Anyone else running these speakers? I've been playing them for a few years now and they have a huge soundstage and great balance and clarity that is not typically found in their price range. They have always struck me as a more dynamic and clear version of Vandersteen 2C series. What do you guys think?
They imaged better than any other speaker I've ever owned. Even better than the Thiels that ultimately replaced them (after an intervening pair).
Back in the day (ie, about 25 years ago) I had wanted to audition TC-50's but I couldn't find a dealer close to me. Then, suddenly, Spica went out of business and I lost my chance--or so I thought! This thread caused me to investigate the TC-60's and now I am thrilled to know that Spica is back in business. Maybe I'll be able to audition some Spica's after all! Whoops, just checked the date of the Stereophile article I was reading about the "revitalized Spica." Although it was "posted" in 2007, upon finer inspection, the article was written in 1994. I guess Spica is still out of business. Drats!
Yep, out of business, and replacement drivers were impossible to find. I used Spica's TC-60s throughout the early 1990s in my office and I always really liked them.
I've always been tempted to take a flyer on a pair; but somebody told me that if you stood up while listening, you'd get seared by the direct beam of the tweeters! Is this, in fact, true? Edit: this was in reference to TC-50's.
I kinda wish I had bought a pair of the Spica Angelus floorstanders when they were available. I auditioned a pair and they were tremendous.
Its in the Seattle Craigslist. (Don't know how to copy links on this phone.) Small square hole around the tweeter.
Wait!! I messed up that post; its been so long. here is the right info as I wrote it years back After running through about nine pairs of speakers, my TC-50 settled in as my main speaker for a very long time. I love them to death. No, don't expect towering bass. A sub is a must. Set up isextremely critical. Download a copy of the owners manual from the web, it's around. Equilateral triangle set up, toed in just right and !POW! they come alive with 3D imaging. Took me three days to get mine perfect the first time, then ten minutes after that -- you learn the secret. Toe them in so you can just see a 2-3 inches of the inside panel of the speakers, a slice of the inside panel. They go SO much bigger than any LS3-5A. The TC-50 is a small speaker that can image huge! The best one's to have are the older TC-50s. They ran out of the original tweeters around the 7,000 serial number. You can tell by the cut out on the fabric baffle on front. If the cutout is a long cut out, those are the good, older ones. If it is a small square, those are the newer less desirable model. I know advance have been made, but with the right set up, these speakers do magic. http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/anyone-ever-run-spica-tc-50s.298774/
Wait see above post!! I got it backwards in that earlier post I deleted. They shrank the hole on the later models to try and compensate for the peak with the newer models.
Ah. Thank you for that information Chadbang. You saved me $300 (perhaps!) Maybe I'll wait for an earlier pair (or maybe the TC-60's; more bass with a bigger box?)
I've another who's always been interested in the Spica line. There are three pairs of the Angelus on ebay now. It's all a matter of taste but I always considered the Angelus one of the ugliest speakers made. There is also a pair of the 50s listed on USaudiomart with stands. They are located in WA. I have a pair of identical looking stands as the ones in the listing. Not sure of the brand but when filled with sand, those stands are exceptionally stable, and easy to adjust.
The Angelus had a unique shape, that's for sure. Sort of a bow-tie contour with the widening slope of the base down to the bottom where it stood on the floor. Back when I auditioned them they were the most stable speaker imaginable with that contour. That seemed like a big plus to me at the time because I had a toddler running around, and a rambunctious cat that had just knocked over one of my speakers (Dahlquist DQ-10s).