How Much are LS3/5a's Worth? (Moved posts)

[Audioman]

You can buy new for £1100 !

http://www.stoneaudio.co.uk/?manufacturer=stirling+broadcast&gclid=COblm9n237kCFaTLtAod9mgAEQ

[Audioman]

Hi Paul/Audioman
No the ones you linked to are the V2's..... a COMPLETELY different animal... Mine are the original LS 3/5a's... Mine have the original, and supposed to be the best, T27 tweeter and B110 bass driver... the V2 has completely different drivers

Bev. I suppose depends what sound you prefer and obviously some people will pay a premium for the original drivers which are out of production. The V2 are certainly not a completely different animal as they were voiced to replicate the original with drivers that are still available as well as using better components. If the original drivers ever need replacing you would be faced with obtaining the V2 mods or cannibalising another pair of originals (of which there are a number of variations for which different people will swear are the best). Never a big fan of the earlier LS3/5A's myself though many modern speakers are a lot worse. You can buy the current version from Sterling in semi kit form (ebay) for around £500 incl cabinets. Interestingly asking prices vary widely for originals but I'm sure you will get close to what you want with some patience. For the money I prefer something bigger that does real bass.

Paul.

[Audio Al]

Bev. I suppose depends what sound you prefer and obviously some people will pay a premium for the original drivers which are out of production. The V2 are certainly not a completely different animal as they were voiced to replicate the original with drivers that are still available as well as using better components. If the original drivers ever need replacing you would be faced with obtaining the V2 mods or cannibalising another pair of originals (of which there are a number of variations for which different people will swear are the best). Never a big fan of the earlier LS3/5A's myself though many modern speakers are a lot worse. You can buy the current version from Sterling in semi kit form (ebay) for around £500 incl cabinets. Interestingly asking prices vary widely for originals but I'm sure you will get close to what you want with some patience. For the money I prefer something bigger that does real bass.

Paul.


Whats all this got to do with a pair of speakers in the for sale section :scratch:

[wiicrackpot]

Whats all this got to do with a pair of speakers in the for sale section :scratch:
Al, i am not siding with anyone but must applaud Paul for addressing the balance of the madness of LS3/5a ownership,
tried it myself, got my fingers burnt, not saying about the OP's speaks but most of those LS3/5a drivers or crossovers out there are mistmatched or at best patchy,
best left to those far eastern fanboys to waste their money on bad rubbish.

Back on thread now.

[The Grand Wazoo]

Al, i am not siding with anyone but must applaud Paul for addressing the balance of the madness of LS3/5a ownership,
But not on a sales thread please.


.....best left to those far eastern fanboys to waste their money on bad rubbish.

But not on a sales thread please.


Back on thread now.

I'm going to move the thread crapping posts to a new thread. You can bash or praise LS3/5a's all you want there.

[The Grand Wazoo]

There's a rule on AoS that says you don't put spoilers into people's sales threads. If you've got something to say that might ruin their thread, then send them a PM or start a new thread.
Thank you

[Audio Al]

Al, i am not siding with anyone but must applaud Paul for addressing the balance of the madness of LS3/5a ownership,
tried it myself, got my fingers burnt, not saying about the OP's speaks but most of those LS3/5a drivers or crossovers out there are mistmatched or at best patchy,
best left to those far eastern fanboys to waste their money on bad rubbish.

Back on thread now.


Andy , The way I see it

The OP listed a pair of speakers for sale , at a price that is ONO , surely its not polite to rip the add apart
If anyone was thinking of buying these speakers they would do lots of research prior to making a offer

The way I see this at the moment is only putting people off buying , not very fair

[Andrew B]

I just can't see the value in them, sonically or in material terms. If I wanted a pair (and believe me I don't) I'd probably build a pair based on newer drivers. Alternately B110s and T27s can be had used for a fraction of the silly prices tatty old ls3/5as fetch. I'd build a pair into some new cabinets, which you can buy readily for notalot.

