Categories
Reviews

Pylon Audio Opal Monitor – Bookshelf Speakers

Introduction:

A relatively new loudspeaker manufacturer from Poland, Pylon Audio makes some very nice speakers given their extremely competitive pricing are truly hidden gems in what is a sea of so many brands and types of loudspeakers currently available to all.

Pylon Audio makes their own cabinets and assembles the loudspeakers in their factory in Jarocin, Poland. The fact that they are making cabinets for many a top notch speaker brand in Europe says a lot about their cabinetry prowess and workmanship.

Unboxing:

The Opal Monitors come packed together in a single cardboard box that is quite simple to open and extract from. Thick Styrofoam blocks protect the Opal Monitors from the top & Bottom sides, so one can definitely reuse the packing for future movements if required at all. Suffice to say that the packing is simple yet functional.

Out of the box:

The Opal Monitors are quite a looker with the walnut wrap around the cabinet and matt black front baffle give them a look of a speaker that definitely is well put together and will put to shame those costing a lot more than them. Having said that, they are made to a price and that reflects in the way of them having simple single speaker binding posts enclosed in a typical mass market plastic binding post enclosure. A simple sticker printed with the model, impedance, sensitivity & frequency range details are stuck to the top rear left corner of each cabinet. That pretty much is what I can nit pick on these speakers.

The driver orientation is unique as well, what with the woofer placed above the tweeter, similar to what Mission does to their range of speakers, to aid time alignment & better transient performance towards the listener. Having said that, one doesn’t really think about such aspects once the music starts playing, the focus is definitely on how good they sound. Right out of the box, the Opal Monitors sound extremely balanced and weighty across the frequency range. This is such an important trait as one usually takes time to adjust to new speakers going through their burn-in period, which isn’t the case with the Opal Monitors. A variety of music was played and associated electronics/cables partnered with the speakers definitely showcased how the sound changed with each of the above entering the chain. The Opal Monitors definitely impress with the scale of sound that they can reproduce effortlessly, something that is rare in speakers at their price point. The Opal Monitor’s are rear ported but placement of these also isn’t an issue as they sound pleasing even when not ideally placed in the room. A slight toe-in gives a wonderful soundstage, though such things usually are a personal preference & subjective as are most aspects of this hobby. This made me think of doing A/B comparisons with mass market branded speakers costing double the price(ones that I politely won’t mention) and to say that the Opal Monitors put them to shame is an understatement. Pylon certainly have a winner in their hands with the Opal Monitors!

Associated Electronics & Cables for review:

Amplifiers:

Rega Brio

Naim Nait 5Si

Fezz Audio Titania

Parasound Halo Integrated

Sugden Audio A21 SE

T+A PA1100E

Source:

Wiim Mini

Wiim Pro Plus

Cocktail Audio N15D

Rega Planar 2

Thorens TD403DD

Densen B400XS

Cables:

Speaker Cables:

Wireworld Horizon

Nordost Blue Heaven

Power Cords:

Tellurium Ultra Blue II

PS Audio AC3

Interconnects:

Tellurium Blue II

Nordost Red Dawn

Wireworld Terra

Tech Specs:

Impedance8 ohms
Frequency response45Hz-20kHz
Nominal power60 watts
Maximum power100 watts
Efficiency86dB
Dimensions [W x H x D]190 x 400 x 280 mm
Weight7.5 kg / piece
WooferPylon Audio PSW 18.8 CS/M
TweeterPylon Audio PST T-80/8
grilleYes
Warranty4 years

Verdict:

The Opal Monitors are extremely well finished and balanced in their sound reproduction as well. They work with low wattage amps beautifully suggesting that one can get away with any amplifier that outputs quality amplification. We found them to particularly pair well with Rega’s Brio Integrated Amplifier, which denotes that one can build a very satisfying stereo set up for a relatively small amount of monies.

For example, one can definitely build an analog or digital front end based set up with the Brio & Opal Monitor combination for under 2L, which will definitely provide years of excellent music playback. The addition of a Pylon Subwoofer if needed will definitely add body to the low frequencies but as such will only be for those who like their music to have more bass reinforcement.

The Pylon Opal Monitors are speakers that I would highly recommend not only to those wanting to build their first quality hifi set up but also to those who are already well entrenched into the hobby and would like to set up a secondary set up for their study, office or den.

