Bookshelf Speakers — Westlake Lc3w12vf

The Lc3w12vf is the vertical, hi-fi finished version of the Lc3w12 three-way monitor from Westlake Audio, the American firm founded in 1971 and run by designer Glenn Phoenix. The original Lc3w12 has a horizontal cabinet for control rooms of medium size, ideally built into a soffit, and sold for USD 3,399 per pair in 1999. The V variant turns the box upright for listening rooms with limited space and for left, centre and right multichannel layouts, while the F suffix denotes North American black walnut veneer in place of the studio paint.

Key specs that matter

Handling the lowest octaves is a 12 inch paper-cone woofer of JBL professional origin with a 22 mm roll surround and a 51 mm voice coil, a 6.5 inch midrange with a coated cone and a 38 mm coil covers the middle band, and a 1 inch soft fabric dome tweeter with ferrofluid cooling handles the top. The crossover points are 160 Hz and 4.5 kHz. Westlake rates the response at 40 Hz to 20 kHz within plus or minus 3 dB, with the minus 10 dB point at 31 Hz, and sensitivity at 91 dB for 2.83 V at 1 m. Impedance is 5 ohms nominal and 3 ohms minimum, and IEC power capacity is 110 W short term and 300 W long term. Each cabinet measures 63.5 x 38.1 x 38.1 cm and weighs 47.6 kg.

Engineering and use context

The enclosure is divided into separate chambers, one for the woofer and one for the midrange and tweeter, each with its own air volume. Thick MDF walls are braced internally, coated with a latex-like damping compound and lined with two layers of fiberglass. The bass reflex port is turned from solid wood, about 58 mm across with flared ends, and the front baffle is stepped for time alignment. Every magnet is ferrite, and a layer of felted wool sits behind the tweeter dome to reduce membrane resonance. Second-order filters use air-core inductors and Solen capacitors, soldered point to point on a masonite board with no printed circuit, and the parts are fixed with RTV silicone. Measured distortion is 0.19 percent at 88 dB SPL, and Westlake gives a five-year warranty.

Pairing

Dual sets of five-way terminals, one for the bass section and one for the midrange and tweeter, allow single-amp, bi-wire or bi-amp connection, which means two stereo amps may each take one frequency section. With the low minimum impedance, the partner should be a solid state amplifier that stays comfortable into low impedance.

Alternatives

Buyers with less space can look at the Westlake Lc8.1, a two-way stand-mount with a single 8 inch woofer and a silk dome tweeter.