Stirling Broadcast LS3/5a V3. Yes V3

[Yank]

Doug Stirling has told me that many LS3/5as they get in for repairs are out of spec.
I laugh to myself when I see some LS3/5a Obsessive pay thousands for a pair of Chartwells that must
be well of out spec.
Doesn’t matter, I suppose, as they’re probably added to the dozen or so pairs he already has.
Not to be listened to but revered.

Let's start with "white belly B110s" which seem to be desired by some. The "white belly" is a ring between the cone and the dust cap where the plastiflex coating has come unglued. A defective driver.

 

[Martyn Miles]

Which Genelec model are we talking about - it seems they have a wide range to choose from !

I looked up their Website and they produce a vast range.
I’ll have to have a listen to a pair...

 

[h.g.]

I wonder how relevant the choice might be given the BBC seems to have sold off the outside broadcast division.

 

[Martyn Miles]

Let's start with "white belly B110s" which seem to be desired by some. The "white belly" is a ring between the cone and the dust cap where the plastiflex coating has come unglued. A defective driver.

‘ White bellies’ are just the start. I have repaired and built up various old LS3/5as and ‘3/5a clones and
some of those old Kef drivers have had their issues.
Lifting doping from the cones, and roll surrounds which have seen better days. I often wonder how flexible the
suspension is on an old B110.
I think T27s are a little more reliable, having not seen any real problems with old ones.
As for crossovers, no doubt some components drift from their original value, affecting the
speaker’s closeness to the BBC spec.
All a bit of a minefield...

 

[canonman]

I wonder how relevant the choice might be given the BBC seems to have sold off the outside broadcast division.

Yes, 2008, but they did operate jointly out of their Langley depot until around 2013/14. That was the last time I visited.

SIS have also been sold this month to NEP.

 

[mosfet]

When is the Stirling V3 version to be released as there is no mention of it on their website?

 

[Martyn Miles]

When is the Stirling V3 version to be released as there is no mention of it on their website?

I don’t know exactly.
If I get any info. I’ll post it.

 

[Andimac]

I don’t know exactly.
If I get any info. I’ll post it.

I can probably find this out for myself easily enough but I wondered whether you heard from Stirling Broadcast whether an upgrade from v2 to v3 some way down the line might be possible? SB LS3/5As are on my audition radar, along with the much more expensive Falcon Acoustics LS3/5As, so this information would certainly help inform my decision.

 

[Martyn Miles]

Doug Stirling has told me the first magazine review of the V3 will be in March, so things must be progressing.
As for an upgrade from V2 to V3, I don’t know. When I next contact Doug I’ll ask.
The V2s are just SO good I am intrigued what the V3 will be like.
As for the expensive Falcons, the price pales in comparison with their Limited Edition ‘Kingswood Warren’
LS3/5as...

 

[Panderos]

My new (Graham) Chartwell LS3/5s arrived Tuesday p.m. Just warming them in. Literally; they were pretty cold to the touch after crossing the country from Montreal to the Prairies...

First impressions - very beguiling little speakers, beautifully made. I'll leave it there, give them a little time before venturing anything more comparative.

 

[TEA FOR ONE]

Hi folks,
I know this thread has been dormant for a while,but I'm the new guy,and I have a new to me pair of the Graham Chartwell LS3/5's. I have had them for a week,and I must say,I'm addicted! I also have a pair of Spendor S3/5's. These are also very addictive. So far,I find the Chartwells do everything just a little bit better. Currently,the Spendors are set up in the HT room driven by an inexpensive Denon receiver. The sound is still tremendous. Tomorrow at some point I will bring the Spendors up into my small 9'x13' listening room,and do a little side by side shootout.

 

[Pepe Cano]

El universo ls3 / 5a es bastante complejo debido a la gran cantidad de ediciones que han visto la luz en estos años. Tengo un Stirling MS-88, una copia exacta del 60 aniversario de Rogers. Tome Scan Speak y Monacor en lugar del Kef original, pero Derek Hughes los ajustó para que suenen casi igual que los Rogers de 15 ohm. originales

 

[Yank]

¿Que?

 

[Martyn Miles]

I’ve said this before, but I’d love to get together as many of the small monitors as I could for a listening
session.
I have heard ( and owned...) many LS3/5as, including non-Kef ones such as the Stirling V2.
I’ve bought ( and sold ) Harbeth P3-ESRs, played around with old B & Ws ( DM1s ) and
thought I’d found Nirvana with a pair of Falcon LS3/5as.
I have lusted after Graham Audio 3/5s ( and LS3/5as ) not to mention Celef LS8s.
Ironically, the speakers I listened to most were an original pair of Wharfedale Diamonds, in my
University Lab.
After all the above, after retirement, I settled on ( another ) pair of Harbeth ‘ESRs.
Odd things, and very addictive, are these little speakers...

 

[badlyread]

I started off with some Rogers LS3/5as with Quad33/303/FM3 and Lenco GL75 deck in the 80s as a teenager (present from my dad, starting off my hifi journey) and it was a wonderful system. So many musical discoveries.

I now have a modest Naim Atom feeding my wonderful Guru Juniors but I still wonder....... How would some Harbeth P3-ESRs or LS3/5as sound in my system? Might be an expensive itch.

 

[Stunsworth]

I heard the Sterling LS3/5As at Cranage and was blown away by them given the size of the box. I don't think I'd heard LS3/5As before, or if I did it was decades ago and I've forgotten, but what I heard was one of the best sounds at the show.

 

[hifienthusiast]

I started to own and listen to different brand LS3/5a since 1986. I still own a pair of Chartwell. I always say all LS3/5a are the same. I have many Hong Kong friends who collect LS3/5a of different brands. I don't see the point anymore, perhaps because I am getting old!

I have not really listened to my hi fi seriously since my son was born a few years ago. I​

n my opinion, those who own many brands of LS3/5a are collectors because the older models are rare.

I have not listened to any LS3/5a variants such as those mentioned in this post. In my opinion, the manufacturers are using the LS3/5a heritage to earn some money, good for them.

 

[TheDecameron]

Hi folks,
I know this thread has been dormant for a while,but I'm the new guy,and I have a new to me pair of the Graham Chartwell LS3/5's. I have had them for a week,and I must say,I'm addicted! I also have a pair of Spendor S3/5's. These are also very addictive. So far,I find the Chartwells do everything just a little bit better. Currently,the Spendors are set up in the HT room driven by an inexpensive Denon receiver. The sound is still tremendous. Tomorrow at some point I will bring the Spendors up into my small 9'x13' listening room,and do a little side by side shootout.

Welcome to pfm! Look forward to hearing how the Chartwells pan out.

 

[TheDecameron]

Do they have Outside Broadcast vans these days ?
The last time I was at an outside broadcast ( Any Questions ) they were using a massive vehicle, very
different from the vans of my youth.
Mind you, it would be interesting to know exactly what speakers they do use.

I’ve seen inside one used by R3 for concert recording and I think they had Dynaudios in there.

 

[Martyn Miles]

To re-start this thread, I am hoping to get hold of a pair of V3s from Doug Stirling in the new year.
At the moment I’m running some Stirling Broadcast Rogers 60th Anniversary LS3/5a baffles
in Harbeth ‘3/5a cabinets.
They are superb.