Chapeau Time Indeed!

Categories
Classifieds

Bowers & Wilkins 606 S2 Anniversary Edition

For Sale: B&W 606 S2 Anniversary Edition Book Shelf Speakers

Condition: 10/10

Color: Red Cherry

Original Box Packing: Available

For Details, Call/Whatsapp – 9820086384

Categories
Classifieds

Definitive Technology Demand D9 Book Shelf Speakers

For Sale: Definitive Technology Demand D9 Book Shelf Speakers

Condition: 9.5/10

Original Box Packing: Available

Price: 85000/-

For Details: Call/Whatsapp – 9820086384

Categories
Classifieds

Rega Brio Stereo Amplifier

Rega Brio Stereo Amplifier with Phono Pre & Remote

Condition: 9.5/10

Original Box Packing: Available

Warranty: Yes

Price: 58900/-

For Details: Call/Whatsapp – 9820086384

Categories
Reviews

First Impressions – Fonica Flag M Isodynamic Speakers

Speakers such as these are few & far between in a world that is full of traditional cabinet based speakers, which predominantly rule the roost in home audio.

Seldom does a speaker so unique, come to the notice of not only AV Enthusiasts but AV Distribution companies as well.

I was fortunate enough to be invited by the distribution company for these speakers in India, to not only hear them but also be present for the unboxing process.

Fonica International is an Italian company, making isodynamic speakers & basically have 3 models named Flag S, M & L (denoting the size) as well as the flagship Grande. They have passive as well as active equivalents in the Flag M & L models, whilst the Flag S is passive only & Grande is fully active only. Nexus AV are the distributors for the brand in India.

What Are Isodynamic Speakers?

Isodynamic speakers consist of a large surface made up of a very thin and light Mylar membrane that moves uniformly over its entire surface with the help of neodymium magnets.

The speakers therefore have a very slim design, making them very convenient to place in a room, compared to traditional box speakers. Since such speakers have no acoustic enclosure(box), they are free from colouration caused by internal resonances of a cabinet/box.

How are they packed?

The Fonica Flag M Speakers come in a crated box to ensure bullet proof safety of their wellbeing, during shipping & handling. They are easy to unpack as shown in the pics attached and even easier to install once you have read the not so helpful manual (can be due to literal translation from Italian to English being the proverbial fly in the ointment)

Quality, Fit & Finish are excellent and so is the attention to detail in the provision of the hardware supplied. Once you figure out the Installation instructions, setting up the speakers is a breeze. The panels have a pleasing micro perforated cloth which covers the front & back sides of each panel.

The aluminium frame around the panels are beautifully finished and complete the look that just oozes elegance. A couple of color combinations with regards to the cloth & aluminium frame are available, which one can inquire for prior to placing an order with the distributor.

NOTE:

One must be aware of which speaker is the left & which the right as the Tweeter portion of the panel should be on the inner side, thereby determining the left & right speaker prior to placement.

Easiest way to figure this out is by seeing the speaker terminal panel at the rear end of each panel, which clearly denotes this aspect by placement of the LF & HF cable binding post terminals. A picture showing the same is as under.

How do they sound out of the box? (Nice pun!)

The manual shares a bit of information about speaker placement and such, though ultimately it will also depend on the room where they would be placed. After figuring out the speaker’s position, one gets taken aback by just how good they sound.

They will take a few minutes to get used to, given the fact that the majority of listeners ears have been tuned to listening to coloration of cabinet based speakers their entire lives. Hence, a mature/seasoned music listener might appreciate these more swiftly than an amateur one.

The High & Mid Frequencies are so breathtakingly large, clean, detailed yet not fatiguing, that you are very pleasantly surprised with instantly.

The lower frequencies however do take a bit of time getting adjusted to, that too because yet again the preconceived notion of coloration from cabinet speakers play a huge part in getting one’s brain disoriented.

Having said that, they become more defined and coherent once you spend more time carefully listening to them. Therefore, one needs to be patient as well as attentive in what these speakers do with regard to the entire frequency spectrum coverage.

I have been listening to  ‘Still loving you’ by the Scorpions for a very long time, but when I heard this track on the Flag M’s, it literally made me shake my head in disbelief as never have I heard it play like this in my lifetime. Suffice to say, I heard this track 3 times, just to take it all in again & again!