It's not just LS3/5As though. The Harbeth HL-P3 models go for too much as well. Mind you, they are better, more nicely finished and cheaper than the old Beeb monsters.

I wonder if anyone out there is pairing them with a NAIT they also paid daft money for. If so, that's probably close on two grands worth. Glad it ain't my money.

[walpurgis]

I won't bother to repeat my regular slating of these.

But I just don't see it. Why throw large amounts of dosh at them. If they were say £250 a pair, I wouldn't criticise, apart from saying that all the development cost was covered by the original BBC contract about 1972 and that was never deviated from, as then it wouldn't be a legit (and licenced) LS3/5a, so little was spent on design and refinement subsequently. Material and component costs were not exactly huge and I reckon the close matching of drivers is a bit of a myth too.

[istari_knight]

Had a Rogers pair with 'BBC Radio Leicester' stickers on them about 10 years ago... Did very nice things with vocals but little else.

I bought & sold them for £200 back then IIRC.

[Yomanze]

Had a Rogers pair with 'BBC Radio Leicester' stickers on them about 10 years ago... Did very nice things with vocals but little else.

I bought & sold them for £200 back then IIRC.

Spot on, they are worth £200! I was just thinking the same figure before I took a look at this thread.

[synsei]

Whether one feels the value of LS3/5a's is over inflated or not, people will pay the market rate if they want them badly enough, regardless of any one persons feelings on the matter. It's hardly fair to chastise Bev for following the market trend...

[walpurgis]

It's hardly fair to chastise Bev

I don't think we were, were we Dave? I wouldn't have crapped on Bev's sales thread and the negative (and positive) comments are all reiterations of what has been said many times.

[southall-1998]

I've heard a pair of Sterling LS3/5a V2 monitors. Nice sound, liked their lovely midrange and vocals.

[Audioman]

The earlier Sterling reissue LS3/5A Bev is selling is neither the improved V2 or an original classic model. It's the later that the daft collectors pay big bucks for especially 15 ohm models. In fact Bev's will likely sound better than old Rogers models as Sterling used better quality parts and for a while were able to have the original Kef drivers made. They can sound good if used with the dedicated subs/stands. However as 'bookshelf' monitors they were always poor value for money even at the original selling prices. As pointed out there are a number of more modern and better BBC inspired designs.

[twotone]

I've a pair of JR149s, sound excellent to my ears.

[Marco]

Ok, guys, before we continue with discussing LS3/5as, I want to return to the disgraceful and completely unacceptable thread-crapping that took place earlier on Bev's sales thread.

First of all, I would like everyone to read the following warning very carefully and digest it (which I've now transferred from the trade room into Private Exhibitions), and which the regular members guilty of the thread crapping in question should've been aware of and complied with accordingly, before launching into their, totally out of place, criticism of Bev's speakers:

http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?28114-***-WARNING-everyone-PLEASE-READ!!!-***&p=484563#post484563

Now, I'll make this short and sweet..... If I ever see comments (from anyone here) again, such as the following, on someone's sales ad, those guilty will be banned instantly without further warning:


Bev. I suppose depends what sound you prefer and obviously some people will pay a premium for the original drivers which are out of production. The V2 are certainly not a completely different animal as they were voiced to replicate the original with drivers that are still available as well as using better components. If the original drivers ever need replacing you would be faced with obtaining the V2 mods or cannibalising another pair of originals (of which there are a number of variations for which different people will swear are the best). Never a big fan of the earlier LS3/5A's myself though many modern speakers are a lot worse. You can buy the current version from Sterling in semi kit form (ebay) for around £500 incl cabinets. Interestingly asking prices vary widely for originals but I'm sure you will get close to what you want with some patience. For the money I prefer something bigger that does real bass.

Paul.


Al, i am not siding with anyone but must applaud Paul for addressing the balance of the madness of LS3/5a ownership,
tried it myself, got my fingers burnt, not saying about the OP's speaks but most of those LS3/5a drivers or crossovers out there are mistmatched or at best patchy,
best left to those far eastern fanboys to waste their money on bad rubbish.

