Stirling Broadcast / BBC LS3/6


Hello, good people of Audigoone. I would like to hear Stirling Broadcast / BBC LS3/6. One dealer is in Kansas, another in Indiana. I am in New Hampshire. If you happen to know anyone in New England that has these and might be willing to let me hear them at their place, could you please ask them to contact me via this forum? if you have an opinion about these, esp. how they compare to B&W 805 D3s, please, post it. 
thank you in advance!
petar3

Showing 4 responses by big_greg

Petar,

I bought my LS3/6 pre-owned and they came with the stands.  There's no branding on them, so I'm not sure who made them.

I suggest reaching out to Gig Harbor Audio.  They will make custom stands.  That's where I got the stands for my Harbeths. 

Any stands made for Harbeth Super HL5 Plus should work, but there's a slight difference in size so they won't be the exact same dimensions as the base of the speakers.  I think the Stirlings are a hair smaller, but don't quote me on that, it might be the other way around. 

 

I just bought a pair of Stirling LS3/6 a couple of weeks ago.  I can't compare them to the B&W speakers.  I have Harbeth Super HL5 Plus 40th Anniversary and KEF Reference 1 to compare them to.

I have always found the Super HL5 Plus to have just a bit of a hard edge in the treble with some music.  The midrange is of course amazing and they are very detailed without being overly "hi-fi" sounding.  The Stirlings take that edge off while maintaining the beautiful midrange and are much easier to listen to with all types of music.  I think they are a little more punchy and dynamic than the Harbeths.  Where the Harbeths win is they are a little more coherent.  Both speakers image really well and have a large well defined soundstage.  These two speakers are more alike than different, the differences are nuances.  If you want to rock out, the Stirlings are going to be easier on the ears.  If you like to listen at moderate levels and love detail, then the Harbeths are a better choice.

Compared to the Reference 1s, the Stirlings have more midrange and top-end energy, but are perhaps a little less balanced and detailed.  The Ref 1's are more neutral, a little on the "warm" side.  Both speakers are really easy to listen to and the differences between them are more pronounced.  

If you like the BBC "sound", the Stirlings are fine speakers.  All comments above are in my opinion of course.  Others may hear them differently.  There are a number of reviews on the Stirlings on the web.

I just took the grills off mine this afternoon. They are very snug and held on with six pegs. I used a butter knife to gently pry the edges out. You're "supposed" to leave the grills on. They are supposed to tame the top end a bit. I don't notice much, if any difference.  They look better (to me) without the grills and the tweeters have metal grills over them and are well protected. 

Near the corners, not in them. Then move a few inches and lift up a little more and so on. Take your time.