Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a 15 ohms

**leon** · June 6, 2016, 04:23 AM

Very nice set-up you have there Jerome. It looks that you have more than enough space to put numerous sorts of speakers (like AN-E or Devore O96). I will make some pictures later as I'm currently travelling. At the moment I run the falcons on a Naim; i also own a Leben sc 300 tupe amplifier (driving AN-E lx HE) in a second system, but I'm afraid that the 12 watts is just a little short driving the Falcons. Did anyone read the Absolute Sound review ?

cheers

Leon

**Jerome W** · June 6, 2016, 11:32 AM

Originally Posted by leon

Very nice set-up you have there Jerome. It looks that you have more than enough space to put numerous sorts of speakers (like AN-E or Devore O96). I will make some pictures later as I'm currently travelling. At the moment I run the falcons on a Naim; i also own a Leben sc 300 tupe amplifier (driving AN-E lx HE) in a second system, but I'm afraid that the 12 watts is just a little short driving the Falcons. Did anyone read the Absolute Sound review ?

cheers

Leon

Hello Leon,

Thank you !
Funny that you're thinking about the AN-E. I think about them too !
The room is large yes ( 50m2) but with poor acoustics. Very resonant and clear.
The only speakers that worked here are the P3ESR, the Falcons and the 40.1.
So I am not in a hurry to try something else.
The Falcons, like the P3ESR, are able to fill the room incredibly.

**mcanaday** · August 24, 2016, 01:42 PM

Hi all- I've been thinking of trying the Falcons and just contacted a dealer. He said the price started at $3195, which was exactly $1000 more than what I expected. Either he is confused or there has been a (significant) price hike that I didn't know about. Does anyone else have any insight? (I do have an email into Tone Imports but haven't heard back.)
And I am wondering too if people have ideas about amplification. I was thinking either Line Magnetic 211 or Leben 300 or 600. (Huge variation in price of course.) The source is a Line Magnetic 515 cd player.
Thanks for any insights!
Margot

**sheltie1** · August 24, 2016, 02:25 PM

Originally Posted by mcanaday

Hi all- I've been thinking of trying the Falcons and just contacted a dealer. He said the price started at $3195, which was exactly $1000 more than what I expected. Either he is confused or there has been a (significant) price hike that I didn't know about. Does anyone else have any insight? (I do have an email into Tone Imports but haven't heard back.)
And I am wondering too if people have ideas about amplification. I was thinking either Line Magnetic 211 or Leben 300 or 600. (Huge variation in price of course.) The source is a Line Magnetic 515 cd player.
Thanks for any insights!
Margot

Hey Margot..... That is the correct pricing for the Falcons (well...they actually begin at $3295 so it's really $100 more then what you were told).

**mcanaday** · August 24, 2016, 02:31 PM

Originally Posted by sheltie1

Hey Margot..... That is the correct pricing for the Falcons (well...the actually begin at $3295 so it's really $100 less).

Thanks, Sheltie. But any idea what happened? They were being sold at $2195 a year ago, and all the reviews list the price this way.

Does it make sense to folks that they are 1000 more than the Harbeth P3? I am willing to be convinced but struggling a bit....

**sheltie1** · August 24, 2016, 02:35 PM

Originally Posted by mcanaday

Thanks, Sheltie. But any idea what happened? They were being sold at $2195 a year ago, and all the reviews list the price this way.

Does it make sense to folks that they are 1000 more than the Harbeth P3? I am willing to be convinced but struggling a bit....

Not sure if/why the price may have gone up, but it is for sure the case..... (FYI...this is Taylor at Goldprint Audio, we chatted via email a few days ago).