Back on thread now.

What on earth possessed you both to consider that the above remarks were appropriate on a thread where someone was trying to sell their speakers??? :doh: :rolleyes: How would you like it, if that were done to you?

Anyway, wise up in future or you won't be here to do it again. I trust that I've made myself crystal clear!!

Paul and Andy, you both owe Bev an apology.

Marco.

[Oldpinkman]

A pair of LS35a's are worth the same as a Rolex watch, diamond ring, pizza from tesco's , a house in the Languedoc or a business for sale. As an accountant I am paid from time to time to value businesses. There are about as many acceptable methods as there are members of this forum. The only one with any relevance is "what someone is prepared to pay for it"

On that basis, the answer regarding LS35a's would appear to be between £750 and £1500.

The cost of building one included the licence fee to the BBC, plus overheads, dealer margin, VAT....

As for their merits - they were good for what they were designed for - close range monitoring largely of vocals. In a HiFi context they are as good as any "true bookshelves" I've heard. As such, they are a great option in a small room when placed close to a wall (preferably on stands and not a bookshelf) where the bass lift from proximity to the wall produces a better overall balance. They also merit serious consideration of a sub-woofer (I talked to Andrew Watson of Kef at Karate classes about building one - him building one you understand. Nobody would have had a problem valuing one if I built it :doh:)

If you are looking for a full range bass-thumper you are looking in the wrong place. Probably whilst trying to find those fairies at the bottom of the garden :)

[synsei]

A pair of LS35a's are worth the same as a Rolex watch, diamond ring, pizza from tesco's , a house in the Languedoc or a business for sale. As an accountant I am paid from time to time to value businesses. There are about as many acceptable methods as there are members of this forum. The only one with any relevance is "what someone is prepared to pay for it"

On that basis, the answer regarding LS35a's would appear to be between £750 and £1500.

The cost of building one included the licence fee to the BBC, plus overheads, dealer margin, VAT....

As for their merits - they were good for what they were designed for - close range monitoring largely of vocals. In a HiFi context they are as good as any "true bookshelves" I've heard. As such, they are a great option in a small room when placed close to a wall (preferably on stands and not a bookshelf) where the bass lift from proximity to the wall produces a better overall balance. They also merit serious consideration of a sub-woofer (I talked to Andrew Watson of Kef at Karate classes about building one - him building one you understand. Nobody would have had a problem valuing one if I built it :doh:)

If you are looking for a full range bass-thumper you are looking in the wrong place. Probably whilst trying to find those fairies at the bottom of the garden :)

Good post Richard... :thumbsup:

[synsei]

I don't think we were, were we Dave? I wouldn't have crapped on Bev's sales thread and the negative (and positive) comments are all reiterations of what has been said many times.

You've missed the point entirely Geoff, by crapping on Bev's sales thread you guys were, in effect, chastising Bev for having the audacity to own and sell a pair of these speakers. At least, that was the gist of what came over in your posts as far as I am concerned, and others in loftier positions it would seem, hence the warning. Richard sums it up perfectly above...

[Audioman]

A pair of LS35a's are worth the same as a Rolex watch, diamond ring, pizza from tesco's , a house in the Languedoc or a business for sale. As an accountant I am paid from time to time to value businesses. There are about as many acceptable methods as there are members of this forum. The only one with any relevance is "what someone is prepared to pay for it"

On that basis, the answer regarding LS35a's would appear to be between £750 and £1500.

The cost of building one included the licence fee to the BBC, plus overheads, dealer margin, VAT....

