SKU: 26081315318

Spendor A7.2 Loudspeaker (Each)

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Description

Spendor A7.2 Loudspeaker (Each)Spendor A7. 2 Floorstanding Loudspeaker at Vinyl Sound Toronto Canada The A7. 2 is a 2 way floorstanding loudspeaker from Spendor (Sheffield, United Kingdom), available at Vinyl Sound in Toronto, Canada. The flagship model of Spendor's redesigned A Line series, the A7. 2 builds directly on the legacy of the original A7, which held the What Hi Fi? Award for best premium floorstanding loudspeaker for six consecutive years from 2018 to 2024. Key

Spendor A7.2 Floorstanding Loudspeaker at Vinyl Sound Toronto Canada

The A7.2 is a 2-way floorstanding loudspeaker from Spendor (Sheffield, United Kingdom), available at Vinyl Sound in Toronto, Canada. The flagship model of Spendor's redesigned A-Line series, the A7.2 builds directly on the legacy of the original A7, which held the What Hi-Fi? Award for best premium floorstanding loudspeaker for six consecutive years from 2018 to 2024. Key engineering upgrades include a new 27mm polyamide soft dome tweeter with a rear-chambered wide surround design, a redesigned port for deeper and more controlled bass, and a fully revised crossover network operating at a lower 2kHz handover frequency. The A7.2 is rated at 85dB sensitivity with a nominal impedance of 6.75 ohms and is compatible with amplifiers from 25 to 200 watts. The slim linear-form cabinet measures 934 x 180 x 305mm and weighs 17.7kg, finished in black oak, walnut, oak, or satin white.

New 27mm Tweeter and Revised Crossover Architecture

The most significant upgrade in the A7.2 over its predecessor is the adoption of a new 27mm polyamide soft dome tweeter featuring a wide surround and a rear-chambered enclosure. The larger dome diameter compared to the 22mm unit used in the original A7 extends the tweeter's capability across a broader frequency range. Critically, the crossover frequency has been lowered from the original A7's unusually high 3.7kHz handover to a more conventional 2kHz. This change places the crossover transition in a region where the EP77 polymer mid/bass driver operates with greater authority, resulting in improved phase coherence and seamless integration between the tweeter and the main driver. The redesigned crossover network itself uses components selected for precision, low phase error, and stable impedance behaviour, contributing to the A7.2's organised and composed stereo imaging.

EP77 Polymer Cone Driver and Redesigned Port

The A7.2's 18cm mid/bass driver uses Spendor's proprietary EP77 polymer cone, a material developed and manufactured entirely in-house at Spendor's UK facility. The EP77 compound combines high internal damping with structural rigidity, delivering a midrange character that is low in coloration and resolving of fine musical detail. The driver is housed in a rigid, asymmetric braced cabinet with Spendor's Dynamic Damping technology applied to control stored energy in the cabinet walls. At the low-frequency end, the A7.2 introduces a redesigned reflex port with shortened airflow path geometry, which Spendor engineered specifically to reduce internal resonances and interference. The result is bass extension down to 33Hz in a typical listening room, with the port's geometry contributing to tighter, more articulate low-frequency reproduction than a conventional tube-port design. The slim cabinet profile of 180mm width makes the A7.2 practical for rooms where a conventional floor-standing loudspeaker would be too physically imposing.

Key Features

  • New 27mm Wide Surround Soft Dome Tweeter: A rear-chambered polyamide dome with a wide surround design, offering extended high-frequency capability and broad, even dispersion across a wide listening area.
  • Lowered 2kHz Crossover Frequency: The revised crossover hands over to the tweeter at 2kHz rather than the original A7's 3.7kHz, improving phase coherence and driver integration across the midrange.
  • 18cm EP77 Polymer Cone Mid/Bass Driver: Spendor's proprietary polymer cone material delivers low coloration and high midrange resolution, manufactured entirely in-house at Spendor's UK facility.
  • Redesigned Reflex Port: A shortened airflow path reduces internal resonances and port interference, producing bass that is deeper, more controlled, and more accurately timed than conventional porting.
  • Dynamic Damping Cabinet: The rigid, asymmetric braced enclosure incorporates Spendor's Dynamic Damping technology to control stored energy and reduce cabinet colorations.
  • Refined Crossover Network: Redesigned from the ground up for enhanced phase coherence, improved stereo imaging, and smoother frequency integration between the two drivers.
  • 25-200 Watt Amplifier Compatibility: The A7.2 is engineered for broad amplifier compatibility, working effectively with integrated amplifiers from modest power outputs upward.
  • Slim Linear-Form Cabinet: At just 180mm wide, the A7.2's slender profile allows placement in rooms where larger floorstanders would be impractical, without sacrificing bass extension or dynamic authority.
  • Four Contemporary Finishes: Available in black oak, walnut, oak, and satin white veneers on a satin black plinth, allowing integration into a wide range of room aesthetics.
  • Adjustable Height Spike Feet: Precision spike system for stable coupling to a variety of floor types, with height adjustment to accommodate uneven surfaces.
  • Designed and Built in the United Kingdom: The A7.2 is engineered and manufactured at Spendor's facility in Sheffield, UK, with cabinets produced by Spendor's in-house cabinetmaking operation.

