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Advice on Sterling LS3/6

I learned on a UK Spendor forum that Derek Hughes is retiring and closing down Sterling Broadcast.  They are clearing out inventory at excellent prices - mostly LS3/5a V2 and V3, but also a few other models.  I'm looking at the LS3/6. The regular price for the LS3/6 is $6000/pair  and the sale price is $3300 (plus $600 shipping to the US).

One pair of LS3/6 have been shipped to Jeff Stake, a dealer in Indiana.  I told Jeff I may be interested, but I've never heard them.  I could drive down to audition them (I live in Chicago) but I thought I'd check on Agon to see if others have experience with them.

I currently have Spendor SP3/5 R2 speakers in a small room.  The LS3/6 would go in a new listening room, 17x23 ft.  I will be using them with Bacch4Mac and a solid state amp (undecided, but probably Starcrimson monoblocks).  Qobuz is the source, over a Bluesound streamer with LPS and English 8 switch.  I'll use the Bacch's RME DAC.  I like vocals (Melody Gardot), Argentine Tango (Gotan Project), Van Morrison, Duke Ellington.  Seldom crank it up.

To my mind, the real alternative is a Harbeth 30.x or C7ES3.  At Axpona I heard a Spendor Classic series (not sure which) that I really liked but the cost is beyond my budget (over $10k).  Any comments would be welcome.

Latest review of the Stirling LS3/6 is from The Absolute Sound (where the retail price is listed as $9995):

 

Ag insider logo xs@2xtreepmeyer
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treepmeyer OP
118 posts
 

@grislybutter Jeff said to email or call him and he would see if Stirling can send another pair of LS3/6.  Google Jeff Stake HiFi in Bloomington, IN

grislybutter
2,950 posts
 

thanks @treepmeyer

it won't be for me (i wish) so I will pass it on smiley

helomech
1,670 posts
 

The Stirling LS3/6 can serve as an “end game” speaker for many listeners. The biggest caveat is that in moderate to large rooms, the bass rolls off steeply below ≈45Hz. Wall reinforcement can somewhat lower that cutoff but the speakers need a decent amount of space to produce the clearest midrange, largely due to their thin-panel design.

The good news is their woofers can be upgraded to the 8” Seas Curv cone (as I’ve done in my Stirling SB-88s) without any requisite crossover mods. This woofer will give a little more extension and considerably greater bass dynamics and punch. Other than some soldering, the upgrade is “plug n’ play.” The Curv cone also has superior bandwidth and better suited to being crossed over above 3kHz. 

The lower tweeter can also be upgraded to the Seas Prestige H0881. 

It has a rear chamber that the original lacks, which might account for the improved performance, albeit the improvement is smaller than that of the woofer upgrade. Again, this driver is essentially “plug n’ play.” 


<$4K is a steal for the LS3/6 IMO, especially for those who already own good subwoofers. Some do indeed seem to prefer the SHL5+. However, IME, the Stirlings (even the smaller SB-88s) can handle a lot more power and play much louder before straining than can any of the 8” woofer Harbeths. The Harbeths have a higher sensitivity though, so for those who prefer low power amps, they are perhaps the better choice (price differential ignored). 
 

Last I knew, Doug Stirling was still the owner of Stirling Broadcast. If he sold the company to Derek Hughes (who was only contracted to design the speakers AFAIK), that’s news to me. 
 

 

 

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treepmeyer OP
118 posts
 

Sorry, my confusion.  It's Doug Sterling who is retiring and shutting down Stirling Broadcasting, not Derek Hughes.  Thanks for the correction.

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