As for their merits - they were good for what they were designed for - close range monitoring largely of vocals. In a HiFi context they are as good as any "true bookshelves" I've heard. As such, they are a great option in a small room when placed close to a wall (preferably on stands and not a bookshelf) where the bass lift from proximity to the wall produces a better overall balance. They also merit serious consideration of a sub-woofer (I talked to Andrew Watson of Kef at Karate classes about building one - him building one you understand. Nobody would have had a problem valuing one if I built it :doh:)

If you are looking for a full range bass-thumper you are looking in the wrong place. Probably whilst trying to find those fairies at the bottom of the garden :)

The price of LS3/5A should be nowhere near the amount you quote Richard and certainly not £1500. The new (better) Sterling V2 retails at around 1K according to the finish so it follows anyone is daft paying close to that for used. That is the point of my so called thread crap Marco which was not it's intended purpose. Frankly Bev has a habit of overvaluing things and hyping them up on this forum which is what annoyed me. I will admit I should have PM'd her as to my views on a realistic pricing and am happy to apologise for any embarrassment caused.

Frankly I am getting tired of hyped up overpriced products constantly being touted on this forum and the wording of this add pushed the wrong buttons. Not an isolated incidence as far as Bev is concerned. Perhaps you should consider a ban on the individuals who constantly shill certain brands before threatening what in my view were fair comments by myself and Andy. Note at no point did I say Bev was charging too much and in fact in a later post did say she would likely find a buyer willing to pay that much. There are tons of LS3/5A out there of various 'flavours' so I don't consider them some collectable rarity as obviously some rich far eastern buyers do. I wish Bev all the luck in achieving an acceptable price for her speakers. I think Ebay is the best place for them as there don't appear to be many LS3/5A fans on this forum. :)

Paul.

[synsei]

Perhaps you would have been happier Paul if Bev had advertised them as follows: Small speakers, don't want to state the manufacturer in case I am accused of shilling. Quite good - 50p :doh:

[Oldpinkman]

The price of LS3/5A should be nowhere near the amount you quote Richard and certainly not £1500.
Paul.

Paul.

I think you need to take 3 deep breaths and read posts before commenting. I am professionally trained to value things. I could list endless options for ways to do that, but noted that the most valid - indeed, in the final analysis, only valid valuation is what someone will pay for it. Accordingly the price range I quoted was based on recent completed transactions with LS35a's

I passed no comments whether those values would be considered reasonable to me personally. Merely noted that the value of something was what someone somewhere with real cash is prepared to pay for it, and units had recently sold at prices in the range I quoted.

Or as I say to my kids when coaching them on exam technique - RTFQ!

:)

[Audioman]

Paul.

I think you need to take 3 deep breaths and read posts before commenting. I am professionally trained to value things. I could list endless options for ways to do that, but noted that the most valid - indeed, in the final analysis, only valid valuation is what someone will pay for it. Accordingly the price range I quoted was based on recent completed transactions with LS35a's

I passed no comments whether those values would be considered reasonable to me personally. Merely noted that the value of something was what someone somewhere with real cash is prepared to pay for it, and units had recently sold at prices in the range I quoted.

Or as I say to my kids when coaching them on exam technique - RTFQ!

:)

It's news to me if accountants try to achieve max price for anything when disposing of assets ( acting as an administrator). Often the case when hyping up the value of a companies assets though, which recent history proves usually ends in tears.

Paul.

[The Grand Wazoo]

Bev and anyone else is entitled to price goods at whatever value they choose. If they don't sell, then that's their problem.
You may not think the speakers are worth the price but would you stand in the middle of Sainsburys and yell "You can get apples for half this price in Asda!" and not expect the management to ask you to stop?
Luckily for you, Bev had the patience to deal with you politely and Marco chose not to enforce the week-long ban that has been offered before for this type of rudeness.

[kenworthy100]

My ten penneth, I owned an ex demo/secondhand pair in the early 90's I paid about £250 as I recall. I used them with Naim 72/Hicap/140, Ion Nexus SP1/sam40 and finally bigger power amps in the form of Musical Fidelity Studio T eventually pairing them with a Krell KSA 80 power amp.

I found them to have a reasonable mid band but could not tolerate their complete lack of bass, other than baroque music they weren't suited to my style of listening, I eventually sold them having owned them for 18 months, a colleague bought them for £175

[Oldpinkman]

It's news to me if accountants try to achieve max price for anything when disposing of assets ( acting as an administrator). Often the case when hyping up the value of a companies assets though, which recent history proves usually ends in tears.