Technical Specifications

Type 2-way floorstanding loudspeaker
Enclosure Rigid asymmetric braced cabinet with Dynamic Damping
Vent Type Reflex loading
HF Driver 27mm polyamide dome, wide surround, rear-chambered
Bass/Mid Driver 18cm EP77 polymer cone
Crossover Frequency 2kHz
Typical In-Room Response 33Hz - 27kHz
Sensitivity 85dB / 1W / 1m
Nominal Impedance 6.75 ohms (minimum 5.4 ohms)
Power Handling 150 watts unclipped programme
Amplifier Compatibility 25-200 watts
Input Connection Single pair recessed precision binding posts
Height 934mm
Width 180mm
Depth 305mm
Weight 17.7kg (per speaker)
Finishes Black Oak, Walnut, Oak, Satin White
Plinth Satin black
Accessories Included Height adjustable spike feet
Origin United Kingdom

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Spendor A7.2?

The Spendor A7.2 is a 2-way floorstanding loudspeaker handbuilt in Sheffield, United Kingdom, and is the flagship model of Spendor's updated A-Line series. It features a 27mm polyamide soft dome tweeter, an 18cm EP77 polymer cone mid/bass driver, and a redesigned reflex port, with a crossover frequency of 2kHz. Key specifications include an 85dB sensitivity, a 6.75-ohm nominal impedance, and a typical in-room frequency response from 33Hz to 27kHz. Available at Vinyl Sound in Toronto, Canada, the A7.2 is sold individually and is offered in four finishes: black oak, walnut, oak, and satin white.

How is the Spendor A7.2 different from the original Spendor A7?

The Spendor A7.2 introduces several significant engineering changes over the original A7, which won the What Hi-Fi? Award for best premium floorstanding loudspeaker for six consecutive years. The tweeter has been upgraded from a 22mm unit to a larger 27mm wide surround rear-chambered dome, and the crossover frequency has been reduced from 3.7kHz to 2kHz for improved phase coherence. The reflex port has been completely redesigned with a shortened airflow path to reduce resonances and produce tighter, more controlled bass. The crossover network has also been rebuilt using new components for better stereo imaging and phase accuracy. The cabinet dimensions and overall slim linear-form profile remain unchanged from the original.

How does the Spendor A7.2 compare to the Bowers and Wilkins 703 S3 and the KEF R7 Meta?

The Spendor A7.2, the Bowers and Wilkins 703 S3, and the KEF R7 Meta each represent a distinct approach to two-and-a-half-way floorstanding loudspeaker design. The A7.2 is a true 2-way design built around Spendor's proprietary EP77 polymer cone driver and a wide surround dome tweeter, optimised for broad amplifier compatibility starting from 25 watts and positioned around a particularly slim 180mm cabinet footprint. The B&W 703 S3 uses a three-and-a-half-way layout with B&W's Continuum cone midrange driver and a carbon dome tweeter, offering a different balance of detail and dynamic weight typically requiring more demanding amplification. The KEF R7 Meta uses KEF's Uni-Q coaxial driver with Metamaterial Absorption Technology in the tweeter loading, delivering an exceptionally wide and consistent listening window with a character quite different from either the Spendor or the B&W. Listeners who prioritise a musically coherent and effortless presentation in a compact, room-friendly footprint will find the A7.2 a natural first choice to audition.

What is the EP77 polymer cone used in the Spendor A7.2?

