The Spicas Rule

My first proper high-end speakers were a pair of Spica TC-60s. I loved those speakers and the way I procured them. ack then the web was only beginning (I am thinking 1994-1995). I was an early adopter, first of BBS services like Compuserve, then the early ISPs. I kept track of audio equipment for sale at a web site called "Audio Market Place" or similar - it was a bit like Audiogon, only it did not last. Anyway, someone posted an ad offering a "group buy" of Spica TC-60s. If 24 of us would agree to pool our funds and give these total stranger our money, he would negotiate with Spica and buy a batch on our behalf at a 20% discount (or roughly that). After exchanging emails with the guy - I had followed previous posts by him so he was not a complete stranger - I agreed to send him the money. As I recall I sent him a money order (all the more incredible - I would not do that today, but I was young and crazy), an eventually he got back to me and the others to declare he had the funds needed for the group buy. The cost: $400 a pair for the oak finish. He placed the order and kept us updated. Just waiting for these speakers was fun -as I researched their excellent reputation and hoped they would live up to it. For the most part, they did . The imaging of the TC-60s was on a different league compared to anything I had heard before. The sound pressure they put out was not enormous, but they made up for that in detail. They were also not the prettiest speakers in the world - too tall in my opinion for their wedge profile. The spousal acceptance factor was low. The sound was subtle, not in-your-face. If the electronics were decent, they would shine, and vice-versa. But I had a blast with them. If you run into a pair used, well worth the effort to grab them at a good price.