Paul.

Much as I'd love to open a thread on accountancy, I fear it would have few followers. However - your point about pricing by liquidators (to be a bit nerdy for a minute) is right. Balance sheet valuations are - well - for the purpose of this discussion, a bit of an esoteric nonsense. They are at least notionally "going concern" values. In theory they are a value reflecting the use to the business. In practice they are historic cost reduced by an arbitrary factor (depreciation).

At business breakdown - when they no longer have a "going concern" value for that business - all the esoteric theory goes out the window, and the value that matters is the one someone will pay for it. If that's a 5 year old desktop PC, or a broken filing cabinet, its usually not much. If it happened to be an LS35a used for entertaining the workers (well - 2 of them) then stuck on fleabay it would probably achieve between £750 and £1500. Whatever it did fetch, would be its value in the liquidators statement of assets presented to the creditor

So - loads of theoretical ways, but one and only one method cuts the mustard - what someone is prepared to pay for it :cool:

[Marco]

Frankly I am getting tired of hyped up overpriced products constantly being touted on this forum and the wording of this add pushed the wrong buttons. Not an isolated incidence as far as Bev is concerned. Perhaps you should consider a ban on the individuals who constantly shill certain brands before threatening what in my view were fair comments by myself and Andy.


Be tired if you like, Paul, of "hyped up overpriced products constantly being touted on this forum", but KEEP IT OUT of people's sales threads, or in future you will be banned. Given the very clear warning existing to that effect in the classifieds area of the forum, prior to you crapping all over Bev's sales ad, which you should've been aware of and heeded, there was absolutely no justification for your behaviour.

It was totally selfish and inexcusable.

It is also not up to you to dictate what equipment or ancillaries are promoted or sold on this forum, nor up to you to determine what is considered as "shilling". That decision belongs to the forum leaders here and me. You've obviously been brainwashed by reading the blinkered idiocy written elsewhere on that matter, so in future refrain from making serious accusations that you cannot prove are true, or I will ban you for it.

Now, this matter is not up for further debate, so please digest what I've told you, abide by it in future and move on. Any 'back chat' will be deleted without further warning. Let's all return now to discussing the LS35as.

Marco.

[Marco]

Bev and anyone else is entitled to price goods at whatever value they choose. If they don't sell, then that's their problem.
You may not think the speakers are worth the price but would you stand in the middle of Sainsburys and yell "You can get apples for half this price in Asda!" and not expect the management to ask you to stop?


Indeed. The lack of common sense and courtesy being shown to others, not to mention sheer selfishness, by people here who should know better is, quite frankly, astonishing.

Anyway, hopefully now lessons have been learned, so we'll leave it there.

Marco.

[walpurgis]

You've missed the point entirely Geoff, by crapping on Bev's sales thread you guys were, in effect, chastising Bev for having the audacity to own and sell a pair of these speakers. At least, that was the gist of what came over in your posts as far as I am concerned, and others in loftier positions it would seem, hence the warning. Richard sums it up perfectly above...

Get it right please Dave. It may not exactly have been appropriate, but participating in a bit of banter with Bev about aircraft seemed rather harmless.

[Marco]

Right guys, enough is enough. I must ask now that the thread gets back on-topic. Any further off-topic posts will be removed without further warning.

Cheers!

Marco.

[synsei]

Get it right please Dave. It may not exactly have been appropriate, but participating in a bit of banter with Bev about aircraft seemed rather harmless.

It wasn't the aircraft thing Geoff, you me and Bev were having a bit of fun with that, I was referring to the posts about Bev's LS3/5a's dude ;)

Soz Marco, must've posted as you did...

[Marco]

No worries, however I insist that yours is the last word on the matter.

Marco.

[istari_knight]

... If I were selling those LS3/5a's I'd be asking full market value as I'm sure any other sane person would ? Whether one likes them or not they're British audio heritage which makes them collectable ergo costly.

