09 November, 2022

Clone LS3/5A 史特灵


点击所有照片放大。

Letter from Shenzhen (22-15): 史特灵 LS3/5A, Part I
Canare 4S10F 喇叭线 和脚架

To Non-Chinese Readers: The Chinese products discussed here are not available outside China, so this is written for Hong Kong readers mainly. I let you know this to save you the bother of translating.

Update 更新:Part II 讨论史特灵 11 ohm 版本,必读

我這博客十幾歲了,讀者來自世界各地,所以幾乎沒有用中文寫作。由於 Blogspot 系屬 Google,除非翻牆大陸看不到,可以說我和大陸發燒友沒有緣分。現在身處的深圳也不像廣州邊圍,絕對不是發燒重地,暫時沒有臭味相投的同好。曰:得之淡然, 失之坦然, 爭其必然, 順其自然。香港就不一樣,什麼都看得到,而大部分朋友和讀者都懂英文,所以沒有問題。看瀏覽統計(右下方),香港向居第二位,仅次花旗,讀者是不少的。這一次中文寫作可以說是絕無僅有。為什麼是例外?因為事關淘寶雙十一,而提及的寶貝暫時似乎沒有賣到國外去的。這篇文章是特地為香港讀者們寫的,雖然有點姍姍來遲,希望有人 get 到。 很久以來 我都很少買國產貨。可是暫時身在國內,近身的三妻四妾又未能跟隨,只能構思用少許錢另結新歡。另一原因是因為國貨(比如最重要的變壓器/牛)現在進步了很多。不像外國和香港那一些靠餘蔭吃飯的品牌(非音響的經典例子是掛羊頭賣狗肉的藍妹啤酒),賣得死貴還有屎忽佬上門,國內市場更加殘酷。君不見,非常多以前品牌已經式微或落幕?想多了解我最近歷程的朋友可以看這篇文章,比較詳細介紹我現在的音響。比起我在美國和香港,這裡低檔很多,但絕對聽得,照樣可以非常享受音樂。對我來說玩音響是提升聽音樂的樂趣,而不是音響是樂趣而音樂是工具 - 精神享受和提升,而不是流於玩物。當然,玩物和精神層面是互不排除的,但切勿本末倒置。 淘寶雙十一不是每樣東西都會便宜,有的把價錢提高再減,但是如果你有經常留意的話確實可以省一點錢。像跨店200減30這種活動只有部分商家參與。第一輪的活動已經過去了;第二輪在11/10 晚上八點展開,11/11 半夜結束。這裡我推薦3樣東西。 第一個討論的是所謂復刻LS3/5A。這些在香港台灣也聽過不少,包括英國所謂嫡系的 Stirling 和 Falcon。說後兩者,聲音雖然頗有以前影子,卻不免現代化,高音多些,低音較快而節奏感也會緊湊一些;中音為主者可能會有保留,而古墓派就不用提了。大陸有不少復刻者,效果參差,有的能入木兩分,其餘頗有偏差。價錢如所謂復刻西電一樣,比較便宜到揾笨價都有。 這裡說說 LS3/5A,那些自命不凡的 3/5A 專家,很多其實品味非常狹窄,一日三餐蔡琴。算吧啦!這些人,換膽多過吃飯,開機就像有人按門鈴,“是誰...是誰...”。音樂修養差些不是問題,但沒能力駕馭大些的系統卻是。這些人搞的 Tannoy, Spendor BC1 之類大多慘不忍聽,只能玩3/5A。我不屬於這類認為 3/5A 是全世界最好的喇叭的人,但我認為它是一對經典的小喇叭,如友人 icefox 的口頭禪,“夠聽”和“正經”。如果你像我,聽大編制交響樂,那它在香港寸金尺土的小廳房是勉強可以的(這裡這裡有我以前在香港斗廳和其它喇叭的比較)。一般人說 3/5A最適合聽小品,但其實也不盡然。經典LS3/5A的速度,無論 11 或 15 ohm, 尤其低音,都有點慢,聽蔡琴沒問題,但聽打擊樂器佔重要位置的音樂,就算是小編制爵士3重奏也絕對不完美,總感覺欠了點什麼。編制其實在音樂里佔非常重要的位置。華人發燒友愛聽人聲和小提琴,這本來不是問題,但完全忽略伴奏和合奏就是大問題。我最怕發燒友播貝多芬小提琴協奏曲,因為主人只聽“一支弓”,完全不知道那樂隊聲音有多差,而我們要忍受很久獨奏才出場。另外最怕 Brubeck 的 Take Five。這3人組喜歡玩弄拍子,但其實並不怎樣 Swing。播放必需明快, 但在香港鮮有聽到合格的,通常令人昏昏欲睡。有人問大神 Charles Mingus 到底 Brubeck 是不是 Swing? 他的答案可妙:他自己認為是的話,那就是。這句名言可以展升到音響那些認為自己天下無敵的人的身上。 