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Falcon Acoustics re-introduce the Q7 MiniMonitor.

I hope it is not against PF policy, if so: moderator my apology and delete if needed.

FWIW:
On stevehoffman.tv is a user ls35a who has had more ls3/5a's than he can remember plus has had the Harbeth P3ESR and ProAc tablette and is (quote) "never going to have another ls3/5a again": He has the Q7 now and it is (quote) "what he has 40 years been searching for".

Apparently the bass hump is not present in the Q7 and it will integrate properly with a sub. If I understand correctly he has a small sub (it might be a Kef KC62 ???) that he occasionally uses but that the Q7 doesn't really need.

@TonyScarlett : I've also been torn between the two but the price difference is just too big imho. TCO is better for the LS3/5A but there is only so much available for discretionary expenses in retirement.
 
My consumer-grade Yamaha amplifier from the early 90s has a dry bass that mitigates the LS3/5a’s bass hump effectively. I’ve been really pleased with the combination in all ways, actually.

Apologies if I come over as ignorant, but are the Q7s really LS3/5a drivers & crossover (or as good as) in a bigger box? I haven’t been able to find an authoritative answer.
 
My consumer-grade Yamaha amplifier from the early 90s has a dry bass that mitigates the LS3/5a’s bass hump effectively. I’ve been really pleased with the combination in all ways, actually.

Apologies if I come over as ignorant, but are the Q7s really LS3/5a drivers & crossover (or as good as) in a bigger box? I haven’t been able to find an authoritative answer.

The drivers are exactly the same, the crossover has a "small tweak" in the bass region. There is also the "gold version" crossover for the LS3/5A that has laminated ei-cores inductors instead of powered iron / ferrite cores. The gold version can be used in both the LS3/5A and the Q7 and I believe the gold version has the same "tweak" in the bass region. The Q7 has a larger enclosure and I believe a tad more damping material against the back panel.

If I remember correctly the diffference between the EI-laminated cores and the powered iron / ferrite cores is that the former works better with extreemly small signals and the latter is better with (very) large signals. A noticeable improvement with the gold crossover has been reported by those who have "golden hearing".
 
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@TonyScarlett : I've also been torn between the two but the price difference is just too big imho. TCO is better for the LS3/5A but there is only so much available for discretionary expenses in retirement.
I bought the V3s out of the pfm classifieds, there's no way I could have swung them new, even s/h they were a bit of a stretch.
The one thing that did slightly put me off going for a brand new set of Q7s which was my other option was the potential resale value. At least with the V3s, at the price I paid I'm unlikely to lose any money if I wanted to move them on.
Of course if the Q7s @Ianp was selling had been available at the time I would have most probably jumped on them.
TS
 
The drivers are exactly the same, the crossover has a "small tweak" in the bass region. There is also the "gold version" crossover for the LS3/5A that has laminated ei-cores inductors instead of powered iron / ferrite cores. The gold version can be used in both the LS3/5A and the Q7 and I believe the gold version has the same "tweak" in the bass region. The Q7 has a larger enclosure and I believe a tad more damping material against the back panel.

If I remember correctly the diffference between the EI-laminated cores and the powered iron / ferrite cores is that the former works better with extreemly small signals and the latter is better with (very) large signals. A noticeable improvement with the gold crossover has been reported by those who have "golden hearing".
Perfect, thanks. :)
 
Can you please all shut up about the Q7 as I still have mixed feelings about letting mine go :)

Humour aside, I've said previously I don't wish to own two pairs of speakers and have recently slimmed down my collection to something approaching a core system. I find myself being very happy that my Leak 20 didn't sell though, I think I might have regretted that.

The one thing I will miss about the Q7 is hearing them in my system with a 6L6GC valve.
 
Can you please all shut up about the Q7 as I still have mixed feelings about letting mine go :)

Humour aside, I've said previously I don't wish to own two pairs of speakers and have recently slimmed down my collection to something approaching a core system. I find myself being very happy that my Leak 20 didn't sell though, I think I might have regretted that.

The one thing I will miss about the Q7 is hearing them in my system with a 6L6GC valve.

I can commiserate.

When I was working in Asia I heard the expression: "Don't complain, there is always someone worse off who'll trade places in a heartbeat (if he or she could)".

FWIW: I've been unable to work the last 18 years of my working life due to a rare form of leukemia. Over the last couple of years I've had several vertebrae collapse (osteopororis), the last one in the C7 - T1 area. If I look down too long my neck will very painfully lock up, 15 minutes is enough. I've had to give up my hobbies that were keeping me sane: one of them was tinkering with electronics. I'm in the process of selling off what I don't need for maintaining my current amplifier which I only managed to complete a few months ago. (and that exceeded all expectations). Other tools are slowly selling, nothing happens here in a hurry, population is too small for rapid sales (5 million).

A Leak 20 is a nice push pull amplifier, in days long past I did a bare chassis restore of one. Should have kept it.... I suggest you keep it as much as possible original - modified they don't bring in the same money when selling even when the modifications improve it.
 
FWIW: I've been unable to work the last 18 years of my working life due to a rare form of leukemia. Over the last couple of years I've had several vertebrae collapse (osteopororis), the last one in the C7 - T1 area. If I look down too long my neck will very painfully lock up, 15 minutes is enough. I've had to give up my hobbies that were keeping me sane: one of them was tinkering with electronics. I'm in the process of selling off what I don't need for maintaining my current amplifier which I only managed to complete a few months ago. (and that exceeded all expectations). Other tools are slowly selling, nothing happens here in a hurry, population is too small for rapid sales (5 million).
Sorry to hear about your illness. That's really rough.