[Oldpinkman]

Pair (Rogers Brand) currently going for £1000 (20th bid) on the bay with 5 days to go, so my accountants valuation technique would conclude that LS35a's of the right badge sell for in excess of £1000

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rogers-LS3-5a-Matching-serial-numbers-968-A-B-1976-15-ohm-version/141066903385?_trksid=p3984.m2206&_trkparms=aid%3D222002%26algo%3DSIC.FIT%26ao%3D1%2 6asc%3D17234%26meid%3D1511309504317351050%26pid%3D 100052%26prg%3D8045%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D2212 86863237%26

Stick around - I can teach you all to be accountants ! :D

[Andrew B]

For anyone wanting to know more about LS3/5A versions, buying, selling, parts, mods etc, I found this site very useful. There's also a link tithe Yahoo user group there. Anyone wanting to buy or sell could do worse than ask those who know them best about value.

http://www.ls35a.com

Here's EBay completed listings too. Variations might well be explained when you read the site above. I knew there were copies, but not fakes and certainly not fake bits. This is one speaker where you need to dig much deeper to know the true value, but at least the info is there.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=Ls3%2F5a&LH_Complete=1&rt=nc

[wiicrackpot]

Ok, guys, before we continue with discussing LS3/5as, I want to return to the disgraceful and completely unacceptable thread-crapping that took place earlier on Bev's sales thread.

First of all, I would like everyone to read the following warning very carefully and digest it (which I've now transferred from the trade room into Private Exhibitions), and which the regular members guilty of the thread crapping in question should've been aware of and complied with accordingly, before launching into their, totally out of place, criticism of Bev's speakers:

http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?28114-***-WARNING-everyone-PLEASE-READ!!!-***&p=484563#post484563

Now, I'll make this short and sweet..... If I ever see comments (from anyone here) again, such as the following, on someone's sales ad, those guilty will be banned instantly without further warning:





What on earth possessed you both to consider that the above remarks were appropriate on a thread where someone was trying to sell their speakers??? :doh: :rolleyes: How would you like it, if that were done to you?

Anyway, wise up in future or you won't be here to do it again. I trust that I've made myself crystal clear!!

Paul and Andy, you both owe Bev an apology.

Marco.
I'd wondered where it had gone, thought Chris had deleted it and thats was the end of,
was only answering to Al's post and no dissing of OP's speaker sale to be honest, just generalising,
i'll just stick to Mika's photo thread from now on. :doh:

wii.

[Marco]

Andy, with respect, how on earth can a comment from you about the speakers Bev was selling, such as: "best left to those far eastern fanboys to waste their money on bad rubbish" possibly not be construed as not "dissing the OPs speakers" - speakers that she was actually trying to SELL??

If you think that's not 'dissing' someone's speakers, then I'd hate to see you actually try doing it!! ;)

Didn't you look to see what section of the forum you were in first before making those remarks?

Marco.

[wiicrackpot]

If you think that's not 'dissing' someone's speakers, then I'd hate to see you actually try doing it!! ;)

Didn't you look to see what section of the forum you were in first before making those remarks?

Marco.
I'd have come right out and said they were shite !!! and don't touch them with a barge pole. :D

Wasnnae concentrating and in keyboard hero mode, will stay out that room and stay in my fave chill room instead drooling over lovely pictures.:)

Oh...have read the new warning as well. ;)

[Marco]

Ok, I accept that what you did was largely an accident. In that respect, your case is rather different from Paul's. Anyway, we move onwards and upwards! :)

Marco.

[Audioman]

Pair (Rogers Brand) currently going for £1000 (20th bid) on the bay with 5 days to go, so my accountants valuation technique would conclude that LS35a's of the right badge sell for in excess of £1000

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rogers-LS3-5a-Matching-serial-numbers-968-A-B-1976-15-ohm-version/141066903385?_trksid=p3984.m2206&_trkparms=aid%3D222002%26algo%3DSIC.FIT%26ao%3D1%2 6asc%3D17234%26meid%3D1511309504317351050%26pid%3D 100052%26prg%3D8045%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D2212 86863237%26

Stick around - I can teach you all to be accountants ! :D

Note they are the Rogers original 15 ohm version which appear to be what the collectors pay the big bucks for. For SQ you would be better of with modern equivalents. Most LS3/5A don't fetch this much and they aren't exactly that rare.