Once the speakers are played for a couple of hours and post finessing the ideal positioning of the speakers, it all seems to fall in place, locked in a zone that creates a huge dynamic sound stage that is not only detailed but is extremely refined as well.

How about the partnering electronics & cables?

We heard the Flag M Speakers paired with an Octave HP500 Pre with Audio Research VT100 Power Amplifiers, coupled to an ancient Arcam CD Player. Cabling was via Wireworld & Van Den Hul.

What sort of Music works with the Flag M’s?

We heard a variety of music genre’s right from Western Classical to Modern Pop, Hard Rock, Jazz and Vocal based Music, that save for EDM’s heavy bass filled tracks, played with aplomb and composure even at high volume levels.

A large picturesque sound stage with placement of musicians across the stage, is what is immediately noticed and felt. Playing with the position of the speakers with regard to toe-in, distance between the inner sides of the left & right speakers, greatly changes the sound stage as well as the texture of the instruments, so one needs to understand these aspects very well.

Verdict?

The Fonica Flag M’s are something special indeed. One needs to experience them and Isodynamic speakers in general. They do spectacular things but need time to understand as well. They are definitely not for everyone but having said that one needs to give them a listen to understand what they can do.

At 9L, they certainly aren’t cheap but at the same time, they are a very worthy option when considering the traditional box speaker’s competition at the said price might not be in the same league. In my humble opinion, that itself says a lot and something needing a strong consideration.

Where can one hear the Flag M’s?

For listening to the Flag M’s, kindly get in touch with us on hifihunt1@gmail.com or call/whatsapp on 9820086384, to fix an appointment.

Categories
AV News

What Hi-Fi? Show Mumbai 2023 – Part 2

14th Floor:

Sony:

Sony’s HT-A9 Home Theater Speakers, with VPL-XW5000ES 4K HDR SXR Laser Projector were showcased, along with a 100″ TV with their sound bar range as well. For more details, please contact us at – hifihunt1@gmail.com

Eight Audio:

A home theater set up was showcased along with a couple of inwall speakers as well as sealed & ported subwoofers on static display were part of the Eight Audio Room. For more details, please contact us at – hifihunt1@gmail.com

Pen Workers:

Couple of recliner chair options were showcased, For more details, please contact us at – hifihunt1@gmail.com

Reflex Audio:

An unconventional home theatre set up using pro audio speakers were showcased by relatively unknown company called Reflex Audio, from Kolhapur. Whilst the owner was present himself and adamant that the speakers showcased weren’t for Pro Audio, we would like to think that the pictures would say otherwise. Having said that, the offer price was very attractive for a 11.2 Channel Set-up, so if you have the real estate to accommodate them then by all means, a truly value for money option to consider. For more details, please contact us at – hifihunt1@gmail.com

Devialet:

The Mania & Mania Opera de Paris are the newest speakers from Devialet. Honestly speaking, we found them to be one of the best from Devialet. Definitely something to strongly consider in the wireless hi-fidelity smart speakers segment. The entire range of Devialet was also available for demo. For more details, please contact us at – hifihunt1@gmail.com

Bang & Olufson:

Nothing new was showcased but pretty much everything that was shown has been available in the market for a while. For more details, please contact us at – hifihunt1@gmail.com

Sonos:

Yet again, nothing new was showcased but pretty much everything that was shown has been available in the market for a while. For more details, please contact us at – hifihunt1@gmail.com

Epson:

Barring the new UST Projector, the Epson LS800 on demo, everything else has been around in the market for a while. The LS800 will be launched on the 1st of June 2023. For more details, please contact us at – hifihunt1@gmail.com

Vinshek:

Dynavoice Speakers and Subwoofer in a home theater configuration were on demo, along with Pantheone powered Speakers. For more details, please contact us at – hifihunt1@gmail.com

Alphatec:

Alphatec has been on a brand acquisition strategy for sometime now and they showcased a couple of them, such as Genelec, House of Marley, Audio Technica, Audiopro, BEC Akustik, Lithe Audio, Tivoli Audio. We wish them the very best in managing all these brands and more that they will most certainly add in the near future. For more details, please contact us at – hifihunt1@gmail.com

Recliners India:

A new design in combination recliner sofa design amongst other designs that have already been shown earlier made up for their room. For more details, please contact us at – hifihunt1@gmail.com

