An Introduction to the Spendor A1.2
Spendor has been designing and hand building loudspeakers in Hailsham, England since 1969, and the Spendor A1.2 distills a great deal of that experience into a genuinely compact cabinet. This is a two way, two driver stand mount built for listeners who want the coherence and musical honesty Spendor is known for, but who are working with a smaller room or a shelf of records rather than a sprawling listening lounge.
At 308 x 165 x 186 mm and 4.8 kg each, the A1.2 is easy to accommodate, yet it is very much a serious loudspeaker rather than a lifestyle afterthought. It arrives in real wood veneer finishes, the kind of quiet, considered woodwork that looks at home in a study, a living room or a dedicated audio space.
The Design and Technology Inside
The A1.2 belongs to Spendor's A-line, which is defined by a particular set of engineering choices. Where the Classic line follows BBC derived thin wall, lightly damped cabinet principles and a softer valve friendly voicing, the A-line takes a more modern, energetic approach to resolution and low level detail.
The EP77 Bass Midrange Driver
At the heart of the A1.2 is a 150mm EP77 polymer cone driver handling bass and midrange. The EP77 material is one of Spendor's signature developments, a cone that combines lightness with the internal damping needed to keep the midband clean and free of coloration. Because a single driver covers voices and most instrumental fundamentals, the A1.2 is inherently coherent, with vocals and acoustic instruments presented as a single believable image rather than a stitched together sound.
The polyamide dome Tweeter
It is a 22mm polyamide dome with a wide surround, crossed over at 4.2 kHz. Spendor's LPZ tweeter is a D-Line part and is not used in the A-Line. Paired with the EP77 driver, it extends the frequency response up to 25kHz.
Asymmetric Rear Port and Dynamic Damping
The cabinet is an sealed cabineted enclosure with Spendor's Dynamic Damping. Dynamic Damping targets and manages cabinet resonances so that the sound you hear comes from the drivers rather than from an energized box. The sealed cabinet tunes the bass loading of this compact enclosure, delivering a stated frequency response reaching down to 60 Hz, which is impressive articulation of low frequency information for a cabinet this size.
How the A1.2 Sounds
The A1.2 is a small speaker that plays much bigger than its dimensions suggest. Expect a clean, well organized midrange, natural voices, and treble that reveals detail without harshness. The bass is tuneful and tight rather than exaggerated, which is exactly what you want in a compact standmount that will often sit closer to walls or in a modest room. It rewards good recordings and lets you follow the flow of a performance easily, which is really the Spendor calling card.
With a sensitivity of 83 dB and a nominal 8 ohm impedance, the A1.2 is not especially demanding, but it does appreciate a capable amplifier with some current in reserve. Spendor recommends amplification in the range of 25 to 100 watts, which leaves you plenty of room to choose.
Where the A1.2 Sits in the Spendor Range
Because the A1.2 is an A-line design, its most natural comparisons in terms of format are the compact stand mounts in Spendor's Classic line, though the two lines pursue different goals. If you are drawn to the BBC influenced, softer and famously valve friendly voicing, the Classic standmounts are worth exploring. The Spendor Classic 4/5 and Spendor Classic 3/1 are the smaller Classic models, while the Spendor Classic 2/3 and Spendor Classic 1/2 step up in cabinet size and scale.
If your room and ambitions grow, the larger Classic standmounts offer more physical presence and lower reach. The Spendor Classic 100 and the titanium equipped Spendor Classic 100Ti are substantial designs for bigger spaces, where the Ti version uses titanium components in its makeup. Think of the A1.2 as the modern, resolving, room friendly entry into hand built Spendor sound, with the Classic line offering a different tonal philosophy and, in its larger models, more scale.
Building a System Around the A1.2
A loudspeaker makes no sound on its own, so the amplifier and source you choose will shape the character of your system. The good news is that the A1.2 is flexible enough to work beautifully with several approaches AEA carries.
