Mine it’s the 15 Ohms “White Belly” versions. I rear only good things about this mini-monitors but they really surprise me when I listen to they presentation in my system for the first time. This Rogers have a superb midrange, if excellent retrieval of micro-dynamics information and a soundstage that is almost holographic.
Since then, these speakers have improved if every change I made in the system.

Over the years I have heard speakers from Dynaudio, Sonus faber, Verity Audio, JM Lab, B&W and others well regarded brands but none had made such an impact on me. They have a unique sound, similar to the Sonus Faber Guarneri Homage, if less body but more speed and drama.

They require excellent equipment and cables to really shine. Tubes amps are a must.

Strengths:
Superb midrange, speed and transparency if a natural and balance presentation. Beautiful natural walnut finish.

Weaknesses: Can bee unforgiving if wrong equipment or cables. Low bass is messing but this is a mini-monitor after all.

Similar Products Used: Dynaudio, Sonus faber, Verity Audio, B&W, KEF, Cabasse…

these speakers throw out an amzaing image with great depth and width, truly amazing when considering the size of the speaker. fluid full and smooth mid range, very smooth sounding speaker, no harshness at all.

no lower bass but this by no means is a weakness. partner them with the AB1 sub woofer. i may try this later.

Hi all,
This is a review of the rogers ls3/5a 15 ohm version speakers. Over the years i have heard many many speakers, likes of Tannoy, Ruark, Dynaudio, Sonus faber, Spendor etc. I partnered the rogers with an old Pioneer sx-1250 receiver (very high current), sony cdp-707 cd player, chord cables and interconnects. What can i say the combination is dynamite. I can really say these are one the most satisfying speakers i have owned. Vocals are truly the best i have heard, it’s the best vocal reproduction i’ve heard, so damn real. The dynamic range of the speakers is not the best but when you hear the phenomenal image these babies throw out, the fluid mid range and detail, you will not care about the lower Bass and the extreme top end. I like to listen to music at a low to mid vol. level and these speakers are always a treat, warm and cosey. The only thing that’s playing on my mind is the rogers ls5/9 and the Yamaha ns-1000 speakers. If anyone has experience with these speakers please email on aj.s2@ntlworld.com, help me decide whether it’s worth bothering with these other two speakers. i have spent thousands looking for a satisfying sound, little did i know i only had to spend a few hundred pounds to enjoy music. These speakers allow you to listen to the music with ease, i found i was constantly analysing the sound of most other speakers and not listening to the music. you dont feel guity either as you know you have only spent a small amount of money, when you spend thousands i guess you are always asking yourself the question, am i getting my monies worth? am i missing something? the biggest question, can i improve? i can now exhale, well for the time being.

Similar Products Used:

Tannoy d700, Tannoy d900, Tannoy silver, gold. Dynaudio contour 1.3 se, proac, spendor, Sonus faber and many many other speakers.

Magical little things. The most non fatiguing speakers I ever heard. Easy to match with other equipment. Very compact.
Natural Walnut finish.

none to me.

I have owned many speakers over the last 20 years (yamaha NS1000, Kef, cabasse, B&W, Klipsch... to name a few) and the Rogers LS3/5a are the ONLY pair I could never sell. (1978, 15 ohms model).
Many will argue that most recent comparable bookshelf speakers are "tighter", more balanced, better bass, more this more that... true but none can match their unique personality.
When I think about "speakers" in general, I think of speakers on one side and the Rogers LS3/5a on the other one, the LS3/5a are that special to me. I couldn't explain with the audiophile jargon, all I can say is that the LS3/5a have a chemistry I simply find magical, they make music a more intimate profound, enjoyable experience to me. They are great for jazz, small ensembles and excel with vocals and even lounge/electronica (they have an analog thing, hard to describe).
Anyway, although I did not feel the need for a subwoofer when set up in a 10' x 12' bedroom, I did use one when set up in a 12' x 16' room. Some of the affordable set ups I particularly enjoyed were: 1. Beomaster 6500 integrated & Rega jupiter CD player, the result was very good and smooth. 2. VTL integrated it85 with again Rega Jupiter Cd player & empirical crystal interconnect; the result was even smoother like liquid smooth with detailed shimmers, more magical. 3. My greatest surprise perhaps is when I tried them with the newer Linn gear. I tried a linn classik movie and was quite amazed at how transparent the LS3/5a became (almost in a tube-like manner), then I ran the Rega Jupiter CD through the Linn Classik movie and WOW, CDs sounded a lot better, much more punch and precision, still very transparent and still the magic. 4. My last testing was with a linn 5103 and linn chakra 3200 and WOWWW, even better!
Unlike other speakers, no matter the equipment I match them with, sure I have some preference but the LS3/5a always pull it off and never disappoint me.
Yes they are that special and I do HIGHLY recommend them to anyone.

