Floorstanding loudspeakers — Graham Audio LS5/9F

The LS5/9F is a two-way floor-standing model by Graham Audio, developed by Derek Hughes from the BBC LS5/9, a medium-sized monitor that first appeared in 1983. Graham builds the stand-mount LS5/9 under an official BBC licence, but the BBC never produced floorstanding versions of its monitors, so the F model is Graham's own derivative rather than a licensed design. It suits owners who want the LS5/9 drivers without separate stands. US prices ran from USD 6,899 per pair in cherry or oak to USD 7,599 in rosewood or walnut and USD 8,099 in ebony.

Key specs that matter

Graham fits a hand-made 200 mm polypropylene Diaphanone bass and midrange driver from Volt, and treble comes from a 34 mm Son Audax HD13D34H tweeter. Loading is reflex. Response is 40 Hz to 16 kHz within 3 dB, sensitivity is 87 dB SPL for 2.83 V at 1 m and nominal impedance is 8 ohm. A pair produces more than 100 dB at 2 m. With its plinth the cabinet measures 35 cm wide, 105 cm high and 37 cm deep, and each speaker weighs 25 kg.

Engineering and use context

The drive units are the same as in the stand-mount LS5/9, but the larger floorstanding enclosure gives deeper bass extension and a wider dynamic range. Construction follows established BBC thin-wall practice in birch plywood, in which the panels are damped instead of being made as rigid as possible. An integrated plinth carries a flow-optimised port. The soldered tweeter connections of the standard model are replaced by a discrete switch, first used in the Graham LS6, which allows a small change in high-frequency level. The grille is held on by hidden magnets. The design traces back through its designer to the work of Spencer Hughes, father of Derek, whose Spendor BC1 of 1968 shared the BBC design approach. Veneer options include cherry, oak, walnut, rosewood, ebony and macassar, with teak and sprayed colours available on request. Its weight is well below that of the LS4/4, LS5/1 and LS5/5F, each of which exceeds 40 kg. The two-way layout with a single crossover keeps the filter simpler than in the three-way Graham floorstanders.

Pairing

Graham recommends 50 to 200 W of unclipped programme power. Efficiency here trails the bigger Graham floorstanders, so amplifiers in the upper half of that range are the better match, although the load itself is benign for solid-state and valve designs alike.

Alternatives

The Graham LS8/1F is a further floor-standing design within the present Graham Audio loudspeaker line.