LS3/5a buys LS3/5a's

Yup. He had done a review of the Mistrals a few years back.

 

I like Sean but he was in diapers when many of us were already enjoying real LS3/5as, not the fake version. Even the Chinese 'philes at 1pekingroad.com think the SoundArtist clones suck.

 

I have a pair of Ho's

Gini Systems LS3/5a Speaker Kit The rewards of DIY. Review By Ron Nagle

They're okay but look nice. I got mine for free new in the box while living in Beijing so I can't complain.

 

If you haven’t heard the Falcon Acoustics version, by all means try to nail down an audition. You’ll likely notice immediately how much of a truly well balanced and exciting speaker it is. Well worth the US$2500, IMO. If you have already auditioned them and still don’t think they’re worth the money, cool. But I still disagree.

I’ve tried several kits. They cabinets are okay, the drivers are okay, and the crossovers function reasonably well. The problem is, they’re not great, and most barely qualify as good enough. Speakers have a sound while they’re not being driven. The kit speakers are all noisy and unpleasant. During play, I describe their sound, most often, as jittery or nervous. The crossovers are typically the culprit, but poorly matched tweeters don’t help either.

Of the major LS3/5A commercial offerings from China, I’ve tried the AudioSpace AS3/5A and LS3/5A. They were creditable, but an A-B comparison with current Rogers, Falcon Acoustics, Harbeth and Spendor versions left the AudioSpace boxes at the back of the bus. To my ears, the Falcon Acoustics, Harbeth, Graham-Chartwell versions have been competing at the top of the all-time-best heap for several years.

The Chinese-origin versions running at $400-$900 are utter junk, IMO. They’re just fcheap imitations that don’t provide any listener with even a hint of what a real LS3/5A was designed (and has evolved) to do. More cheap speaker-like products that might as well be shipped straight to the nearest landfill (which is where most of these sorts of products end up in short order anyway).

Basically, if great LS3/5A speakers were easy and cheap to make then Harbeth, Graham, Rogers, and Falcon Acoustics (most recently) would have been successfully knocked off years ago. That hasn’t happened - not even close, IMO.

 

If you're bored and like trying new things find a nice pair of Realistic Minimus 7W speakers. Try to get the wood cabinet versions. They sound very good, no big bass but they are surprising. Just for the heck of it. No joke.

 

That is the standard way of attaching the hook half to the front baffle and the loop half is stapled to the front cover frame. If you just relied on adhesive then it would just peel off the first time you removed the cover. They are generally tight covers and require some effort to remove hence the appropriate use of the stapes. The front baffles are actually screwed into timber sections located just behind the baffles so generally very secure. I've owned LS3/5a's for many years and will never part with the pair I have.

 

I'm keen to hear Sean's perspective. His relative youth as a listener is an advantage....his mind may still be, as yet, untainted by Ls3/5a snobbery.

 

Sean has a lot of experience, not just listening to equipment but also working in the industry. I'm sure he has probably heard the LS3/5A, or at the very least has a really good understanding of what makes them special.

When I first watched some of his reviews, I was very skeptical. Especially since he focuses on subjective evaluations because, well, how can one tell if his review is of something I haven't also heard? It's just his opinion of the sound of something I have no experience with. But watching his live streams is where I realized he knows his stuff. He talks about the industry, and he touches on a lot of equipment that he's heard in the past but hasn't reviewed on his channel. He doesn't leave his live streams up though, because he tends to speak his mind and that can get him into trouble.

It sounds like he is going to give these speakers a favorable review. But will he come out and say this is as good as a real LS3/5A? Or a P3ESR? I very much doubt it.

 

Hmm....I wonder if @ls35a is wishing he had kept quiet about his purchase! It seems there is an effort going on here to set up a relativistic, pre-conditioned expectation. Difficult to enjoy music under those conditions.

 

From most of his videos I've seen I would say his reviewing style is very "polite", verging on a video press release or product announcement. No measurements of course.

I'd love to see some real measurements and measurement comparisons of the the speakers being discussed here. Mainly out of morbid curiosity. If some of the "clones" are different/better/worse than an officially licensed version that should be sorted out on the test bench.

 

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Just curious, what was his experience in the audio industry?

 

His approach to reviews is to just explain what a component sounds like, and who that might appeal to. Not whether he actually likes it, because that's just a personal preference. In his live streams is where you'll hear him discuss his personal preferences more, as well as his opinion of other reviewers and dealers/manufacturers. He's pretty fair and measured I would say, so it's not like a big, angry rant. But he will say what he thinks.

I think it's mostly in a consultative role. Working with distributors and manufacturers. I believe he's even had input into the design of some gear (and obviously turns down reviews when there is a conflict of interest).

 

Ok, thanks, I 've never seen that mentioned before.

 

A Chinese LS3/5a copy ? How many times have we heard/read about a Chinese branded component that either came out of the back door of the factory that made the real product for a western company, or is an out right copy without licensing or royalty payment ? Their mantra is CASE....Copy And Steel Everything.

 

Actually he CURRENTLY works in the industry which is why his rate of reviews has tailed off. He told the world about this new job/position some time ago and to be prepared for him not being as active

 

Here is a Very Favorable review by Seans's buddy in Canada...not the 3/5 but same company

 

::Threadcrap Alert/Apology::

Zero Fidelity has become my go-to review place on YouTube (for speakers, mainly.) Sean seems to have a pretty good ear for what matters the most -- to me. The speakers' overall presentation; midrange clarity/timbre; musical engagement; how far into the recording one can hear; fatiguing/nonfatiguing, etc. Measurements rarely tell that story*, except for occasionally confirming what the ear has already revealed (a fatiguing speaker having peaks in the upper mids/lower treble, etc. ... YMMV)

Now, for the subjective observations to have any relevance to you or me, they have to correspond with one's own experience -- over time, I've managed to hear enough of Sean's review subjects that I think he kinda hears like I do. He seems to work very hard to get his descriptions right, and seems to mostly avoid hyperbole. (I only watch reviews I'm really interested in.)

Would I buy a speaker on his recommendation alone? No. But I'd audition one.


*I've heard speakers whose frequency graphs are pretty much identical, still sound very distinct. In my opinion, although measurements can be helpful (for example, in helping to pick an amplifier for a given speaker -- impedance and sensitivity data), they fall woefully short in helping pick out a speaker I'll actually groove with.

 

Thanks, I must have missed that. I am watching him occasionally, not a big fan of his reviews, I might add.

 

SEANS REVIEW

 

I thought that fell through, and reviews seem to still be going up with regularity. I'm not positive about that and you might be right, but that's what I thought I heard.

 

Zero Fidelity's review is up:



I'll do a review when I get mine. Probably at least a month away.

 

Wow. I was not expecting that.

Sad that I can't audition them; which is also the reason I haven't been able to go ahead and buy the Decware DM945's I've been interested in ... but you never know ... So! I'm mad keen to read your eventual review, @ls35a.

 

I just pulled the trigger on a pair. I’ll post back a review when they arrive and I have had some time to live with them.

 

Wow. Eager to hear your thoughts!

 

Sounds a little like the ProAc Tablette 10 vs the P3. In my small room I prefer the P3 but I can see why others may prefer the Tab 10’s.