Charles: yes I mean LS3/5A rather than the other somewhat larger(?) monitors.
Sreten: Oh I can understand the reasons, at least partly, but I just dislike the noticebly 'boxy' bass, when pushed a bit. In many ways I like them alot. As P10 said earlier on, Its a kind of love/hate thing. Love what they achieve, but hate the drawbacks and lengths necessary to achieve them.
Sreten: Oh I can understand the reasons, at least partly, but I just dislike the noticebly 'boxy' bass, when pushed a bit. In many ways I like them alot. As P10 said earlier on, Its a kind of love/hate thing. Love what they achieve, but hate the drawbacks and lengths necessary to achieve them.
Hi,
Indeed. What they can do is "sound" noticeably larger than one would expect,
but in comparison to larger speakers you can hear the artifice. And that is
what is is, artifice, but it worked in the professional monitoring context.
When pushed, as you say, not many people know driver Q's can/do increase.
(Specified driver parameters are nearly always measured small signal only).
I have some KEFs with the last version of the B110. It has a dual layer voice
coil but one layer is a lot longer than the other ... go figure ... not good IMO.
rgds, Sreten.
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They were designed to do a job for the BBC in the 1970's for which they worked well - monitoring in OB situations. Their performance is still respectable but they are expensive. I have just built a pair using the Falcon Acoustics kit and parts obtained from ebay so not identical but as clsoe as you get without spending £2k so there must still be a market for them - a nice small pair of loudspeakers and though the bass from a box 12" tall is surprising they will not do the impossible. Stirling produce the modern equivalent and I think still lunder licence.
I run mine alongside Spendor BC1's so I am slightly biased towards BBC monitors - also using rebuilt 33/303 so definitely vintage.
Mike
I run mine alongside Spendor BC1's so I am slightly biased towards BBC monitors - also using rebuilt 33/303 so definitely vintage.
Mike
I had a pair of LS3/5a's in the "way back when" period - maybe the 70's - and was impressed by ... umm ... bigger speakers. Apologies to all their followers but they belonged to a different time and are now way (way) overpriced even given their quite extreme acoustic limitations. The Linn Kan(n?) had a big following also but again after trying and trying to live with them. My hi-fi dealer friend who is still going strong in the UK was one of the then few Linn dealers and highly recommended them - but then again he used Isobarik's himself
I gave up on them as I did with LS3/5a's and went back to loudspeakers that were both easy to place and a pleasure to listen to on a wider range of music.
I gave up on them as I did with LS3/5a's and went back to loudspeakers that were both easy to place and a pleasure to listen to on a wider range of music.
I heard them back in the 80s but prefered the KEF 101 and the B&W DM5. While not bad they are overrated cult speakers. Ken Kessler (HFN&RR) used LS3/5A to evaluate the bass of various amplifiers! Shear lunacy...
The were made for a specific purpose at BBC and I am sure that they were good at that, but it does not follow that they were good domestic HiFi speakers.
The were made for a specific purpose at BBC and I am sure that they were good at that, but it does not follow that they were good domestic HiFi speakers.
Overrated in Asia maybe, certainly they fetch insane money.
I lived with several LS3/5a's with and without bass extenders for several years.
A big improvement to the LS3/5a was the AB1 bass extenders. The speakers are then much more capable rounded performers, although they will still not set your world alight if you are after monster dynamics.
They were/are a cult speaker because they were so flipping good for their size (especially for their age) even if the modern spendor, Harbeth and other modern equivalents are now superior.
If you want something roundly superior to the ls3/5a with or without ab1's with that mini monitor footprint, vanishing act, soundstaging, tight closed box bass, superb vocal reproduction for classical and acoustic programme material (what LS3/5a was designed for) with diy then Linkwitz Pluto 2.1 is where it's at, although they aren't exactly suited to cramped quarters in BBC broadcast vans!.
In my opinion LS3/5a's in good condition are still better than many or possibly the majority of equivalent sized speakers. Ken Kessler needs to hear Pluto 2.1 compared to his beloved Quad ESL's and LS3/5a's.
I lived with several LS3/5a's with and without bass extenders for several years.
A big improvement to the LS3/5a was the AB1 bass extenders. The speakers are then much more capable rounded performers, although they will still not set your world alight if you are after monster dynamics.
They were/are a cult speaker because they were so flipping good for their size (especially for their age) even if the modern spendor, Harbeth and other modern equivalents are now superior.
If you want something roundly superior to the ls3/5a with or without ab1's with that mini monitor footprint, vanishing act, soundstaging, tight closed box bass, superb vocal reproduction for classical and acoustic programme material (what LS3/5a was designed for) with diy then Linkwitz Pluto 2.1 is where it's at, although they aren't exactly suited to cramped quarters in BBC broadcast vans!.
In my opinion LS3/5a's in good condition are still better than many or possibly the majority of equivalent sized speakers. Ken Kessler needs to hear Pluto 2.1 compared to his beloved Quad ESL's and LS3/5a's.
I agree. If one have very small room, bedroom they are very pleasant speakers and even audio Physic designer said in one of the interviews that there is not much competition around that price point meaning it would cost quite a bit more to design and come up with something significantly better in this size/ category.
Very sad story. Do you know why Matthew Orme was separated from his kids? His wife just died and he has cancer. He might need help if someone is living in his state (Santa Barbara, CA). He enjoys going for a bike ride for fun, Hi-Fi and Vinyl.
Orme LS3/5a speaker, American Hi Fidelity, is of a superior design. It uses Audax drivers and a second order crossover that is connected in series to solve problems of phase, this is what he said. All was tested/measured at a high-end manufacturer installations lab Speakerlab. It is said that it doesn't have the limitations of the old BBC in relation do the crossover and zobels.
Woofer Audax HIF 13-J + Tweeter Audax HD 12X9D25 8 ohm
5" is for sale here Audax / Polydax HIF-13-J 5" woofers - Canuck Audio Mart
Orme said he would love to redesign the crossover for the new Tang Band W5-1685 5" Underhung Midbass Driver (4 Ohm), and his favorite tweeter is the KEF T27, but he used the Audax. An 8" sub upgrade was also provided what makes it perfect.
What about an Isobaric (?) a la "Neat Acoustics Momentum 3i" Welcome to the Neat Acoustics website, specialists in loudspeakers and speaker stands
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