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diy ls3/5

P

philiphifi

pfm Member
hi - could i ask if anyone has built a pair of ls3/5? how do they sound compared to the real thing and where would you source the parts? Thank you very much Philip
 
Do you mean a warts and all clone of the LS3/5A (e.g. Falcon) or a DIY speakers of similar size but using modern technology to achieve an improved technical performance (e.g. Ergo IX, Continuum)?
 
If you want cheaper but good enclosure, you can find it on ebay.(LS3/5 box).

For the driver and the crossover Jerry of Falcon Acoustics is "the man" to contact.
You have a new B110 driver and the new T27 tweeter, and you have the genuine crossover for all the version.(pcb or complete crossover)
The result is very good.
 
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thank you gents. Just looking at the prices, it doesn't seem worth it DIY although i don't understand why falcon acoustics is selling their version for nearer £2k whilst others are much less. I thought these are built to the same specs?
 
If I were spending that sort of money on small speakers I'd at least have a listen the very popular Proac tablette 10.
 
philiphifi said:
thank you gents. Just looking at the prices, it doesn't seem worth it DIY although i don't understand why falcon acoustics is selling their version for nearer £2k whilst others are much less. I thought these are built to the same specs?
Click to expand...
Not at all. A manufacturer can pay the BBC for a license to support their marketing and use it to label whatever they like LS3/5A.

The original design used modestly performing drivers from 50 years ago and attempted to correct for their grosser failings with a complicated crossover and then testing the widely varying drivers to find ones that were reasonably closely matched. Even then the speaker was only intended for monitoring in confined spaces and not for listening to music.

Falcon are seeking to recreate a warts and all close copy of the original design by manufacturing something close to the original drivers which is inevitably going to be expensive in very small numbers. These are modestly performing drivers that are expensive for the performance offered today compared to 50 years ago and so are not going to be used in any modern designs where performance is a consideration. They are going to be used as replacement drivers to keep old but loved speakers going or for "LS3/5A" speakers where price and technical performance are largely irrelevant to potential buyers who value other things. The tiny volumes and inefficiencies in manufacture inevitably mean the price has to be high in order to be commercially viable.

If you look at the wide range of other designs that are seeking to cash in on the marketing appeal of anything labelled "LS3/5A" they tend to use a combination of different drivers, different cabinets, different crossovers, different... The result may in some cases lead to a higher technical performance than the original but it is not the original. The better performing modern designs in the same sized package tend to avoid the LS3/5A label hence my question earlier.
 
thank you for your informative answer. I thought initially that i could build a copy just to hear what it sounds like. if the cost is c. £200 then it would be a fund project to do but it looks as though it will be close to £500-600. It is not worth it.
 
If you buy the "moldave" box made with birch ply (of good quality and small price) of ebay and put by yourself all the equipment, it is not very expensive and you have a very good quality LS3/5A
(with the link of my last post) and the driver (genuine B110 and T27) and crossover (possible buying bare board and component) from Falcons Acoutics, you can have a first rate BBC monitor.

Don't forget the all assembled speakers from Falcon included the labor which represents a large part of the final price.

I built several pairs this way (all by myself) and the result is really very good, with reel musical life
All is to do a neat job
 
hi - Thanks for that. Could i ask how much you spent in total? i think mrc6 parts comes to £400+ £100 for the box so i am looking at a min of £500 already
 
189,54 pounds for a pair of the New B 110: https://www.falconacoustics.co.uk/d...0-8-ohm-kef-b110-sp1003-replacement-pair.html
189, 54 pounds for a pair of the new T27 :https://www.falconacoustics.co.uk/d...t27-replacement-falcon-t27-matched-pairs.html
Genuine crossover (different version, you have to choose) about 53,22 pounds X2 :example : https://www.falconacoustics.co.uk/c...10-t27-ab-crossover-mini-monitor-network.html
108,84 euros (you have to convert in pounds) for a pair of assembled cabinet: http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/709-5...0001&campid=5338728743&icep_item=113201247607
Some foam to put inside and some supplies, and you have a reel and very good BBC monitor, gorgeous!
A serious version that holds water and not the version you find all the time with cheap "monacor driver" who has no musical life and is flat

If you want a new monitor, don't go with this project
There is other option to do a new monitor
 
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