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Archive: Rogers LS6a/2

Rogers; winter warmer

By Michael Jones

June 2004 (originally appeared June 1993)

Rogers LS6a/2 loudspeaker. $1799

Conservative. An interesting word is conservative, full of many contradictory thoughts. Consider the possibilities. To some conservative means the retaining of traditional (and, by implication, correct) values. To others, conservative means living in the past, of not keeping up with the times.

Rogers are often regarded as a conservative company. One of the “old school” of British speaker manufacturers, Rogers embody the traditional BBC philosophies of loudspeaker design.

Yet while retaining their links with these values, Rogers have not been slow to incorporate new ideas. They were one of the first companies to utilise polypropylene as a cone material, were quick to adopt metal dome tweeters and bi-wiring, and their stands have long included provision for spikes.

Mark 2

As the clumsy name suggests, the LS6a/2 ($1799) is developed from the earlier, highly successful 6a. This model is a classic two-way loudspeaker, incorporating a 205mm polypropylene plastic cone woofer. Above 3kHz, audio frequencies are handled by a 19mm aluminium dome tweeter. The LS6a/2 has a port in each front baffle designed to augment bass frequencies and extend the bass response of the speaker. The cabinet itself is of a decent size (508 x 272 x 280mm), constructed from damped and braced particle board, with an MDF front baffle.

Finished in either black or walnut simulated veneer with a black woven grille, the LS6a/2 is an attractive speaker. While they will look out of place in a glass and chrome décor, I can see the Rogers fitting unobtrusively into most lounges.

With a fairly high sensitivity and a rated 8-ohm impedance, the LS6a/2 should be an easy load for most amplifiers. Rogers recommend amplifiers power of between 15 and 150 watts per channel.

So what’s new? The LS6a/2 has the new cabinet style of the LS series. While the woofer retains the same cone, the magnet and motor assembly have been uprated. The crossover has been redesigned, and now allows for bi-wiring (running separate cables to the woofer and tweeter sections of the crossover) and offers star earthing, said by those “in the know” to be A Good Thing.

Like many in the Rogers range, the LS6a/2 benefits from placement away from walls. The 6a/2’s aren’t for tiny rooms. Fortunately, the typical Kiwi lounge seems about right for these mid-sized speakers.

As with most good speakers, the LS6a/2’s benefit from good stands. For most of the review period I used them with twin-column Sound Creations stands with good results. A pair of Epos ES14 stands resulted in a more “open” sound, though possibly less authoritative bass.

Listening in

Tone. Arguably the most important characteristic of an item of hi-fi equipment is the reproduction of instrumental timbres, or tonal qualities.

This is an area where Rogers loudspeakers have traditionally been strong. There is a consistency to the various models in the Rogers range, both currently and throughout the history of the company, of achieving superb reproduction of instrumental timbres.

The LS6a/2 is particularly adept at reproducing the sound of an orchestra. Although no hi-fi can reproduce the sense of scale of a real orchestra, the Rogers produced a good facsimile. Strings and woodwinds were well produced. Good orchestral recordings threw up a tangible sense of stereo.

I found myself listening to a lot of jazz in my time with the Rogers. The warm, breathy sound of the saxophone and the bite of trumpets were superb through the 6a/2.

There is a marvellous consistency to the sound of the LS6a/2. Normal “speaker sounds” – cone cry, tweeter tizz, boxy mids – seemed wonderfully subdued. The crossover region, often difficult when matching a 200mm woofer with a small tweeter, was exceedingly well handled and effectively seamless.

Drawbacks? Bass reproduction is a little woolly. And, as so often occurs in such circumstances, the tempo of music appeared slightly slowed. However, the LS6a/2 is more articulate and “faster” in the bass than previous Rogers models I’ve experienced.

But all in all, I think Rogers are on to a definite winner with the LS6a/2. They make a convincing case for the Rogers approach and I will be sorry to see the go. Warmly recommended.