Alternatives to LS35As?
Fri, Sep 16 2011, 4:12PM
I have owned my pair of Rogers LS35As for nearly 30 years from new, and have been extremely happy with the countless hours of pleasure they have given me - and still do. Over they years they have been paired with amplification from Sugden, Quad, Sony (well,even Homer nodded) and currently Musical Fidelity. They were refurbished/serviced 5/6 years ago by Stirling Audio and I don't think I could ever bear to part with them. In fact I still keep my Garrard 401/SME combo which I bought at the same time, even though I haven't played an LP in donkey's years.
However, having noticed the prices they fetch second-hand and with the realisation that everything moves on, I began to wonder what, if anything, is out there currently which may regarded as a modern equivalent, or even be a superior choice?
My only slight criticism of their sound is the comparatively lumpy bass, an acknowledged feature of the design and understandable, given the size of the enclosures. This tends to muddy some lesser recordings. Any ideas, anyone?
JKH
Sat, Sep 17 2011, 2:00PM
#2
RE: Alternatives to LS35As?
I recently sold my 30 year old pair on an auction site for over £1,200! They had spent most of that time in their original boxes since, quite frankly, I never liked the sound of them. I thought they sounded quite flat or dull.
Some years ago I acquired a pair of ATC SL20 speakers (for rather less than £1,200) and for me, they are so much better than the LS3/5As. A much more natural sound, never strained on any material. Well worth a try in my view. However, in this digital age, Gramophone has said some very nice things about the AVI ADMT and I am seriously considering them for my next major purchase. I already use AVI power amps and they are very smooth sounding.
Sun, Sep 18 2011, 3:58PM
#3
RE: Alternatives to LS35As? RE: Alternatives to LS35As?
JKH clearly enjoyed the sound of his LS3/5As so it makes sense to recommend types which are of similar design and voicing, rather than come up with a.n.other arbitrary brand of speaker and end up with as many opinions as there are speakers out there.
You should get an enhanced rendition of similar sonic character from the likes of Harbeth P3ESR, and the Spendor SA1 or (at lower cost) S3/5 models.
There are of course a host of small mini-monitors on the market, but the above models most closely adhere to the BBC design principles represented by the LS3/5A.