**leon** · August 24, 2016, 02:56 PM

Originally Posted by sheltie1

Not sure if/why the price may have gone up, but it is for sure the case..... (FYI...this is Taylor at Goldprint Audio, we chatted via email a few days ago).

hi margot,

u right; i noticed the price change as well. when i bought my speakers about half year back, i bought them directly from Falcon Acoustics, of the Falcon Acoustics website. however since some time ago you can't do that anymore so you have to buy them from a dealer. The price change i guess has to do because of the dealership in between. In any case, i run these little speakers every day and they truly sound fantastic. I run them on a naim amp , but i also do own a leben cs 300. it sounds fantastic on that amp as well. I think that this little leben is a fantastic amp anyway, but that is a different subject (i run the leben in a second set with Audio note AN-E lx HE ). ideally though according to Jerry (present owner of Falcon) they need a little bit more power to avoid clipping when played at very loud levels. apparently the combination with a sudden a class works very well.

bottomline: my naim unity 2 (70watts into 8 ohm) with the falcons -> superb
my leben cs 300 (12 watts tube) with the Falcons -> superb

cheers,

leon

**mcanaday** · August 24, 2016, 04:11 PM

Originally Posted by leon

hi margot,

u right; i noticed the price change as well. when i bought my speakers about half year back, i bought them directly from Falcon Acoustics, of the Falcon Acoustics website. however since some time ago you can't do that anymore so you have to buy them from a dealer. The price change i guess has to do because of the dealership in between. In any case, i run these little speakers every day and they truly sound fantastic. I run them on a naim amp , but i also do own a leben cs 300. it sounds fantastic on that amp as well. I think that this little leben is a fantastic amp anyway, but that is a different subject (i run the leben in a second set with Audio note AN-E lx HE ). ideally though according to Jerry (present owner of Falcon) they need a little bit more power to avoid clipping when played at very loud levels. apparently the combination with a sudden a class works very well.

bottomline: my naim unity 2 (70watts into 8 ohm) with the falcons -> superb
my leben cs 300 (12 watts tube) with the Falcons -> superb

cheers,

leon

Hi Leon-
I guess that's it; I hadn't realized that the guy who was selling them before was Falcon Direct (I thought he was in Florida) but it must be the move to dealerships that is responsible for the price increase. Like I said, I wish I had purchased them before. I was slowed down a bit by the Absolute Sound review, before I decided I didn't care....Oh well.
Great news that the Leben is a good option! My room is really small (9 feet by 11 feet) and I don't play loud so I am thinking the Leben CS300XS at 15 wpc may be enough. But I would also spring for the 600 if it's a safer choice with a bit more power. Or think about Line Magnetic 211 too. The Leben is appealing because of the option of 16 ohm taps, which seems like it would work really well with the Falcons....
Thanks again! Margot

**leon** · August 24, 2016, 04:26 PM

Originally Posted by mcanaday

Hi Leon-
I guess that's it; I hadn't realized that the guy who was selling them before was Falcon Direct (I thought he was in Florida) but it must be the move to dealerships that is responsible for the price increase. Like I said, I wish I had purchased them before. I was slowed down a bit by the Absolute Sound review, before I decided I didn't care....Oh well.
Great news that the Leben is a good option! My room is really small (9 feet by 11 feet) and I don't play loud so I am thinking the Leben CS300XS at 15 wpc may be enough. But I would also spring for the 600 if it's a safer choice with a bit more power. Or think about Line Magnetic 211 too. The Leben is appealing because of the option of 16 ohm taps, which seems like it would work really well with the Falcons....
Thanks again! Margot

i mentioned it before but i was very surprised reading the absolute sound review; personally i found it very biased. i have owned the harbeth p3esr for about 3 years myself (and also still own the super hl5, which i have lend out to my sister since i just have collected too much hifi ...) . the p3esr is also a very good little speaker, but for me the Falcon wins it in overall musicallity. i guess we must conclude that taste is very subjective, also if you look at the super review they got in Stereophile. One more thing about the leben in relation to your room size. the 300 (or indeed the 300f or 300xs) punches well above its weight. and at half the price of the 600 i would at least try to do the comparison.

cheers

**Bert** · August 25, 2016, 02:55 PM

Originally Posted by mcanaday

Hi all- I've been thinking of trying the Falcons and just contacted a dealer. He said the price started at $3195, which was exactly $1000 more than what I expected. Either he is confused or there has been a (significant) price hike that I didn't know about. Does anyone else have any insight? (I do have an email into Tone Imports but haven't heard back.)
And I am wondering too if people have ideas about amplification. I was thinking either Line Magnetic 211 or Leben 300 or 600. (Huge variation in price of course.) The source is a Line Magnetic 515 cd player.
Thanks for any insights!
Margot

Hi,

First time I post here. I build the Falcon Acoustics BBC LS3/5A Kit few months ago when they were still available at their online store. I can’t say the Falcons are better than my Harbeth Compact 7 ES-3, but I enjoy them more. I tried the LS3/5A with my Leben 300XS and IMHO the Leben is not powerful enought to drive them. However they do love tubes. With my Audiomat Reference, it’s the perfect match. As much I like the Leben, I guess the Line Magnetic would be a better bet here (same EL34 based integrated amp).

