Floorstanding loudspeakers — Spendor A4

The A4 is the slim 2-way floorstanding loudspeaker of the A-Line from Spendor, a British company set up in the late 1960s by Spencer Hughes together with Dorothy Hughes - the name joins the first syllables of their names. Spendor describes the A4 as building on the A2 and adding bass weight and scale while keeping a slender form, and its data sheet is dated April 2023. The current A-Line has since moved on to a refined A4.2 version, which Spendor says is based on the A4.

Key specs that matter

One 18 cm EP77 polymer cone bass and midrange unit works with a 22 mm polyamide dome tweeter, and the two divide the band at 3.7 kHz. Measured in a room, the A4 typically reaches from 34 Hz to 25 kHz. Sensitivity is 86 dB for 1 watt at 1 metre, and nominal impedance is 8 ohm with a minimum of 5.7 ohm. Power handling is 125 watts of unclipped programme, and Spendor lists amplifiers from 25 to 150 watts as suitable. The cabinet stands 861 mm high, 165 mm wide and 284 mm deep and weighs 14.5 kg net.

Engineering and use context

Spendor builds the A4 in a rigid asymmetric braced cabinet with dynamic damping, and the bass is reflex loaded. The EP77 polymer cone driver is proprietary to Spendor and sits in a slim chassis, which is what allows the narrow cabinet front. Spendor makes its drive units and cabinets in-house and assembles every speaker at its facility in South Yorkshire. Floorstanding Spendor models use a stabilizer spike system machined from solid, and here the height-adjustable spikes fit a satin black plinth. A magnetic grille covers the baffle, and buyers pick from four veneers and paints, namely oak, black oak, walnut or satin white. Each Spendor cabinet goes through pair matching, staining and hand finishing before it leaves the factory.

Pairing

With its benign impedance minimum, the A4 is an easy electrical partner for integrated amplifiers inside the rated window, and Spendor states that it is easy to drive. Recessed precision binding posts are fitted as one pair per cabinet, so each channel takes a single cable and a standard stereo amplifier with one set of outputs is all that is needed.

Alternatives

The current Spendor A-Line also includes the A7.2 floorstander, which moves to a new 27 mm soft-dome tweeter.