GTC Industries:

Lumina screens showcased some of their screens. For more details, please contact us at – hifihunt1@gmail.com

Profx(Polk Audio):

Polk Signature Series Speakers & Sub with Denon AVR-X3800H AV Receiver were showcased in a home theater configuration. For more details, please contact us at – hifihunt1@gmail.com

ProFx(Deftech):

Definitive Technology BP9000 Series Speakers with Descend Series Subwoofer along with Denon’s AVR-X4800H AV Receiver were showcased in a home theater configuration. For more details, please contact us at – hifihunt1@gmail.com

ProFx(KEF):

KEF’s LS50 Wireless II with LSX II Wireless Powered Speakers were showcased. For more details, please contact us at – hifihunt1@gmail.com

Aytexcel Pvt. Ltd.

Formovie Projectors & Vivid Storm Projection Screens were covering every possible square foot of their room! Projectors were also projecting on the ceiling to showcase their ability to be carried anywhere and use as desired. Plenty of innovative models espcially one model of projector that was gimbal mounted! Too many details to share here so for specific inquiries, please contact us at – hifihunt1@gmail.com

Nedis:

A plethora of cables, power distribution outlets, banana plugs and accessories along with wireless neck speakers and cheapy chinese all in one turntables were lined up in this room. For more details, please contact us at – hifihunt1@gmail.com

Soundtrails:

Mofi’s Ultradeck Turntable with Outboard Phono Pre and their recently introduced Source Point 10 Speakers made up for this corridor based static display. Andrew Jones designed Source Point 10 Speakers were something that almost all wh attended wanted to hear but sadly only a privileged few including us managed to hear them for a few minutes on the first day. For more details, please contact us at – hifihunt1@gmail.com

Categories
AV News

What Hi-Fi? Show Mumbai 2023 – Part 1

The 2023 edition of the What Hi-Fi? Show took place at Hotel St. Regis, Mumbai between 25th & 27th May and we were present to cover the show, the details of which follows as under:

As is now customary with this show, the exhibitors are divided between the 8th floor & the 14th floor of the hotel, the 8th floor mainly having large staterooms whilst the 14th floor has small rooms & 2 suites.

We start our coverage on the 8th floor, which comprises of registration space, followed by a small room that was taken by Headphone Zone, that was pretty much in a corner that most wouldn’t even know of, had the door not been open.

8th Floor:

Headphone Zone:

A variety of headphones, amplifiers and digital audio players were at hand for the visitors to listen to. Well managed by the HPZ staff and owner.

BenQ:

BenQ launched a couple of projectors at the show along with the existing range of models were showcased by the personnel. For more details contact us at – hifihunt1@gmail.com

AK International:

Pretty much the entire range of Focal was showcased mainly via Static displays, alongside live demos of Naim’s Muso, Littora Outdoor Speakers, Focal AVR powered home theater as well as Maestro Utopia Speakers powered by Naim Pre/Power Electronics. A large room was well packed with the above, though a lot left to be desired when one is showcasing the flagship series of Focal Speakers & Naim Amplifiers! The pictures should speak for themselves. A solo display of Monster cables was also part of this room. For more details contact us at – hifihunt1@gmail.com

MZ Audio Distributions India + Viewsonic:

A bazaar setting of static displays consisting of Marantz, Q Acoustics, Mission, Heco, Magnat, Loewe, Velodyne, Episode with a sprinkling of Viewsonic Projectors covered the entire room. For more details contact us at – hifihunt1@gmail.com

Cinebels:

A corridor setting was chosen to static display models from Onkyo, Integra & Pioneer AV Receivers, alongside a pair of Klipsch & Jamo Speakers. For more details contact us at – hifihunt1@gmail.com

Audio Nirvana:

Rotel, Sonus Faber, McIntosh electronics and speakers were static displayed alongside a live set up consisting of all 3 brands. For more details contact us at – hifihunt1@gmail.com

Sound & Vision:

Live demonstrations of Sim2 Projectors on Screen Research Screens, plus Artcoustic speakers on static display as well as live demo were part of this room. Sim2 projectors definitely were some of the best one can buy but then at a steep price so definitely for the chosen few only. The owner of Sound & Vision was giving the demos of all the brands and did so happily.

