I'm looking at this..............
http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cl.pl?s ... class&3&4&
..............pair of speakers but am unable to hear them before I buy. What do our LS3/5A owners think of the Rogers 15 ohm speakers? I think James said the 15 ohm was the one to buy?
Thank you.........Dan H
The speakers date code is 25.M.9, not sure what that is.
Rogers on Audiogon
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Rogers on Audiogon
by Tubedude » Wed Dec 03, 2003 8:25 am
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by mozilla » Wed Dec 03, 2003 7:29 pm
Hi Dan,
The 15ohmers are indeed sought after. Make sure you get the real 15ohm rather than a pseudo-15ohm. You can usually tell from the serial nos. The pseudos are in the 321xxx range if I'm not mistaken.
Grant
The 15ohmers are indeed sought after. Make sure you get the real 15ohm rather than a pseudo-15ohm. You can usually tell from the serial nos. The pseudos are in the 321xxx range if I'm not mistaken.
Grant
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by ichabod » Thu Dec 04, 2003 1:55 pm
Hi Dan,
There's a lot of argument for the 15 ohmers notably from Rogers since they're the ones who made a lot, and were the longest makers of the LS 3/5a.
There's a 15 ohmer white belly Rogers which has an outrageously high price tag. They're 15 ohmers with a white glue that shows around the dust cover. They sell from what I've heard up to 15,000 HK. More than double the price for what I paid for my spendor L.E. edition.
Prices for old LSs will largely depend on the condition of the speakers themselves. From 600 to about 900 U.S. is pretty much what you may pay for.
The old LS 15 ohms are arguably said to sound better because of the long break in periods the speakers have gone through. They were the first ones made so they arguably may sound better. But not all I reckon. It will depend also on how much it has been used all these years.
The shoot out from 3 years ago by Ken Kessler debunked the theory that 15 ohmers always sounded better than their 11 ohm successors.
It was a harbeth 11 ohm that got the highest rating, followed by another famous 15 ohms early version called Chartwell. But down the line, almost all were 11 ohmers notably spendors. Spendor also has a rare 15 ohms versions which are harder to come by but worth looking. Martin Colloms has all praises for these spendor 15 ohms saying that they are very expressive and articulate. Derek Hughes owns a 15 ohmer spendor which he uses as his reference in building all the later makes.
Discussions in KK's article on the shoot-out, in case you haven't read it, also mentions the construction of the cabinets. The BBC 001-002 models which were removed from the shootout because they sounded superbly in comparison were constructed with a lossy cabinet back cover like the reference model you saw at Ferdie's. But theother important thing also is the weight of the cabinet. The heavier the cabinets were the better they seemed to sound. The lacquered rogers which is heavier got 3rd I believe in the shootout followed by a spendor 15 ohmer with only a difference of .5, which means that a heavier cabinet 11 ohm LS 3/5a can or may sound as good as a 15 ohm regular LS.
The 15 ohm LS 3/5a being 15 ohms are they say much easier to drive and can well be mated (as some users claim) with set amps. The 11 ohms with pp amps.
The LS design havenever been changed through the years. Whether you own a 15 or 11 ohmer, they use the same drivers from kef. So they should sound more similar than different in comparison.
If you're looking at a 15 ohm Rogers being offered, because it's an old speaker you need to look at several things. For sure, the physical condition of the speaker will be much more important than those later models in comparison with the ones made in the 90s. If you can, do a box test before buying to test the sealing of the sealed box air suspension design. I think this is important when buying an old old LS to really do this test.
You are at a disadvantage if you can't do this test before buying. But the sealing problem is an easy fix specially for guys like you and Grant who has had some experience doing this.
Sorry this is long. Just wanted to fill you in as much to help if you're keen on buying what you saw.
There's a lot of argument for the 15 ohmers notably from Rogers since they're the ones who made a lot, and were the longest makers of the LS 3/5a.
