Show us your LS3/5a’s

Harbeth is a ported speaker with a steeper roll off. When plugged this changes.

In some rooms the Falcon GB LS3/5a can go deeper similarly to Linn Kans but will not have the bass output of larger speakers such as the C7.

The speed is to be expected. I actually plug my ports on my Harbeth 30.2XDs. I much prefer this response for the very same reasons that you’ve highlighted. Speed and reaching lower in my room although the bass quantity has reduced. It also makes the midrange super responsive.

Yep….Always related to room specificities.

My Harbeth c7 was in a room bigger (twice than the one i have today) but the sound provided by the falcon PS3/5 GB is not less enjoyable than the one i had with my C7 (talking about medium), and the bass section are a lot faster with better definition than before.

So home try ( when possible) is a must (not possible with my falcon Gb purchase …so very lucky with the result )

I’s selling my Nait 1 to a mate. He wanted it pairing with some ls3/5a speakers so I had a chance to compare some loaned Falcon silver badge and Graham Chartwell ls3/5a with my Rogers. It’s a fun audition session. He has finally picked the Falcon.

PS. The Rogers AB3a active subs were working as speaker stands in the setup. He was amazed by the performance of the Nait 1 driving those ls3/5a.



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Have you tried them loudspeakers closer to rear wall ?

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No, I haven’t tried in this room otherwise the left speaker will block the door. I got decent bass response with the setup though.

I’ve had one, the INT-25. I can’t say that it was one of my most memorable purchases. Do resist.

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That’s an interesting audio room…

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What system did you use it within?

Esoteric K-07xs, INT-25, Klipsch Heresy III.
I found the Pass too meaty, full, not very modern and transparent. A sort of muscular ML…

I must add, though, that I had heard it at my dealer’s with the Esoteric and a pair of SHL5+, and the Harbeth were totally transformed.

I thought that 25W in pure ClassA would do wonders with the Klipsch, but here it just did not work.

Substituting a PrimaLuna EVO 100 for the Pass made things considerably better.

That looks like a great system.

I am thinking of an amp to try with my Grahams LS3/5a.

I just picked up an SMSL VMV A1 via the bay, for a princely £200.

Should be interesting.

My nearfield system means the speakers are about a yard from my lug-holes.

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Same source of inspiration :wink:

Would suggest giving the Rega Aethos a try with your speakers…just by curiosity…and who knows :wink:

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During cooler months I use a WAD 6550 power amp.

I have used a 140 & 250 over the last couple of months.

A friend was popping over with his Quad 204-2 last week, which he uses with his 15ohm Rogers, in a similar configuration. But, he caught COVID.

If a Rega comes in my direct I will try it.

What are your thoughts?

An I am thinking of LS3/5as (or, better, LS5/9) to go with my SN1 with DRpsu… For a change.

I’ve read much about LS3/5as in the past, their impedance module, more than its value, makes them a good match with amps with low damping factor and highish output impedance, such as many tube amps. A number of reviews state that in spite of being 11/15 ohms, they are tube friendly.
But then, old school Naim amps have a low damping factor and highish output impedance… Beyond that, it’s just a matter of voicing I believe.

Rega Aethos is a powerful amp with a spectacular soundstage, but I never could dispel a feeling that rega amps are thought (like so many others) to share the best characteristics of transistors and valves. To my ears, they are not fully convincing. Solid State amps winking at tubes have never really got me. To me it’s either one or the other. My experience with PrimaLuna was good to be honest.

I’ve tested several combination (including the SN3).
No one was bad, more different, and for me, the Rega was overall a bit more « fresh », faster with a lot of punch

I felt in love with his timbres, textures and flow.

Of course as i already had a P10 + Aura as Pre, it was not a hard decision :wink: (not talking about the « right » Price).

PS : Some are mentioning ergonomic problem with the remote control (to fast) but a new firware has been released….still in test in my dealer…so will check later myself

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The WAD gives a rather beautiful soundstage via the Grahams.

The 300dr with the speakers on stands is musically engaging.

The 140 in the nearfield system is more detailed and grips the speakers well, but is less engaging to my ear.

The old bolt together 250, which I keep as a spare for when the 300 has to go home, has the positive attributes of the 140, taken up a goodly notch.

I will be interested to hear how the SMSL 10W class A performs.