For more details contact us at – hifihunt1@gmail.com

Categories
Reviews

Rega Naiad – A cost no object Turntable

Rega, one of the most well known and respected turntable manufacturers in the world have released a bespoke turntable called the NAIAD, which is limited to a product manufacturing run of only 50 units. We are extremely honored & fortunate to have experienced the assembly & a brief listening session of the NAIAD, courtesy of its one & only owner in India.

About Rega

Rega Research Ltd. is a manufacturer of audio equipment consisting of Turntables, Amplifiers, CD Players, DAC’s, Loudspeakers & Allied Turntable Components + Accessories. Each and every product of Rega is designed and hand made in their facility in Essex, England.

They are currently celebrating 50 years of their existence and what a better way to celebrate this momentous occasion than with the NAIAD.

What is NAIAD

NAIAD is the absolute pinnacle of Rega’s engineering prowess and technical knowledge with regards to building Turntables. It has taken them 7 years to research into the creation of the NAIAD, keeping their philosophy of using ultra light weight components having the maximum rigidity in the materials used for constructing the NAIAD.

Initially planned to make just 40 units, to celebrate 40 years of Rega’s Existence a few years ago, it was later decided to make 50, so that the manufacturing cost of the NAIAD could be brought down further as substantial financial investments were to be made for tooling, materials and designs for a new model range of turntables that would benefit from the creation of the NAIAD. The retail price of the NAIAD is thirty thousand British pounds sterling.

Each NAIAD is built by a handful of highly skilled technicians that includes CEO Phil Freeman and it takes a few months for them to deliver it to its very privileged customers. Serial no. 0034 was what we were fortunate to see and listen to for this review.

What does NAIAD mean?

According to Rega,

“The testbed was given the name “Naiad” from an almost unknown and challenging piece of piano music that can sound boring and urbane or dreamlike and ephemeral depending on how it was played.”

Having said that, my personal belief is that the music played via the NAIAD just flows like water and to me that perfectly encapsulates the true meaning of its name.

Design & Construction

In a nutshell, the NAIAD is made from materials that are extremely light weight, are high in rigidity and at the same time weigh practically nothing when one compares it to other super highend turntables.

The only real weighty component of the NAIAD is the phenolic resin platter! Formula one inspired design language & usage of carbon fibre that resembles exactly like a suspension geometry component of one of the current Formula one teams cars is really eye catching not only from the design and appearance point of view but also from the lightness aspect, truly astonishing!

The Titanium RB tonearm is another marvel in lightness and simplicity. It is extremely easy to set up and balance as is the way one adjusts the tracking weight force of the cartridge and antiskating. However, it may be daunting for those who have never really experienced the higher end models from Rega such as the Planar 8 & 10. Rega’s current reference handmade moving coil phono cartridge, the Aphelion 2 comes factory fitted with the tone arm.

An equally beautifully designed and engineered carbon fibre wall mounting bracket with mounting screws is also part of the components that comes with the NAIAD.

Aside from the above, the box packing of the NAIAD comes with tools as mentioned above plus a special tool for attaching the cartridge screws, speed adjusting tool, a spirit level, a record clamp and also a Battery operated electronic tracking force guage called the Atlas.

Aside from these, a copy of the Rega book, a NAIAD book that illustrates exploded drawings of all the components that go into the assembly of the NAIAD.

A test report in color also comes with Wow/Flutter & Drift Speed graphs of the said turntable with its corresponding serial number as well as the date and signatures of the team that built it for you. A pair of white gloves to remove the plinth along with a illustration of how to lift it from the designated packing insert also is provided to ensure safe handling of the plinth and that of the tonearm with prefitted cartridge.

A separate double cardboard box contains the dedicated power supply with mains power cord.

Some salient features of the NAIAD:

  • Ultra-lightweight carbon fibre plinth with Rohacell foam core and ceramic braces
  • RB Titanium tonearm
  • Aphelion 2 MC cartridge
  • Advanced power supply housed in our reference electronics casework
  • Automatic calibration for speed and inbuilt test facility
  • New ceramic flywheel effect platter
  • Zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA) spindle and bearing assembly
  • Precision machined aluminium hub
  • Custom made carbon fibre cantilever designed wall bracket to provide the ultimate support

The Naiad is supplied in premium custom-made packaging and a shipping crate. It will include all the required tools for assembly along with the Rega Atlas tracking force gauge and a copy of the Rega book.

