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Finally got there, my forever speakers!....

JoeJoe

pfm Member
...and it’s only taken 20 years, lol! And thinking about it, 20 sets of speakers too! Hmmmm, I must be a sucker for punishment?! Though, it hasn’t been punishment, as I’ve had a very enjoyable time over the decades.
They’ve all been standmounts. I’ve had, Spendors, ProAcs, Harbeths, Dynaudios, Wharfedale, Q Acoustics, Leema (original Xen), Q-Acoustics, Tannoy and Linn.

Real standouts were Proac 1sc, Leema Xen, Spendor S3/5se and Wharfedale Denton 80th Anniversary.

However, the ones that are my new keepers are Graham Audio Chartwell LS6. What a speaker! BBC lineage here (though, not a licensed design) and that heritage sound DNA runs through these fairly large standmounts. There’s bass though, and what a quality of bass. I’m truly happy with these, they do it all, they sound like ls3/5’s but with the depth presence that (for me) was always missing from the smaller derivatives that I’ve owned, namely Spendor S3/5 and Harbeth PS3 and Monitor 30.1’s

If anyone here is thinking about Harbeth Monitor 30.1’s or Dynaudio Special 40’s ( and others at that price point ) I can heartily recommend an audition to add to the fun and confusion.

Along with Graham Audio, has anyone here listened to Stirling Broadcast or Falcon too? I hear they are really becoming viable alternatives to Proac, Spendor and Harbeth also?
 
I have some Stirling ls3/5a V2's which are excellent, and I'm very likely to try the speakers you mention sometime in the future.

I would like to maintain the Ls3/5a richness and detail, but have more dynamics and wide ranging sound.
 
I own or have owned Graham ls6, p3esr, p3esr 40th, Falcon, 30.1.

None are anywhere as good as Graham ls6. Just like what you've said. It's ls3/5a with scale and bass.

The downside being the speakers having pretty poor cabinet quality. Being someone that values aesthetic as much as sound quality, the Graham ls6 can never be my end game speakers. I just wish they would update the ls6 with better cabinet.
 
...and it’s only taken 20 years, lol! And thinking about it, 20 sets of speakers too! Hmmmm, I must be a sucker for punishment?! Though, it hasn’t been punishment, as I’ve had a very enjoyable time over the decades.
They’ve all been standmounts. I’ve had, Spendors, ProAcs, Harbeths, Dynaudios, Wharfedale, Q Acoustics, Leema (original Xen), Q-Acoustics, Tannoy and Linn.

Real standouts were Proac 1sc, Leema Xen, Spendor S3/5se and Wharfedale Denton 80th Anniversary.

However, the ones that are my new keepers are Graham Audio Chartwell LS6. What a speaker! BBC lineage here (though, not a licensed design) and that heritage sound DNA runs through these fairly large standmounts. There’s bass though, and what a quality of bass. I’m truly happy with these, they do it all, they sound like ls3/5’s but with the depth presence that (for me) was always missing from the smaller derivatives that I’ve owned, namely Spendor S3/5 and Harbeth PS3 and Monitor 30.1’s

If anyone here is thinking about Harbeth Monitor 30.1’s or Dynaudio Special 40’s ( and others at that price point ) I can heartily recommend an audition to add to the fun and confusion.

Along with Graham Audio, has anyone here listened to Stirling Broadcast or Falcon too? I hear they are really becoming viable alternatives to Proac, Spendor and Harbeth also?
Until the next one........
 
Quite a coincidence to read this, as I've just put up a wanted ad for LS6s. I've become very curious recently and having moved my room around to accommodate a desk, I'm looking for smaller monitors. My only concern is the very large port. The reviewer on SoundonSound preferred them significantly with the port bunged, but this was from more of a studio/professional monitor perspective. Also the guy on Darko Audio, who really loved them, applied a little DSP in the bass, if I remember correctly.

I'm definitely going to try a pair at some point.
 
I agree with the previous posters. I also have Graham LS6s and they replace a long line of speakers such as Harbeth M30.1 and M30.2, Dynaudio C1, Dali Epicon 2, Proac D1.8, Graham LS5/9 and many others. These are - on balance - the most satisfying speakers I have owned. They have the tonal richness of the LS3/5 with more depth and scale, and are fast and dynamic. I actually like the finish as well, which is functional and utilitarian.

A couple of notes of caution, however: they do sound best on light, solid, open frame stands. Heavy, mass- loaded stands make them sound dull. The bass can be just a tad boomy and they need space around them and a sympathetic room. Also, they take a long time to run in - months. When new they sound dry, shouty and very boomy.

I also have the Graham LS3/5s and matching sub 3, which work seamlessly together and have a tonally richer sound. But they don't have the speed or dynamics of the LS6 (at least on my 70 watt LFD amp). I plan to try a much more powerful amp with them to see if they improve in this respect and can match the LS6s in dynamics. The LS5/9s in comparison were rather cool sounding and didn't have the warmth or tonal richness of the LS6, but some might prefer their sound.
 