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LS3/5a and LS5/9 are something I haven’t experienced here yet. I heard Graham 5/9 twice, with a costly Luxman tube pre/power and with a Leben CS600; both times I heard a rich soundstage but a rather forensic attitude on the speakers’ part.

The only LS3/5a I’ve heard were KEF with MarkLevinson pre, Accuphase 50W pure class A power. Again, a certain brightness. Both times I missed the special midrange of which they speak so often. I don’t know.

Still, I’m curious. My present amp is a SuperNait with a DR-ed PSU. It’s not perhaps the most musical amp on Earth but it is extremely stable and authoritative. I have a feeling that it could pair well with BBC designs, but have to try.

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For a decade a owned the EAR-YOSHINO 868/534 amps.

Tim de P. recommended the Grahams LS5/9 as one of two speakers for use with these amps.

As you indicate, it is all about the system; including your room and musical preferences.

Look forward to your thoughts, if you buy a pair.

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Graham LS3/5 in the bookshelf for the TV system, powered by an Atom. Sounds amazing for both music and TV.

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Well, I had a fun afternoon.

A friend came over with his Quad 405-II, which we compared to a bolt-together 250 & the SMSL VMV A1 10W class A.

Started with a pair of Klipsch The Fives, which are a truly fun pair of speakers. These are active speakers with a 60W class D amp powering the mid/bass and 20W jobby powering the tweeters.

They can put out a prodigious amount of bass, with a rear facing horn bass port; in fact too much without reducing the levels using the app.

The Grahams LS3/5a are, unsurprisingly, in a class above them in terms of control and insight.

The front end was my dCS Network Bridge into a Chord Hugo TT. A Creek OBH-22 was the pre-amp.

The BT250 takes the speakers in a vice-like grip that can render the most complex of music in a transparent and controlled way.

BUT, when sitting three feet from the speakers they are, for me, just a tad too crisp in the mid-top end, where voices and electric guitars partially live. If I sat back, so I was six feet from the speakers, balance returned; the system knit together nicely. But, that is NOT where I sit when using my nearfield system.

The Quad-II was a surprise. The last time I heard one I was completely nonplussed; the Quad was a non-event that disappointed me. NOT with the Grahams. It did not have the low end control, being a bit tubby, but it was sweet and could form a lovely sound-field; which, with the right music, was beguiling.

Finally the VMV A1. Initially I used the Creek OBH-22, with the A1 turned up to max, to disable the internal pre-functionality. Well, I suspect there is no disabling. Many of the Class A virtues were on show, including some lovely shimmer on cymbals, and nice see through detailing. But, the sound-stage moved back, and leading edges were sadly reduced.

I removed the Creek from the system, plugging the Hugo TT direct into the VMV A1. This retained the noted strengths, but bought forth much more PRAT. The bass was large and present, but more akin to the Quad than the Naim.

The best of the amps with the Grahams was the Naim BT250, but, not for me in the position I use it.

The amp I would have bought, had I done a proper round of listening would have been the Quad, and I am pleasantly surprised to be typing this.

The VMV A1 is close to the Quad. It had a sweeter top end and a tad more see through insight. But, the Quad images a bit better, and has more usable power; and so has a broader range of uses.

But, at £200 on ebay, I think the VMV is a bit of a bargain. I will be using this during the summer months, when I will give my WAD6550 a bit of a holiday.

The BT250 will go back into the loft, as my emergency standby, when the 300DR has to go back to Salisbury!

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After yesterday’s listening session I had left the VMV A1 in circuit and was toying with the idea of swapping some different cables in and out.

I started with the same system and listened to a wider range of music I know well. I have to say my appreciation of the A1 went up. The see-through Class A mid-field I mentioned above is very good, and insightful with the right music, such as America’s Riverside.

As I was toying with which cables to move on to and a thought intruded. My friend had not only bought round his Quad 405-II, but he had returned a DAC I had lent him, a Synthesis Roma DC69. This is an AKM based DAC with valves in the output stage.

I decided to replace my Chord Hugo TT with the Roma, and put the BT NAP250 back into the system.

This works VERY nicely. A tad of the Chord’s dynamic punch has gone, but sitting to close to the Grahams this is no real loss. The vocals are now well produced and the music flows well.

Which system do I prefer …good question!

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