I was literally minutes from purchasing the Special 40's...

Exactly which BBC LS3/5 variant is best?

Some say it's the Harbeth P3 ESR, whilst others, lifelong fans of the BBC LS3/5s never seem to mention the Harbeth's at all.

Harbeth once had a licence to build the LS3/5s themselves due to its founder Dudley Harwood being an ex BBC employee himself.

For some reason, there seems to be a resistance to arrange a shootout between all of the available variations. It should be easy enough but nothing like that has been done for a few decades now.

In any case if it was me, I'd go for one of those that had screwed-in back panels, as the originals did. I remember that was one finding back then.

http://www.g4dcv.co.uk/ls35a/shootout.html

@yogiboy ,

Thanks for the link. The least ambitious Harbeth might well be the best loved.

I've always been wary of JA since he ended up on Peter Aczel's infamous list of audio's black hat wearers way back when.

Still it's interesting enough. 

"Toward the end of the review period, I was giving the speaker a workout with some high-level rock when the soundstage lurched to the right and the balance became bright and brassy. "What the . . . ?"


Wrong music, wrong speaker?


@vitto,

Great link.

A well-balanced review and comparison of the bargain priced Sound Artist LS3/5 v Harbeth P3ESR. From a Harbeth owner no less!

This could be the stuff of nightmares for Haywards Heath based company.

Yet there is still another serious contender that needs to be considered.

What about the Harbeth P3 ESR v  the KEF LS50 Metas?

Makes you wonder whether we're in a new golden age of the mini-monitor?