I agree with the previous posters. I also have Graham LS6s and they replace a long line of speakers such as Harbeth M30.1 and M30.2, Dynaudio C1, Dali Epicon 2, Proac D1.8, Graham LS5/9 and many others. These are - on balance - the most satisfying speakers I have owned. They have the tonal richness of the LS3/5 with more depth and scale, and are fast and dynamic. I actually like the finish as well, which is functional and utilitarian.

A couple of notes of caution, however: they do sound best on light, solid, open frame stands. Heavy, mass- loaded stands make them sound dull. The bass can be just a tad boomy and they need space around them and a sympathetic room. Also, they take a long time to run in - months. When new they sound dry, shouty and very boomy.

I also have the Graham LS3/5s and matching sub 3, which work seamlessly together and have a tonally richer sound. But they don't have the speed or dynamics of the LS6 (at least on my 70 watt LFD amp). I plan to try a much more powerful amp with them to see if they improve in this respect and can match the LS6s in dynamics. The LS5/9s in comparison were rather cool sounding and didn't have the warmth or tonal richness of the LS6, but some might prefer their sound.

Yeah tend to sound boomy at closed space. Needs lots of room to breathe to sound tighter
 
No such thing as a forever speaker
Agreed..after a while the shock of the new..wears off and like a beautiful woman or man! You see another who is more beauteous..or a new ( to you ) speaker which sounds more like that forever speaker which your latest forever speaker isnt providing? This is why marriage is so good..coz your stuck with your wife or husband as getting rid of them costs a lot of money and the emotional input of that marriage then returns in later life as neurosis! Perhaps we should marry our speakers? Then we might not be so cavalier in throwing them over for a new squeeze..lol
 
A couple of notes of caution, however: they do sound best on light, solid, open frame stands. Heavy, mass- loaded stands make them sound dull.

...... I completely concur, this is really important as a mass loaded stand would tip them over the edge, bass wise.


The downside being the speakers having pretty poor cabinet quality.

...yes, on close inspection the cabinet quality is not as good as Harbeth. I think it’s important to point this out, and although it’s not a priority for me, it is for a lot of audiophiles. Hopefully this aspect will improve but at the price point the money has gone into design, drivers, crossovers, damping.
 
I'm a little confused. so have you already bought the speakers? or going to buy?

.....bought and love them. Everything I play through them sounds just right to my ears. As for ever wanting to change again....I really hope I stick with them because, as much as I have enjoyed the listening journey, it isn’t half an expensive trip!!....
 
No such thing as a forever speaker

I dunno, I was as big a speaker tart as you can get (maybe aside from Bourney :p)

I've had the La Scalas over a year now and they still never fail to amaze me when I fire them up and I've not had a single thought of swapping them. The biggest headache is that every house I look at on Rightmove the front room is always the first thing I flick to to see if the Hi-Fi will go in it, sadly it seems I need to be "considerably richer than yow" to afford somewhere to house them, so I may be stuck where I am for some time yet.
 
Mate of mine bought a pair of these couple of months back, looking forward to hearing them, haven’t had a chance yet due to lockdown. He has them on the end of a naim atom and really likes them, believe he will upgrade to a supernait 3 at some point.

For me I’m not sure if I could have forever speakers. Very happy with my current setup but my mind always drifts to the next thing!
 
+1,000 on the Graham LS6's ... my 'endgame' speakers as well*. Endlessly engaging and musical, nearly perfect -- there's a slight port-related bass overhang, but only on some material (wall is only 15" away from the rear of the speakers.) I need to suck it up and buy the right sort of stands, perhaps ... the ones I have are budget Sanus ones.

Regardless, I can live with that, if necessary, for the deep view into the music these wonders provide -- a smooth top end, a velvety midrange, a presentation that draws you into the music. They do what I wished the Harbeth C7ES3's I owned did ... but more accurately, with higher resolution, and for something like $1,000+ less money.

Derek Hughes should get the Nobel Prize for speaker design, if such a thing existed. I have yet to hear a Graham speaker I didn't swoon over; the LS6 is the most Graham I could afford (and the largest I can reasonably accommodate in my space, to be honest.)


*God give me strength.
 
I dunno, I was as big a speaker tart as you can get (maybe aside from Bourney :p)

I've had the La Scalas over a year now and they still never fail to amaze me when I fire them up and I've not had a single thought of swapping them. The biggest headache is that every house I look at on Rightmove the front room is always the first thing I flick to to see if the Hi-Fi will go in it, sadly it seems I need to be "considerably richer than yow" to afford somewhere to house them, so I may be stuck where I am for some time yet.
You’ve had them for a year. My last speakers were in residence for 19 years, current ones have just ticked past a year. I am making no claims as to how long they will stay;)
 


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