Hi Martyn, thank you for your respectful response. As lovers of music and of the systems that reproduce it, there's an inner sanctum each of us as audiophiles create for ourselves. Within each of our unique domains we strive to define and incorporate a rightness befitting of our individual tastes. I have to confess, I've never lived with any variant of the LS3/5A and am not seeking a reason to speak of them in any negative context. In all honesty I'd love to have a pair and confident I'd find the right room and best way to accommodate them in my own environment. I also didn't mean to infer they were not musical or anything less than the highest caliber, I'm confident they sound like the brilliant monitors they are and can be right at home in a hi-fi system as well as for the specific purpose for which they were conceived. I like many neutral speakers, i.e. those that seem
not to impart a sound of their own or embellish with a signature that deviates from neutral, whatever neutral actually is (in the confines of an unnaturally ideal acoustic home environment).
A speaker system that sounds (or measures) neutral or "accurate", has a fairly convincing appeal of defining that "sound" when experienced. They seems effortless, uncannily balanced from top to bottom, and those characteristics are impressive to experience. For a talented designer, a flat, neutral, uncolored speaker has a fairly straight-forward design path to be successful, and we all can name plenty of them we've come to admire. It's in
this context that I referred to the LS3/5A, a loudspeaker designed as a small, portable monitor capable of predictable reproduction for which the remote engineer in small spaces could rely on to relay the music or broadcast from remote locations. A speaker system so exacting and consistent in its purpose that the BBC could fully count on to assure all broadcasts and the engineers that produced them would have a uniform "sound". The sound of the BBC. Every pair being an example of cookie-cutter perfection
for that task. The benchmark and investment was perhaps higher than any other speaker I can think of and you can't help but want to fall in love with something like that even if you haven't heard them! I think its immutable that they have an enviable reputation for being truly
remarkable instruments of the field.
That said, it takes extraordinary care, maybe even a good bit of luck as well, to deviate from that kind of predictable neutral in a pleasing way, and I'll borrow the term we tend to use in this kind of context that we call "musical" and there are many great examples of these kinds of speakers as well. And boy are there plenty of mediocre and bad ones too! Adding
color to a speaker, intentional or not, is a very slippery slope and unlike the "neutral" example, often finds as many people in disfavor of a particular model as in favor for. Only very few examples are so good at maintaining the sense of neutral while incorporating "musicality" or "character" to be considered universally
allowed in the camp of the "correct ones". Speakers in this category won't please everyone, but their universally acknowledged acclaim proceeds them and provides validity for the many that do. Warm, lush, romantic, endless depth and grand canyon width, etc. are some superlatives to describe
added spices which often are part and parcel strokes of the designer's brush and key to what makes them successful or at least with a large and eclectic cult following. When you hear the sound of a Julius Futterman OTL amp with certain speakers of this nature, you may experience goosebumps or similar kind of sonic epiphany that redefines everything you
thought you knew before because it's so damn good you don't care what the specs are or in what ways it may deviate from
neutral. We've come to hear this described as, "it just sound right". Not all neutral, flat, or accurate speakers have this magic ability built into them.
In the case of the Kan, my opinion and subsequent post was intended to stand up for one of the legends that is often overshadowed as a pretentious LS3/5A. If they are judged in this way as peers side-by-side we couldn't expect any outcome other than divisive. Compare a Quad ESL-57 and a B&W 801 and you have the same effect, yet anyone that criticizes either to the degree of being poor in its own right is foolishly dismissing not only either's legendary benchmarks, but wide historical accolades on each of their sides. Does the Kan have an honor or pedigree worthy of defending amongst some of the highest level performers? As far as a smile factor, sheer excitement that draws you in, and an ability to prevent you from doing other things you should be doing, many (well in the know) will say "that's the Kan for you". I'm sure I could make a nice place in my home for a pair of LS3/5A's. I have several dissimilar sounding speakers and they're in their own rooms or at least rotated from time to time because each is remarkably singular in what they provide. In the end we each decide for ourselves which is right, but there's no dismissing classic or unique speakers that have come to be adored by a large population of audiophiles that understand what comes out of a great speaker and in some cases what makes an imperfect legend. At the very least, when we can leave eliteness at the door, something I tend to find myself drawn to doing without checking myself, we can realize there's plenty of room to praise and enjoy, or at least respect that which genuinely lives up to the time-tested praise of many mutual enthusiasts
.
Thanks for allowing me to editorialize my thoughts. It's very helpful to take the time to express oneself during these times of health crisis, and like all of you, I love to submerge myself in the passion and enjoyment that we all find mutual here. I acknowledge I'm saying
waaayyyy more than anyone needs to, but it's therapeutic, beats talking to yourself, and besides, no one else around here will let me to it to
them, lol! Everyone please have a safe and Happy New Year, and may it be blessed with beautiful music in whatever form you find pleasure in
