Designers and builders of Loudspeakers in the BBC tradition
Stirling Broadcast LS3/5a V2 Monitor Loudspeaker
Built under license from the BBC, our LS3/5a V2 was our first design collaboration with Derek Hughes, bringing the LS3/5a back into production after the Kef stopped the manufacture of the T27 and B110 driver units.
Drawing upon his extensive experience of the LS3/5a, which reaches back to his work for the BBC in the 1970s, Derek managed to retain the legendary sonic character of the original, capturing the much loved vocal abilities of the classic 15 ohm version, whilst combining this with the faster more modern sound of the newer 11 ohm version.
As a result our LS3/5a V2 has improved and extended bass response with greater handling of dynamics, and won the 2005 HiFI News award for it’s category of loudspeakers.
Mass-produced versions of the LS3/5a used a compromised cabinet with 12mm walls - in contrast the Stirling LS3/5a cabinets are modelled on the famous 001/002 pair featured in the Hi FI News ‘shootout’, which were built in-house by the BBC and used as their references.
These cabinets followed the “lossy” thin walled cabinet design philosophy developed by BBC Research Department at Kingswood Warren, using 9mm thick cabinet walls instead of 12mm.
Our LS3/5a V2 version therefore combines the very best of the traditional BBC LS3/5a with modern design and manufacturing by using custom high quality drive units in thin wall (9mm) birch plywood cabinets, damped using double layers of bituminous pads. The high-quality crossover followed extensive development with both computer aided design and traditional A-B listening used to voice the Stirling LS3/5a V2 against BBC 001/002.
The new speaker ideally requires 24 inch high stands, such as those supplied by Something Solid.
“The Stirlings are proud descendants of their royal lineage - the tactile midrange, the projected presence, the warm upper bass, the stellar imaging, the deceptively large presentation - they’re all back" - Paul Seydor - The Absolute Sound
“I was very impressed by the Stirling LS3/5a V2, … it both lives up to the reputation of its illustrious ancestor and even, perhaps, improves on what the original LS3/5a has to offer.” - John Atkinson - Stereophile
“I enlisted two seasoned LS3/5a users to audition the V2 with me. It took seconds to see the smiles on their faces.” - Ken Kessler - HiFi News
"The main thing is that their sonic signature is the same. That “magic” midrange is still there, with all the warmth and resonance it’s famous for.
Colored? Just a bit. Musical? you bet! Compelling? Absolutely." - Randy Wells - ToneAudio
"Suffice it to say, Doug Stirling and his designer have, through careful deliberation and experimentation, produced a surrogate that even the most hidebound LS3/5a purist could not fail to admire. " - HomeTheater Review
Technical Specifications
Power handling:
60w continuous, 110w short term, IEC268
Max sound level:
100dB, pair @2m
Input impedance:
11 ohms nominal
Input connections:
Bi-wire, 4mm terminals (plugs/wires to 4mm cross sectional area)
Freq. response:
75Hz to 18kHz +/-3dB (on HF axis @1m)
Crossover:
3kHz
Sensitivity:
83dB/1watt/1m
Cabinet details:
Two-way infinite baffle (sealed box). 188mm(w) x 168mm (d) x 302mm (h)
Weight:
4.2kg each (shipping weight 9kg pair)
Veneers available:
Cherry, Walnut, Rosewood, Rosewood Special, Super Streaky Special, Wild Oak, Ebony Tiger Strip, Zebrano
Reviews
HiFi News
(Ken Kessler):
The Absolute Sound
(Editors Choice 2006/2007):
Stereophile
(2014 Class B):