Spendor BC1 Speaker project Part 1

[@mfr58]

Brings a tear to my eye, as I used to own a pair of BC1s and loved them, but then sold them off on my "upgrade" path.....regrets, I have a few and this is one...I do have a pair of B&W DM4's but the chipboard cabinets just don't have the same tone as the marine ply Spendors....

[@haycrossaudio5474]

The 'lossy' cabinet has a lot to do with their sound. Same as the LS3/6. I had a pair of DM4 to. Couldn't decide whether I liked them or not really

[@michaelharris4389]

Im looking forward to seeing them finished

[@peterhaydock7836]

Always fancied a pair of these...

[@tomeasterbrook9486]

Compared to some I thought those black baffles already had been refurbished

[@robv3361]

Hello - I have a blown bass driver (blue alnico) on my BC1’s. Would it be ok to use similar Kef drivers to those you use here - using the existing cross over? Or am I asking for trouble! Your expert advice gratefully received!

[@haycrossaudio5474]

@@robv3361 The B200 is a known replacement to the Spendor unit. In some respects its better but not in others. The fixings are all different to but that's not really an issue. The cut out needs enlarging slightly as the outward rolled suspension on the B200 will vibrate against the baffle. Yes the crossover I used is a bit different to the original. The BC1 uses a 3rd order low pass filter and I used the same but slightly different values. I have since done this conversion a number of times. I have another pair in in January for the same conversion so will video what needs to be done

[@robv3361]

Thank you kindly for your fulsome reply 👍

[@planetpeckham1]

Hi there, I wonder if you could help me? I have a pair of these in daily use which I inherited off my old man who was a BBC sound engineer. I notice the ones you have there don’t have the fabric grille material on them, does it just pop off or is it permanently fixed? The material on mine is beginning to disintegrate slightly-probably from UV exposure. Any info much appreciated!

[@haycrossaudio5474]

@@planetpeckham1 The ones in my video didn't come with cover frames. I had to make those and then fit some cloth. Yes the covers come off. They are held on with velcro. You should be able to carefully pull them off

[@planetpeckham1]

@@haycrossaudio5474 Thanks so much for your speedy reply, I didn’t want to start prying them off before I knew they were designed to come off. Cheers mate.

[@haycrossaudio5474]

@@planetpeckham1 No problem. A blunt tool might be needed but try not to lever against the wooded bezel. Good luck. Email me if you want them recovering. [e-mail]

[@planetpeckham1]

@@haycrossaudio5474 thanks again, that’s great.

[@briancampbell7712]

Matt,,did you ever compare the BC1 with the Spendor SP1...if so, what pair do you prefer❓

[@haycrossaudio5474]

Never heard a pair of SP1 but I suspect they are a bit more refined in the bass and lower midrange?

[@WoZIMoo]

The tweeter and the driver stopped working on one side of my BC1s, anything I should look at? Thanks in advance.

[@haycrossaudio5474]

Sounds like the whole speaker is dead or can you still hear the super tweeter play? If you can't hear anything from one side at all check all your cables and connections. Swap the speakers round. If the problem moves its the speaker if not then it's something else. If it is the speaker the first thing is to remove the back and check connections. Resistance check the drivers but make sure there disconnected. There's a number of culprits

[@veraluxmundi2032]

My cones have never sagged.