Amplifiers and All in One Options
For a clean, one box solution that combines streaming and amplification, the Yamaha R-N800A Network Receiver is an excellent match, offering network playback and enough power to bring the A1.2 to life in a typical room. The Onkyo Muse Y 50 80th Anniversary Special Edition Network Streamer and Integrated Amplifier is another elegant integrated and streaming solution that keeps your rack simple.
If you prefer a more traditional integrated amplifier, the LEAK Stereo 230 Integrated Amplifier pairs a warm, engaging presentation with the resolving nature of the A1.2, while the Onkyo Icon A-50 Integrated Amplifier is a tidy, capable partner for a compact system. For those who want to separate power amplification, the Eversolo AMP-F8 Power Amplifier can drive the A1.2 with confidence when fed from a suitable preamp or streamer. If your listening leans toward home theater as well as music, the Yamaha RX-A4A lets the A1.2 serve as accomplished front channels.
Sources
For network streaming at a high level, the Cambridge Audio EXN100 Network Player is a refined source that lets the A1.2 show off its detail retrieval. And if vinyl is central to your listening, the Dual CS 618Q Semi Auto Turntable makes a lovely analog front end for a Spendor based system.
How It Compares to Other Standmounts
AEA carries a number of standmount and bookshelf loudspeakers, and each pursues its own design goal. The Wharfedale Aura 1 Bookshelf Speakers pairs a glass fibre matrix bass cone with an AMT treble unit for air and fine detail, while the MoFi Electronics SourcePoint 8 Bookshelf Speakers take a concentric driver approach aimed at pinpoint imaging. The Mission 700 Loudspeakers carry a distinctly British heritage of their own, and the LEAK Sandwich 250 Standmount Loudspeakers and LEAK Sandwich 150 Bookshelf Loudspeakers revive a classic sandwich cone design.
The A1.2 distinguishes itself through Spendor's own EP77 cone and dome tweeter technology, its Dynamic Damping cabinet and that unmistakable British emphasis on midrange truth and long term listenability. Which one speaks to you comes down to your room, your taste and how you like your music presented.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Spendor A1.2?
Spendor has been designing and hand building loudspeakers in Hailsham, England since 1969, and the Spendor A1.2 distills a great deal of that experience into a genuinely compact cabinet. This is a two way, two driver stand mount built for listeners who want the coherence and musical honesty Spendor is known for, but who are working with a smaller room or a shelf of records rather than a sprawling listening lounge.
What does the Spendor A1.2 sound like?
The A1.2 is a small speaker that plays much bigger than its dimensions suggest. Expect a clean, well organized midrange, natural voices, and treble that reveals detail without harshness. The bass is tuneful and tight rather than exaggerated, which is exactly what you want in a compact standmount that will often sit closer to walls or in a modest room.
Where does the Spendor A1.2 sit in the range?
Because the A1.2 is an A-line design, its most natural comparisons in terms of format are the compact stand mounts in Spendor's Classic line, though the two lines pursue different goals. If you are drawn to the BBC influenced, softer and famously valve friendly voicing, the Classic standmounts are worth exploring.
What sources work with the Spendor A1.2?
For network streaming at a high level, the Cambridge Audio EXN100 Network Player is a refined source that lets the A1.2 show off its detail retrieval. And if vinyl is central to your listening, the Dual CS 618Q Semi Auto Turntable makes a lovely analog front end for a Spendor based system.
How does the Spendor A1.2 compare to the alternatives?
AEA carries a number of standmount and bookshelf loudspeakers, and each pursues its own design goal. The Wharfedale Aura 1 Bookshelf Speakers pairs a glass fibre matrix bass cone with an AMT treble unit for air and fine detail, while the MoFi Electronics SourcePoint 8 Bookshelf Speakers take a concentric driver approach aimed at pinpoint imaging.
Come and Listen
All Elite Audio is an authorized Spendor dealer with a showroom in Timonium, Maryland. Because demo units rotate and not every model is set up at all times, we invite you to contact AEA to arrange a listen to the Spendor A1.2 and to talk through the ideal amplifier and source pairings for your space.