RMAF 2018 - The BBC LS3/5A 1968-2018: The Icon Live @ RMAF
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- Опубліковано 15 жов 2024
- Speaker: Jerry Bloomfield, Falcon Acoustics - Oxford, England
The BBC LS3/5a is one of the most iconic loudspeaker designs ever created. It is still being produced in 2018, 50 years after the original design work was undertaken by the Research and Development Department of the British Broadcasting Corporation ( the BBC).
This seminar will trace the story and the design behind the LS3/5a, starting with the development of the drive units by Malcolm Jones of KEF (the founder of Falcon Acoustics) in 1964. It will examine how the BBC Specification and design brief for this small speaker evolved over time, and the re-design in 1974 which resulted in the Classic LS3/5a which was then produced commercially in large numbers.
We will be looking at the various subsequent versions of the LS3/5a made over the production period and detailing the technical changes that occurred. We will also be showing the complexity of parts and engineering skills needed to produce a genuine authentic hand built BBC LS3/5a. We will also touch briefly on the various clones, facsimiles and fakes that have appeared over the years.
Falcon Acoustics and Malcolm Jones have been involved with the LS3/5a since the design was first conceived, and for this RMAF seminar we have uniquely bought over from England a full range of working examples and archive parts from the whole period of development and production. These range from the LS3/5 (1969/70), BBC R&D Reference versions, production versions from the 1970’s and 1980’s, right through to the Falcon Acoustics Classic 15 ohm LS3/5a in current production and the Falcon Acoustics Active LS3/5a currently in development.
All these versions will be demonstrated as the seminar progresses, and for the first time it will be possible to hear and compare versions from 1970 right through to 2018.
The 2018 Seminars are Sponsored by EnjoyTheMusic.com
My dealership called me at the end of the video to say my delivery for the Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a BBC 15Ω Gold Badge is today!😄
Metal plate at the back of LS3/5a Kingswood Warren prototype cabinet does not look like a wall mount base. Looks like a mass loading experiment.
Thoroughly enjoyed that. Thank You.
Thank you very much ! Awesome video me a sound Chaser 😃
thank you for your presentation sir
I wish I could tap the “like” button 10 times. Sadly it doesn’t work like that.
I think, for what ever it’s worth, that some of the famed magic of the Ls 5/3a is the fact that that it has the raised level between 100 and 250 hertz in combination with the gradual low pass below 90 hertz. The low pass makes certain that standing waves in normal sized listening rooms is a non issue, and the raised level above 100 hertz makes certain that instrumental warmth is not lost in the process.
I use a pair of Rogers Studio 3 made in UK in 1993. Same size and a much cheaper alternative which sound amazing
Interesting video. I'm extremely disappointed in the direction that Falcon appear to be heading in, though. Until just recently, MoFi were selling/distributing a "standard" LS3/5a, in a "standard" black finish, produced by Falcon, for a fairly reasonable price ($2k). That distribution deal, for whatever reason, has apparently fallen through though. Very disappointing. What's more disappointing is that Falcon now seem to only be interested in selling "luxury" versions of the LS3/5a, in "luxury" veneers, for an equally luxurious price of almost DOUBLE what the standard MoFi version was selling for. While there are undoubtedly plenty of rich old men (seems to be the target demographic!) who are happy to spend almost $4k on a small pair of speakers, Falcon seem to have completely forgotten about the more "pedestrian" consumer, who just wants a "normal" pair of LS3/5a's in a normal (black!) finish, at a relatively normal price. I wanted a pair for my studio, and black is the only finish that wouldn't look "odd". I also seriously resent being charged double the price for a few tweaks! Aside from anything else, surely a "tweaked" LS3/5a is no longer an LS3/5a!! The entire premise of interchangeabilty has been trampled on! LS3/5a's are supposed to sound the same as each other! Now, maybe I've got (some) of my facts wrong, and I'm certainly not looking to pick a fight with anyone, but I'd be interested to hear what anyone else has to say on this matter. Especially someone from Falcon! I've been using (and repairing!) LS3/5a's since the 80s. Repairing because in the "old days" of 1" VTRs, tape ops would rewind a video tape at full volume and the Sony VTRs didn't mute (or even lower) the audio while the tape was in FF/Rew, so the speakers would be absolutely blasted with a ton of high frequency energy, blowing the tweeters. Many times I would ship off a bunch of blown T27's to KEF in exchange for some new ones! The price was lower if you sent the busted ones back to them 😊 Anyway, point being, I'm very familiar with the "standard" LS3/5a, both Rogers & Spendor, and I really don't need/want an "improved" version (certainly not at twice the price, anyway). So, Falcon, what gives?! Why no "plain black" finish, and why no more "sensibly priced" version? Are you just going for a cash-grab from wealthy foreigners? I imagine this "improved" luxury version no longer meets BBC specs and probably can't even be sold in the UK. That's just a guess, but I think I'm probably right! Happy to be proved wrong, though, and I'd be even happier to hear that the $2k MoFi version was being produced still/again, albeit from a different distributor.
In the meantime I've bought a fairly late-production pair of Rogers LS3/5a's, in a pretty horrible teak finish (I guess I could do a vinyl wrap on them?!) but they do appear to be "like new". Having them shipped from England to NYC, and they're not here yet, but I would far rather have bought a new pair in black. Whatever happened to the MoFi deal, I wonder 🤔
Anyway, it's cool that Falcon are still passionate about these speakers, but focussing on rich old men and fancy, exotic veneers is not what this speaker was supposed to be about. It was meant to be a "utilitarian" near-field monitor, for professionals, and most studios want black! At a sensible price. Anyone care to share their thoughts or correct me on any points? If I'm wrong on anything, I'm happy to be educated!
Interesting pronunciation of "woofer", too! Not one that I've heard before 😂
It's not only about 3/5, the whole audio path is important ... as for 3/5 - they can play a very beautiful mid-range tone ... they don't have a stage, the sound is pushed forward ...
Therefore, find the ideal components and demonstrate to us ... empty talk and advertising - we do not need
@Consuelo Patagonia what a deep scene ??? - I've heard them many times ... this is a closed box and the sound is pushed forward
@Consuelo Patagonia for me it is extremely strange to hear! ... I owned a 3/5 Rogers ... in a bundle was Mark Levinson 36 + 37, the amplifiers are different - I liked the Mcintosh 6300 better .... what equipment do you use ???
@Consuelo Patagonia yes, they were in good working order ... But I heard in other systems and everywhere the same handwriting - beautiful crystal mids ... the stage is pushed forward ... there is no bass (a subwoofer is needed)
@Consuelo Patagonia LS oldest version (15 ohm) ...
@Consuelo Patagonia a couple of years ago there was an idea to buy a Graham Audio LS5 / 9 - he came with money to a dealer ... but he connected disgusting components - he could not demonstrate sound (digital) ... no more desire - he went to broadband speakers and will not return)) ).
I never liked the T27.... the dome piece kept coming unstuck in hot weather and to me it didn't go up high enough . Hence the use of the Coles 4001G in better systems .. I do not like the use of laminated inductors ... KEF used to use acoustic grade ferrite ( I'm not sure if they still do ) which is far superior.
An infinitely heavy theoretical stand with four bluetack blobs separating the speaker would not affect the sound. I think he's wrong about the mass of the stand effecting the speaker. If the stand doesn't vibrate thats whst you want. He's got that sort of backwards in his explanation.
Yeah, at one point in the video he was basically saying "you can put these things anywhere" (and the BBC certainly did!) and then later he contradicts himself talking about custom-made stands 🤷♂️