The BBC may have lost its way of late - through scandalous waste, political firefighting, inept bureaucracy and a constant need to justify its own existence - but not so long ago it set trends, as opposed to merely pandering to them.
Being a pioneer - the Beeb is over a century old now - was however seldom easy. As well as making radio (and later TV) programmes of worldwide repute, the organisation frequently had to build the tools of its trade...simply because they didn't exist.
Indeed, in the early 1930s the BBC was compelled to set up its own 'Research Department' - the duties of which were enshrined in its Royal Charter (indeed its successor, BBC Research and Development, is - for now, at any rate - mercifully still with us).
When the BBC needed a small but accurate-sounding monitor speaker that could be accommodated within the cramped confines of an OB truck in the late 1960s, it politely requested the Research Department (known colloquially as 'Boffin Club') to design something suitable. Its men in white coats came up with the LS3/5a, a two-way shoebox-sized gem of a speaker that's still revered today. The BBC made money by licensing its designs to carefully-vetted manufacturers, which would also fulfil the organisation's own quotas. Several manufacturers manufactured LS3/5as under licence, one being Harbeth - perhaps tellingly, a firm started by ex-Research Department engineers!
These limited-edition Alan Shaw Signature models are bi-wireable (the originals weren't) and, we were told, come up top in listening tests. This particular variant, it was claimed, sold well in the Far East. Despite slight cabinet damage, the seller wanted nearly £2k for the pair.
A lesser-known LS3/5a, also pictured here, was made in Italy by Stilvox. One of the latter's grilles has been removed to reveal the characteristic driver configuration.