[f1eng]

As has been said before, anything, LS3/5a or otherwise is worth what somebody is prepared to pay, whether voluntarily like a speaker somebody wants very much indeed, or due to excessive demand over supply, like a house.
I bought a pair of Goodmans LS3/5as new in the mid 80s. They were never used in my main system, mainly kept boxed or in an office system for evening listening when everybody else had gone home. I find music rivetting, so am unable to listen in the background. This means at work, I either stopped working to listen or found the music had finished without my noticing it was on...
As a result my LS3/5as remained little used and in near new cosmetic condition, and I still had the original boxes and internal packaging - even the plastic bags.
Not long after I retired and no longer "needed" an office system I sold them on ebay. Since they were mint, with original packaging and 15 ohm they sold well to a collector, who is delighted with them and thinks they were good value.
As it turned out it has been an investment, like some but sadly by no means all of the old cameras I've bought.

Does the sound quality justify the "value"? No, in fact I -much- prefer the new KEF LS50 which is a bargain IMHO. Does the rareness and condition justify the price to a collector? Of course it does because a collector voluntarily bought it!

Lots of old hifi goes for eye watering prices these days due to collectibility. Some maybe even sounds as good as the purchasers expect it to...

[Ninanina]

Frankly I am getting tired of hyped up overpriced products constantly being touted on this forum and the "wording of this add" pushed the wrong buttons. Not an isolated incidence as far as Bev is concerned. Paul.

This one REALLY got to me.... !! what on earth was wrong with my wording ???? :scratch:

"Not an isolated incidence as far as Bev is concerned".....What the hell are you getting at Paul? because I have NO idea !! :mental:

Maybe it is time for me to leave you lot to your own devices as it seems that ANY sales thread I put up you lot just jump on it/me... terrible behaviour!!

Can I ask that my Sales Thread is removed, it may as well be as I think now it's been so c****ed on it stands no chance does it???

I totally give up... :brickwall:

[Marco]

Hi Bev,

Whilst your outburst is totally understandable (and in many ways justified), Paul has been duly reprimanded for his unacceptable behaviour and asked not to comment any further on the matter. Therefore I must respectfully ask you the same. Let's just all move on now, please. Cheers :)

Marco.

[Ninanina]

Hi Bev,

Whilst your outburst is totally understandable (and in many ways justified), Paul has been duly reprimanded for his unacceptable behaviour and asked not to comment any further on the matter. Therefore I must respectfully ask you the same. Let's just all move on now, please. Cheers :)

Marco.

I totally agree Marco but that was my first and ONLY remark on the subject

[Marco]

No worries, Bev. We'll leave it there, then :)

Marco.

[Martyn Miles]

I just can't see the value in them, sonically.

I wonder if anyone out there is pairing them with a NAIT they also paid daft money for. If so, that's probably close on two grands worth. Glad it ain't my money.

Ah, The Nait.
Would you believe it this ? ( Well, it's true ) I once had the opportunity to compare an old Nait with a Sony amplifier from the 1970s ?
Sony amplifiers from the seventies ?(!)
Yes.
It was a TA88 which I was using with its matching tuner, into JBL Control 5s. The little Sony was specified at about 10 watts per channel. A bit like the Nait...
Not 'minimalist' , but almost 'maximumalist' ( New word?)
With:
Slider controls !
3 plastic switches !!
Screw connector for the speakers !!!

The Nait was substituted and Radio 3 listened to for about 20/25 minutes.
Excellent, no doubt.
Then the Sony was returned its ( rightful ) place.
Excellent, but the added advantage of subtle use of the tone controls (tone controls ?!) to compensate for the speakers size, position, etc.
Oh, and I bought it for about £60...