I'm in the South Island. I bought my LS3/5a's on Trademe. They were a pig in a poke & I got very lucky.
 
If I remember correctly the diffference between the EI-laminated cores and the powered iron / ferrite cores is that the former works better with extreemly small signals and the latter is better with (very) large signals. A noticeable improvement with the gold crossover has been reported by those who have "golden hearing".

Interesting. I tried both Silver and Gold Falcon LS3/5as - and decided to stay with Silver. Maybe it’s what one gets used to.
 
I have tried out the Q7s and first impressions are very good.

Definitely more bass than the Stirling V3s, but not exactly the same quality.
The V3s bass is slightly better defined and is a little more ‘open.’


The Falcons have a very similar midrange to the Stirlings,
Very little to chose between them.
Perhaps a little more ‘air’ with the V3s, but marginal.


Interestingly the top end of the Q7s is on a par with the V3s.


The Stirlings are slightly brighter, but I couldn’t say which is correct.
Change the music playing and preference changes.

The above was listening to female vocals, Mary Black, folk music, etc.


Trying the Q7s with classical music was a different experience.


I played my favourite Vaughan Williams piece, ‘Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis.’

Playing the Tallis with the Q7s, listening intently, connected me to what Williams was trying to convey.
Music ‘surrounded’ me just that little bit more than the Stirlings.
The deeper bass was giving the whole piece more presence, more depth.

If asked, I couldn’t give a definitive answer to which speakers I prefer.

Playing female vocals & folk music the Stirlings would be my choice.
( The V3s remind me of the standard LS3/5a with Kef drive units I’ve owned )

Listening to classical music I feel I’d choose the Falcons every time.
( The Q7s remind me very much of the Harbeth P3-ESRs I owned )

These are early impressions.
I’m going to enjoy getting to ‘know’ these Q7s...
 
Interesting. Reading reviews, I expected you to report more difference with treble and mids between the two speakers Martin.

Is the crossover in the Q7 the same as the silver version of the Falcon LS3/5a? Do they have tygan grilles?

If the Q7 capture all the magic of the LS3/5a but with improved bass response they would be a near perfect speaker for me.
 
There is a difference in the mid. and top, but I didn't think it was as pronounced as some reviewers say.
I believe the crossovers are the standard, so called 'silver' ones.
The grilles aren't Tygan.
 
Interesting. Reading reviews, I expected you to report more difference with treble and mids between the two speakers Martin.

Is the crossover in the Q7 the same as the silver version of the Falcon LS3/5a? Do they have tygan grilles?

If the Q7 capture all the magic of the LS3/5a but with improved bass response they would be a near perfect speaker for me.

I believe the Q7 has the gold crossover. Tygran grills are an option (I ordered mine with them, they look great).

Agree completely with Martyn on the Q7/classical music combination. It's wonderful.
 
I believe the Q7 has the gold crossover.
Not as standard, unless things have changed since the pair I demoed last year.

@Martyn Miles , it's interesting you find the V3 has a brighter top end than the Q7, as I found the Q7 to have a more emphasised top two octaves than other mini monitors I've auditioned. This made it absolutely sublime with classical but did give it a tendency to 'sizzle' with vocals in pop recordings. I regretfully haven't heard a Stirling V3, nor a Falcon LS3/5A... one day hopefully!
 
I have tried out the Q7s and first impressions are very good.

Definitely more bass than the Stirling V3s, but not exactly the same quality.
The V3s bass is slightly better defined and is a little more ‘open.’


The Falcons have a very similar midrange to the Stirlings,
Very little to chose between them.
Perhaps a little more ‘air’ with the V3s, but marginal.


Interestingly the top end of the Q7s is on a par with the V3s.


The Stirlings are slightly brighter, but I couldn’t say which is correct.
Change the music playing and preference changes.

The above was listening to female vocals, Mary Black, folk music, etc.


Trying the Q7s with classical music was a different experience.


I played my favourite Vaughan Williams piece, ‘Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis.’

Playing the Tallis with the Q7s, listening intently, connected me to what Williams was trying to convey.
Music ‘surrounded’ me just that little bit more than the Stirlings.
The deeper bass was giving the whole piece more presence, more depth.

If asked, I couldn’t give a definitive answer to which speakers I prefer.

Playing female vocals & folk music the Stirlings would be my choice.
( The V3s remind me of the standard LS3/5a with Kef drive units I’ve owned )

Listening to classical music I feel I’d choose the Falcons every time.
( The Q7s remind me very much of the Harbeth P3-ESRs I owned )

These are early impressions.
I’m going to enjoy getting to ‘know’ these Q7s...

Great to read you experience, it is similar to what I gather from what I read elsewhere. I suspect it will be hard to choose between the LS3/5A and the Q7 and you'll be going back and forward between them.

The only theoretical impact will be the lack of the "bass hump" which should be benificial if one wants to use a sub.

Let us know your final thoughts / conclusion once you've lived with them for a while.
 
Thanks, Amadeus.

I was planning to give a final overview sometime in the future.

Last night’s listening was using CDs.

I’ll play some records tomorrow, using a system which consists of LP12/Mission 774/Denon
103 and a recently serviced/tweaked Audiolab 8000A.
 


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