other hand wants for nothing in terms of weight and impact and it also creates a fine stereo image, although the slight lack of emotional involvement might be an issue for some. The PMC, on the other hand, is rather more fun and hits very hard for such a compact speaker, but care needs to be taken to ensure it doesn’t come across as a little too forward with poorer-quality recordings. All three of these speakers, if partnered with any degree of care, though, should be able to delight.
The Bowers & Wilkins is a very successful amalgam of all of these different abilities into a single, hugely impressive speaker. It manages to combine accuracy, scale and spaciousness without losing the sense of engagement that has you wanting to keep listening and it’s also beautifully made. Only a fractional hardness to the top end and some limitations to the stereo image prevent it from taking the top spot, but it’s a superb performer nonetheless.
WINNER
The Spendor Classic 3/1 isn’t as pretty as the B&W, but the performance is a truly sensational blend of accuracy, scale, refinement and sheer unadulterated fun. It’s also beautifully made and admirably unfussy about placement and partnering equipment.