BBC LS3/5a

[eldarvanyar]

Hi guys,

What’s the view and experience on the
LS3/5a?

Have many people used them or still use them?

There seems to be a bit of a cult following and sh prices are steep.

Should they be on my bucket list?

Is it fools gold

Thanks

[dave2010]

Hi guys,

What’s the view and experience on the
LS3/5a?

Have many people used them or still use them?

There seems to be a bit of a cult following and sh prices are steep.

Should they be on my bucket list?

Is it fools gold

Thanks

Simple answer - I don't know.

However, I have heard them a few times. Once was at a show, and they were on top of much larger speakers. The sound was excellent. I thought they were additions to the speakers below them, but was then told that the lower speakers were in fact switched off.

I also heard them in a demo room - still very impressive, but when sub-woofers were added in the results were stunning.

This was all a long time ago - more than 40 years.

I really don't know how well they'd work in a domestic environment, and also if good implementations are still available, or if the second hand ones which are available would be a good thing to have.

I suppose it's still possible to make them - weren't the designs published?

[walpurgis]

I suppose it's still possible to make them - weren't the designs published?

This may be of interest.

http://www.the-ear.net/how-to/build-authentic-ls35a

https://www.falconacoustics.co.uk/bbc-ls3-5a.html

[Pharos]

They have a cult following, due largely to the great impact they had at the time of their introduction which was because they were very good at what they did, they were designed for was monitoring of speech in an OB van, which they did rather well, and were small. They raised the profile of BBC loudspeaker design further, and this took on a life of its own.

However they are of limited range at both the top and bottom ends, and have a fairly serious coloration around 1k., but because of their limited range they have a pleasing presence, which many narrow band speakers can have; even a mobile phone can produce pleasant sounds. Broad band speakers have a great challenge in producing low bass without sounding poor on voice.

They are an icon of the BBC's great days, hence the high prices IMO.

[spendorman]

This may be of interest.

http://www.the-ear.net/how-to/build-authentic-ls35a

Interesting, thank you.

Strange, the Perspex front baffle ones, obviously not to spec. but probably for display purposes.

[hifi_dave]

Back in the day, they were designed to reproduce speech in a broadcast van or very small room and they did a good job of that but for music, even back then, there were better speakers to be had. We always had a pair of Spendor LS3/5A ready for demonstration but they rarely sold.

I have heard several of the latest 'BBC inspired' LS3/5A and they have too many limitations for me.

[Made in 1968]

Cos it was never intended for full range Hi-Fi use, so technically there is no design limitations..

[VanDerGraaf]

It's a speaker that just sounds "right" to a lot of people even now.
I think the prices are silly, frankly.
Bettered by near-contemporary KEF 101, same drivers, similar compact size, less coloured, more even frequency response in the upper bass, less money to pick a pair up.

[Made in 1968]

Much much prefered the Jim Rogers '149'

[VanDerGraaf]

Much much prefered the Jim Rogers '149'

That's another classic from that time, definitely. And again much more reasonably priced.