Quick summary - these are extraordinary little speakers that have first-class imaging and are perfect for people who just want beautiful music.
A few months ago my wife asked me why our hi-fi system was so complicated, and pointed out all those years ago when we had some little Spendor LS3/5A speakers and the Olive Nait 3. It just sounded so good, and it was simple. After some research, the BestVox LS3/5A was a standout for the highest quality without going into the $4000-$5000 range. After a few emails traded with River, and I also added the British vintage influenced Raphaelite DP34 tube integrated to my order. 120V wasn't a problem, so I didn't need a voltage transformer.
I've had this system set up next to my other modern Linn system which also shares space with my Focal ST6 Trio pair used for home studio monitoring, and it's everything I thought it would be and more. It's actually an amazing complement to the other two systems.
No matter what I listen to, everything is warm, clear, and full sounding. It doesn't sound colored, it just sounds pure. The imaging is off the charts and these disappear even though they are far from any boundary wall by traditional small-speaker positioning standards.
Orchestral/Symphonic shows a full soundstage and paints a realistic picture as though you were back in the hall. Sure, the Linn system can make you feel like you're front and center with full impact, but then again it costs over 10x what this little setup does. As you might expect, chamber music is a dream and it's like you're in the room with the musicians.
Electronic does really well too, I'm listening to Depeche Mode's Violator as I type this and you can really here the production effort that went into this as the sounds and voices dance around the front of the room. Orbital, FSOL,
Rock and Post-punk? Yep. The new Joy Division Eternal set is great on this system, even the crappy old pub recordings come through with plenty of atmosphere (no pun intended). Killing Joke has all the aggression come through loud and clear, well reasonably loud at least. Aggressive bass guitar isn't deep, but it's present. Midnight Oil is another favorite of mine, their Armistice Day live double-album is a real showcase of how these speakers can disappear even with the wide left/right panning of the two guitarists and the bass, drums, and lead vocals around the center.
So what's missing is low, deep bass and the associated slam. Go figure from a small speaker you're going to lose that. These won't play at concert-level volume either, but my wife (and neighbors) appreciate that.
I would wholeheartedly recommend this system to anyone looking for a home office setup that will just disappear and let you enjoy music while you work. Same goes for evening listening sessions where you just want to chill and relax. It's not for hyper-analytical audiophiles who care about every absolute accuracy and are chasing perfection. This system is just set it up, move the speakers around a bit, then forget about it and focus on what you're going to play next.
There's not much out there on the Raphaelite amps, but it's interesting to note that the DP34 uses EL34 tubes which are more famous for being used in Marshall and other British guitar amps than in hi-fi (PrimaLuna and Cayin do use them too). They make an 8/16 ohm version that is designed around the traditional 15-ohm LS3/5A too, and that's the one I ordered.
As for setup, I grabbed some affordable Belkin speaker wire (the black and orange stuff) from ebay and some Duelund interconnects from Parts Connexion to stay true to the vintage vibe. Those have worked very well, better than the higher priced Transparent and Cardas options I also had available. I also picked up a used Border Patrol tube DAC and that's working very well too. Source is Qobuz and FLAC library all through a Roon Nucleus connected via USB to the DAC.