Roger LS3a, Harbeth P3ESR and other BBC monitors

[PuritéAudio]

Who said it did? However loudspeakers are not all the same, so they may excel in different areas.

They are simply transducers , to use your terms a good loudspeaker should excel in every area, and thus be capable of playing every type of music.

Keith

 

[Nagraboy]

Thanks, that's what I expected. 

Yep, me and Harbeth are well-suited. That’s why I’ve used them for most of the last 7 years.

However, Harbeth themselves have spoken to many users at shows and it surprised them to find people are happily using them with electronic sampling music, and not a lot of Classical. Classical doesn’t actually seem all that popular in audiophile circles considering the room-clearing effects of putting on Classical music as shows. Much less room clearance effect (RCE) when playing breathy female vocals and finger-tips-on-guitar-strings music!

 

[StingRay]

Yep, me and Harbeth are well-suited. That’s why I’ve used them for most of the last 7 years.

However, Harbeth themselves have spoken to many users at shows and it surprised them to find people are happily using them with electronic sampling music, and not a lot of Classical. Classical doesn’t actually seem all that popular in audiophile circles considering the room-clearing effects of putting on Classical music as shows. Much less room clearance effect (RCE) when playing breathy female vocals and finger-tips-on-guitar-strings music!

Classical music sales are only about 1% of the market, about the same for Jazz.  A lot of HiFi show music is not good, IMHO.

 

[StingRay]

They are simply transducers , to use your terms a good loudspeaker should excel in every area, and thus be capable of playing every type of music.

Keith

I guess most are not good then. 

 

[gasolin]

I think that nowadays only Falcon, Graham Audio and Stirling Broadcast are making LS3/5a speakers.

As far as I know, the Harbeth is based in but not quite an LS3/5a.

.

In my opinion and experience the performance potential of this kind of cute little speaker is too limited for listening to music, namely in regards to dynamic abilities and bass extension. They were designed to monitor broadcast vocals in small booths and mobile studios (Ford Transit), not music.

In spite of the large following, it's just another one of those audio myths...

A S the owner of harbeth had it at 105db with a 2x140 watt quad 909 i think it was (was a quad power amp), that's okay for such a small speaker and for what it's designed for.

 

[plasticpenguin]

In the literal sense, Harbeth use thin walled cabinets. And Falcon make replica KEF drivers - the B110 and T27 from the original 3/5a.  

More generally, as you say, the likes of the LS50 was said to be a sort of upto date version.  I think it’s simply that the BBC monitors have such an exalted status for many - and one i don’t particularly share - that many manufacturers like to imply a link, even if it’s tenuous (though it isn’t in the case of the two I named)

I suppose you could say Leema speakers were based on that premise - Lee Taylor and Mallory Nicholls both worked at the BBC and were influenced by the monitors used at the time. As you say, it's quite tenuous.

 

[tuga]

A S the owner of harbeth had it at 105db with a 2x140 watt quad 909 i think it was (was a quad power amp), that okay for such a small speaker and for what it's designed for.

The clue is in the "what it's designed for" bit.

.

I don't agree with every thing that's written in it but here's an interesting piece about toy-speakers:

Who stole the bass? by Anthony H. Cordesman

http://www.stereophile.com/features/44/index.html

 

[PuritéAudio]

I guess most are not good then. 

Today’s ‘traditional’  dynamic loudspeakers would be very familiar to Rice and Kellogg , drivers in a box, passive crossover.

Keith

 

[gasolin]

The clue is in the "what it's designed for" bit.

.

I don't agree with every thing that's written in it but here's an interesting piece about toy-speakers:

Who stole the bass? by Anthony H. Cordesman

http://www.stereophile.com/features/44/index.html

Atm im using a pa amp for hifi not pa,concerts.

Guess what, it works and it's giving me lot's of clean power

Steve guttenberg say in free air used nerfield the P3ESR disapear and sounds wonderfull, why wouldn't they sound good with rock music at 90-95 db (for nearfield use i personally feel close to 90 db , my phone can't mesaure abve 89-90db, is really loud)

 

[tuga]

Atm im using a pa amp for hifi not pa,concerts.

Guess what, it works and it's giving me lot's of clean power

Steve guttenberg say in free air used nerfield the P3ESR disapear and sounds wonderfull, why wouldn't they sound good with rock music at 90-95 db (for nearfield use i personally feel close to 90 db , my phone can't mesaure abve 89-90db, is really loud)

Who's Steve guttenberg?

