Speaker Asylum: REVIEW: LSA GROUP LSA 1 REFERENCE Speakers by strangebrewpr

Model:	LSA 1 REFERENCE
Category:	Speakers
Suggested Retail Price:	$1,295.00
Description:	TWO WAY BOOKSHELF SPEAKER
Manufacturer URL:	LSA GROUP
Model Picture:	View

Review by Strangebrewpr on February 11, 2016 at 17:09:52
IP Address: 66.249.88.208 Add Your Review
for the LSA 1 REFERENCE

Hi there my good audiophile friends . In my search for a good sounding inexpensive speakers,for some time I had my eyes on a pair of LSA 1 reference . Having read only good things not only on these but on all of the company's models I waited patiently waiting for a price break on a pair and come it did . On ebay , got me a brand new set in boxed for 400 dollars . Having the speaker being sold at the beginning at 1,100 a pair I think I got a pretty good deal .

Design in the US but put together by chinese just looking at them I wondered how much they would have to be sold if full manufacture would have been in the US as their appearance screamed quality . They are a simple two way affair , tweeter and woofer , the first being a 1 inch silk dome tweeter with a 6 1/2 inch paper coned impregnented with a compound that gives it the look of a plastic , I believe the crossover to be 3000 cycles .

They are 13.5 by 14.5 by 8 3/4 wider in the front tapering with a gradual curve . The finish is of good quality , biwired with high quality metal binding post. They weight 24 pounds each with a braced cabinet . A quite small vent at the back of the speakers completes the physical aspects of the speaker. LSA makes three different configurations of the same cabinet each having better drivers and crossover components , reference , signatures and statements with a incremental price increase with each higher end model .

I have them on 24 inch metal stands filled with sand and spiked to the floor . In my listenning room with is rather small they are 2.5 feet from the back wall 3 feet from one side and no wall on the other end which opens to the dinning room . I have used them with 3 different amps , Mccormack DNA 125 , counterpoint sa12 modified by altavista audio to NP100 status using nos 6n7 black plate tubes and a highly modified ampzilla amplifier designed by James Bongornio , a old highly regarded 200 watter .

By the way , they are a 6 ohm affair with a 42-20k frequency response , no plus or minus specs which makes this spec rather useless . Preamp used was my trusty Audible Illusions 3a , turandot opera audio cdp and a highly modified project turntable using a ortofon salsa low output moving coil cartridge . All power cables and interconnects are by JPS connected to a Richard Grey power line conditioner .

I let the speaker break in for about 50 hours before any serious listening sounding not bad since first audition gradually changing for the better as music was passed threw them . Now lets get to how they sound in my room with my equipment . Imagine a speaker that you can hear for hours without any listening fatigue creeping in but without any rolling of the highs . These speakers are right smack in the middle between the mellow and dry sound . With a dry sounding recording they move towards the dry , with a mellow recording the mellow . To be honest their sound is just a bit mellow without losing detail . If I were to us either side to categorized their sound it would have to be mellow without being inacurate as some highly regarded british speakers can be . In other words they have very good tone structure .

The top end is highly resolved without any artificial spikes to make it sound more alive then it is . The bass is very deep for a speaker of this size , taut with a good prat factor . If you set them to close to the rear wall bass tautness suffers . The 42 cycle spec from the manufacturer can be believable but with some roll off but quite audible nevertheless. Orquestral recordings have their Ompp factor intact . They are very dynamic when the music calls for it and very subtle in nature when piannisimos are being played , in other words their dynamic graduations are excellent . They can be played at very low volume without losing out on this expresive nature.

Now for their imaging and soundstaging , they simply disappear . You can look straight at them and not hear a sound coming from them . Images are well focus with wide and nice depth . For their price they are outstanding speakers . I dont know how they would perform with lesser quality equipment but with my equipment they performed very well indeed . Is there anything in their sound I didn't like ? Well let just say I have heard better in every aspect of reproduction but at rather much more higher prices and I would have to underline higher prices . They certainly don't perform as 1,200 dollar speakers and every aspect of musical reproduction has been so carefully tailored as to say they don't have any weak points. They reproduce a believable musical experience which not only you can hear but feel as well ,they put you in touch with the music.

Product Weakness:	For the price ? You have got to be kidding .
Product Strengths:	Very musical

Associated Equipment for this Review:

Amplifier: Mccormack dna125 , counterpint np100 , ampzilla by Gas
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): Audible Illusion 3a with gold phono board
Sources (CDP/Turntable): Project with ortofon moving coil
Speakers: Magnepan 1.6 , spica tc 50 ,
Cables/Interconnects: JPS
Music Used (Genre/Selections): Ecleptic
Room Size (LxWxH): 21 feet x 12 feet x 8 feet
Room Comments/Treatments: Drapes and open window from top to bottom on back wall
Time Period/Length of Audition: 5 months
Other (Power Conditioner etc.): Richard Grey
Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner

Amplifier:	Mccormack dna125 , counterpint np100 , ampzilla by Gas
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	Audible Illusion 3a with gold phono board
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Project with ortofon moving coil
Speakers:	Magnepan 1.6 , spica tc 50 ,
Cables/Interconnects:	JPS
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Ecleptic
Room Size (LxWxH):	21 feet x 12 feet x 8 feet
Room Comments/Treatments:	Drapes and open window from top to bottom on back wall
Time Period/Length of Audition:	5 months
Other (Power Conditioner etc.):	Richard Grey
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner