DIY LS3/5a..."This is the BBC speaker-ing...."

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Dave the bass
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#1 DIY LS3/5a..."This is the BBC speaker-ing...."

Post by Dave the bass »

Falcon Acoustics were doing a deal over Christmas on their DIY LS3/5a kits, I succumbed. I heard a pair of these at work most days for 4 and a bit years in the early 90's when I worked in a TV/Audio workshop in Camberwell/Brixton and liked the uber-tight Beeb sound these made.

Double whammy! Not only have they got 2 drive units in each caninet........but....wait for it.......you'd better sit down our-Colin.......I've VENEERED them :) I did dun some 'learnering'.

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#2 Re: DIY LS3/5a..."This is the BBC speaker-ing...."

Post by Ali Tait »

Very shoddy!
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#3 Re: DIY LS3/5a..."This is the BBC speaker-ing...."

Post by Greg »

Yep, definitely shoddy! :D

Is that stripped out Cat5 cable you are using?
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#4 Re: DIY LS3/5a..."This is the BBC speaker-ing...."

Post by Dave the bass »

Ali Tait wrote:Very shoddy!
... I knew it..... I just.... knew it! :lol:
Greg wrote:
Is that stripped out Cat5 cable you are using?
Yeah, I run 1 pair of solid core each side and also I've got some gurt hefty great Maplins 'Shark' cable (not actually made from real Sharks AFAIK) running each side. Depends on if I'm feeling Cat-y or Shark-y which pair I use.
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#5 Re: DIY LS3/5a..."This is the BBC speaker-ing...."

Post by Cressy Snr »

Ultra shoddy I would say.

What's that ballet dancing Southern Jessie cable you've got connected to them speakers then.
Get summat a bit more substantial lad :D
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#6 Re: DIY LS3/5a..."This is the BBC speaker-ing...."

Post by IslandPink »

You little tinker !
Shoddy indeed .
...and with velcro stapled to the front panel for the grille - just like the pair of Heathkit ones me dad and me built in the late 70's :D

So is this the first fruit of The Shed ??
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#7 Re: DIY LS3/5a..."This is the BBC speaker-ing...."

Post by Dave the bass »

SteveTheShadow wrote: What's that ballet dancing Southern Jessie cable you've got connected to them speakers then.
Get summat a bit more substantial lad :D
Aaahhh, y'see, I've got 'substantial' in the form of the Shark cable but when you're 2A3 in SE at ~2.5W on a good day with the wind behind it the single solid strand stuff works its magic, no really.
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So is this the first fruit of The Shed ??
1st speaker build from Mega Shed, yeah Mark. Mega Shed has been busy with loadsa house related DIY projects for a while so its nice to be playing with audio stuff again. I did the WD Phono 3 clone earlier, next up is to house the Hagerman iRIAA and try and catch up with our-Thomas's new-found ability to build good phono stages and actually measure stuff too!
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#8 Re: DIY LS3/5a..."This is the BBC speaker-ing...."

Post by simon »

Very nice Dave, very nice indeed. How does their sound compare to the Sachikos?

Interesting observation about solid core speaker cable BTW.
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#9 Re: DIY LS3/5a..."This is the BBC speaker-ing...."

Post by Dave the bass »

simon wrote:Very nice Dave, very nice indeed. How does their sound compare to the Sachikos?

Interesting observation about solid core speaker cable BTW.
No idea our-Simon, I've got Saburo's! :) In which case I'd answer that they don't sound anything like one another. Both are enjoyable (IMO), the Sabs still awe in dynamics and size of the sound-picture and in almost "Disaster-Area-esque " parlance sound good from a bit of a distance away in general whereas the likkle LS3/5a's are near field monitor speakers with a comparatively hot far extending HF response and a calculated programmed-in bass hump to give the impression of a full-bass response, its an illusion but its very effective, dry and very 'beeb'like and just as I remembered them from the early 90's.

Totally different I'd say.
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#10 Re: DIY LS3/5a..."This is the BBC speaker-ing...."

Post by jack »

Luverly. Nice job :)

What veneer did you go for...?
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#11 Re: DIY LS3/5a..."This is the BBC speaker-ing...."

Post by Dave the bass »

jack wrote:Luverly. Nice job :)

What veneer did you go for...?
Ta Nick, I popped round to SL Hardwoods in Croydon and got some advice as a 1st time Veneerererer. I went for pre glued real Teak then laid two coats (so far) of Dark Oak toned Beeswax over it to finish to take some of the '70's-ness' of the Teak away. I've never ironed a loudspeaker before! :) Come to think of it... I haven't ironed before :shock:
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#12 Re: DIY LS3/5a..."This is the BBC speaker-ing...."

Post by SimonC »

Dave the bass wrote: I've never ironed a loudspeaker before! :) Come to think of it... I haven't ironed before :shock:
Didn't know you even owned an iron!

Mind you, I was ironing a pair of skis earlier this month. Maybe we should start a thread on the weirdest things we can find to iron with our new found domestic skills........... :)

Nice job btw, I'm looking forwards to giving them a listen sometime.

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#13 Re: DIY LS3/5a..."This is the BBC speaker-ing...."

Post by andrew Ivimey »

here's one of my pair - I've had them since 1976 - two bass units and one T27 have conked out. Falcon crossovers.

One night back in 1980s a candle that was on top of one of the speakers burned down and caught the cabinet on fire. This necessitated a new pair of cabs to be built - this partic. pair I built when I moved to Bedford Towers thirteen years ago. I didn't use a veneer but some incredibly thin ply.

Shoddy is more appropriate in the sense with which I was more familiar until I met DavetB, okay so they aren't lookers but they're mine and they do sound rather good given what they were designed for.
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#14 Re: DIY LS3/5a..."This is the BBC speaker-ing...."

Post by jack »

Dave the bass wrote:...popped round to SL Hardwoods in Croydon...
Great company - used them a couple of times, though mostly I use Timberline in Tonbridge as they are closer to me - very similar company though... The Timberline guy's health doesn't seem that great and I hope he keeps the business going as its a really magical place to go - you walk through this completely ordinary looking door in the pretty boring business park, and you're in a different world. Wonderful. It's lovely just to wander around admiring and handling all the lovely timber - he mainly supplies luthiers of various types...
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#15 Re: DIY LS3/5a..."This is the BBC speaker-ing...."

Post by simon »

Ahaaa!!! I nearly wrote Subaru our-Dave, but I thought nah, he's not an Imprezza Turbo kinda guy. I thought they'd sound completely different but was interested in what you were hearing. Just shows how many different paths there are. I mean, some people are happy with SS amps I understand...
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