 

[gasolin]

Who's Steve guttenberg?

The Audiophiliac (You do know who Michael fremer is?)

https://www.cnet.com/news/this-could-be-the-last-hi-fi-speaker-youll-buy/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64WcfVWb49E

 

[Nopiano]

Coincidentally I came across this Falcon Acoustics LS3/5A post yesterday and  asked the question ...

“What would I get for my £2350 that, say, Harbeths P3ESRs couldn’t give me for £1745 or Spendor Classic 3/5s for £1195 ?“

I realised afterwards that it was the wrong place to ask a question (trade/advert post) so i’ll ask it here. I’m sure at least a few of you have compared them.

Hi chebby, having read the recent Hi-Fi News review on this, I’d say with the Falcons you’re paying for the cost of reverse engineering (if that’s the correct term) and fanatical attempts to reincarnate the legendary original model.  Harbeth, by contrast, recognised the good bits and interpreted them in a more contemporary way. 

I expect both sell all they can make to the Asian markets that seem to lust over them - and typically have small rooms, in which they probably work at their best. 

 

[StingRay]

Atm im using a pa amp for hifi not pa,concerts.

Guess what, it works and it's giving me lot's of clean power

Steve guttenberg say in free air used nerfield the P3ESR disapear and sounds wonderfull, why wouldn't they sound good with rock music at 90-95 db (for nearfield use i personally feel close to 90 db , my phone can't mesaure abve 89-90db, is really loud)

There are some interesting posts on the Naim forum about how long people kept their Harbeth's for, some had problems with the bass, several comments about too slow, seem room and placement quite important. One found there were not suitable for rock and changed to ProAcs. Harbeths and pa amp could be an interesting if somewhat risky combination for rock music. AS says amps all sound the same. 

 

[mattykyuss]

There are some interesting posts on the Naim forum about how long people kept their Harbeth's for, some had problems with the bass, several comments about too slow, seem room and placement quite important. One found there were not suitable for rock and changed to ProAcs. Harbeths and pa amp could be an interesting if somewhat risky combination for rock music. AS says amps all sound the same. 

Pleny of bass for the size of speaker.Why buy small bookshelf speakers,then add six subwoofers,or complain they dont have the same bass as say atc scm 50.The mind does bogle sometimes.We have p3esr .They are amazing little speakers.For the simple fact ,we are not trying,or hoping to get a giant floorstander sound from them

 

[tuga]

The Audiophiliac (You do know who Michael fremer is?)

https://www.cnet.com/news/this-could-be-the-last-hi-fi-speaker-youll-buy/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64WcfVWb49E

Another hi-fi guru... :roll:

I know Fremer, he's the comedian:

 

[chebby]

Hi chebby, having read the recent Hi-Fi News review on this, I’d say with the Falcons you’re paying for the cost of reverse engineering (if that’s the correct term) and fanatical attempts to reincarnate the legendary original model.

I suspected as much . 

It can’t be cheap re-creating the specific T27s and B110s (and crossovers) just for few collectors and Japanese apartment dwellers.

Using ply and beech (and UK based cabinet makers) and bitumen damping instead of MDF boxes spat out of machines, isn’t cheap either and just where do you source Tygan nowadays? (£54 plus postage for a pair of replacement grilles.)

All a bit rich for me sadly.

I guess I will be sticking with my lowly JPW Sonatas for now (sealed cabinets, with real wood veneer, made by hand in a Devon prison workshop) for my infinite baffle, bookshelf speaker jollies

 

[gasolin]

That's him, together with steve guttenberg (makes short daily videos on youtube) and peter bruninger (Avshowreports and AVequiqmenstReviews) these are the ones i mostly watch on youtube + a few other like zeos and thomas & stereo.

 

[tuga]

That's him, together with steve guttenberg (makes short daily videos on youtube) and peter bruninger (Avshowreports and AVequiqmenstReviews) these are the ones i mostly watch on youtube + a few other like zeos and thomas & stereo.

I find subjective reviews of little or no worth (except as a marketing tool), only look at the measurements.

 

[gasolin]

You can't always listen to 50 amps,speakers, what ever you want to upgrade, atleast when you do read a lot of reviews you know more what not to buy and what could be something you should buy when looking for an upgrade.

 

[gasolin]

Another hi-fi guru... :roll:

I know Fremer, he's the comedian:

Jeff Lynn hair