Musical Fidelity LS 3/5A BBC Monitor, rosewood veneer
The legend.
Probably the most quoted loudspeaker, whose sonic capabilities cannot be praised highly enough to this day, will be reissued by MUSICAL FIDELITY according to the original specifications of the BBC. Look forward to a journey with us into the most intimate musical realms.
Rarely are there products that exude an irresistible charm in the first seconds of contact. One of the many reasons why this BBC monitor has been around in its variants for almost 50 years now. Over all these decades, the LS3/5A has had a lasting impact on many loudspeaker developers. Many of them have tried to transfare their musical charm into modern products - only rarely have they succeeded.
At some point in life, there comes a point for everyone when they are looking for the real, the true. Not an interpretation or approximation of this, but according to the original. Here it is: MUSICAL FIDELITY LS3/5A.
The features.
As early as the 60s of the last century, the BBC, the venerable British broadcaster, was looking for a monitor speaker for OB vans and applications where the use of headphones is unfavorable. In addition to excellent musicality, the aim was to achieve a neutral frequency response between 400 Hz and 20 kHz.
The LS3/5A is the resulting studio monitor loudspeaker, developed by the BBC under the direction of Dudley Harwood and then produced in a small series. From 1975 onwards, licenses were granted to British companies, which produced the LS3/5A in not inconsiderable numbers in the following 2 decades.
The tweeter.
The tweeter T27 has a 19 mm Mylar dome and was considered potentially fragile by the BBC as the client, as it originally had an exposed dome. Therefore, the tweeter in the LS3/5A is covered and protected by a perforated grille. This also improves the lateral dispersion behavior at the same time. Just like the characteristic felt rectangle that surrounds the tweeter and effectively prevents edge reflections.
The woofer.
The B110 is a 110mm woofer with a coated Bextrene cone, a proprietary type of polystyrene copolymer. The membrane is guided by a neoprene surround. Its nominal impedance of 8 ohms increases in conjunction with the crossover to the LS3/5A's nominal impedance of 15 ohms, making the speaker a very easy to drive load for any amplifier. Its very low natural resonance of 35iHz for its size predestines it for use in a closed housing.
The case.
The speaker has an internal volume of about 5 liters. Like the original development, the 31x19x16 centimeter housing is made of 12 mm thick birch plywood, which is reinforced with beech struts at each connection and highly damped.
The rosewood veneer, selected in pairs and processed in the best possible way, discreetly underlines the exclusive appearance of the LS3/5A.
The highly stable and highly conductive connectors accept 4mm connectors as well as cable lugs as well as bare cable ends.
The crossover.
The crossover has a total of 13 components of selected quality. There are 6 components in front of the tweeter alone, one of which is an inductor that can be fine-tuned to the specific tweeter in seven steps.
At the time, the development specifications did not set any financial limits and so the best and most elaborate ingredients were specified - with high-quality, shielded air-gap inductors and film capacitors.
Made with love.
The production of the LS3/5A is very demanding because of the strict specifications and the necessary consistency of each individual component. No individual component may be varied without audibly disturbing the tuning. The LS3/5A sets such a high standard for sound balance that mistakes won't go unnoticed. Over the years, there have been various variants, some of which also differ considerably in terms of nominal impedance. The MUSICAL FIDELITY LS3/5A returns to the original design with an impedance of 15 ohms and therefore represents an extremely easy load for the amplifier to drive. For example, for levels at which it exudes its unspeakable magic, amplifiers with a healthy 20 watts of power are perfectly sufficient. The equally magical sound talent MUSICAL FIDELITY A1 is therefore the perfect partner not only because of its absolutely matching power output. Unlike many other speakers of the 1960s and 70s, the LS3/5A doesn't sound "old" today. On the one hand, this is certainly due to the comprehensive considerations and the first-class engineering talent that flowed into the development and, on the other hand, according to qualified connoisseurs, there was perhaps simply the famous little bit of luck involved.
The line-up.
The LS3/5A had very quickly found friends outside the professional field of use. And the audiophile music lover, in contrast to the sound engineer in the OB truck, who somehow puts the speaker on the console, may have the opportunity to offer the speaker the best possible place. And this is rarely found on the shelf. It is therefore best to position the LS3/5A on a tripod that is not too high.
