LS3/5a buys LS3/5a's

I thought I was done with various versions of this. But then I read some comments about a Chinese version that's supposed to be very good and only $599. So I popped for a pair, just to pull out now and then for old times sake.

Zero Fidelity is going to have a youtube review up soon.

SoundArtist LS3/5A Monitor Bookshelf Speakers loudspeakers Pair : China-hifi-Audio online store, Yaqin,Meixing Mingda,XiangSheng,Line Magnetic Tube Amplifier, power amp, preamp,hi-fi CD Player high end audio for sale [MUIA9832320] - $599.00 USD

 

I got to say you won't be getting an LS3/5A, just something that looks similar. The genuine ones are still made to strict BBC spec and licenced. Rogers were made in China but recently production moved back to UK so might be a clone of these. By the time you pay taxes might not be such a saving. You can get the proper parts and cabinet from Falcon Acoustics and build a genuine one for not a great deal more. I think there are better speakers out there for $600 these days due to stiff competition.

 

Hey, I'm intrigued! ... and yes, the price is the big driver. I'd love a set of Falcon or Graham LS3/5A, but ouf ... $$$$ ...

Call me OCD but, the pic of the speaker sans grill, the felt tweeter surround isn't centered ... bugs me (sorry). Hope that isn't an indicator of Q.C. lapses ...

Regardless, I'm eagerly awaiting your eventual review of your pair of LS3/5A's ... @ls35a! Hope all goes well!

 

I love the description supplied in the ad, I wonder if there really is a happy ending after listening to them. I do wish however that they would choose a properly finished pair to photograph rather than one that looks it was put together by the owner's 13 year old nephew. The mitre cuts on one of them is reject material.

 

That is the issue - probably a production example and the drivers differ from the genuine article. Probably a $200 speaker for $600.

 

There have been a few LS3/5a knockoffs out of China over the years. A couple of years ago I watched a YouTube review of one of them.(I can’t remember the brand) It was given a pretty good review. If I remember correctly,the highs in the knockoff were rolled off compared to a licensed LS3/5a. For the price,very interesting indeed.

 

Interesting. Did they make it look shoddy on purpose? You know, to give it an antique look like it has been sitting in a control booth for 20 years?

 

Seems like a potentially excellent deal. The cost of any currently in production is very high- even the Salk "Bagby Continuum" knockoff is now $1500. The Falcon version is $2500. Crazy.
If I were interested I would probably buy the driver kit of the continuum from meniscus audio and fit that to some available enclosures on ebay- total ~ $500 or so.

 

Interesting.....I hope this version turns out to be great for you. The new and expensive Rogers version sports drivers that were made in 'Asia'. I wonder what the inter-relationship is, of all these Chinese versions which have appeared over time. I purchased the Stirling V3 and I'm very happy with them.

 

Fakes are never a good deal.

 

The company that own Rogers were making various LS3/5A versions in Asia. Recently production was moved back to UK. I'm sure the parts are still largely made in the far east but that goes for many UK made products. In fact certain UK designed brands sporting a Union Jack on the box or product are actually made in Taiwan or China such as Cambridge and Wharfedale.

 

I hope you don't listen to them and, as they claim, 'regret the heart'...and find it 'difficult to normalize with bandwidth'..the pitch on the site is worth reading. Keep us posted.

 

@ls35a Good find - yes please do report back, they look well put together.

 

The Bagby Continuum (Jeff Bagby, RIP) is a well regarded "take" on the LS3/5A tradition that has a large following coming from winning an annual speaker competition.

 

Do you suppose a guy who goes by LS3/5A and has a picture of the Falcon Acoustics as his avatar has never heard the real ones before?

 

But if the owner loves them, that's a moot point. I'm looking forward to the review.

 

Here is Sean's review of the Mistral LS3/5A.



Basically, a good representation of the LS3/5A sound for the money. But a P3ESR will just sound better all around (not really surprising of course). I am expecting the SoundArtist to get a similar review but I suppose time will tell.

If I was looking for this type of speaker for long-term use, I think I'd save up for the P3ESR (or Chartwell, etc., depending on what you want exactly). In the long run you will surely be happier and might even save some money. But it's obviously fun to try new versions of this fabled speaker (I think that's what the OP is doing), and I guess if under $1K is an absolute requirement it might be the best bet for someone.

 

You need the "VIP model with real oil finish" for that.

 

Even more puzzling why he wants to chuck good money at these unless he is just a collector of all things LS3/5a like. Anyway in the current climate may be sensible to stay away from Chi Fi.

 

In 1977 I owned 15 ohm Chartwells.

I've owned 8 ohm Spendors, Stirling Broadcast V2's (two pair), and 15 ohm Falcons, and a bunch of similar speakers (Spendor, Proac, Harbeth, etc).

The Chartwell's and the Falcon's were my favorites.

PS: My avatar picture is a Chartwell.

 

Someone asked Zero Fidelity (youtube site) if these were better than the Mistrals, answer? 'Hands down'.

 

I'm bored and a collector and it's cheap and now I have something to look forward to getting in the mail.

 

Is it my imagination or is the front baffle affixed with staples?

 

Oh that's the easier part to understand; we're all crazy. A couple of weeks ago I bought an amp I basically have no intention of ever using because I think its pretty and I enjoy staring at it.

 

By 'these' you mean the Sound Artists?