自己聽 LS3/5A 已經有40多年,順年份回溯,賣掉的有古早11 ohm 單柱 Rogers, Spendor,Harbeth 兩對; 11 ohm bi-wire 有 KEF,Spendor 兩對;古早 15 ohm Rogers 兩對。現在仍然擁有 15 ohm Chartwell 和 Audiomaster(在美國)。沒有“是誰...”來“是誰...”去,但大體聽感的比較當然是有的。差別說大不大,說小不小,有的朦,有的豬油羔般慢,也有的過分高清,絕對不是所有都有留下的價值,故也有沽出。最後期的 KEF Rosewood 版,有一點高清但我喜歡它較爽的聲底,和現在英國那些復刻有點相似。這裡順便一提變種 Harbeth P3ESR,這版本比以前的 P3 好很多,值得一聽 (這裡有和 3/5A 的比較)。至於 Spendor 那些 S3/5 類,聲音對我來說都太纖瘦,不是我杯茶(我還是 Spendor 粉絲呢)。 寫這些是讓讀者知道我對 LS3/5A 有一定的了解,也不會被變種或複刻輕易動搖的。那為什麼我在深圳還是買了復刻版?很簡單,我需要一對便宜的喇叭,而大陸喇叭很多聲音都不平衡(其實外國也是),我也沒有興趣到處去試聽。除了天經地義的謀利,3/5A復刻者起碼有個初心,知道自己的方向(做不做得到是另一回事)。就算次的研發都需要非常多時間和耐心,不是每個人可以或想做的。
本著雖不中亦不遠矣的希望,幾個月前我購買了聯盟音響的 Anubis LS3/5A(前文有提及;是現代化 8ohm)。效果還可以,但起初有一點化不開的感覺。本來也安分的,但靠近雙十一發現了這所謂 Stirling 的產品,立馬被吸引了。應該是新推的,以前沒有見過。這也是第一遭國人復刻一個英國復刻版!有趣!史特灵是国内注册商标,但單元標著 Beydas Audio。把心一橫,拍了下來。 2380 人仔,比 Anubis 貴 400。寫這文章做了點研究,廣州貝達思有出CD機及喇叭等,還說自己有英國傳承。那一段公司歷史簡直精彩過神話,這裡不引述,自己查看把。 包裝超妥當。國內買喇叭有土炮喇叭線送。用廉價數碼機 Aiyima 接好,一開聲我就跳了起來。 Bingo,掂呀!如賈平凹小說(通常超鹹濕,東方日報可以行埋一邊)下刪3000字。一個星期了,還在聽。沒有任何抱怨。沒有舊款有時候的拖泥帶水,沒有新的可能過分高清,一切自然。你可以當它是靠近 KEF 和現在英國復刻那些品牌的變種,但高音可能更滑一些。換線就可迎合自己口味,非常敏感。音場深遠,高低平衡,能量感好,彈跳力佳,現場感強,无论人声,爵士古典,沒有什麼可挑剔的。是真木皮,沒有 Anubis 好,但合格。重要的是,聲音徹底 PK 了 Anubis。重複友人 icefox 的口頭禪,“夠聽”和“正經”,是至高榮譽。這喇叭不難推,就算 300B 都非常靠譜,膽石皆怡。我知道,有人會問,有冇嗰祲馟先?答案1,冇乜,起碼在我這裡如此,因為我不要一祲馟;答案2,那些說3/5A和號角有音染的人認知有限,現在非常多的高端喇叭才有音染,中音不好就是一種負面的負音染!別忘了,3/5A 是科班出生,用來監聽的。中音大氣但天生沒有什麼馟,那是玩家賦予的。玩得不好,35 也可以變 67;玩得好,其它有質素的小喇叭,如經典Sonus faber 和 Ensemble Reference,一樣可以祲祲馟。曰:人追求音色,但音色跟人, 看你是什麼人。我說千萬不要像狗一樣,重复無止地追自己尾巴。後者大有人在,但有什麼關係呢?自己開心就好。說到狗,有一個朋友一開機他那條就哀鳴著撤退,真人真事。所以再靚聲也要顧及家人感受。 現在只有兩個選擇。 15 ohm是所謂黑檀木,有淺色斑馬紋的(見圖),也就是我的。 11ohm是所謂白樺。這個有趣,我相信單元都一樣的,只不過分音器應該不同。我覺得沒有必要執著,你喜歡哪一個顏色就買。這是bi-wire設計,而jumper是一條不起眼的小銅柱,但別小看它,放到 Anubis 身上 PK 了它本身帶的鍍銀線。
第二說的是腳架。同時我買了這便宜全鐵腳架(千萬不要買MDF面板的)。 ”Stirling” 一放上去就牛逼。這腳架需要自己組裝,沒多少時間。我家木地板,所以我把較尖的腳釘向上,而圓的旋鈕在下面,不會刮地板。聲音超好,如果你需要腳架,選擇適合你的高度(那些說 24 寸最好的老屎忽都是矮仔)。在客廳,我把 Anubis 放上去,聲音像通了電,改善令人咋舌(但還是不及 Stirling)。通常香港人喜歡焊死的 Foundation,是勉強可以的,但土炮就非常難聽,重之餘還大而不當。我喜歡輕盈點的,這產品是我杯茶,就是頂版大了一些。打磨靠譜,我覺得比 Foundation 好看好聲,見仁見智吧。另外,見圖,我把兩個喇叭跟來的貼膠貼在腳架前面邊上2點,後面沒有貼,這樣有些3點避震的作用。聲音一流。

