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Welcome to the December issue
We have a chap called the Reverend John Bowle to thank for coining the word ‘classic’. In his 18th century appraisal of Don Quixote, he used the term to reference Miguel de Cervantes’ work as an outstanding example of lasting worth and timeless quality. Of course, it’s been roundly abused and over used alongside its sibling superlatives ‘genius’, ‘essential’ and ‘masterpiece’ down the many centuries but, for all the fact that it’s worn out its welcome, the word classic exactly applies to the hero of this issue – the LS3/5a.

For nigh-on 50 years it has held its position as the most famous small speaker in the world. From its humble beginnings as a BBC outside broadcast monitor to global audiophile icon, it has long been heralded as the gold standard for midband purity and vocal realism. It’s so revered, in fact, that it has been copiously copied, updated and refined by other brands. So we thought it would be fun to try out a few disciple, influenced-by and descended-from LS3/5a standmounts in our latest Group Test.

Elsewhere there’s a cornucopia of hi-fi delights including a celebration of Taylor Swift and a handful of highlights from the forthcoming Record Store Day Black Friday drop. Knock yourselves out!.

Enjoy!