Bert

**joeinid** · August 25, 2016, 03:21 PM

Welcome to the forum Bert! Thank you for joining.

**mcanaday** · August 25, 2016, 05:28 PM

Thanks Leon and Bert for your helpful responses! Has anyone tried the Falcons with the bigger Leben? It's appealing because of the greater power/16 ohm tap, but a lot more money too....
Thanks!

**fjn04** · August 27, 2016, 01:18 AM

Leben 300 runs EL84, while LM 211 indeed uses EL34's.

**Bert** · August 28, 2016, 01:01 PM

Originally Posted by fjn04

Leben 300 runs EL84, while LM 211 indeed uses EL34's.

Sorry if it was not clear. I mean: Line Magnetic same el34 based integrated amp than the Audiomat Arpege Reference.

**hifinutt** · September 7, 2018, 02:13 PM

an old thread but falcon will be at RMAF , some speel here

Falcon Loudspeakers is pleased to announce in conjunction with Rocky Mountain Audiofest that we will have a 3rd room at this year’s Denver Show.
Room 2017 is one of the Innovation Rooms on the 2nd floor of the Tower and it will show:

“The Historic Falcon Acoustics LS3/5 – LSA3/5a Collection 1968-2018”
This display consists of 7 pairs of speakers, each one a stepping stone in the history of the LS35a from its design concept, through the production years and into the future.
For the first time ever at an audio show it will be possible to listen to the LS3/5, LS3/5a R&D, 15Ω version, 11Ω version, Falcon’s current production Classic BBC 15 ohm LS3/5a and finally a development pair of Falcon Active LS3/5a.
We will also have on display a selection of material from the extensive Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a archives, much of which has never been seen before.

**SoundRebels** · January 28, 2019, 09:52 AM

Last Saturday We'd great pleasure to spent few hours with Jerry Bloomfield and LS3/5a ...

**joeinid** · January 28, 2019, 08:40 PM

Looks like a great time was had by all. How did the demo sound?

**SoundRebels** · January 29, 2019, 02:26 AM

LS3/5A are just great speakers. Even in 26 sq.m. with 50W Lavardin sound was very satisfied - with superb resolution and musicality.

**Joseph R.** · February 17, 2019, 01:49 AM

Heard the Falcon LS3/5a’s at the Florida Audio Expo. Three days later UPS delivered a pair at my front door. Whatever they cost, they are worth it. Superb. IMHO, best sound at the show.

**joeinid** · February 17, 2019, 03:39 AM

Congratulations!

Yes, they are wonderful.

**Joseph R.** · February 17, 2019, 05:53 AM

Thanks Joe. Can’t get my wife out of my sound room. Help !!!

**joeinid** · February 17, 2019, 07:05 AM

Ha! Glad she’s loving them too.

**SoundRebels** · February 17, 2019, 07:30 AM

Originally Posted by Joseph R.

Thanks Joe. Can’t get my wife out of my sound room. Help !!!

-

Just try Behemoth - one of the best "wife remover" on the market ;-)

**Elberoth** · February 17, 2019, 12:13 PM

Got myself a pair as well.

**Joseph R.** · February 17, 2019, 12:41 PM

Originally Posted by Elberoth

Got myself a pair as well.

Congratulations Adam. I can imagine how great they will sound with the Lampizator gear !!! Glorious midrange.....

**Mike** · February 17, 2019, 12:46 PM

Congrats Joe and Adam. Fantastic little speakers. If I didn’t already have my Harbeth P3ESR Anniversary Edition, I would get a pair.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

**Kuoppis** · February 17, 2019, 01:11 PM

Have a pair of the P3ESRs, so I can imagine what you are hearing.

