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Falcon v Graham ( and Stirling ? )

Yank said:
I'd like to see Falcon venture into the 2 cu ft box segment.
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They're coming out with three speakers under the 'RAM' brand name. Of course they'll be insanely over priced in the U.S. due to having a terrible importer.
 
ACMAC said:
Which is better? This may be subjective. I have a current pair of BBC Chartwell ls3/5's and I must say they are the best monitor speakers I've ever heard. How good you may ask, and the answer is nothing short of amazing! In many ways better than my Harbeth 30.1's, however, is some way not as good...but over all more impressive and vital coming from such a small box. But relevant to this thread is I have a set of BBC Falcons on order. Delivery should be mid next week. I'll post my impressions/comparisons as soon as I can.
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I shall look forward to your impressions.
 
IMO the market would be bigger if they all brought their prices down to reach more people rather than a niche. £3 to £3.5K seems to be the going rate at the moment for this size speaker. Too high for most people.
 
regafan said:
IMO the market would be bigger if they all brought their prices down to reach more people rather than a niche. £3 to £3.5K seems to be the going rate at the moment for this size speaker. Too high for most people.
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£3.5 doesn't seem a lot compared with some speakers I have seen reviewed in Hi Fi
News...
 
they look lovely too Martyn. I can't understand some of the cost complaints...is it really appropriate to price a speaker by size???
If these are the best sound available by some distance for a speaker of this type, then surely it's ok to pay a 'best sound ever from a box this big' price?
 
Rockmeister said:
they look lovely too Martyn. I can't understand some of the cost complaints...is it really appropriate to price a speaker by size???
If these are the best sound available by some distance for a speaker of this type, then surely it's ok to pay a 'best sound ever from a box this big' price?
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Those Graham LS3/5s are rather tempting...
 
Anyone auditioned Chartwell LS3/5 (no a) , Falcon LS3/5a?

I am thinking of setting up a system for my studyroom and am interested to learn from people who heard both for a comparison....
 
Everybody rabbiting on about £2K for a pair of tiny speakers designed back in the last century, and HFN review (this month) a pair of similar size desktop speakers from Wilson at £10,000 a pair. Apparently they are great. Bxxxxy well ought to be for that..
 
I was lucky enough to nab a pristine pair of Graham (Chartwell) LS3/5s from a charming fellow on this forum - Athos (Mil46) - a couple of months back. I'm afraid I can't offer a back-to-back listening comparison with Falcon LS3/5As (or indeed with any of the other tiny monitor-type loudspeakers mentioned on this thread) because I simply haven't had experience of those. But for what it is worth, I can categorically say that the Grahams are simply wonderful; in fact beyond wonderful. I bought them because, following a recent house move, I could no longer deploy my beloved ESLs effectively in the new space available. So I was on the hunt for something that would a) take up much less space but also, and critically, b) would not be too much of a step down in terms of performance. It goes without saying that, size-wise, they fit the bill entirely, and they have the bonus of being beautifully finished and looking very neat and business-like on their dedicated open-frame stands. But I was simply not prepared for how good their performance proved to be. The first thing you notice is how even-handed and "complete" they sound. There is no part of the music that they do not see into and reach into. And this is done without any hint of "showing off" in any area of loudspeaker performance. The balance, by which I mean the attributes of depth, smoothness, weight and sparkle are all utterly convincing and immensely satisfying. To hear the bass notes come through the mix in an early music performance: firm and deep, but in the background where they should be and not elbowing their way to the front, is a huge pleasure and makes the music so much more realistic - the opposite of an artificial demonstration of hi-fi effects. Another aspect of their performance which continues to amaze me every time I listen is their ability to place instruments in a convincing 3D soundstage. "Soundstaging" was a subject I had grown tired of reading about on hi-fi forums. I simply didn't get it, and I was convinced it was a hi-fi myth perpetuated by the types who go on about "slam" and "veils lifting". No loudspeaker I had ever owned (including the 57s) had done anything which (to my ears) went beyond presenting the music as though coming from an indeterminate but broad area across the room from me. Now I understand it, though. The music is presented across the (roughly) 10 foot listening distance exactly as if from a number of delicately and clearly defined positions in space. The effect is magical! And as if all that were not enough, they even go loud in a convincing fashion, increasing the "scale" of the musical presentation, not just the volume.

You will gather, then, that these loudspeakers go way beyond what I thought was possible given my space constraints (and budget). They are probably the most all-round satisfying loudspeaker I have owned (and that includes not just the Quads, but also some superb designs from Tannoy, Proac, Audio Note, Lowther etc.) I cannot recommend them highly enough if you are in the market for a very high quality loudspeaker that doesn't dominate the visual landscape of your sitting room. And, by the way, can I thank Martyn (Miles) for offering advice and the encouragement to try them. Good advice indeed!
ML
 
I was pleased to be of some help. I expected the Graham / Chartwell model to be good.
It’s obviously better than good!
It fascinates me, this ongoing story of the LS3/5a and the various models made by Falcon, Stirling, etc.
The Harbeth P3-ESR has legions of fans, including me.
 
Very interesting Martyn. I have a pair of Stirling LS3/5a (original NOT V2) and a pair of KEFKIT1 LS3/5a clones with B110/T27.
 
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