There's a 15 ohmer white belly Rogers which has an outrageously high price tag. They're 15 ohmers with a white glue that shows around the dust cover. They sell from what I've heard up to 15,000 HK. More than double the price for what I paid for my spendor L.E. edition.
Prices for old LSs will largely depend on the condition of the speakers themselves. From 600 to about 900 U.S. is pretty much what you may pay for.
The old LS 15 ohms are arguably said to sound better because of the long break in periods the speakers have gone through. They were the first ones made so they arguably may sound better. But not all I reckon. It will depend also on how much it has been used all these years.
The shoot out from 3 years ago by Ken Kessler debunked the theory that 15 ohmers always sounded better than their 11 ohm successors.
It was a harbeth 11 ohm that got the highest rating, followed by another famous 15 ohms early version called Chartwell. But down the line, almost all were 11 ohmers notably spendors. Spendor also has a rare 15 ohms versions which are harder to come by but worth looking. Martin Colloms has all praises for these spendor 15 ohms saying that they are very expressive and articulate. Derek Hughes owns a 15 ohmer spendor which he uses as his reference in building all the later makes.
Discussions in KK's article on the shoot-out, in case you haven't read it, also mentions the construction of the cabinets. The BBC 001-002 models which were removed from the shootout because they sounded superbly in comparison were constructed with a lossy cabinet back cover like the reference model you saw at Ferdie's. But theother important thing also is the weight of the cabinet. The heavier the cabinets were the better they seemed to sound. The lacquered rogers which is heavier got 3rd I believe in the shootout followed by a spendor 15 ohmer with only a difference of .5, which means that a heavier cabinet 11 ohm LS 3/5a can or may sound as good as a 15 ohm regular LS.
The 15 ohm LS 3/5a being 15 ohms are they say much easier to drive and can well be mated (as some users claim) with set amps. The 11 ohms with pp amps.
The LS design havenever been changed through the years. Whether you own a 15 or 11 ohmer, they use the same drivers from kef. So they should sound more similar than different in comparison.
If you're looking at a 15 ohm Rogers being offered, because it's an old speaker you need to look at several things. For sure, the physical condition of the speaker will be much more important than those later models in comparison with the ones made in the 90s. If you can, do a box test before buying to test the sealing of the sealed box air suspension design. I think this is important when buying an old old LS to really do this test.
You are at a disadvantage if you can't do this test before buying. But the sealing problem is an easy fix specially for guys like you and Grant who has had some experience doing this.
Sorry this is long. Just wanted to fill you in as much to help if you're keen on buying what you saw.
Last edited by ichabod on Thu Dec 04, 2003 2:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Rogers
by Tubedude » Thu Dec 04, 2003 2:10 pm
Great information guys, thanks! I'm going to pass on this pair as I am unable to do the speaker test or hear em.
Did you get your Pilot yet, James? I'll have more news next week on the rebuild. Wow what a mess inside my 232!
Regards Dan H
Did you get your Pilot yet, James? I'll have more news next week on the rebuild. Wow what a mess inside my 232!
Regards Dan H
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by ichabod » Fri Dec 05, 2003 5:37 am
Hi Dan,
Somebody's getting it earlier here in Cebu. Oscar's will be coming anytime. Mine is due by 4th week of January, still a loooong way to go. I'll be very interested to know how it sounds after you mod it, if that's what you're planning to do.
Glad to know you're considering as LS 3/5a speakers. Spendor produced the second largest number of LSs, so you may get a good chance as well to find one next to Rogers brand.
Regards,
James
Somebody's getting it earlier here in Cebu. Oscar's will be coming anytime. Mine is due by 4th week of January, still a loooong way to go. I'll be very interested to know how it sounds after you mod it, if that's what you're planning to do.
Glad to know you're considering as LS 3/5a speakers. Spendor produced the second largest number of LSs, so you may get a good chance as well to find one next to Rogers brand.
Regards,
James
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