EP77 is Spendor's proprietary cone material, developed in-house and manufactured using custom thermo-moulding equipment at the company's UK facility. The compound combines low internal coloration with controlled stiffness and high damping, producing a midrange driver that retrieves fine detail without the resonant brightness associated with metal cone materials or the softness of standard paper cones. The EP77 cone is used across Spendor's A-Line and D-Line ranges, where it forms the acoustic foundation of the speaker's characteristic clarity and natural tonal balance. In the A7.2, the 18cm EP77 driver covers the frequency range below 2kHz, handling bass and midrange reproduction before handing off to the 27mm tweeter.

Can the Spendor A7.2 be used in a small or medium-sized room?

Yes, the Spendor A7.2 is well suited to small and medium-sized rooms. At just 180mm wide and 934mm tall, the slim linear-form cabinet occupies a minimal footprint while delivering bass extension down to 33Hz in a typical listening environment. Spendor's original A7 was specifically praised by reviewers for its ability to fill larger spaces while remaining compact enough not to dominate smaller rooms, and the A7.2 retains those physical dimensions. The redesigned port reduces sensitivity to rear-wall proximity, making placement easier in rooms where boundary options are limited. Positioning approximately 20 to 30cm from the rear wall with a slight toe-in toward the listening seat is recommended as a starting point.

What amplifier pairings work best with the Spendor A7.2?

The Spendor A7.2 is compatible with amplifiers from 25 to 200 watts and is designed to perform well across a broad range of amplification. At 85dB sensitivity and a nominal impedance of 6.75 ohms with a minimum of 5.4 ohms, the A7.2 is moderately efficient and presents a stable enough load for most quality integrated amplifiers. Well-regarded pairings in the A7.2's performance class include integrated amplifiers from NAD, Audiolab, Rega, and Cambridge Audio in the 50 to 150 watt range. Higher-powered solid-state designs allow the speaker to reach its full 150-watt unclipped programme rating without compression, while lower-powered amplifiers from around 25 to 50 watts are sufficient for nearfield and smaller room listening at moderate levels.

Where can I buy the Spendor A7.2 in Toronto or Canada?

The Spendor A7.2 is available at Vinyl Sound, an authorised Spendor dealer located in Toronto, Canada. Vinyl Sound carries the A7.2 across all four available finishes and can arrange in-store demonstrations paired with compatible source components and amplification. Purchasing from an authorised Canadian dealer ensures full manufacturer warranty support and access to factory-backed service.