Don't let the size fool you: The speaker surprises with a well-founded fundamental tone - even when far from the wall. Due to the closed design, the bass range is always very fast and perfectly defined. Experiment with short listening distances - even well below 2 meters. That's what the speaker was designed for. The two drivers mesh so harmoniously that they don't fray apart even in the near field. Of course, you can remove the cover, but the tonal tuning was done with the stringing on. The stereo base becomes wider and the speaker itself as a sound source the more inconspicuous you angle. This opens up sound panoramas of previously unknown width and height.
The sound.
Music, music and music. As simple as it sounds. The LS3/5A simply makes music. Even though the original development goal was certainly the best possible transmission of voices and acoustic instrumentation, it quickly becomes apparent how little the LS3/5A can be limited to certain musical genres. She also immediately gives modern, electronic sounds an intimacy that magically captivates everyone after a few moments. With somnambulistic certainty, she unerringly tracks down the actual core of every piece of music and transports it to the listener with maximum intensity.
The LS3/5A is also the perfect speaker for those who want or need to hear quietly, even extremely quietly. A lower limit volume, above which the music really loses its tension and coherence, is practically unknown to the LS3/5A. Especially for night owls who can't make friends with headphones, the perfect solution.
On the other side of the energy scale, the LS3/5A remains at the same homogeneity and effortlessly achieves volumes in the rooms and listening distances that are perfectly dimensioned for it, which are already no longer useful for true music enjoyment.
If you are already the owner of an opulent music system, then do as Mr. Reichmann did: install an LS3/5A with a MUSICAL FIDELITY A1 as an amplifier in a second, small room. You may feel like him and find yourself more often immersed in the deepest musical enjoyment here than over there in front of the big system.
Specifications:
The legend.
Probably the most quoted loudspeaker, whose sonic capabilities cannot be praised highly enough to this day, will be reissued by MUSICAL FIDELITY according to the original specifications of the BBC. Look forward to a journey with us into the most intimate musical realms.
Rarely are there products that exude an irresistible charm in the first seconds of contact. One of the many reasons why this BBC monitor has been around in its variants for almost 50 years now. Over all these decades, the LS3/5A has had a lasting impact on many loudspeaker developers. Many of them have tried to transfare their musical charm into modern products - only rarely have they succeeded.
At some point in life, there comes a point for everyone when they are looking for the real, the true. Not an interpretation or approximation of this, but according to the original. Here it is: MUSICAL FIDELITY LS3/5A.
The features.
- built according to BBC specifications (BBC-RD 1976/29)
- Highest quality and true-to-the-original components
- Closed housing
- two ways
- High-impedance concept (original 15 Ohm)
- Best workmanship
- Cabinet in rosewood real wood veneer
- harmonizes perfectly in combination with the legendary Class-A amplifier MUSICAL FIDELITY A1
As early as the 60s of the last century, the BBC, the venerable British broadcaster, was looking for a monitor speaker for OB vans and applications where the use of headphones is unfavorable. In addition to excellent musicality, the aim was to achieve a neutral frequency response between 400 Hz and 20 kHz.
The LS3/5A is the resulting studio monitor loudspeaker, developed by the BBC under the direction of Dudley Harwood and then produced in a small series. From 1975 onwards, licenses were granted to British companies, which produced the LS3/5A in not inconsiderable numbers in the following 2 decades.
The tweeter.
The tweeter T27 has a 19 mm Mylar dome and was considered potentially fragile by the BBC as the client, as it originally had an exposed dome. Therefore, the tweeter in the LS3/5A is covered and protected by a perforated grille. This also improves the lateral dispersion behavior at the same time. Just like the characteristic felt rectangle that surrounds the tweeter and effectively prevents edge reflections.
The woofer.
The B110 is a 110mm woofer with a coated Bextrene cone, a proprietary type of polystyrene copolymer. The membrane is guided by a neoprene surround. Its nominal impedance of 8 ohms increases in conjunction with the crossover to the LS3/5A's nominal impedance of 15 ohms, making the speaker a very easy to drive load for any amplifier. Its very low natural resonance of 35iHz for its size predestines it for use in a closed housing.
The case.
The speaker has an internal volume of about 5 liters. Like the original development, the 31x19x16 centimeter housing is made of 12 mm thick birch plywood, which is reinforced with beech struts at each connection and highly damped.
The rosewood veneer, selected in pairs and processed in the best possible way, discreetly underlines the exclusive appearance of the LS3/5A.
The highly stable and highly conductive connectors accept 4mm connectors as well as cable lugs as well as bare cable ends.
The crossover.
