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Musical Fidelity LS3-5A
LS3/5A - Overview
The LS3/5A was originally designed for listening places where space was limited, like mobile control rooms for television. The goal was a linear frequency response down to 100Hz with an excellent sound quality.
Due to the closed type cabinet, the LS3/5A convinces with its clear and fast playback. As the speaker was designed to be used for studio applications, the midrange is extremely detailed and realistic. The sound stage and imaging of vocals and instruments is truly extraordinary. The LS3/5A works best in a near/mid-field listening distance between two and four meters away from the listener.
Not only for professional use
Over the years, the LS3/5A became an industry standard for music studios, especially for classical recordings. It also quickly gained interest in the audiophile sector. Due to the small size, the LS3/5A is the perfect fit for small living rooms. Do not get fooled by the size: The speaker surprises with a lot of low end information. Due to the closed type design, the bass is quick and perfectly defined, compared to a bass reflex speaker.
The LS3/5A was produced by several speaker manufacturers over many decades already. The Musical Fidelity A1 was always the perfect partner with its Class A amplification. The result was an astonishing clear, detailed and warm sound stage.
The LS3/5A In Brief
- Two way, closed back type
- Nominal Impedance: 15 Ohms
- Sensitivity: 82.5dB/W/M
- Manufactured according to the BBC R&D design 1976/29
- For near/midfield listening distances
- Extreme accuracy in midrange frequencies
- Quick and perfectly defined bass due to closed back
- Linear frequency response down to 100Hz
- Truly extraordinary sound stage and imaging
- Perfect combination with Class A amplifiers like the Musical Fidelity A1
- Astonishingly clear, detailed and warm sound stage
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Professional Reviews 89/100
Nicely Roasted
Sound Quality
90/100
Build Quality
88/100
Value for Money
87/100
The LS3-5A turns small-room listening into something spellbinding, pairing a natural midrange with pinpoint imaging, taut sealed-box bass and a gently warm, glare-free balance. StereoNET United Kingdom highlights its fluent timing and vocal expressiveness, while its damped birch-plywood cabinet helps this compact BBC-inspired monitor cast an unexpectedly expansive soundstage.
What Reviewers Are Saying
Pros
Exceptionally natural, clear midrange gives voices and acoustic instruments convincing texture without harshness.
Fine imaging and an expansive soundstage exceed the cabinets' compact physical scale.
Sealed cabinet delivers fast, dry and tightly controlled bass with impressive weight for its size.
Damped birch-plywood construction and real Palisander veneer combine traditional engineering with attractive finish quality.
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Cons
Limited low-bass extension makes it less suitable for organ music, drum'n'bass and other bass-heavy material.
Compression becomes audible at sustained high volumes, and louder medium-room listening benefits from a powerful amplifier.
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 90/100
This is a distinctly classic mini-monitor presentation: smooth, slightly warm, exceptionally communicative through voices, and notably precise in timing and imaging. It trades deep bass and unrestricted loudness for poise, tonal subtlety and an unusually immersive performance in a small room.
Bass
85/100
The small sealed cabinet cannot deliver deep, room-shaking low bass; StereoNET says it is unsuitable for organ music and drum'n'bass. Within its compact dimensions, though, reviewers describe the bass as super-taut, dry and quick, with more depth than expected from the enclosure.
Mid
94/100
The midrange is a central attraction. StereoNET finds female vocals hauntingly present and clear without harshness, while instruments retain convincing texture, body and tonal character; Fidelity also highlights its natural handling of voices and instruments.
Treble
91/100
Treble is described as clean, smooth and detailed rather than spotlighted or analytical. StereoNET particularly praises its freedom from the glare associated with many modern designs, while retaining enough resolution to reveal vocal grain.
Soundstage Imaging
93/100
Imaging is repeatedly singled out as a strength. StereoNET reports fine imaging and a soundstage that places the listener in the hall, while Fidelity says the presentation extends well beyond the modest cabinet boundaries.
Dynamics
86/100
For a very small sealed monitor, it is said to be fast, propulsive and more dynamic than many compact rivals, with clean handling of transients. There is a clear limit at high volume, however: StereoNET heard compression when the speaker was pushed hard, and recommends ample amplifier power for louder beat-driven music.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Build Quality
88/100
The cabinet follows the traditional LS3/5A approach, using damped 12mm birch plywood/multiplex rather than MDF, with carefully matched drivers and cabinets. Reviews also note the attractive real-wood Palisander veneer, although the overall visual design remains purposefully utilitarian.
Value for Money
87/100
At a listed £3,349 RRP, this is a specialist premium purchase rather than an inexpensive compact speaker in absolute terms. StereoNET nevertheless describes it as relatively inexpensive to buy new and widely available, while finding it a very strong introduction to the LS3/5A experience for listeners seeking this particular BBC-monitor character.
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Verified Dealers
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Authorized dealers for Musical Fidelity LS3-5A
- The Music Room — online and in-store — Erie, Colorado, United States (website)
- Abt Electronics — online and in-store — Glenview, Illinois, United States (website)
- Accessories 4 less — online and in-store — Apopka, Florida, United States (website)
- Acoustic Sounds — online and in-store — Salina, Kansas, United States (website)
- Acton Gate Audio — online and in-store — Cymru, United Kingdom (website)
- Alta Fedelta — online and in-store — Lombardia, Italy (website)
- Analogue Seduction — online and in-store — Whittlesey, England, United Kingdom (website)
- Area Hifi — online and in-store — L'Eixample, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain (website)
- Art & Voice — online (website)
- Audio Advisor — online and in-store — Michigan, United States (website)
and 150 more verified dealers