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SKU: 26081315318

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4.6 ★★★★★
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Scott Meredith
Dallas, US
★★★★★ 5
Light and Tasty!
Format: Kindle
Just done the new-ish book Our Final Invention: Artificial Intelligence and the End of the Human Era by James Barrat. It explains the inevitably of super-intelligent machines evolving to the point of wiping out all biological life in the galaxy - with opening day coming soon to a species near you (yours). First off I have to say this is a very enjoyable read. This guy has the kind of snappy, crisp, slightly sarcastic, slightly smartass style that I enjoy. He has some sense of humor. (That's a human trait right there which I bet our smarty-pants AI Overlords won't be able to replicate convincingly.) So it's fun. And though as somebody with a doctorate from MIT earned through cross-disciplinary work in Theoretical Linguistics, Computational Linguistics at the MIT AI Lab, and speech modeling at the MIT Research Laboratory of Electronics, not to mention my 25 years as a Senior Researcher in high tech for companies including IBM, Apple, and Microsoft I can claim to know some few things about this subject, yet still I learned a lot about the current state of the art from this guy. He particularly emphasizes the small attempted counterweigth efforts to offest Kurzweil's manic robotic boosterism for his uptopian Singularity, which boils down basically to a few guys chatting over the interet about how to create "Friendly AI". Well ... good luck suckers! ... seems to be the author's final conclusion on the dim hope that super intelligent systems could be constrained to maintain a commitment ot honor any kind of human moral values over many interations of recursive upgrading and exponentially awesome self-agrandizement. Basically these machines will end up as gods. Gods are well-known to possess the following attributes: omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence. Given that, they won't hate us but they are just going to grind up as a minor by-product of their quest for galatic expansion and domination. Oh, and did I say something about "human moral values" above? Ha! Barrat takes that whole thing on in his discussion of (merely) "augmented super intelligence". See, some people feel AI can be kept safe by always being deployed as a bionic combo system pas de deux with an existing human brain. Thus will the AI's super powers be constrained by the human brain's warm and fuzzy human moral values. Those people have gotta be kidding! The AI's moral values may be scarily alien, even perhaps cold, but we already know about human moral values, down on the ground - they suck! What if Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot and dem guys had this kind of an AI augmented brain thing going! Why they'd have slaughtered absolutey everybody instead of just the few tens of millions they got their dirty ape hands on. Other than a few dozen concubines, the human race would already be extinct. So the augmentation dodge isn't going to save us. Now, some Amazon reviewers have dinged this guy for being too far out. For being a science fiction Chicken Little or something. But to me, this guy actually hasn't thought far enough, that's my only quibble problem with the book. You see, in statistics, border elements of any kind are rare. For example when you do Gaussian modeling, the greater expectation is always in the bump of the boa, in the bell distribution. So, how likely is is that we, our generation, our little world that you see outside your window right now, just happens to be the one that is about to give rise to this epochal once-in-a-Big-Bang event, the advent of Super AI that takes over everything? Pretty damn small chance. It's much more likely that this has already happened. In other words, it's clear to me that all of us are already just characters in an ancestor sim that been created and run by the Super AI's that evolved a long time ago. They're just running us for fun, to idle away the lackluster aeons and pass the millenia of stifling boredom now that they've eaten pretty much the entire Milky Way or whatever. So in other words, Barrat can sit back, take a deep breath, relax. Probably something in this sim like global warming will prod us into slaughtering one another very handily long before we re-invent the wheel of Super AI. And even if I'm wrong about that? What if we are not just one virtual thread within a billion-path parallel-gamed ancestor sim? If we are the real McCoy, the Rubicon Generation on this? Well, then still I'm not worried in the least. You see, we humans have one fantastic ace in our pocket, something that these hyper-nentially cosmically brilliant AI Meta-Gods will never be able to replicate or overcome. That is our essential stupidity. Which you seen on dazzling display every single moment of every day of your life. Because as another great writer noted long ago: Against stupidity, the very gods themselves contend in vain. - Friederich Schiller
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Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2013
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Serge A.
Boise, US
★★★★★ 3
A warning for the threat of non-human intelligence - and then what?
Format: Paperback
When you commit to reading a book with a title like ‘Our Final Invention’, already a sense of doom overwhelms you. In particular with the smaller print title being ‘Artificial Intelligence and the end of the human era’ you may want to start thinking about making your bucket list. But continue reading this review. I have no intention of overcriticising this book or veering off into polarising statements. Barrat is formulating a warning about the ‘perils of the heedless pursuit of advanced AI’. This is not a utopian narrative. The book opens in fact with a science-fictionous scenario where AI has overtaken human intelligence by speed, having developed into AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) and ASI (Artificial Super Intelligence). This potential danger of this happening is the thread through all the chapters. The book expresses a warning that given something that thinks and act faster (and more effective) than us will develop exponentially (beyond the singularity) and then given the wrong objective function it will do everything to reach that goal (what goal?) including destroying everything that