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Stirling Broadcast LS3/5a V3 Review.

interesting comparative better listen with headphones I guess everyone will have an opinion, and I would like to know what they are, a greeting
 
@Martyn Miles I am interested in getting the stirling v3. but just one last question. do you find falcon ls3/5a silver a little brighter? or they are generally voiced the same
 
Two years ago I posted in this thread with the question if the V3 leaves enough room for volume given the large coils. Never mind, for one thing it wasn't answered and for another it doesn't seem to be a problem given the many very positive posts about the V3.
I still have my V2 since about 2005 or 2006. In the meantime I have a home office and this is the first time that the V2 plays in a not too big room. Since about 1992 I only listened to tubes, Quad II, Leak stereo 20, MC275 MK4, as pre CE22CE and EAR 864. For another project I recently bought used Quad 306 (2x for an active xover) and a Quad 34. They are to drive my Klipsch Jubilee which I am reactivating with my Yamaha SP2060 since they do not work well passively. I had this exact Quad combination (with only one 306) back in the 80's.
I still have to change the PSU capacitors and at the 34 the many small caps, but everything remains at the original values, it's just a matter of precaution.

I have heard this combination with my Lascala and since a week in the home office with the LS3/5a V2 from SB with something solid stands. What can I say...I am thrilled. It could be that the longest time of the tubes is over.
Fortunately, I remembered how good the Quad 306 is for my ears.

My question, have you all since upgraded (to the V3 or other brands) or are there still members who are happy with their V2?
I love the V2 more and more and the change to a smaller room seems like a quantum leap, perhaps much more of a benefit than changing within the LS3/5a family but keeping the too big room. Before I need another LS3/5a, I can spend years rediscovering my music with the V2. I am very happy with it.

BTW here are my other main speakers during the last 17 years which are slightly larger than the V2.

https://community.klipsch.com/index...for-this-room/&do=findComment&comment=2710328

To me the LS 3/5a (basically all of them) has something that no other speaker offers when it comes to emotionally and mentally capturing the structure of a piece of music. It does not just disappear from the room and out of mind, as so often described, for reasons of stage and space. It has such a combining ability of timing, timbre, impulses etc.. Are there still Sb LS3/5a V2 users here?
 
Hi Heinz, Nice post. I'm afraid I can't contribute as a Stirling owner, but you have motivated me to dig out my 34/306 combination to try with my Falcon Q7, which I've been meaning to get round to, so thanks !
 
Hi Ian, my "new" 34 pre has been playing here for three weeks. At first I thought that the Quad 34 had a built-in compressor compared to my Mcintosh C22CE. But that's a bit unfair because I want to replace all the electrolytic caps, only after that a realistic judgement is possible. And yet, even as it is with the aged caps, it has an incredibly beautiful musicality and it is more fun every other day to enjoy its fatigue-free performance. Somehow the 34 has a secret in sounding very pleasant and benevolent. It's almost a kind of superiority out of modesty, if you know what I mean. It even tames my Lascala.
But then again, if you haven't already, please try your 306 with other pre amps as well. You'll be amazed at the subtle yet powerful sound you get, even if you have to change the sensitivity in the long run, which is relatively easy to do without interfering with the circuitry itself.

I apologise for the thread drift, it should go on with LS3/5a and especially with the V3 and its comparisons. I just wanted to answer directly.
 
A nice 34/306 combo is on my to do list but will have to wait a while, bit tapped out at the mo. Finding a nice minty pair for a reasonable price these days might be a challenge as well.
TS
 
HeinzR said:
Two years ago I posted in this thread with the question if the V3 leaves enough room for volume given the large coils. Never mind, for one thing it wasn't answered and for another it doesn't seem to be a problem given the many very positive posts about the V3.
I still have my V2 since about 2005 or 2006. In the meantime I have a home office and this is the first time that the V2 plays in a not too big room. Since about 1992 I only listened to tubes, Quad II, Leak stereo 20, MC275 MK4, as pre CE22CE and EAR 864. For another project I recently bought used Quad 306 (2x for an active xover) and a Quad 34. They are to drive my Klipsch Jubilee which I am reactivating with my Yamaha SP2060 since they do not work well passively. I had this exact Quad combination (with only one 306) back in the 80's.
I still have to change the PSU capacitors and at the 34 the many small caps, but everything remains at the original values, it's just a matter of precaution.

I have heard this combination with my Lascala and since a week in the home office with the LS3/5a V2 from SB with something solid stands. What can I say...I am thrilled. It could be that the longest time of the tubes is over.
Fortunately, I remembered how good the Quad 306 is for my ears.

My question, have you all since upgraded (to the V3 or other brands) or are there still members who are happy with their V2?
I love the V2 more and more and the change to a smaller room seems like a quantum leap, perhaps much more of a benefit than changing within the LS3/5a family but keeping the too big room. Before I need another LS3/5a, I can spend years rediscovering my music with the V2. I am very happy with it.