The crossover has a total of 13 components of selected quality. There are 6 components in front of the tweeter alone, one of which is an inductor that can be fine-tuned to the specific tweeter in seven steps.
At the time, the development specifications did not set any financial limits and so the best and most elaborate ingredients were specified - with high-quality, shielded air-gap inductors and film capacitors.
Made with love.
The production of the LS3/5A is very demanding because of the strict specifications and the necessary consistency of each individual component. No individual component may be varied without audibly disturbing the tuning. The LS3/5A sets such a high standard for sound balance that mistakes won't go unnoticed. Over the years, there have been various variants, some of which also differ considerably in terms of nominal impedance. The MUSICAL FIDELITY LS3/5A returns to the original design with an impedance of 15 ohms and therefore represents an extremely easy load for the amplifier to drive. For example, for levels at which it exudes its unspeakable magic, amplifiers with a healthy 20 watts of power are perfectly sufficient. The equally magical sound talent MUSICAL FIDELITY A1 is therefore the perfect partner not only because of its absolutely matching power output. Unlike many other speakers of the 1960s and 70s, the LS3/5A doesn't sound "old" today. On the one hand, this is certainly due to the comprehensive considerations and the first-class engineering talent that flowed into the development and, on the other hand, according to qualified connoisseurs, there was perhaps simply the famous little bit of luck involved.
The line-up.
The LS3/5A had very quickly found friends outside the professional field of use. And the audiophile music lover, in contrast to the sound engineer in the OB truck, who somehow puts the speaker on the console, may have the opportunity to offer the speaker the best possible place. And this is rarely found on the shelf. It is therefore best to position the LS3/5A on a tripod that is not too high.
Don't let the size fool you: The speaker surprises with a well-founded fundamental tone - even when far from the wall. Due to the closed design, the bass range is always very fast and perfectly defined. Experiment with short listening distances - even well below 2 meters. That's what the speaker was designed for. The two drivers mesh so harmoniously that they don't fray apart even in the near field. Of course, you can remove the cover, but the tonal tuning was done with the stringing on. The stereo base becomes wider and the speaker itself as a sound source the more inconspicuous you angle. This opens up sound panoramas of previously unknown width and height.
The sound.
Music, music and music. As simple as it sounds. The LS3/5A simply makes music. Even though the original development goal was certainly the best possible transmission of voices and acoustic instrumentation, it quickly becomes apparent how little the LS3/5A can be limited to certain musical genres. She also immediately gives modern, electronic sounds an intimacy that magically captivates everyone after a few moments. With somnambulistic certainty, she unerringly tracks down the actual core of every piece of music and transports it to the listener with maximum intensity.
The LS3/5A is also the perfect speaker for those who want or need to hear quietly, even extremely quietly. A lower limit volume, above which the music really loses its tension and coherence, is practically unknown to the LS3/5A. Especially for night owls who can't make friends with headphones, the perfect solution.
On the other side of the energy scale, the LS3/5A remains at the same homogeneity and effortlessly achieves volumes in the rooms and listening distances that are perfectly dimensioned for it, which are already no longer useful for true music enjoyment.
If you are already the owner of an opulent music system, then do as Mr. Reichmann did: install an LS3/5A with a MUSICAL FIDELITY A1 as an amplifier in a second, small room. You may feel like him and find yourself more often immersed in the deepest musical enjoyment here than over there in front of the big system.
Specifications:
- Original: LS3/5A according to BBC RD 1976/29
- Type: 2-way, passive, closed
- Number of chassis: 2
- Woofer/midrange driver: 1x 110 mm chassis
- Tweeter: 1x 19 mm horn tweeter
- Efficiency: 82.5dB/W/m
- Frequenzgang: 80 Hz – 20 kHz (± 3 dB)
- rec. Amplifier power: 20 to 150 watts
- Nominal impedance: 15 ohms
- Inputs: 4mm banana socket, screwable for cable lugs and opening for bare cable ends Housing: 12mm birch plywood Dimensions W x H x D (mm): 190 x 305 x 165 Weight: 4.9 kg each Finishes: Rosewood real wood veneer
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You receive a 2 year warranty from the date of purchase for all of our high quality hifi-products.
If you observe any problem while using the product, you have the possibility to contact our friendly service team.
You can also easily manage your guarantee concern – without being obliged to – under the section My Account.
If you observe any problem while using the product, you have the possibility to contact our friendly service team.
You can also easily manage your guarantee concern – without being obliged to – under the section My Account.
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