Description

A full three-way design, the D9.2 presents music with great power and
scale. The level of transparency, superbly natural sound and
extraordinary resolution draws you in to explore the soundscape and
discover every nuance of the highly musical presentation. With perfect
proportions and beautiful finish options the D9.2 will complement any
level of audio system sonically and visually.

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

New Drive Units Developed For D9

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 colouration. 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.

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 programme
Sensitivity:  90dB for 1 watt at 1 metre
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

 (Image at right shows the relative size of D9 vs. D7)