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I don't own either an STA 15 or a 303 so I can't check whether, without that particular pre, the two amps are "different rather than better/worse" and whether the 303 has more slam.

Indeed, and it should be viewed as one particular STA15, one particular 303 driving a very rare pair of (easy to drive) speakers few people will ever get to hear in one particular room. Everything in this equation is a variable. Like everyone else my opinion is not an absolute, and controversially I apply that to measurists/spec readers too, i.e. what they focus on as being important may be simply irrelevant to huge numbers of audiophiles. There are no absolutes here, just personal preferences.
 
[I said:
([/I]I just note that my STA25 into JS149s doesn't feel short of SLAM in the music I listen to.)

I am not surprised, an STA25 can drive most speakers well, any that it can't are not worth driving anyway, lol!
 
Indeed, and it should be viewed as one particular STA15, one particular 303 driving a very rare pair of (easy to drive) speakers few people will ever get to hear in one particular room. Everything in this equation is a variable. Like everyone else my opinion is not an absolute, and controversially I apply that to measurists/spec readers too, i.e. what they focus on as being important may be simply irrelevant to huge numbers of audiophiles. There are no absolutes here, just personal preferences.

Tony, could you please move the amplifier discussion to a dedicated thread?

Cheers!
 
Sorry if I went off topic, but I use some of the mentioned amps (Radford STA25 III, Quad 303 etc. to drive my LS3/6, BC1, and BC2).
 
And . . . which do you prefer your BCs -- STA 25 III or 303?

Possibly the STA25 III, but only by a very small margin, and as I mentioned, I might even be caught out in an AB comparison.

The 303 is used most of the time as it's idling consumption is only about 8 to 12 Watts, whereas the Radford can't be much less than 190 Watts, and the 303 is on about 18 hours a day, almost every day.
 
Possibly the STA25 III, but only by a very small margin, and as I mentioned, I might even be caught out in an AB comparison.

The 303 is used most of the time as it's idling consumption is only about 8 to 12 Watts, whereas the Radford can't be much less than 190 Watts, and the 303 is on about 18 hours a day, almost every day.

I'm not totally surprised because I didn't enjoy the STA25 with my SP1s as much as I do with the JR 149s.
 
I just want to say how much I’ve been enjoying my Spendors since this thread started. Tony, I think, I may be wrong, said somewhere that he thought that the ESLs are better speakers, well I’m not sure I agree any more!

Now here’s the bit that may be contentious, I’ve hooked up a pair of Townshend supertweeters to them, and it seems to have really woken then up. Put it like this, I never enjoyed them so much before supertweeters.

Even big music, big organs, which in the past I’d have said was nailed by my ESL/Gradient set up, sounds fabulous on the Spendor/Townshend kit. And small music, solo harpsichord or a string quartet, is really detailed, nuanced. Haven’t been listening to much singing the past couple of weeks.
 
I thought that it might be of interest to cross-post this information about the BBC LS3/6 which I have just posted in the classifieds.

The LS3/6 was the BBC "clone" of Spendor's BC1 (bextrene cone). Spendor then updated this model with the SP1.
Rogers started selling the LS3/6 as the Export Monitor, then updated that model to the Studio 1.

A new version of the BC1/SP1 was launched using new tweeters and a polypropylene cone, the SP1/2. The last version of this speaker to be designed the Hughes' was the SP1/2e from '94. For some years Spendor, under a new ownership and design team, produced the SP1/2 R1 and R2 with new drivers and, judging from these measurements (scroll down to the conclusion), new design brief/standards.
The Spendor Classic 1/2 is a completely different design.

Harbeth's original HL1 was an underperforming single tweeter cousin of the original BC1 which only had one tweeter.
Under a new ownership and design team the company later came up with the Harbeth Super HL5 which uses an identical tweeter configuration and is a much closer relative to the LS3/6(BC1). The SHL5 is part of Harbeth's domestic series which uses "cheaper" metal-dome tweeters; the original non-Plus version had a mistaken has a slightly contoured response (not flat on-axis).

