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New Falcon ls3/5a Silvers in the house

I picked up a pair of new b-stock Falcon silver badge ls3/5a’s last week and have been getting used to them since then. I work in the city and have an apartment where I stay 4 days a week and my real home is a couple hours north where my main stereo system resides. So the Falcons are essentially in a 2nd system setup that is mostly near field. Streaming only right now which is an Ifi Zen Stream powered by a 12V LHY linear supply feeding a 30 year old California Audio Labs Sigma ii tubed dac (16/44.1 only).

My amp at home is usually the Van Alstine SET 120 paired with a Van Alstine RB10 tubed preamp. (And my speakers with that set up are Fritz Carbon 7 se mk2).


So I’m currently using my beloved old 1977 Yamaha CA-2010 to drive the Falcons.

and it’s actually a pretty surprising and sweet pairing. The Yamaha has a Class A setting which outputs 30wpc vs its normal 120. (Into 8ohms).

The imaging , the floating center voices , the textures and the superb bass in this near field set up are truly impressive. I’m so glad I made the impulsive purchase to pick up these speakers. And I’m really happy I have an amp that is driving them well… but… I do wonder if I’m leaving anything on the table by not using a different amp that is known to pair exquisitely with ls3/5a’s?

I’m not really in the market for a new expensive amplifier purchase but I am poking around at some used solid state amps (power or integrated) like Exposure, Sugden, Belles and also some vintage el34 or el84 tube amps .

Curious if anyone has any suggestions for something that would raise the bar from the vintage Yamaha that isn’t going to break the bank. I’m thinking in the less than $1500 zone … used market.

 

pics linked

thanks

JS

 

j_andrews
j_andrews OP
146 posts
 

@treepmeyer to be honest I don’t think I really can as I’ve only spent less than a week with the ls3/5a’s and they are in 2 different systems in 2 different houses..

But...

The Carbon 7’s are much bigger, go much much lower, have an incredibly deep (front to back) presentation and just do texture incredibly well. The highs are there and detailed but relaxed . Apparently the tweeter goes out to 30kHz. But it’s also pretty forgiving.

The Falcons give the perception of bass ...they roll off at 70Hz but if placed correctly you don’t really miss much. They don’t do low sub bass like the Fritz’s somehow can.

The Falcons have this magical etherial floating image ...it’s pretty intoxicating especially with small ensemble music. Also they do texture so well.  I think the tweeter that Fritz uses is more advanced and more refined. After all, the ls3/5a tweeter design is 40+ years old.

I think the Falcons can get a little fatiguing after a few hours but also my pair probably aren’t event burned in yet.

If I had to live with only one it would be the Fritz’s. But I’m feeling very lucky and happy to have both.

audiovideonirvana's avatar
audiovideonirvana
56 posts
 

I have an AudioNote UK OTO Phone SE integrated amp. 12 watts class A. Would this be a good pairing for the LS3/5As? Looking to downsize my loudspeakers a bit. I have a pair of B&W 804S. My amp drives them very well.

larryi
4,068 posts
 

I have heard the Falcon LS3/5A powered by the Oto and I liked the sound.  But, I don’t play speakers very loudly, and so I don’t know if your Oto was enough juice for your use.  I would bet that your B&Ws are at least as hard to drive as the Falcons so you are probably good.  The Falcon is an amazingly good speaker and your Oto is terrific too.

panerai557's avatar
panerai557
75 posts
 

I have Falcon ls3/5a gold badge. Found few tips to get best of em. 1. They need power. The little speakers make my pass labs X250.8 amp needle move. 2. Place them lower. For me, 22 inch stand is perfect, tweeter at my ear level. Good bass too. 3. Very sensitive to positioning. Play with toe ins and width. Overall the falcons are magical speakers but feed them with a high quality juice 

j_andrews OP
146 posts
 

Follow up 

my Yamaha CA-2010 needs service. Yes it sounds good , but there are issues. (1) There is a certain amount of channel dropout .  I’m not sure if it’s the pot (which is a fancy 8-gang sealed Alps unit) or something else.

i had the amp serviced in 2021 but not much was done.  One switch was replaced and all the pots and switches were cleaned .  It hasn’t been recapped or re-biased.

When the channel dropout happens it is quite jarring and can send static signals to the speakers which really could be damaging.  
(2) It can be a little bit flabby.  That is an exaggeration but it’s noticeable.  I believe that if it were to be refurbished and recapped and brought into spec it could be a strong performer . My plan is to do that but I have to find someone in NYC to do it.

In the meantime I just picked up a used Van Alstine Ultravalve 35wpc tube amp… essentially a re-worked ST-70 with el34’s.

It’s an amp I’ve been looking to get for a few years and a used one came up in great condition so I took the plunge.

The amp has 16ohm taps which should make the Falcon ls3/5a’s happy.

Not sure what I’ll use as a preamp in front of it yet.  Perhaps my Van Alstine RB10 or I’ll try my homemade Intact Slagle autoformer volume control as well.

Will share the results here.

If anyone has recommendations for a good tech who could look at my 1976 Yamaha CA -2010 I’d love to hear about them

THANKS 

JS

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