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Jim Rogers 149 Bookshelf Loudspeakers I purchased these last year off another SNA member because I was curious as to how they stack up against LS3/5a’s. Turns out yes they are surprising, but not quite as good, and to improve them i’d need to change the cabinet and add the gold xover from Falcon and that’s a project I just don’t have time for at the moment. So for someone looking for and amazing pair of vintage bookshelf speakers, these are definitely worth having a play with. Condition: Fair Payment Method: EFT, Cash on Pickup Region/State: (WA) Western Australia/Australia By BetaBoy 0 Commen
A$500 is hard to benchmark confidently for the Rogers 149 from the information here, so I’d treat it as a potentially fair buy only if the pair is complete and functioning. I can’t verify a solid current used-market median from the available data, and with vintage Rogers speakers the condition usually matters more than the badge alone.
What makes it interesting is the usual Rogers appeal: these are the kind of British monitors people buy for natural midrange, sensible tonal balance, and long-term listenability rather than flash. If the cabinets are clean, drivers original, and the tweeters and crossovers are healthy, A$500 can be a sensible entry point for a respected vintage set; if there’s any refoam, recapping, or driver mismatch, the value drops quickly.
Independent perspective — not a price guarantee. Always verify condition, accessories and provenance before purchase.
Rogers, a storied British hi-fi brand, traces its origins to 1947 when Jim Rogers founded the company in Catford, initially as Rogers Development Ltd. The firm quickly established itself as a maker of loudspeakers and amplifiers, evolving through the 1950s with a focus on high-fidelity equipment. By the 1970s, it had relocated operations and gained prominence through its association with the BBC, which commissioned the iconic LS3/5A monitor speaker for broadcast use—a design that cemented Rogers' engineering legacy amid the UK's vibrant post-war audio scene.
The brand's product focus centered on loudspeakers, where it excelled with models like the Export Monitor featuring bespoke drive units and Celestion tweeters. Rogers also produced amplifiers, receivers, and integrated hi-fi systems, extending into niche areas such as car audio. While not heavily diversified into modern categories like DACs, headphones, or cables, its core strength lay in compact, precise monitors and full-range speaker systems renowned for clarity and bass control.
Today, Rogers holds a revered position as a vintage collector's favorite and high-end heritage marque, particularly among enthusiasts of BBC-licensed designs. Acquired by Hong Kong's Wo Kee Hong Group in 1993, it briefly revived UK manufacturing before shifting abroad, yet retains a niche boutique appeal for its timeless sound quality and historical cachet in the mid-to-high-end market.
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