There's more info and photos in Mark Hennessy's (I think that he's a member) website: https://www.markhennessy.co.uk/rogers/others.htm


Family tree:

Spendor BC1(bextrene cone)

BBC LS3/6 & Rogers Export Monitor (bextrene cone)

Spendor SP1 & Rogers Studio 1(bextrene cone)

Spendor SP1/2 (polypropylene cone)

Spendor SP1/2e (polypropylene cone)

Harbeth Super HL5 (radial cone)

Harbeth Super HL5+ (radial cone)

Stirling LS3/6 (polypropylene cone)
In fact, Hennessy has a mistake on his family tree list;
The Spendor SP1, ( the last design made by Spencer Hughes ) uses a polypropylene 8 inch cone that subjectively, is very close In sound quality to the 8 inch BEXTRENE cone he designed for the BC1.
The midrange of the polypropylene cone is just lacking the tiniest bit of midrange ‘subtlety’ of the BC1, while adding a much tighter bass response, as well as a smoother tapping of the HF1300, arguably quite IDEAL!!
 
In fact, Hennessy has a mistake on his family tree list;
The Spendor SP1, ( the last design made by Spencer Hughes ) uses a polypropylene 8 inch cone that subjectively, is very close In sound quality to the 8 inch BEXTRENE cone he designed for the BC1.
The midrange of the polypropylene cone is just lacking the tiniest bit of midrange ‘subtlety’ of the BC1, while adding a much tighter bass response, as well as a smoother tapping of the HF1300, arguably quite IDEAL!!

It was my mistake, thanks for pointing it out.
 
I got a BC1 in preference to a BC2 as my first really good speaker in something like 1972/3. With a Leak receiver (a 2000 I think) and one of the first Linn LP12 with a SME arm. Can't remember the cartridge.
Didn't realise how lucky I was until I sold them and disappeared into a rabbit hole of hifi 'upgrades' for years.
Wasn't entirely suited the some of the music I played at that age ! But I could hear the mid-range magic and been trying to get back there ever since.
 
I made a similar mistake, thinking the Harbeth HL1s were ‘better’ than the BC1s.
Fortunately I managed to obtain another ( later ) pair, thank goodness.

If you really want that midrange magic back then track down a pair of BC1s.
There appears to be quite a few pairs around...
 
I made a similar mistake, thinking the Harbeth HL1s were ‘better’ than the BC1s.
Fortunately I managed to obtain another ( later ) pair, thank goodness.

If you really want that midrange magic back then track down a pair of BC1s.
There appears to be quite a few pairs around...

Tks Martyn. I got one (well two !) of the first P3ESR and that gets some of it back.
I am finished with buying hifi: it has been a long, and expensive addiction I am happy to kick !
For some strange reason I would rather listen to music with my son on a B&O Beolit 17 in the garden than on my own with the main system. Not that we don't listen to that sometimes.
What I'm trying to say is that music and like minded company are now more important than the Nth degree of hifi, or fixing up some 45 year old kit.
But I guess if I stumbled across a pair of pristine BC1s I would be tempted just to show him what a nerd his Dad was...
 
Slightly off topic, but I thinking about trying a pair of Rogers Studio 7s.
I’ve always admired Rogers interpretation of the ‘2 cubic foot BBC cabinet’ approach.
 
Tks Martyn. I got one (well two !) of the first P3ESR and that gets some of it back.
I am finished with buying hifi: it has been a long, and expensive addiction I am happy to kick ! ....
But I guess if I stumbled across a pair of pristine BC1s I would be tempted just to show him what a nerd his Dad was...

I suspect he knows...
 
Tks Martyn. I got one (well two !) of the first P3ESR and that gets some of it back.
I am finished with buying hifi: it has been a long, and expensive addiction I am happy to kick !
For some strange reason I would rather listen to music with my son on a B&O Beolit 17 in the garden than on my own with the main system. Not that we don't listen to that sometimes.
What I'm trying to say is that music and like minded company are now more important than the Nth degree of hifi, or fixing up some 45 year old kit.
But I guess if I stumbled across a pair of pristine BC1s I would be tempted just to show him what a nerd his Dad was...

It is like any hobby. As long as you don't go on and on with it and keep some moderation and sensibility to the spending. I have enjoyed the thread. BC1 are nice to listen to and like lots of classic things, nice to own.
 
It is like any hobby. As long as you don't go on and on with it and keep some moderation and sensibility to the spending. I have enjoyed the thread. BC1 are nice to listen to and like lots of classic things, nice to own.

Of course. And be assured, my sons know what a Hi-Fi nerd their dad is...but one of them sure enjoys the hand-me-down gear...including some nice LS5/9s
 


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