  • Graded zero tolerance black anodised aluminium body
  • Boron rod cantilever
  • ‘Fine line’ profile, nude diamond stylus
  • Iron micro cross and coil assembly making one of the worlds smallest MC generators
  • Worlds most powerful minaturised neodymium magnet
  • High specification fine wire 0.018 mm

Does it require assembly?

The NAIAD comes practically assembled from Rega, with just basic assembly required yet all the tools one would require to assemble are provided for in the box. The tonearm & cartridge come factory fitted, which is truly a relief as these can be very cumbersome & fiddly to assemble at the buyer’s end. Even a small mistake can become a costly affair with the NAIAD, hence one has to be very mindful at the time of installation of the same.

Rega NAIAD Crate on Pallet

Unboxing the NAIAD

The Rega NAIAD comes in a huge wooden crate that is on a pallet and one will require adequate muscle power (6 men job) to transport this to the listening room. 12 long Philips wooden screws marked in red denote where one has to unscrew the top of the crate to get access to the separately packed boxes inside. A further 8 similar screws also need to be unscrewed from the top sides of the crate to remove the partition that separates the top cardboard box from the bottom. The pictures attached will show exactly how one needs to goa about doing so. The top cardboard box contains the NAIAD External Power Supply. The bottom cardboard box contains the NAIAD with the dust cover and its allied components that are separated in 2 layers of thick black Styrofoam perfectly notched to accommodate each component snugly. One has to be patient and relaxed during unboxing as there is a lot to take in visually and physically. Overall, the packing is over engineered but then rightly so as the NAIAD is super rare and costly!

Rega NAIAD Power Supply
Rega NAIAD Power Supply

Rega NAIAD Box Packing
Rega NAIAD Unboxing
Rega NAIAD Unboxing
Rega NAIAD Unboxing Continued
Rega NAIAD Unboxing Top Layer
Rega NAIAD Unboxing Bottom Layer
Rega NAIAD Turntable Fully Assembled

How does the NAIAD sound?

Once it was all unboxed and put together, the tone arm balanced and tracking force + antiskate adjusted,  the first thing to do was to see if it was alive. A manual rotation of the platter was done to ensure that there was free movement of the platter on the plinth as well as the rubber belts attached to the motor were in place as desired. The motor is attached to the platter spindle base by means of 3 rubber belts that are individually attached on the pulley of the motor. Once all was found in place, the power supply was switched on and the NAIAD was alive!

Rega Aura Ref Phono Pre Amplifier
PS Audio Stellar Pre Amplifier + Rega Aura Ref Phono Pre Amplifier
PS Audio BHK Signature 250 Power Amplifier

Rega’s reference phono pre amp, the AURA was attached to the NAIAD RCA leads which in turn was connected to PS Audio’s Stellar Pre and BHK Signature 250 Power Amplifiers. Heco’s erstwhile flagship speakers, the Concerto Grosso were connected to the PS Audio Amplifiers, via Acoustic Research Master Series 10AWG Gauge Speaker cables

The first vinyl played was Mofi’s Dire Straits ‘Love over gold’. The very first few bars of the music played immediately felt special. The reference of what NAIAD stands for(pls read above) came flashing to mind immediately as the music just flowed. It made critical listening very enjoyable yet one was constantly trying to find fault as the cost of the NAIAD was always at the back of the mind, making it even more harder to initially take in what was coming in the form of musical enjoyment. We had already spent close to 4 hours taking in the whole unboxing, assembling and connecting the NAIAD so honestly speaking, it was a sensory overload as well.

There was a certain silence that came out aloud as all present in the room were just amazed at how good the music flowed from the said setup, it was truly special!

Final thoughts

The Rega NAIAD is something special and sadly, very few will ever experience it worldwide.

In India, the opportunity is very much there for the taking to those who are seriously wanting to get into high end vinyl playback as the owner of this NAIAD has generously offered listening access to his NAIAD, subject to this criteria being met as well as taking prior permission for facilitating the same via a confirmed appointment well in advance. How cool is that?

Kindly contact us via email on ‘hifihunt1@gmail.com’

for further discussions and appointments.

Categories
Reviews

BestVox LS3/6 Three Way Stand Mount Speakers

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

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