I recently spent some time with the new LSA .5 speakers. I know that Stereo Mojo plans to run a review, supposedly the "world's first." At this point, more like the world's second or third. Please let me know what you think.
Before calling The Absolute Sound to cancel my subscription I read a report from the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show about a new bookshelf speaker from LSA. I knew LSA’s other speakers had attained near legendary status in many circles, but at over $1,000 a pair, they were completely out of my middle class budget. They may as well have cost $100,000.
But this new model, the LSA .5, had a list price of $800. Not free, but more within the grasp of normal humans. The writer was impressed with how they sounded so I was curious and sent LSA an email.
Brian Warford at LSA Audio Group was extremely kind to lend me a pair of .5s to evaluate.
Right to executive summary: The LSA .5 speakers sound terrific, natural and accurate with nearly all types of music. I’d find it hard to believe if most audio enthusiasts are not extraordinarily happy with them. I’d also be shocked if many competing manufacturers didn’t lose sleep worrying how much the .5 will cut into their sales.
My two channel system is in my living room, which is probably typical of many homes. I have chairs, a sofa, pillows, a rug and many bare, reflective walls. I can’t afford to to build an additional, acoustically correct listening room, so I need equipment that performs well in the real world under actual conditions.
My setup:
— Bel Canto Evo2i Gen. II integrated amplifier
— Virtue Audio Piano M1 CD player
— Audio Art 5SC-5 Classic Bi-Wire speaker cables w/ copper spades (Rob Fritz makes some of the best-performing reasonably priced handmade cables in the business). For the LSA .5s I used a pair of WyWire single wire cables. Thanks, Alex!
— DH Labs D-75 digital interconnect
— A pair of Anti Cable interconnects
— Extremely clean, handmade, high quality power cables throughout whose names I forget at the moment.
— PS Audio Duet power conditioner
— Stands? Two very solid antique oak stools (remember, I mentioned real world).
To my ears, this system produces clean, pure and natural-sounding music through my Quad 12L2 speakers. I’ve played guitar solo and with bands for nearly 50 years professionally and otherwise, heard countless live performances of every musical genre and have a good subjective idea of how instruments and vocals “should” sound.
The .5’s 1 inch fabric dome tweeter and 5.25 inch mid/bass treated paper driver seem modest, especially with a stated frequency response floor of 50 Hz. Low frequencies are gracefully handled by two front-facing ports. Because of this, the .5 wasn’t fussy about precise positioning like some rear ported models. Still, I thought they sounded better placed about 17 inches from the rear wall.
At 12 5/8th inches high, eight inches wide and 13 inches deep, they are rock solid at 21 lbs. apiece. My highly technical and scientific knuckle test on top of the speakers revealed no force or vibration transmitted. Extremely strong, stable and presumably sonically neutral bracing and construction.
Visually, the .5 is drop dead gorgeous with genuine rosewood veneer. This is a definite plus for the wife or companion acceptance factor. Using an uncommon design, the .5 tapers slightly inward from front to back.
ListeningI placed the speakers about seven feet apart pointing straight ahead, grilles left on, about 27 inches high. I sat on my sofa approximately eight feet in front.
Dense ensemble music, especially horns, seemed like a good place to start, and the soundtrack to The Commitments is well recorded. Maria Doyle Kennedy’s lead vocal in “I Can’t Stand the Rain” was always clearly defined, smooth at all registers and never brittle or harsh. Never sibilant. More sexy and smoky, as she probably intended. Keyboards, trumpets and saxophones never got muddled or smeared, even at higher than normal volumes. Horns should obviously sound brassy, and they did, but with no painfully metallic highs that make me want to run away. Bass was warm, appropriately fat with each note’s pitch evident and musical. Drums sounded crisp, balanced and fast.
“Try a Little Tenderness” confirmed that the .5s are extremely fast, responsive and musical. The notes in Glen Hanshard’s lead runs and guitar chords were distinct, crystalline and nearly three dimensional. Again, with strong well-defined drums, percussive bass, horns, keyboard and everything else singing all at once, the .5 presented each instrument clearly and accurately.
Melodic jazz piano doesn’t get much better than Red Garland. One of my favorite CDs is the remastered edition of “Red Garland’s Piano.” Garland’s lovely, delicate touch can sound hollow or shrill through some speakers. Not the .5. Each note soared beautifully and bell-like, with lots of detail even at low volume. Each note Paul Chambers played on bass was rich and distinct, while Art Taylor’s percussion had just the right snap.
On “Workin’ with the Miles Davis Quintet,” John Coltrane could have been playing his tenor sax right in my room. I could feel his powerful solos with my whole body, especially the lower registers. Clean, detailed and authentic-sounding. Likewise for Davis’s trumpet on classics like “The Theme” and “It Never Entered My Mind.”
I’m sure you’re dying to know how bluegrass sounds through the .5s. Fiddles and banjos can be challenging for a speaker. On “So Long of a Journey,” a live performance by Hot Rize, Tim O’Brien’s fiddle and mandolin were undistorted, nuanced and engaging; as were Peter Wernick’s amazing banjo and fine guitar work of Charles Sawtelle. No screechiness or pain on the high notes. Vocals, too, were tight, and you could point to the spot where each singer stood.
Claudio Arrau’s rendition of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 (The Emperor Concerto) with Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw Orchestra is sheer beauty. The .5 handled quiet staccatos and boisterous orchestral movements with aplomb. Sure, much larger speakers are probably better suited for such complex, dynamic music, but the diminutive LSAs gave their all without any noticeable smearing or breakup. Quite musical and engaging, although it was clear I was listening to smaller speakers.
With nearly any CD I played, the .5 disappeared once the music began, leaving a palpable, clearly positioned soundstage. These speakers definitely have PRAT. I was drawn in regardless of music style, my feet and head were moving and I could focus on the music. No glassy, brittle highs; no muddy, indistinct lows; and a midrange that’s spot-on accurate. Detail and dynamics are consistent from low to high volumes, but not at insanely high levels.
For many listeners, LSA has hit a homerun with its .5 speaker. It’s versatile and sophisticated enough to play almost anything well. Well worth serious consideration.