Sterling Broadcast Monitors

[Haselsh1]

Yeah I know, it's me again...!
Does anyone have any experience of Sterling Broadcast Monitors...? As I see it, they are a modern version of the fabled LS3/5a but with SEAS drivers...??? Why am I asking...?? I'm looking into the future and completing my system. At the moment I am using Dali Suite 2.8's and these are bloody big floorstanders but I could be tempted back to LS3/5a's or similar.
Back in 1997 or thereabouts I used Rogers LS3/5a's which were originals finished in Rosewood and though there were things about them I didn't like, I loved the detail and the stereo imaging. With my now Croft pre/power, I think that the Sterlings would be a perfect match. Obviously I won't spend this kind of money without listening first but I'd love some feedback from you all.
Second choice... the PMC miniatures.

[Rare Bird]

And Scanspeak tweeters..I love these stirlings & would have bought them if i had the spare cash which aint gonna happen..I never liked the Kef tweeter anyway, i actually loved my old Audiomaster LS3/5a but again the tweeter irritated me.These stirling cabinets are to die for.

[DSJR]

Harbeth P3 ESR - simple as that.

These tiny Harbeths take the 3/5A concept to a far higher plane altogether and do a wonderful disappearing act. They have bass (up to a point), the mid is three dimensional and truly sublime and the treble regions so beautifully sweet toned with no (crossover) harshness or splatter whatsoever - amazing how wonderful metal dome tweeters can sound when sorted..

The Stirlings appear to me to be a modern re-take on the 3/5A and don't seem to progress the concept further, except to use modern drivers to "copy" the compromised original sound.....

Apologies if I have it wrong, but the 3/5A was a project for a scale model of a studio IIRC and they were a PITA to make - big time - and didn't make any money. Apparently they sold in tiny numbers outside of broadcasting and a good few were replaced with Harbeth Monitor 20's years ago (the P3 ESR is better than this but isn't a "drop-in replacement for the 3/5A as the Mon. 20 is)...

Look on the Harbeth site and take a gander at the user forum. HiFi dave loves 'em and that's where I heard them, croft and vinyl driven as well as CD, so there :)

[Haselsh1]

Hmmm... gotta be honest, although I loved the Rogers, I hated the level of tizz and fizz in the treble. I adored the midband though.

[DSJR]

The tizz and fizz in the 3/5A treble WAS DELIBERATELY PUT THERE to emphasise distortion and tape hiss. The Audiomaster versions may have been slightly brighter as a breed, although Robin Marshall himself did his utmost when calibrating each individual one. I remember whole batches of 20 pairs coming back from Hirst labs when KEF made a change to the B110 bass unit (yep, even in 1976) and Robin would slave over the pen plots for each one, selecting and measuring crossover caps to fine tune the crossovers to make them usable. Such as waste of time and money IMO...

By the way, any 3/5A's you see with XLR sockets on the back are almost certainly ex-broadcast ones and, when new, they would have had an absolutely centre-line performance - you couldn't take any old domestic 3/5A and swap it for another as they were all different within their spec - with the BBC centre line ones you could!

By the way, shortly after Alan Shaw took over Harbeth in the late eighties, he had some Audiomasters in to be checked and calibrated. Alan told me they were rather better than the OEM KEF-KITS the 11 Ohm version had become. The original P3 was far better in terms of realism, clarity and imaging when compared to the later KEF-KIT 3/5A, which KEF abandoned as uneconomic a few years later.

The P3 ESR is so good and I urge anyone interested in a "precision" small speaker to hear a pair. they measure properly and play such wonderful music too - honestly.......!!!!!!!

Here they are, with the big brother that Marco should hear... There really isn't much in it, other than maximum volume in the bass..

http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q8/DSJR_photos/DSCF0585-1.jpg

[hifi_dave]

DSJR has said it all so much better than I would have. If you want an LS3/5A speaker without that model's inadequacies, the Harbeth P3ESR is your baby. It has the most wonderful, tactile, solid, three dimensional midband, sweet top and powerful bass that makes you wonder, 'how do they do that ?'

As for the other model mentioned, I don't understand how it can be called an LS3/5A when it has different cabinets, different drivers and different crossovers. It's a bit like 'Trig's broom'...:lolsign:

[Haselsh1]

Hmmm... If I'm not mistaken, the Harbeth's weigh in at well over a grand and are therefore in a completely different price category to the Sterlings and the PMCs that I would be considering. Both of those speakers are around nine hundred notes.
Ideally, I'd love a pair of Audio Note AZ-2's but I'm seriously thinking of going back to miniatures. I just love the midband and the stereo imaging.

[DSJR]

The P3's are in a different league, believe me. that cone material that was so extensively researched comes into its own on these and they are beautifully made if posted pics on their site are to be believed.

Ok then, for £400 you can get some AVI N5's, which you'll find surprisingly good despite them having a very simple crossover and being made in the far east. The drive units are modern wide bandwidth designs allowing a cost-saving simple crossover to be used and the definition and "timing" is superb. Their slightly light balance allows them to be used close to a wall as well. the far eastern construction means they come into the UK dirt cheap and that AVI can make a profit out if them. they eat competition such as the B&W CM1 for example and don't sound coarse like the small Heco Celan's do..

[Ali Tait]

Hmmm... If I'm not mistaken, the Harbeth's weigh in at well over a grand and are therefore in a completely different price category to the Sterlings and the PMCs that I would be considering. Both of those speakers are around nine hundred notes.
Ideally, I'd love a pair of Audio Note AZ-2's but I'm seriously thinking of going back to miniatures. I just love the midband and the stereo imaging.

Shaun,Hificollective do AN speaker kits.May be of interest-

http://www.hificollective.co.uk/kits/speakerhome.html

[Haselsh1]

Ali, you know the guy that makes a coffee table with one long leg and three short ones...? That's me...! I cannot do carpentry at all.
There is a place on the net that is still advertising Audio Note speakers brand new but I have no idea of pricing. It's in the UK as well.
The thing I love about the AZ-2's is their space and air. OK, they are floorstanders but they're never gonna rok da house maaan.
The last time I saw a price for them they were 800 quid a pair... perfect...!

[Ali Tait]

Maybe get someone to make the cabs for you? Might stll work out cheaper...

[Rare Bird]

The Stirlings appear to me to be a modern re-take on the 3/5A and don't seem to progress the concept further, except to use modern drivers to "copy" the compromised original sound.....



Dave the Stirling V2 arnt supose to progress the concept further, the present drive units are because of a reason.nothing to do with ''Copy''