Designers and builders of Loudspeakers in the BBC tradition
Stirling Broadcast LS3/6 Monitor Loudspeaker
Built under license from the BBC, the Stirling Broadcast LS3/6 Reference Loudspeaker is a 3-way design by Derek Hughes. Using modern components it has been designed to remain faithful to the BBC specification whilst offering greater power-handling than the original, an even smoother frequency response, much lower colouration and better dispersion.
Derek Hughes has done this by taking advantage of the greater consistency and linearity of modern drive units, integrating them with a very high-quality crossover designed by both CAD and listening tests. A super-tweeter further improves the already excellent high frequency response of the original LS3/6 design.
The Stirling Broadcast LS3/6 cabinets adhere to the “lossy” thin walled cabinet design philosophy developed by BBC Research Department at Kingswood Warren, and the high quality cabinets use 9mm birch plywood with double thickness damping pads and are finished in beautiful pair-matched wood veneer with a matt lacquer finish.
The new speaker ideally requires 400mm high stands, such as those supplied by Something Solid.
"To say that I like and admire the LS3/6 is to understate the case. This speaker seems to me a true realization of a dream that many audiophiles have held for a long time: a modern (and available) speaker with the unique virtues of the Spendor BC-1/ BBC LS3/6—the extraordinary articulateness and neutrality in real listening rooms—but without its dynamic limitations" - Robert E Greene - The Absolute Sound
"The LS3/6's reproduction of singing voices was wonderful" - Art Dudley - Stereophile
"The Stirling LS3/6s delivers the goods, and it is satisfying in musical terms at a very high level. This is a sound that is both attractive in its own right and true to the real sound of music in a way that most speakers do not approach at all. And when one looks at the price, the idea of a wild bargain comes to mind inevitably" - Robert E Greene - The Absolute Sound
"What has been captured here with the LS3/6 is a loudspeaker, that as far as subjective sound quality is concerned, can compete if not outclass, many current BBC licensed designs, (2 or 3 of which Derek has built for another manufacturer) or for that matter, any British or American loudspeaker currently available today of definitive standing at the LS3/6’s respective price point" - Howard Milstein - The Sound Advocate
"Derek Hughes has done a wonderful job of carrying the unforgettable sound of the original into the modern era... If the word "great" means anything in speaker design, the new LS3/6 is a great loudspeaker" - Robert E Greene - The Absolute Sound
"These are one of my favourite loudspeakers today - I can confirm that they are rather special” - Mark Hennessy
Technical Specifications
Power handling:
90w continuous, 150w short term, IEC268
Max sound level:
107dB, pair @2m
Input impedance:
8 ohms nominal
Input connections:
Bi-wire, 4mm terminals (plugs/wires to 4mm cross sectional area)
Freq. response:
45Hz to 18kHz +/-3dB (on HF axis @1m)
Crossover:
3kHz, 13kHz
Sensitivity:
87dB/1watt/1m
Cabinet details:
Reflex loaded. 303mm (w) x 303mm (d) x 638mm (h)
Weight:
18.5kg (shipping weight 26kg each)
Veneers available:
Cherry, Walnut, Zebrano, Ebony, Rosewood
Reviews
The Absolute Sound
(2023 Golden Ear):
Stereophile
(2014 Class B):
The Sound Advocate:
The Absolute Sound
(2013 Editors Choice):