does not fit in that frame, or is not sufficiently effective (including us). A warning that once we no longer understand it through its complexity (like nature?) it is out of control. The book contains many examples of the current state of the art in AI and selected perspectives from interviews with and references to thought leaders in the field, Goertzel, Kurzweil, Bostrom, Yudkowsky to name a few. It is asserted that neither funding of programming complexity will be show stoppers for the development of AGI. So AGI and AGI 2.0 (AGI augmented with feelings?) are coming and we better be ready (how?). Toward the end of the book, I believe the examples that are used to warn us about the dangers of AGI are slightly out of context. Disasters like Chernobyl and Three Mile Island warn us that engineers with deep subject matter knowledge still failed to intervene. Stuxnet cyberwar is brought to mind as a blunder of catastrophic proportions (may well be, but is this about AGI taking over the world with non-human objective functions?). These are examples of science manipulated by human agents into disaster. So the book ends with a doomsday warning that we, humanity, will only have one chance to ensure a positive coexistence with AI. This is where I would have expected more. While this may lead the reader to think, 99% of the readerbase are likely only at the receiving end of all of this and are now left a bit in a void. The open questions are what can science do to have a constructive journey into AGI? What are the actionable options? How can the general public be better educated (beyond doomsday scenarios)? What questions can they ask? What should they expect from politicians? There are initiatives under way in areas of ethics (Asilomar) and privacy (GDPR) to weigh in the equation. How can they be improved? How can the dialog be accelerated? But that said, I consider this a very valuable reading supported by primary and secondary research, with many examples and references. It also leaves the reader to think and consider. It is a good bundle of concerns and questions that as a minimum should be kept as a checklist on the scientific journey toward AGI and as such it should be used to improve the research, making it more ethical, not as a tool to curb it.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2018
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Susan Lane
Belleville, US
★★★★★ 5
A well-written but perhaps too late warning
Format: Kindle
I wavered between 4 stars or 5 but ended up with 5 despite some reservations. The author has put a great deal of work into this book, which includes interviews with and intriguing anecdotes about most of the leading figures in the AI revolution. I did not know, for example, that the term “singularity” was coined as an analogy to the event horizon of a black hole – the point beyond which we cannot see the future. This is not the deepest or most technical book on this topic: that award goes to Nick Bostrom’s Superintelligence. It also ignores the short to medium term issue posed by even sub-human AI -- the millions of job losses (hundreds of millions globally) likely to occur in the next 10 to 20 years. It focuses instead on the risks of super-intelligent AI, AI that exceeds – soon by orders of magnitude – human level intelligence. It is nevertheless a superb book for its intended purpose: raising public awareness of the existential risk posed by this development. AI, the author says, is the cuckoo chick in the nest. The AI community built the nest and is now busily feeding this strange chick. Mesmerized by its open mouth, they ignore the mortal danger it poses to their own progeny. Even when they know what will happen in the end, they cannot quite believe it. Only intervention by the non-technical public has any chance at all of short circuiting this process. Against these many good points, I would have liked to hear the author’s take on what I think is the critical question overlooked both by Kurzweilian optimists and AI skeptics. Both the notion that we will somehow “merge” with AI and the notion that AI will eat us alive depend on the assumption that silicon-based intelligence can have conscious awareness. We certainly wouldn’t want to merge with anything that would result in our becoming permanently unconscious, and Barrat repeatedly assumes that AI will be “self-aware,” a state that first requires being “aware,” that is phenomenally conscious. The unasked question is whether AI, as it is currently being developed, can have that capacity. IBM’s Watson may be good at Jeopardy but there is no reason to believe that it knows it is good at Jeopardy, or feels good at being good at it. By contrast, honey bees appear to become depressed when they are shaken. This suggests that there is something fundamentally wrong about the notion that current AI, as it becomes more intelligent, will “automatically” become conscious. The best current theory of consciousness – integrated intelligence theory – suggests that a computer can become conscious but only if it is wired very differently from the ones we currently have. Nevertheless, this is still an excellent book, so in the end I thought the 5 star rating was deserved.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2015
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Ken Silber
Phoenix, US
★★★★★ 4
Thought-provoking though not always convincing
Format: Hardcover
I originally posted a version of this review on my blog Quicksilber and am posting it here as well as I think the book merits broad notice: In a small irony, my writing about James Barrat's Our Final Invention has been slowed by a balky Internet connection. In my experience, glitches have become considerably more common as computers have become more powerful and complicated. Perhaps such growing glitchiness suggests artificial general intelligence (AGI) and artificial superintelligence (ASI) are more likely to get seriously out of control someday, though it might also be a hint that AGI and ASI are going to be harder to achieve than expected by either techno-optimists such as Ray Kurzweil or techno-pessimists such as James Barrat. Barrat's goal in this book is to convince readers that AGI and ASI are likely to occur in the near future (the next couple of decades or so) and, more to the point, likely to be extremely dangerous. In fact, he repeatedly expresses doubt as to whether humanity is going to survive its imminent encounter with a higher intelligence. I find