And the second
Stand mount BBC thin wall designs & their floorstanding derivations...
I was invited elsewhere to comment on my experience (see below) by someone contemplating a purchase of the Graham Audio LS5/5f.
I should welcome the views of forum members upon my reply:
'I believe that the BBC originally classified the LS5/5 as a 'floorstanding speaker', to distinguish it from the LS5/6, which hung from a wall..!
Concerning the 'new' Graham LS5/5 vs the LS5/5f, I have listened extensively over many years to a friend's Spendor SP9/1 (floorstanding version of the SP100) while I owned the SP100, both designs being of the 'Derek Hughes' era of Spendor production
(I have recently chosen to replace these with the LS5/5 stand-mount: I have not heard the LS5/5f)
My considered view is that there is an additional element of articulateness and 'freedom' in the stand mount, which might reflect it having an extra degree of freedom from room boundary by its elevation from the floor?
This also allows some variability because of stand choice, but also some opportunity to 'tune' the speaker to a particular room location and to adjust listening height.
If one then requires the 'last half octave' it might be reliably supplied nowadays by a pair of modest subwoofers: Robert Greene of TAS described the original ported REL Storm to have a particularly fine blend with BBC speakers such as the SP1/2 and this seamless 'blend' is said to be most successful with larger 'almost full range' BBC speakers.
Both Martin Colloms and Paul Messenger have described their perceptions of the value of stand mounted designs: for example, and most recently, in this Martin Colloms review (see extract below): https://www.finkteam.com/.../HiFi-Critic-Kim-review-Award...
Concerning the 'new' Graham LS5/5 vs the LS5/5f, I have listened extensively over many years to a friend's Spendor SP9/1 (floorstanding version of the SP100) while I owned the SP100, both designs being of the 'Derek Hughes' era of Spendor production
(I have recently chosen to replace these with the LS5/5 stand-mount: I have not heard the LS5/5f)
My considered view is that there is an additional element of articulateness and 'freedom' in the stand mount, which might reflect it having an extra degree of freedom from room boundary by its elevation from the floor?
This also allows some variability because of stand choice, but also some opportunity to 'tune' the speaker to a particular room location and to adjust listening height.
If one then requires the 'last half octave' it might be reliably supplied nowadays by a pair of modest subwoofers: Robert Greene of TAS described the original ported REL Storm to have a particularly fine blend with BBC speakers such as the SP1/2 and this seamless 'blend' is said to be most successful with larger 'almost full range' BBC speakers.
Both Martin Colloms and Paul Messenger have described their perceptions of the value of stand mounted designs: for example, and most recently, in this Martin Colloms review (see extract below): https://www.finkteam.com/.../HiFi-Critic-Kim-review-Award...
"Often speaker makers are not too keen on stands, and floorstanding designs have become
more popular in recent years. If not supplied by the
manufacturer, stands are an unwelcome variable
which can affect sound quality; if they are supplied,
they may be viewed as adding more complication
and expense. Yet there is a certain quality to a
standmount loudspeaker design, with sounds in the
broad midrange frequently seeming better able to
free themselves from the acoustic effects of the local
reflective environment especially the floor boundary.
The stereo image can gain a natural sense of
elevation, with improved focus and better definition
while the lower midrange may pick up speed and
articulation, often making up for a possible loss in
lower frequency weight." '
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