Like the small monitors. Congrats!

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

**Joseph R.** · February 17, 2019, 01:11 PM

Originally Posted by Mike

Congrats Joe and Adam. Fantastic little speakers. If I didn’t already have my Harbeth P3ESR Anniversary Edition, I would get a pair.

Another great speaker. Thanks Mike and kudos to you for such a great show. Had a great time with my favorite hobby and terrific friends.

I must reveal a dark secret here. I own a pair of bass modules designed by Dick Shahinian over 40 years ago. He designed them specifically for the LS3/5a. He gave me them about 7 years ago. When the Falcons came in on Wednesday, I been thanking him posthumously since. My Pass X250.5 loves them too.

**RDSChicago** · February 17, 2019, 01:42 PM

Congrats on the Falcons! Love these mini-monitors. Enjoying my Trenner & Friedl Art's every day!

**puroagave** · February 17, 2019, 02:31 PM

Originally Posted by Joseph R.

Heard the Falcon LS3/5a’s at the Florida Audio Expo. Three days later UPS delivered a pair at my front door. Whatever they cost, they are worth it. Superb. IMHO, best sound at the show.

Great choice. I had the Falcon side by side with a cost no object rebuilt pair of Quad 57s. On most music I preferred the Falcons! Remarkably they have a VERY similar mid-band in tone and character to the Quad. In spite of the perceived inequity of comparing a cone speaker against a 'stat, the resolution and transparency were nearly equal between the two and low-power tube amps love the Falcon.

If you're looking for stands, I would recommend the bespoke stand made by GIG Harbor Audio in WA. They are a repro of Falcons own stand at half the cost. https://www.gigharboraudio.com/gha-c...speaker-stands

**Joseph R.** · February 17, 2019, 03:23 PM

Originally Posted by RDSChicago

Congrats on the Falcons! Love these mini-monitors. Enjoying my Trenner & Friedl Art's every day!

Heard these at Axpona Chicago last year. Was impressed. Enjoy.

**Jerome W** · February 18, 2019, 03:17 AM

Hi Folks,

BTW I am selling my pair. The ad is here in the fish market

.

Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk

**dchang81** · May 9, 2020, 01:22 AM

Originally Posted by Jerome W

Hi Folks,

BTW I am selling my pair. The ad is here in the fish market

.

Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk

To bump this up, how come you sold them?

**Jerome W** · October 25, 2020, 01:10 AM

Many reasons.
Too much gear, wanting for a more full range option....

Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk

**Joseph R.** · October 25, 2020, 04:26 AM

Originally Posted by Jerome W

......wanting for a more full range option....

When I want to hear hifi I play the Falcons with my woofer modules. With bi-amping and the right cabling they respond as a full range floor stander. But when I need to hear music I play them by themselves. It brings me back to why I got into this ridiculous hobby in the first place.

As an aside, based on a conversation with Jerry Bloomfield I paired them up with Straight Wire Expressivo Grande II’s. It is a match made in heaven. I don’t get the comment though that the Falcons don’t go quite so high. IMHO the T27 tweeters surpass every tweeter I have ever heard. Maybe not as exotic as the diamond coated of Marten and the red glowing plasma’s, but to these ears, more natural and extremely extended. I have two friends that have beryllium tweeters, and they are taken with the T27’s of the Falcons. And I put my Townshend Maximus supertweeters in my tube closet. I doubt they will ever see the light of day.

Thread: Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a 15 ohms

Re: Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a 15 ohms

Re: Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a 15 ohms

Re: Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a 15 ohms

Re: Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a 15 ohms

Re: Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a 15 ohms

Re: Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a 15 ohms

Re: Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a 15 ohms

Re: Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a 15 ohms

Re: Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a 15 ohms

Re: Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a 15 ohms

Re: Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a 15 ohms

Re: Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a 15 ohms

Re: Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a 15 ohms

Re: Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a 15 ohms

Re: Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a 15 ohms

Re: Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a 15 ohms

Re: Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a 15 ohms

Re: Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a 15 ohms

Re: Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a 15 ohms

Re: Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a 15 ohms

Re: Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a 15 ohms

Re: Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a 15 ohms

Re: Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a 15 ohms

Re: Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a 15 ohms

Re: Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a 15 ohms