https://m.tb.cn/h.UTgpubt?tk=laBbdYoYe4I 第三說的是喇叭線。如果需要 bi-wire, 4 蕊我推薦 Canare4S10F。 20 人仔 一米,聲音像我緣用但现在沒有的 Belden 9497,一級棒! PK 了我家其它喇叭線,包括那些跟喇叭來的。香港有代理,雅歌也有一些,但未必有這平價系列。其它成员应该一样好的。 所費無幾,加上你自己的音源,就可享受;你不會停下來的,晚晚通頂也不為奇。我寫得慢是因為不停地翻舊歌來聽。如果你想,但是沒有擁有過 LS3/5A, 怕買二手中招而覺得英國新的複刻太貴,這是你的機會。用十分一的價錢可以模擬到 LS3/5A 的魅力,還用想嗎?不要忘記,要用腳架。但我更想說的是,就算你是老用家(像我)你可能也會有驚喜!我是折服了的。不單如此,這 Stirling 還刺激起我要把 Anubis 搞得更好的意欲(我會打開它,看有什麼可以摩的)。 像這裡3圓店的口號,這個價錢買不了上當。行動要及時,但錯過也可能沒有問題,淘寶時常有活動,總有下一次,但可能價錢會有小調整。有個小顧慮,廣州很多地方都封了,不幸的話發貨會慢,但 Stirling 商家 HiFi Music 是 Beydas 官方代理,可靠的。如果你被我煽動而買了,麻煩你回來留言,說說你的感覺,好壞都歡迎。但千萬不要問我關於操作淘寶的問題,沒有時間回复,寫這文章已花了我幾天,不懂的話向身邊朋友求救。

我是 35 仔群里的 25 仔,也时常是胆机和黑胶羊群里的狼。虽然脚踏多船,却越简单越好,也从不人云亦云。这是乱世,连音响都充斥着假新闻,靠自己的耳朵最可靠。共勉之。







附录:
1)想知道联盟音响的 Anubis 有多离谱,看这里
2)我最近买的东西记录在这里,有的 12.12 可能会少许折扣。 

21 comments:

  1. 中文喎!!😉😉國內真係好多好多平靚正野!

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  2. I was going to pull the trigger on a pair of Anubis, now I need to consider further before 11.11 ends.

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    1. Please report back when you have findings! :-)

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    2. Will do. Also fixing to get the Appluase Audio 300B as well.

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    3. The APPLause is good. The Chinese rectifiers are mediocre (mine spark) so change them out to 5Y3. Actually R Salamat owns this amp and told me that one can use just one recitfier (of higher capacity, like 5U4), so if u have tubes at home, that'd be fun. The stock Chinese 6F3s are not bad, but you can upgrade for more texture if u want (TB sells close Siemens ECL805, but other variants can be bought on Ebay). The stock Linlai 300Bs are pretty good, no need to change.

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    4. Thank you so much! Indeed, the Chinese recctifiers are usually my concern in particularly when I see ginormous C1. I do have plenty of 5Y3s lying around but they are not the same type and unmatched. Assuming the reitifiers are dealing with different voltages not left or right channels. Beside 5Y3s, I also have some 5R4s but my concern is that 5R4 can only take even lower C1. I do have some Russian 6F3s and will plug those in for a try. Thanks again for the information. Will report once I have a chance to try out.

