I have a pair of Spendor 4/5s in a second system -- these are Spendor's most recent incarnation of the LS 3/5a which I first heard when I lived in London in 1979, so I'm familiar with the sound. I first powered the Spendors with a LSA VT-70 tube amp (EL34 tubes with 35 watts/ch) but midway last year decided to try out the small Schiit Gjallarhorn power amp with their Vali 2++ preamp (combo is $450 new) and have to say I prefer it over the tube amp. For near field listening many people overestimate how much power they need. I'm in an 11X12 room with a vaulted ceiling and listening to the setup right now and am very impressed with the sound. All the volume I want (mid 80 dB range) with no hint whatsoever of running out of power. So, there's one option for you, but as you know there are a zillion options out there.
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