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• Overview – The Harbeth LS3/5A Speakers is a two-way, sealed-box, stand-mounted loudspeaker based on the original BBC monitor design created by Dudley Harwood, Harbeth’s founder, while he worked at the BBC Research Department.
• Key Technology – A 25mm Mylar-dome tweeter and 110mm Bextrene-cone woofer cross over at 3kHz through a complex 13-element network, housed in a sealed enclosure that Harbeth has refined twice since the design’s original 1975 approval.
• Performance – Stereophile found voices sounding naturally reproduced with only a slight chest tone from the sealed-box bass alignment, and described the Harbeth version as sounding notably less tizzy in the high treble than earlier Rogers-built pairs.
• Specs – The Harbeth LS3/5A Speakers offer a frequency response of 80Hz–20kHz ±3dB at 1m (grilles on), sensitivity of 82dB/W/m, and 10Ω nominal impedance. Amplifier requirements: 50W maximum. Enclosure volume: 5 litres.
• Dimensions – Measures approximately 195mm (W) × 195mm (D) × 310mm (H) per speaker, designed for use on dedicated stands away from room boundaries.
• Weight – Weighs approximately 5.3kg (11.7lbs) per speaker.
Harbeth’s LS3/5A is a cult classic, and S$2,600 looks fair to slightly strong rather than a steal. Recent used examples cluster around roughly S$1,700 to S$2,700 depending on version, finish, and condition, with clean pairs sometimes landing in the upper end of that band, so this asking price sits near the sensible middle for a like-new pair.
That’s still a worthwhile buy if you want the LS3/5A thing: beautiful midrange, uncanny vocal presence, and small-room magic that’s hard to fake. The like-new condition matters here, because with these monitors originality and cosmetics carry real weight, and a tidy pair is easier to resell later. If the badge, drivers, and grilles are all original and the provenance is clean, this is an easy listen-first candidate rather than a bargain-bin gamble.
Independent perspective — not a price guarantee. Always verify condition, accessories and provenance before purchase.
Harbeth Audio Ltd. traces its origins to 1977, when BBC Research Department engineer H.D. (Dudley) Harwood founded the company in the UK upon his retirement. Harwood, a pioneer in loudspeaker cone materials, commercialized his inventions—including polypropylene cones developed during four decades of BBC-funded research—to produce monitor speakers that echoed the broadcaster's precision standards. This heritage, rooted in the BBC's comprehensive loudspeaker investigations from the 1960s and 1970s, positioned Harbeth as a direct descendant of iconic designs like the LS3/5a.
The brand focuses exclusively on high-fidelity loudspeakers, eschewing amplifiers, turntables, DACs, headphones, or cables. Harbeth's innovations center on proprietary materials and engineering, notably the patented RADIAL™ cone introduced in the 1990s, which minimizes distortion for exceptional clarity and natural reproduction. Standout models include the Super HL5 Plus, Monitor 30.1, and Monitor 40.2, all refined through ongoing refinements to critically damped cabinets, polymeric cones, and crossover networks.
Harbeth commands a revered position in the high-end hi-fi market as a niche boutique specialist, prized by discerning audiophiles for its balanced, transparent sound that prioritizes musicality over hype. Under Alan Shaw's leadership since 1986, blending BBC traditions with rigorous quality control, it sustains an irrefutable reputation for world-class performance at low-to-medium volumes, earning critical acclaim worldwide.
See all Harbeth listings on RADAR.
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