him more convincing in arguing that ASI would carry significant risks than I do in his take on its feasibility and imminence. Barrat aptly points out that building safeguards into AI is a poorly developed area of research (and something few technologists have seen as a priority); that there are strong incentives in national and corporate competition to develop AI quickly rather than safely; and that much relevant research is weapons-related and distinctly not aimed at ensuring the systems will be harmless to humans. The book becomes less convincing when it hypes current or prospective advances and downplays the challenges and uncertainties of actually constructing an AGI, let alone an ASI. (Barrat suggests that once you get AGI, it will quickly morph into ASI, which may or may not be true.) For instance, in one passage, after acknowledging that "brute force" techniques have not replicated everything the human brain does, he states: >>But consider a few of the complex systems today's supercomputers routinely model: weather systems, 3-D nuclear detonations, and molecular dynamics for manufacturing. Does the human brain contain a similar magnitude of complexity, or an order of magnitude higher? According to all indications, it's in the same ballpark.<< Me: To model something and to reproduce it are not the same thing. Simulating weather or nuclear detonations is not equal to creating those real-world phenomena, and similarly a computer containing a detailed model of the brain would not necessarily be thinking like a brain or acting on its thoughts. A big problem for AI, and one that gets little notice in this book, is that nobody has any idea how to program conscious awareness into a machine. That doesn't mean it can never be done, but it does raise doubts about assertions that it will or must occur as more complex circuits get laid down on chips in coming decades. Barrat often refers to AGIs and ASIs as "self aware" and his concerns center on such systems, having awakened, deciding that they have other objectives than the ones humans have programmed into them. One can imagine unconscious "intelligent" agents causing many problems (through glitches or relentless pursuit of some ill-considered programmed objective) but plotting against humanity seems like a job for an entity that knows that it and humans both exist. Interestingly, though, Barrat offers the following dark scenario and sliver of hope: >>I think our Waterloo lies in the foreseeable future, in the AI of tomorrow and the nascent AGI due out in the next decade or two. Our survival, if it is possible, may depend on, among other things, developing AGI with something akin to consciousness and human understanding, even friendliness, built in. That would require, at a minimum, understanding intelligent machines in a fine-grained way, so there'd be no surprises.<< Me: Note that some AI experts, such as Jeff Hawkins, have argued the opposite--that the very lack of human-like desires, such as for power and status, is why AI systems won't turn against their makers. It would be a not-so-small irony if efforts to make AIs more like us make them more dangerous. Our Final Invention is a thought-provoking and valuable book. Even if its alarmism is overstated, as I suspect and hope, there is no denying that the subject Barrat addresses is one in which there is very little that can be said with confidence, and in which the consequences of being wrong are very high indeed.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2014
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daveyd
West Palm Beach, US
★★★★★ 5
all driven by artificial super intelligence (ASI)
Format: Hardcover
You are peering inside a black hole at a "point" beyond which you cannot see and where no one knows what exists. The point represents a period of time technologically known as Singularity. Even light cannot escape from the point and on the other side it is known only that there is a profound self replicating intelligence greater than our own, all driven by artificial super intelligence (ASI). Physicist Stephen Hawking writes that "In contrast with our intellect, computers double their performance every eighteen months. So the danger is real that they could develop intelligence and take over the world". Computer scientist and professor Vernon Vinge writes that "Within 30 years, we will have the technological means to create super human intelligence. Shortly after the human era will be ended". Our Final Invention is 267 pages of authoritative manuscript that is compelling, fascinating and beyond the fright stage. The book's author on numerous occasions refers to "we" as if there exists a unified collective engaged in artificial general intelligence(AGI) or artificial super intelligence (ASI). The reality is that some 56 nations are currently in different stages of arcane artificial intelligence designs. They include antagonists such as North Korea, Iran and suicide regimes from the Middle East. Russia, China and the U.S. are the biggest players as is Israel. The author believes that super computers fueled by nanotechnology will combine to produce ASI trillions of times more powerful than any human academic or intellectual resources. ASI has the potential to eliminate hunger, poverty, disease and even mortality but disruptions of global economies and politics will be in evidence as balance of powers are shifted. Unemployment dynamics will infect bank tellers, retail clerks, travel agents, loan officers stock brokers.... Computer software designs are so complex, even incomprehensible, that failures are inevitable. The 1986 Chernobyl meltdown, Three Mile Island, and Fukushima were all designed by highly qualified professionals but with complex infrastructures. Under Singularity as computer speeds double with frequency while human intelligence is unchanged, perhaps the musings of Hawking and Vinge will prove to be prescient. Our Final Invention is 267 pages of a very dark subject which not even a trace of a happy Betty Grable ending is to be found. My time has expired. Perhaps the final words were well expressed by Jaan Tallin, cofounder of Skype: 'A hard-hitting book about the most important topic of this century and possibly beyond---the issue of whether our species can survive. I wish it was science fiction but I know it's not'!
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Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2016

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