BTW here are my other main speakers during the last 17 years which are slightly larger than the V2.

https://community.klipsch.com/index...for-this-room/&do=findComment&comment=2710328

To me the LS 3/5a (basically all of them) has something that no other speaker offers when it comes to emotionally and mentally capturing the structure of a piece of music. It does not just disappear from the room and out of mind, as so often described, for reasons of stage and space. It has such a combining ability of timing, timbre, impulses etc.. Are there still Sb LS3/5a V2 users here?
Click to expand...
I recently made the jump from V2s to V3s. My advice? If you can afford it then yes, they offer a small but worthwhile upgrade. They don't do anything the V2s can't though. They won't go louder & they don't go deeper. What they do is offer small improvements to the already strong points of the V2s. A bit more transparency, a bit more accuracy, particularly with placement of instruments & vocals within the soundstage & a little more realism with voices & timbre. All in my opinion of course.
TS
 
TonyScarlett said:
I recently made the jump from V2s to V3s. My advice? If you can afford it then yes, they offer a small but worthwhile upgrade. They don't do anything the V2s can't though. They won't go louder & they don't go deeper. What they do is offer small improvements to the already strong points of the V2s. A bit more transparency, a bit more accuracy, particularly with placement of instruments & vocals within the soundstage & a little more realism with voices & timbre. All in my opinion of course.
TS
Click to expand...
Thank you for your description. I had BBC style speakers in the 90's, first a cheap Rogers LS4 (but it was really quite good) then Spendor SP1/2. Since 2016 I have a SB LS3/6 and I like it a lot! But I have no experience with classic LS3/5a or other new models than SB. Is the V3 "better" than the lot of the others in terms of transparency, or is the V2 "worse" than the others?
This question is only out of interest, not urgent because I am satisfied with what the V2 offers me. It would only help me to better classify them in comparison.
Of course I know this famous infection when nuances become worlds. You know what I mean, example tube amps, at first it's about being in this category, and later you want to hear whether a 1959 RCA long plate 12AX7 makes the wood of a viola sound smoother than a 1985 Philips JAN. And then you discuss which is "closer to reality". I know this madness from tube amps, compressor midrange drivers, Telecaster pick ups, Russian PIO caps and so on. I have been seriously ill in this respect a few times. I would like to avoid that as much as possible with the world of the LS3/5a, although on the other hand I know that diving into the details of things can be a lot of fun.

I have noticed that the V2 could perhaps play a little clearer here and there but actually it plays fantastic music. I am now soon 63 years old and this striving for more clarity, realism, transparency, impulse, colourfulness...everything you can think of is eventually eaten.
A good example is, I had bought a cheap Rogers LS5/9 via ebay in the 90s. It had arrived destroyed, but it was cheap anyway. At the time, the Audax tweeter was being relaunched, so I rebuilt the LS5/9. It is one of the most accurate speakers I know, and I know a few. But the LS5/9 is not always one of the most emotionally pleasing speakers, it is a workhorse and made for that.
Basically it's the same discussion as with the Quad amps. After I had only the sense for tubes since the 90s, Leak 20, Quad II, Audion 300B, MC275, MC2102, and as pre EAR 864 and C22CE, Croft (the very basic one with just the cathode follower to drive the Leak very well). Plus one or two that are less important to me.

And now come from out of the blue these Quad 34s and 306s came (for another project) into my home, which was when it started to become a serious hobby for me. Already in the late 70's I had Quad 33 and 405, self-made horns together with a buddy and since 1981 I had 2 beautiful HPD 295 Alnico Tannoy drivers screwed into a cabinet when I was a student. All stuff was used, just affordable and every penny went into it.

A journey I will no one bore with. But TBH if I would have my first serious system again, 33, 405 und 10“ Tannoy HPD 295 with original xover….it would be very good again. So the Stirling V2 stays and makes me happy in a smaller room.
 
My view is, if your happy with what the V2s do then stick with them, you already have one of the best mini monitor speakers money can buy. The V2s with the Quad 34/306 sounds like an excellent set up.
With regard to how the V2 stacks up to other LS3/5A type speakers, well that is entirely subjective but my own take is I preferred mine to the Harbeth P3ESRs I had a couple of years ago. There were some other speakers in between so not a direct comparison so make of that what you will.
The fact that I went back to an LS3/5A type speaker speaks volumes, there is just something magical & addictive about that midrange clarity that applies whichever make or model you choose.
TS
 
I would echo Tony’s findings, especially re. the P3-ESRs.
As for the V2s, I had them for a relatively short time before buying the V3s.
I found the V3s to be subjectively deeper in the bass than the V2s, as well as imaging better and
revealing details in the recording.
 
Last edited:
HeinzR said:
Hi Ian, my "new" 34 pre has been playing here for three weeks. At first I thought that the Quad 34 had a built-in compressor compared to my Mcintosh C22CE. But that's a bit unfair because I want to replace all the electrolytic caps, only after that a realistic judgement is possible. And yet, even as it is with the aged caps, it has an incredibly beautiful musicality and it is more fun every other day to enjoy its fatigue-free performance. Somehow the 34 has a secret in sounding very pleasant and benevolent. It's almost a kind of superiority out of modesty, if you know what I mean. It even tames my Lascala.
But then again, if you haven't already, please try your 306 with other pre amps as well. You'll be amazed at the subtle yet powerful sound you get, even if you have to change the sensitivity in the long run, which is relatively easy to do without interfering with the circuitry itself.

I apologise for the thread drift, it should go on with LS3/5a and especially with the V3 and its comparisons. I just wanted to answer directly.
Click to expand...

And that direct answer is most appreciated, cheers. 'Superiority out of modesty', absolutely love that. I bought my 34/306 combination last year - I was 'flush' and spotted a pair in time warp cosmetic condition. Then off they went to Rob at Amplabs for servicing. I do like to play about with older Quad gear, I have a 303 too. The aesthetic, the character, the reasonable cost, the heritage, it all adds up to my mind.

I'll get to it this weekend !
 
Holy thread resurrection, Batman!

Has anyone tried these with a low powered valve amp. I have a Leak Stereo 20 and wonder how they'd pair, particularly as they have a low dB efficiency. I don't play to headbanger levels, but wondering if this is a non-starter pairing.

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

Thanks,
 
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