[topoxforddoc]

The earlier Sterling reissue LS3/5A Bev is selling is neither the improved V2 or an original classic model. It's the later that the daft collectors pay big bucks for especially 15 ohm models. In fact Bev's will likely sound better than old Rogers models as Sterling used better quality parts and for a while were able to have the original Kef drivers made. They can sound good if used with the dedicated subs/stands. However as 'bookshelf' monitors they were always poor value for money even at the original selling prices. As pointed out there are a number of more modern and better BBC inspired designs.


The earlier Stirling Broadcast LS3/5a is a completely kosher LS3/5a, licensed by the BBC to Stirling Broadcast. SB used to service LS3/5as, as their primary job is in the broadcast industry, for which the LS3/5a was designed. They only made a small number of pairs of proper LS3/5as from matched NOS T27 and B110 in the late 90s. KK reviewed them in a LS3/5a shoot-out, which included the original 001/002 pair (if my memory serves me correctly), in HFNRR (I still have the article somewhere in my archive). They compared very favourably. I bought a pair myself - they were almost £800 in 1999.

They ran out of NOS drivers pretty quickly (no surprise there), hence the V2 version, which is voiced to sound similar, but uses entirely different drivers and crossover. I have no idea of how many pairs were made, but they're probably amongst the rarest version. My pair was pair number 10!

[DSJR]

The Nait is a fine soft-clipper and lacks the hard tone of other CB Naims (except the 135's of the period, which were so superior to the others when new). No power at all for modern music though and the phono stage is very heavily eq'd to favour older mm types. Heck, a modern Arcam would eat it for breakfast and that's before I start recommending the Brio R or other amps at similar price available online (not just the ones I help make either) which are designed for modern sources of all persuasions.

[southall-1998]

Heard a pair of Stirling LS3/5a V2 a couple years ago. Was indeed a very nice sound. No nasties associated with the early LS3/5a.

S.

[Martyn Miles]

Heard a pair of Stirling LS3/5a V2 a couple years ago. Was indeed a very nice sound. No nasties associated with the early LS3/5a.

S.

'Ninanina's' LS3/5as he has for sale are the earlier ones, with KEF drivers, which some listeners prefer.
I have never heard the modern V2 model.
All the ones I have heard had KEF drivers.
Mine ( which have returned to me ) sound fabulous.
The input from Stirling Broadcast and Falcon Acoustics helped a great deal.
Should have never sold them in the first place.
They are definitely staying with me...

M Miles.

[DSJR]

The nice thing now is that older 3/5A's can be serviced and re-calibrated as necessary. Now, if only Falcon could re-imagine the 8" B200 as a replacement for so many other speakers (don't know if Harbeth still have the tooling, as I think they acquired this too back in the day when KEF were taken over).

[Martyn Miles]

The nice thing now is that older 3/5A's can be serviced and re-calibrated as necessary. Now, if only Falcon could re-imagine the 8" B200 as a replacement for so many other speakers (don't know if Harbeth still have the tooling, as I think they acquired this too back in the day when KEF were taken over).

If is a market big enough to make it commercially viable then Falcon has the ability and contacts to manufacture. As to whether the B200 has a big enough market, I really don't know...

[Martyn Miles]

How about the B139 .
Is there a market for new ones ?

[walpurgis]

How about the B139 .
Is there a market for new ones ?

Doubt it. There's not a huge demand for decent second hand ones. A mint late pair can sell for around £60. They start colouring the midrange if used above around 500Hz. Just listen to the old KEF Celeste or Concord (B139/T15) and you'll see what I mean.

[Martyn Miles]

The nice thing now is that older 3/5A's can be serviced and re-calibrated as necessary. Now, if only Falcon could re-imagine the 8" B200 as a replacement for so many other speakers (don't know if Harbeth still have the tooling, as I think they acquired this too back in the day when KEF were taken over).

I know of someone who had his RAM LS3/5as re-calibrated by Derek Hughes, late of Spendor.
Now they must be valuable and probably even easier to sell now Derek has worked on them, given his reputation and the work he has done for Stirling Broadcast.