Similar Products Used:

Too many too list

The low one always present, very deep even, but often, badly is controlled by the user.(with my room is 55 m2).

It frightens the manufacturer of the speakers.

Before buying Rogers ls3/5a, I have my Sonus Faber Gaurneri, Amator II, and BW 800 (matrix), since I have Rogers ls3/5a, I want to sell all my speakers, including Sonus Faber Guarneri, Amator II, and BW 800!!! I am insane? not? I does not return in detail of Rogers ls3/5a, because, there are too many desciptions above, but, I give you several following councils, to return the reason to me why "I am insane" at this point:

1. Do not regret does not have to have the SF Guarnerie, Amator II and BW 800, because, Rogers ls3/5a to make you all forget them, believe me.

2. You need a pair of monoblock of 845 drive with 300B.

3. A CD player not expensive of Philips 723, (remarkably for the tubes ) it is just necessary to change the cables of sector (copper).

4. A cable of speakers manufactured especially by me even for the speakers, (a mixture of silver of Siltech + copper), and the cables of Cinh, preferably, mark Sitech 88.

5. Standard metal cones which support directly the speakers (3 per enclosure), size upwards.

Result: you have all: i.e., hight, medium, and the low one, all the defects do not exist any more, exitant, is not this step???

With you to judge!!!

Similar Products Used:

any speakers can compare it.

amazing sound in a small plain black box.

I do like to run a small powered sub with them.

I don't own LS3/5a's. I own a pair of LS2 speakers. I love them, but that should be obvious given the tiny price and the numerous rave reviews of every Rogers speaker I can find. So the problem is, the reviews are never of the LS2. Almost like they never existed. Little on line. Can anyone tell me why this speaker is so mysterious? How does it compare with the LS3/5a?

Similar Products Used:

jbl hls and sva, alison 4

-Everything you could expect from a LF-restricted design. -Small wooden body, but large sound. -Performance for this price.

To think it wasn't even designed for music...

This little speaker just seems to have something that many others lack, an ability to reach out to the listener. Other speakers have a lot to offer, like better bass, treble, and dynamics, but the midrange and soundstaging of these speakers is something to behold. You have to hear it to believe it. Driven by a quality tube amplifier, with a good subwoofer (as some prefer), will deliver some of the most engaging music that covers the entire spectrum.

Power handling (play well and play loud), neutrality, imaging, design.

Low end. (Get an appropriate sub if desired).

This review is for the Rogers db101 monitor designed by Peter Stevens (who also designed the McLaren F1, Lotus Elan and Lotus Esprit amongst others) and Andy Whittle of Rogers. System type: Two way bass reflex, Rogers floating tweeter Frequency Response: 75Hz - 21kHz ±3dB Bass/mid: Fully shielded, 110mm polymer chassis. HDA diaphragm. Edgewound coil Crossover: 5kHz. 5 precision element, with terminal overload protection Cabinet: Injection moulded ABS with tactile surface aluminium skin Connections: spring clip terminals (accepts 10 gauge wire) Sensitivity: 92dB @ 1m for 2.83V Nominal Impedance: 4 Ohms Power handling: 125 Watts peak Maximum SPL: 108dB @ 2m per pair Weight: 2.3kg each Dimensions: 270 (H) x 190 (W) x 193 (D) mm Incredibly bizzare looking little powerhouses. Good imaging and soundstaging with unusual ability to take power in and immediately generate power out. I mate them with an Energy EPS100 sub to blend in the low end. One mid/woof developed a slight buzz - annoyance grew - looked to replace driver couldn't find them anywhere until I eventually found Stirling Broadcast in the UK which now provides replacement parts and I am very happy again: DB101: Bass/mid units........GBP 66.00 pair (pairs only). Tweeters........GBP 38.00 per pair (pairs only). Crossovers........complete assembly of crossover/rear terminal panel/flying internal leads GBP 26.00 each. Tweeter protection bulbs (fuse).........GBP 4.40 per pair (pairs only). So if you, like most, thought the Rogers db101's were not repairable check with Doug Stirling at Stirling Broadcast to get Brand New, Original replacement parts for your monitors. Location: Bridgefoot Lodge Lydford on Fosse Somerset TA11 7DP UK Tel: 01963 240 151 FAX: 01963 240 152 stirbro@aol.com www.StirlingBroadcast.net Very nice guy (I have absolutely no affiliation with him) I had him deliver to the US and he went above and beyond the call of duty to get them here quick and in perfect shape.

