Anybody but Simon built a pair of these. I see amongst 28,000 hits someone, surely someone took the plunge. I would be particularly interested if that someone changed the design in some way.
Anybody but Simon built a pair of these. I see amongst 28,000 hits someone, surely someone took the plunge. I would be particularly interested if that someone changed the design in some way.
Location: London
Posts: 1,499
I'm Sam.
Just seen this thread..
Simon, did you know that there is someone in Brighton with a pair of Westminsters?
About 4 years ago I bought a turntable from a guy. He was actually selling on behalf of his mum, the turntable was his fathers who had passed away years before and he was a pretty wealthy audiophile. His wife (this guy's mum) had caught the bug, kept the system going and I think even had upgraded some bits.
From memory was Westminsters powered by Boulder amps. Other than that it was a custom 7-box pre-amp, Esoteric CD/DAC, some Sirius turntable with Mission Mechanic.. yes, serious stuff! And an old lady with readiing glasses on a chain. Was a block of turn of the century flats right on the sea front, perhaps more Hove. maybe near a leisure centre or something? You never know, perhaps there's a way to find her via an audiophile group and take a look at them by invitation.
Sadly, I was too polite to ask to listen to the system...
Hi Sam
I am yet to hear a pair of Westminsters myself. Though not for want of trying. Eerily I have an Esoteric Cd/DVD player, but alas no reading glasses on a chain.
Recently moved the Westies to a new home and dedicated Music Room. Early report is they are sounding wonderful now that I have a solid concrete slab under them.
I Lusted over Westies for Years.
Open Babble claimed them Better than Sex!
Wanted to cobble up my own pair 'for ever'.
Finally heard a pair a couple of years back.
Bit of a letdown TBH.
Yes they sounded 'nice'. But hardly near what the Folklore suggested Claimed.
OR better than what my Tannoys at home sounded like
A bit Boomy and of odd / not quite right balance.
Could have been setup or ancillary gear or even both.
Irrelevant though: less than expected sounds.
Notably.. one does hear seriptitious Emperors clothes statements on these. Praise ain't Universal.
Short story: I won't be building any more Tannoy Ersatz horns.
After having once wasted too much time and effort on IMO rather poor sounding Rect GRFs.
But Hey! we all have dreams :-)
Hey Danilo
Yes I understand where you are coming from. I heard a pair of GRF at a mates place a year or so ago......disappointing is what I would say. And these built after waiting a year on special order by a famous Japanese Legendary Hi Fi House.
I have yet to hear a pair of factory built Westminsters. So I have the advantage of just auditioning mine. Boomy no, engaging, very, sharp and detailed yes. But I have the knowledge of my own build and the tweaking that makes any system your own.
The drivers I purchased way back in 1975/6 would I part with them for something more modern or new. Nuh!
Build your own the journey is half the fun.
Thank you..for that.
In truth.. I've yet to hear 'Genuine' Westies.
Few if any got shipped/bought out to the wet coast of north america
Always wondered what the genuine article sounded like.
DIY can be wildly variable ... certainly so in my hands.
What surprises me constantly. The source, ie; vinyl, CD or streaming makes a great deal of difference. I recently played an audiophile vinyl Anne Bisson, Winter In Montreal(outstanding detail) Where the music takes you to another level.
Dave
Location: Denbigh, N. Wales
Posts: 106
I'm Mark.
I think there are one or two asking for listening impressions on the later models. I can offer that I heard the Westminster Royal HE's ( or maybe the SE's ? ) somewhere between 2003 and 2005 at the Manchester show where Noel Keywood was demo-ing a new pair, with a good analogue front-end with WAD phono and the WD KT88 PP amp. I still think they are the best commercial speakers I've heard. Noel was apologising for the bass not being quite 'there' as they were barely run-in, but they did sound so good in other ways that it didn't seems to be a problem ( although I suppose they were a touch bass-light ).
The quality of tone on vocals and instruments was very classy, this combined with a precision on dynamics and a feeling of effortless presentation that I now know is due to the horn loading ( from my own experiments ) . I would definitely recommend them to anyone with that kind of money to spend, which I can say is rare even in the world of other speakers in the £25k class.
There didn't appear to be any rough edges on female vocals, in the amount of time I spend listening there.
Hi Mark well as I sit here I am still yet to hear any incantations or replica's of Westies. But as always with the speaker being the end of the hi fi chain, you get out what you put in. And the subtlety of for instance piano notes......which are difficult for a speaker to reproduce accurately, are sensational. I wouldn't admit to mine being bass-light. Anything played back like Yello will have the walls vibrating on the other side in the next room.
One of the members of my Audio Club here in Melbourne has offered up an audition of some. I must remind him of that again.
Cheers mate
Dave