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Old Vs New LS3/5as

foxwelljsly

foxwelljsly

Me too, I ate one sour too.
Apologies if this has been done to death elsewhere, but search throws up nothing against LS3/5A!

Would one expect to hear any differences between the new LS3/5A offerings from the likes of Graham and Sterling and originals?

Given that the originals were all supposed to measure identically irrespective of manufacturer, I am, component drift and ageing notwithstanding, assuming not, but I stand to be corrected.
 
Interested in this myself. Very drawn to a’new’ LS3/5a, but wondering if they are the real deal.
 
As I understand it, a lot of variability down through the years owing to different manufacturers, materials and aging of components over time too.

I think the TDLR and current consensus is the Falcon iterations now are very good.
 
Hifi News has done numerous tests comparing different models from old & new. General consensus seems to be that the best, e.g. Falcon, are more 'real' LS3/5a than the originals. Some reviewers e.g. Kessler have a nostalgia for the oldies - Harbeth always scored highly. Then there's 11 ohm vs 15 ohm - but I'm not an expert.....
Some of the Graham and Sterling models don't use the correct drive units.....
Stirling Broadcast LS3/5a V3 stand-mount loudspeaker - Hi-Fi+ (hifiplus.com)
And the Chinese owned Rogers brand have brought out a good one.
Rogers LS3/5a Classic Loudspeaker | Hi-Fi News (hifinews.com)
Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a Loudspeaker | Hi-Fi News (hifinews.com)

You're probably putting in a complex search that stupid google can't cope with...
 
Of I was to buy a pair, I would either go for the rather new Falcon for the "vintage" sound or the Stirling V3 for an "improved" version. This is dictated by my ears, not nostalgia or my wallet.
And I would never pay the crazy money people are asking for an old pair although this would be a BBC special edition used by Paul McCartney in Liverpool bla, bla, bla.........you know, all that hype?
 
chartz said:
If I bought a 3/5a pair I’d get them new.
Click to expand...
IMHO if you’re after authenticity then the Falcons with correctly tooled KEF drivers, 15 ohm impedance and autoformers are the ones. When you take them out of the box , it’s like handling a living fossil (in a good way), you have to pinch yourself as you are looking at brand new, pristine LS3/5as- something not many will have seen before.
I imagine others will fall for the Rogers brand name in other parts of the world.
 
canonman said:
Me too....
Click to expand...

Perhaps I ought to check with canonman first...

Someone called me ‘The LS3/5a Guru’ and I said he was.
He responded, ‘We are not worthy.’

I do know him quite well and we’ve met, discussed and pondered over many aspects of the
LS3/5a.
He bought my first pair of BC1s which went to Thailand.
He’s probably forgotten that by now...
 
Having just sold a pair of Kudos Titans (which I need to disconnect and box up) I feel very lucky to be able to connect up my pair of CELEF LS-8, the first pair of speakers in a long time that have wowed me. No they don’t go as deep as the Titans, nor give the scale, but the soundstage and vocals and acoustic and……..

I had never taken any notice of LS3 derivatives until
earlier this year, it’s nice to stumble across something and know you have found what you’ve been looking for.
 
A friend in Kuala Lumpur has 24 different pairs. He’s the LS3/5a guru in Asia. I will ask his opinion.
 
Only LS3/5a's built to the original driver spec are true LS3/5a's such as the originals with kef drivers and the falcons. All others may mimic the frequency response, sensitivity etc but they are not LS3/5a's
there, someone had to say it.
Rgds
Stuart
 
I don’t think Andy Whittle of Rogers would agree with you.

The true ( ! ) LS3/5a Guru, Ken Kessler, seems convinced that the Rogers Classic LS3/5a
is a true LS3/5a.

( Oh why am I getting involved in this thread ? )
 
Martyn Miles said:
The true ( ! ) LS3/5a Guru, Ken Kessler, seems convinced that the Rogers Classic LS3/5a
is a true LS3/5a.
Click to expand...

Interesting. They do look to have re-engineered T27s and B110s though I can’t find and real detail beyond marketing literature. If they drivers, crossovers and cabinets s tightly to BBC spec to the extent parts could be swapped seamlessly with a 1970s original then I guess they are an LS3/5A. I view the others as ‘influenced by’, e.g. speakers like the P3ESR, Stirlings, Grahams etc. Lots of really great choice out there in the quality mini-monitor market these days!
 
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