Similar Products Used:

NEAR 10m, Paradigm Atom.

Balanced sound, I don't miss the extended bass, since they sound great with excellent fast electronic gear like the ML29 power amp.

Obviously you can't use them in a discoteque, but they certainly sound good in a dining room.

Currently I'm using my LS3/5A's in the bedroom, and they sound good. They produce a very pleasant sound when you're in the room, but I also like to hear them from the kitchen which is down the hall. The system that I have them hooked to includes a Rega Jupiter CD player, an Audio Research LS7 preamp, and a Mark Levison ML29 power amp, and good quality cables, but nothing too excessive. Earlier this year I hooked all of the same electronic gear up to one of my other pairs of speakers -- Tannoy GRF Memories. The sound from the Tannoys was very harsh, so I packed up the fancy electronics for a while and listened to the Tannoys with my old Quad 33, Quad 405, and a 1980 Oracle turntable. It was a much more musical experience, easier on the ears, but probably the Tannoys sound better with an analog source, and maybe they are not a good match for all that fancy electronic gear. My conclusion is that these speakers are very good for listening to digital media, they are balanced and detailed, and don't strain your ears after extended listening.

Similar Products Used:

I have a similar pair of Linn Tucksons

Compact size, relative ease of placement, a midrange that still competes with the best speakers out there. Not bad for a 30 year old design!

Equipment matching is crucial and improper matching can give horrible sound, more so with cd playback and more so than with many other speakers.

Although not perfect, this speaker is truly a classic and deserves that status. There are not many speakers that were designed as monitors that can be used in a normal listening enviroment without causing serious listening fatigue. When properly matched with amplification and source, the LS3/5A breaks the mold. Midrange clarity is exceptional, and highs can be crystal clear without harshness in a proper set-up. When used with poorly chosen associated electronis, especially on cd playback, the sound can be unforgivingly harsh. In the right set-up, incredibly satisfying!

Similar Products Used:

B & W Matrix 804's, Audio Research LS3, Forte Model 4, Meridian 206, Linn Classik (not a good match for the LS3/5A)

in a word: muscality

deep bass and impact

I joined the club when selling the system in my office (Chinese OEM tube gears driving a pair of Thiel CS2) and got a trade-in Rogers LS3/5a. It is 11 ohm of the latest production. I bought a Unison Simply 4 for amplification. However, as my office is “over-damped” (there are thousands of books around), the sound is somewhat closed-in and not energetic enough. I though the problem should lie in the amplifier. I brought LS3/5a back home, tried them on my bedroom setting. It consists in a pair of RCA vintage theater amps (150W, 4* 6550 per side) driving a pair of the imposing Sonus Faber Extrema. Although the “tiny” 3/5a does not have the bass impact of Extrema, it does present almost the same elegant sound beginning from mid, with a very good soundstage. After some consideration, I relocate Simply 4 to my wife's office to power a pair of Ensemble Animata. Simply 4 and Ensemble are better match as Animata are more efficient than LS3/5a and have more extended treble. I then took my wife's Audion Silver Night's (24W 300B push-pull) to my office and matching them with LS3/5a. These two are much better match, although many people say that EL34 based tube gear match LS3/5a very well. For me, 300B improves the somewhat closed-in treble of LS3/5a, and has better control over the speaker, though the rated power of Simply 4 and Silver Night are about the same (24W). With this re-arrangement, I am satisfied and can enjoy the music for a long time (LS3/5a is really a musical instrument as many people said before), though sometimes I would image how the sound would improve if I can get a quad of original Western Electric 300B's and NOS 6922 & 5687 tubes. But the sky-high price of WE 300B always wakes me up from the dream...

Similar Products Used:

Sonus Faber Electa Amator I, Extrema, Ensemble Animata, Acoustic Energy AE2, Apogee, Thiel