My Story
These strange looking speakers were purchased from eBay. I found them when I was searching for coaxial speakers. I have never seen Trio LS-77 before and I did not know much about Trio brand at the time. I perhaps paid for them more than they were worth, but I liked the 80s look and the fact that these are really rare. More importantly, I was really curious how these were going to sound…
Speaker Info
As the name suggests, these Trio LS-77 speakers were made by Trio Corporation (in 1986 officially rebranded to Kenwood Corporation) and from what I’ve gathered, they were only released to Japanese market. I recall reading somewhere that the LS range was designed with studio monitoring in mind, but not sure how much truth is in it. Feel free to email me if you are able to provide some more info on these rare speakers.
Trio LS-77 Specs
| Frequency Response: | 35 – 20,000Hz |
| Sensitivity: | 93.5dB (1W input, measured at 1m) |
| Impedance: | 8Ω |
| Power Capacity: | 60W (continuous program) |
| High & Low Frequency Driver: | 250mm (10″) Coaxial Driver with Horn Loaded Bullet Tweeter and 250mm (10″) Paper Diaphragm |
| Passive Radiator: | 250mm (10″) |
| Crossover Frequencies: | 4,000Hz |
| Enclosure Type: | Closed |
| Enclosure Dimensions (HxWxD): | 600x330x297mm (23.5x13x12″) |
| Weight: | 15kg (each speaker) |
| Production Year: | 1976 |
| Price When Launched: | £106 for a pair |
| Equivalent Present Day Price: | £690 for a pair |
| Current UK Price: | £50 to £150 for a pair |
Look & Feel of Trio LS-77 Speakers
I have to say – not everyone will be able to appreciate the look of LS-77s. White speaker cones against black enclosures look very 80s. But, I like them a lot. I always liked the look of speakers like Yamaha NS-1000 or JBL L100; and Trio LS-77 remind me of both of these.
The enclosures are made of quite thick chipboard with one internal bracing. They are finished in black worktop laminate – not as nice as wood veneer but a lot more scratch resistant. The speaker drivers are very neatly made with a lot of attention to details. Glue is only where it needs to be and both diaphragms and suspensions look very clean. Each speaker features a passive radiator as well as a coaxial driver (Coaxial driver means that there are two diaphragms (HF and LF) combined in one driver and working on the same axis, creating a point source). Both drivers’ and passive radiators’ baskets are made from die cast alloy with good amount of ‘breathing’ space. The cones are made from rigid paper suspended on fabric surrounds (they will not deteriorate with age). I’m not sure about the tweeter diaphragms’ material as at the time of testing I did not feel comfortable taking these drivers apart. The tweeters are in-line with bass cones and generate the sound via aluminium horns, which expand horizontally (presumably to aid with stereo imaging). The crossovers are hardwired but are very basic and made from rather poor quality components, which is really disappointing, as all other components are very well made. Treble potentiometers are not the best quality but they seem to work just fine.
Sound of Trio LS-77
With an exception of couple of models, Japanese speakers do not have a very good reputation in the UK. I personally do not believe that country of origin has anything to do with the sound of the speakers. So trying to stay away from any stereotyping I’ve commenced my test. First thing that I’ve noticed about these Trio LS-77 was the efficiency – a lot better that what we can see from majority of modern speakers. But nothing comes for free and high efficiency and relatively small cabinet volume meant that the bass was not going to go very low.
The bass is quick, well well controlled with a good attack but never deep. If anything, I’d say that the bass is a bit ‘boxy’. Not something that people who like full bodied sound would appreciate.
Midrange and treble are acceptable but there is nothing special about them. Vocals sound a little flat and string instruments are a little coloured. Definitely not the most truthful presenters. Level of details is good, but they are number of speakers that are a lot more detailed than these. Stereo imaging is good, however, the soundstage is rather shallow.
All of these attributes combined mean that when it gets to the more ’emotional’ stuff that requires engagement, Trio LS-77 really struggle. This is also the reason why I struggled to write this review… it’s really hard to force yourself to critically listen if you don’t like what you are hearing.
Conclusion
Trio LS-77 are not the most engaging speakers and can sound flat at times. Very good attack though. Good if your are on a tight budget and can pick them up for £50. If I was to keep these for myself, it would only be for collector’s purposes.
| Balance of Sound: |  |
| Neutrality of Tone: |  |
| Transparency: | |
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| Attack: |  |
| Engagement: |  |
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Reviewed: November 2011 | Published: December 2014