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Thread: Spendor BC1

  1. #11
    Join Date: Feb 2008

    Location: Middlesex, UK

    Posts: 4,481
    I'm Alex.

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    Quote Originally Posted by DSJR View Post
    Get 'em well off the floor and away from rear walls. The port could be usefully tuned too with a trimmed Maplin port tube as per the Yahoo Spendor group posts and since the surrounds are black in colour, I'd say straight off that you have ceramic magnets, which are more stable over forty years of use and storage in these speakers. I finally re-wired the internals in my BC2's with Maplin 50st instrument cable and I'm sure the sound was slightly better. The crossover caps were good stable ones to start with and selected for exact values and matching to the drivers, so I'd avoid thoughts of making them "better" as you'd probably make 'em worse.

    BC1's are fetching insane money now and what was a good bargain at £150 to £250 the pair, is now a collectors 9wet) dream at the £500 or so they seem to fetch these days - it's not as if you can get them serviced in the bass unit department either...
    Need not necessarily be the ceramic magnets with black surrounds, I have several pairs with Alnico magnet bass units, and they have black surrounds. There was a change point from white surrounds to black surrounds fairly early on. The date will probably be on the Spendor Yahoo Newsgroup.

    I also have a single pair of black surround ceramic magnet BC1's, and several BC1's with Alnico magnets and white surrounds.

    Just thought, to confuse the situation a bit more! I have a pair of BC2's which have white surround bass units with ceramic magnets.
    Last edited by spendorman; 21-06-2012 at 17:14. Reason: Extra thought!
    Spendorman

  2. #12
    Join Date: May 2008

    Location: A Strangely Isolated Place in Suffolk with Far Away Trains Passing By...

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    I'm David.

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    You're quite right and I'm having senior moments these days

    My 1976 pair of BC1's did indeed have alnico drivers with the original troublesome black surrounds. When the ceramic ones came along in '78 or so, Spen sold me a fresh pair of bass units and with the foam port lining which came along at around this time? the bass was better I thought.

    The BC2's always had ceramic magnets I think. The old drivers for mine (1974 vintage) are thus equipped...

    Tear down these walls; Cut the ties that held me
    Crying out at the top of my voice; Tell me now if you can hear me

  3. #13
    Join Date: Feb 2008

    Location: Middlesex, UK

    Posts: 4,481
    I'm Alex.

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    Actually, never had troublesome black surrounds on BC1, only white. But there seems to be magic midrange from white surround bass/ mid drivers that are still in usable condition.

    I have a pair of Preludes, that I believe use the same bass/mid as the BC2. And the Preludes have black surrounds.

    Might try these bass/ mids in the BC2's. Only problem is that Spendor selected units for sensitivity.

    In my view, black surrounds are the later ones, will be more reliable, give better bass, but the white surround units, if working OK, will give better mid.
    Spendorman

  4. #14
    Join Date: Apr 2009

    Location: Near Saffron Walden, Essex

    Posts: 7,087
    I'm Dave.

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    Exactly - the very early white drivers had far better mid than the later black ones.

    Unfortunately, the white ones had the dreaded sag, as the material reverted to it's natural flat form..

  5. #15
    Join Date: May 2008

    Location: A Strangely Isolated Place in Suffolk with Far Away Trains Passing By...

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    I'm David.

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    After 1978, and the higher power driver came into production, I thought the midrange came back on song and the bass reproduction was significantly less distorted on R&R.

    The white cone surround on early BC1's did offer a lovely sweet upper midrange I thought, but as dave says above, most of not all of these now will have reverted to the flat-sheet from the half roll they were when made, and the bass will be way off now. The designer at Spendor used to offer a bespoke re-surround service on BC1's but I'm not sure of he's able to offer this service now. My own thoughts are that Spendor would benefit from offering this retoration service themselves - to otherwise good cones and chassis, but it would take a few years to recoup the expense of re-manufacturing the tooling for coils etc, and as of a few years ago, they weren't able to do this.
    Tear down these walls; Cut the ties that held me
    Crying out at the top of my voice; Tell me now if you can hear me

  6. #16
    Join Date: Feb 2008

    Location: Middlesex, UK

    Posts: 4,481
    I'm Alex.

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    The B&W DM4 suffered in a similar way with white surrounds. They later went to a black surround. I have several pairs of both.

    Interestingly, the best midrange comes from a pair with white surrounds (still in a serviceable condition).
    Spendorman

  7. #17
    Join Date: May 2008

    Location: A Strangely Isolated Place in Suffolk with Far Away Trains Passing By...

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    I'm David.

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    Was there a carcinogenic element in the surround material which was the main reason why it was abandoned?
    Tear down these walls; Cut the ties that held me
    Crying out at the top of my voice; Tell me now if you can hear me

  8. #18
    Join Date: Sep 2009

    Location: Peterlee,County Durham, UK

    Posts: 321
    I'm Paul.

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    These seem to get better hour after hour...placement isnt ideal right now due to space,and could do with some proper stands,does anyone have an original pair doing nothing..:P
    Paul.

  9. #19
    Join Date: Feb 2008

    Location: Middlesex, UK

    Posts: 4,481
    I'm Alex.

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    Quote Originally Posted by DSJR View Post
    Was there a carcinogenic element in the surround material which was the main reason why it was abandoned?

    I remember reading something on that line.
    Spendorman

  10. #20
    Join Date: Apr 2009

    Location: Near Saffron Walden, Essex

    Posts: 7,087
    I'm Dave.

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    Quote Originally Posted by DSJR View Post
    Was there a carcinogenic element in the surround material which was the main reason why it was abandoned?
    I understood it was because of the sag problem.

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