Spendor


Spendor is an loudspeaker manufacturing company founded in 1969 by British audio engineer Spencer Hughes and his wife Dorothy. It is located in East Sussex. The name was derived from the first names of both.

Research in the 1960s

Spencer Hughes worked in a investigation team of the BBC research department in the 1960s. One object of the research was a membrane made from a polystyrene for mid-range speakers or woofers.

History

Start

In the first days Dorothy assisted with coil winding expertise, later she took over the general management.
The first product was the BC1, which Spencer designed while still working for the BBC. Several other designs followed, the BC2, BC3, SA1, SP1 and other. Spendor also made the BBC LS3/5a under licence from the BBC.
The BC1 is bigger than a LS3/5a and also uses a Bextrene-membrane and was used in many radio stations, too. As a consequence many UK speaker designs are influenced by this improvement of sound quality through reduced colouration and greater consistency as well as the stereo imaging. The BC1 was built with smaller modifications until 1994.
The present Head of Engineering, Terry Miles, started as Spencer Hughes’ assistant in 1975.

Derek Hughes' time at Spendor

Derek Hughes, son of Spencer and his wife Dorothy, worked at Spendor. After the untimely death of Spencer in 1983 he worked with his mother in the capacity of Technical Director, producing the original versions of what is now the Classic Series, most notably the SP1/2, SP2 and the S100 and he did amongst others the redesign of the 3/5 1998 and is still working at loudspeakers as freelance consultant designer.

Since 2000

Since the year 2000 the company is owned by Philip Swift, a speaker designer and co-founder of Audiolab, who personally knew Spencer Hughes. Spendor develops and manufactures all components in UK.
Round about these days Spendor enlarged their product range by floorstanding loudspeakers, first with models of a S line, currently be found as loudspeakers of A line and higher end D line.

Products 2020