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    5. The 2 5Z2P/5Y3 are running in parallel for total current delivery, so absolutely no worry about different brands. The Chinese 5Z2 used are the cheapest Yunnan one (I saw it on TB for 12 rmb), not even Shuguang. It was shipped with an extra 5Z2, which is like a joke, not exactly confidence inspiring, right? Despite the uncertainty about mechanical quality, they actually sound very good, better than the one Russian 5U4C (GT, not the better ST ones like the 5U3C) that I have (came with my Aosibao amp). This is surprising, as I usually prefer direct heated. No good 5U4 on hand. As for 5R4, absolutely no worry! I'm RIGHT NOW running a newly bought Philips JAN 5R4WA, and it works great. The B+ is lower, as indicated by 10-20 mA less on the meter. I have also bought a Chatham 5R4WGB which I shall try later (check back here regularly). I even have an ST 80 tube to try. As for the 6F3, actually the Chinese ones have better air, though the Siemens ECL805 has better texture - it depends on what you want or need. If you have 6BM8/ECL82 around, give them a try. BTW, with indirect rectifiers that meter hits the bottom when the B+ comes on, but no cause for alarm.

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    6. Great. Thanks for letting me know the 5R4s work great. I have some potato mashers, will plug those in right off. It is going to be interesting!

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    7. Last night I pugged in the potato smasher, and it was transformative! That is it for this machine. The hunt is over, for cheap. Current draw slightly higher than 5R4GA.

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    8. Ordered! Hope it gets here soon.

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    9. Got my Applause Audio 300B, tested with all stock tubes and they ain't too bad even the 5Z2, no spark (but no extra included). I did not have any experience with 300b perhaps a few minutes of listening in showroom, but my first impression of the Applause 300b is good. The amp is very well built, the power transformer does not get too hot, the hum is better than I expected and could only hear it when put my ears are against the driver. The bass is obviously much stronger than my usual EL34, EL84 amps. I need more time to listen and position my speakers. One issue I noticed is that when the time delay connects, the drivers move. It should not be DC as it should be behind the output transformers but that is something I do not want to see. Will report further after more time with the 300b.

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    10. Should be benign. My grills are on so I don't see that, thx for informing. Great to hear feedback. Yes, even with stock tubes it sounds very decent. In fact, much better than the sound I got with the Audio Note Kit 1 when new (from memory). This post is turning into an APPLause user forum! :-) In fact, can you email me? cheaptube@hotmail.com

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  3. "比 Anubis 貴 400" - worth every 400 and more. Anubis is a joke: crossover is a joke (open up and check yours). Cabinet is MDF which is a big no no for any proper 3/5a clone becos the cabinet is integral to the 3/5a total voicing. Beydas uses plywood and even the 11 and 15 ohm share the same crossover with 4 transformers. I have both 11 and 15 ohms Beydas, and I am not from China but I bought direct from taobao! A B ing with the orignial KEF 15 ohms, I dare say it is the BEST "original" 1:1 clone

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    1. Absolutely. I was thinking of opening up the Anubis. I know it uses circuit board for the crossover. Indeed, right now I have both Beydas 11 and 15 and I regard them highly too. In fact, I think in some ways it's better than any 3/5A - heresy? :-) Thanks for your comments.

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    2. Actually can you email me to discuss further? I'd love to hear more from you. cheaptube@hotmail.com

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  4. AnonymousJune 05, 2024

    I used DATS V3 to measure the average impedance of Baydus 15, and the result was 6.5 ohms. The impedance curve is also completely different from the LS3/5A white paper. I don’t know what’s going on.

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  5. AnonymousJune 05, 2024

    近期用DATS V3測試了史特靈15歐姆平均阻抗,竟然是6.5歐姆,10kHz處甚至低於2歐姆,跟標稱的阻抗差別很大

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  6. Interesting. I wonder how accurate the DATS is. Measuring loudspeakers has always been fraught with problems. But it'd also not surprise me that Beydas is wayward.

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    1. AnonymousJune 17, 2024

      "https://www.daytonaudio.com/images/resources/390-806-dats-v2-white-paper.pdf" According to the white paper published by DATS, I think its accuracy can be trusted.

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  7. 请问你用的廉價數碼機 Aiyima 是什么型号的?如果是用廉價數碼機 Aiyima 也是可以用canare线?

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    1. 我只有一部 T9. Canare 线是廉价推荐,不必照单全执。

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