Volt Loudspeakers join Graham Audio’s quest to bring a legend to life…

The designs of the British Broadcasting Corporation have now become the stuff of legends, however, Graham Audio made it their mission to ensure that the BBC’s LS5/9 does not remain in the past.

Faithfully recreating the sound and style of the LS5/9s would be no mean feat, particularly as some components are obsolete and approval of the end product would be required by the BBC to grant a license and allow the speakers to bare the name: LS5/9. Undeterred, Graham Audio enlisted the design skills of Derek Hughes, a perfect choice as his heritage is directly linked to the BBC’s sound engineering department. They then approached Volt and tasked us with redesigning the mid-bass unit as the original - made by Rogers is longer in existence.

Whilst Volt are clearly no strangers to speaker design, creating a faithful replica of a BBC classic posed a new and exciting challenge. After initial investigations, Volt designed a unit that met the necessary standards and features a bespoke cone, vacuum formed and punched out onsite. David also recognised the end benefits of incorporating a rubber surround and more modern adhesives into the design. Carefully chosen so the original sound would not be compromised, these adjustments will give the mid-bass unit a much longer life. Finally, our team precision manufacture the inductors required for the filtering circuits in the crossover. Again, the inductors were designed by David to meet Derek’s exact specifications.

Does the LS5/9 sound like the original? Read the review of the LS5/9 in Hifi + to find out more. The LS5/9 is now making waves amongst hifi and studio enthusiasts and it represents the first of a number of legacy products that Graham Audio plan to recreate. Volt loudspeakers are not only proud of our ability to recreate such a drive unit but also to have contributed to the rich legacy of the BBC.