History of the LS3/6 Speaker & BBC Connection
The late 60’s to the mid ‘70s was an interesting time in relation to the music that was created which necessitated stalwarts like the BBC to focus on making speakers that projected a ‘truthful’ sound. A research program was initiated at the BBC to ascertain how their broadcasts truly sounded as they were skeptical of commercially available speakers being unable to accurately reproduce the sound as well as consistently maintain the accuracy during loudspeaker manufacturing processes that may have varied from batch to batch.
The BBC therefore took it upon themselves to design & develop speakers, which resulted in the creation of the famous LS3/5a model of speakers which got the ball rolling and subsequently models such as the LS5/9 & LS3/6 came to fruition, based on necessity in relation to applications for different environments.
Spencer Hughes, was one of the engineers who was part of the team at the BBC research program, developing the said speakers and is credited with the creation of vacuum formed Bextrene coned drivers, which were used in the prototype 3 way speaker called the BC-1. The BBC initially wasn’t interested in this speaker design but after being impressed with the quality achieved and post some modifications, resulted in the birth of the LS3/6 speaker.
Something special about the BestVox LS3/6
There are plenty of brands that are licensed by the BBC to manufacture the BBC design speakers and each one of these brands have made countless models tweaked to suit the end user’s listening tastes as well as to the philosophy of the designers associated with these brands.
BestVox, on the other hand has gone in a different direction in this aspect as the owner, Mr. Ping has managed to be as true as possible to the original BBC design by paying minute attention to every aspect of the said design, materials used and cabinet construction techniques.
The design consists of a Tweeter, a Super Tweeter & a Mid bass Driver that uses polypropylene (PP) material.
The cabinets are thin walled as per the original design, plus are made inhouse to maintain the desired quality, consistency and tolerances as were desired in the original BBC Design.
The original tweeter, super tweeter and mid bass driver are all manufactured in house and are absolutely as per specs of the original. This is something which isn’t found on many of the licensed designs made by other manufacturers these days.
How do they sound?
The BestVox LS3/6 is a 3 way speaker with specifications as under:
Type: three-unit three-way bass-reflex bookshelf speaker
Unit: 20mm T27 tweeter x1, 25mm tweeter x1, 200mm Radial bass x1
Frequency response: 42Hz-20,000Hz
Sensitivity: 88dB
Impedance: 8 ohms
Crossover point: 3kHz , 13kHz
Dimensions: 630 x 310 x 305 mm (H x W x D)
Weight: 17 kg
Review Associated Equipment Pairing:
Amplification:
Rega io
AVM CS2.2
Source:
Arcam CD37
AVMCS2.2
Cables:
Interconnects
VDH
Sommer
Speaker Cable
Inakustik Reference
Artists Heard during Review:
Pt. Bhimsen Joshi
Bollywood Movie OST’s
Shakti
Western Classical
Jazz
Direstraits
London Grammar
The speakers were initially placed about 8ft apart and 1ft in front of the rear walls and subsequently brought closer to about 6ft apart when listening to a variety of music genres. Ultimately, it appears that for one wanting to listen to these speakers as intended in a typical English house hold environment, the speakers need to be closer to each other and as close to the rear wall as possible. However, it also depends on the room size and possible placement limitations one might have in their respective rooms but by & large the BestVox LS3/6 remain pretty comfortable to placement, meaning they aren’t very finicky with regards to where they are placed in a room. This certainly is a very welcome trait that one will appreciate with these speakers.
With regard to amplification also, the BestVox LS3/6 present a pretty benign load as was experienced with the pairing of the 30W Rega io, which paired beautifully with the speakers and never did one miss the need to really change it, save for experimenting with a much more expensive amplifier(AVM)
Remaining true to what the design guidelines were demanded from these BBC designed speakers, the BestVox LS3/6 showcased whatever was thrown at it, be it a change in cables, amplification and source material quality, it showed everything in a respectable manner, gently but assuredly.
There is something very attractive about these speakers as they make you listen to music, be drawn into the way they make you relaxed and enjoy whatever type of music you may want to listen to. The presence of a super tweeter may have some reservations but honestly speaking, never does it show its presence in a way that may make it stand out like a sore thumb. It just adds the desired amount of information that pretty much makes one not take any notice of it at all!
The mids are very much there to satisfy all who listen to vocal centric music, clear and precise, not overtly present but still engaging one to believe that there is more to these speakers than just mids.
Similarly, the bass does make its presence felt but just enough so as to not take away the spotlight of a seamless presentation across the frequency range. Those looking for bass heavy presentation might be disappointed but then they are looking for speakers that just do such in an emphasized manner, which the BestVox certainly isn’t going to do.
Overall, the BestVox LS3/6 are truly for those who love playing their music and be drawn into the entirety than just specific frequencies. The BestVox LS3/6 can definitely play in a small room that may measure 100 sq ft and probably do just fine up to a room size of 400 sq ft.
Final Thoughts
A truly fascinating glimpse into the world of BBC Design Speakers are exactly what the BextVox LS3/6 do remarkably well. They let you listen to the music as is, without adding nor subtracting. They just go about doing their business in a measured manner and are pretty flexible with amplification and placement. Truly one of those plug and play type of speakers that offer a lot and expect not much at all in return,
We highly recommend them!
Our ratings (0-5)
Appearance – 5
Build Quality – 5
Sound – 5
Value for Money – 5
Long term purchase quotient – 5
A perfect score indeed!
About BestVox
BestVox are a loudspeaker manufacturing company based in Taiwan. The owner, Mr. Ping has been fascinated by the BBC Design Speakers and over the years collected many original speakers as well as the licensed design speakers that were made under an official agreement with the BBC. Having realized that to make speakers that are true to the exact designs & specifications laid out by the BBC, Mr. Ping invested in manufacturing every component required in house, thereby being able to stay true in delivering speakers that are as close as possible to the originals.
The range of speakers include the LS3/5a, the LS5/9 & the LS3/6. For pricing and other details, mail us at: hifihunt1@gmail.com or call/whatsapp on 9820086384