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View Full Version : Celestion A1, anyone ?



Yani
23-05-2013, 10:18
:)Hi guys.

Just wondering if anyone is using these speakers at the moment. I would like to hear our thoughts and opinions on their sound.

Cheers

DSJR
23-05-2013, 12:15
Old memories, but big, smooth, rich toned, but in a positive way and well integrated through the frequency range. Good speaker range I remember and well worth a punt if the price is right :)

Macca
23-05-2013, 17:27
What Dave said. For a near mint pair I'd say around £150 was a reasonable price.

Lee1976
24-05-2013, 03:26
Great speaker the A1 some folk look down on the A series but they were great.

Yani
24-05-2013, 06:56
I have has a pair of these for the last 12 years. Love them to bits. They sound so full yet with some lovely detail. I find they can be driven quite hard but do need a fairly powerful amp to get the best from them.
I often wonder what If and when I come to replace them, what the will it be. It sort of scares me to think I might not ne just as happy with their replacement.
Anyway all running well for the moment, long may it continue as finding spares is pretty difficult.
Cheers for the feedback.

DSJR
24-05-2013, 12:08
If they're working right and suit the room they're in, why change. I mean ijn all seriousness, ALL loudspeakers have severe compromises somewhere in their makeup and/or are still the most distorting part of the reproduction chain. The models you have should be easily able to reproduce tweaks and improvements upstream. Please don't ever change for the sake of it, unless you have an iron will that way as Jerry does. I tend to get rather too attached to stuff, so I'm probably the last one to talk :rolleyes:

Yani
24-05-2013, 14:25
Hi Dave.

Think we all fall foul of thinking there is better out there and sometimes jump to change only to find we were wrong.
I bought a Brio R which initially sounded very good with plenty of detail. Only problem was it just didn't have enough power for the Celestions and gave me the impression at times of lacking scale, particularly in the bass department.
Ended up back with my Audiolabs bi-amping again. Less detail but far more scale to the sound.
Now I am wondering what the new 100w Elicit R will be like !!!. We will see.

Macca
24-05-2013, 17:15
They need current rather than power. I tried a lot of amps with my A2, which has the same drivers but is a floorstander with an additional driver for bass. A lot of them couldn't cut it. The drivers were all developed in house at Celestion back when they were still in the UK and the A series was designed around them. There can be potential issue with them as being prone to voice coil rub but I have had no issues in 10 years with mine.

Hi Fi world tested the A2 with a 25w KT5881 valve amp and had no issues (good traffos in it probably). The only weak points I think with the A series is the tweeter, which is good but not great, and the need for a amps with 'grunt'.

Ali Tait
24-05-2013, 20:36
Yep, the WAD kits generally had good trannies.

dantheman91
17-05-2017, 19:20
Pair of Celestion Compact A's being delivered shortly - facebook ad over a month old...:)

Quick PM and their mine - surprisingly

walpurgis
17-05-2017, 19:39
Pair of Celestion Compact A's being delivered shortly

You'll like those.

Macca
17-05-2017, 19:47
A series were the last of the proper UK Celestion flagship range, late 'nineties. 4 in the range. They are all a cut above, but as with any other speaker, there are trade-offs. Had the 'A2' for years.

dantheman91
17-05-2017, 20:07
You'll like those.

Just testing all their fine - their going in the collection - the price for them was very good he was selling for his father and delivered to my door....i think its £25 well spent...:)

dantheman91
17-05-2017, 20:08
A series were the last of the proper UK Celestion flagship range, late 'nineties. 4 in the range. They are all a cut above, but as with any other speaker, there are trade-offs. Had the 'A2' for years.

Hi Mart

How are you fella - thanks for the info - busy week with collecting these are going in the collection for sure.....testing - all working fine - no coil rub , tweeters fine...:)

Macca
18-05-2017, 06:16
Hi Mart

How are you fella - thanks for the info - busy week with collecting these are going in the collection for sure.....testing - all working fine - no coil rub , tweeters fine...:)

Hi Dan, i'm good mate.

You got another right bargain there for £25. Golden age for the collector :)

Lawrence001
19-05-2017, 08:50
I waited a long time for a non black pair at a decent price, I paid £200 and as far as I'm concerned that was a bargain. Tweeter is lovely, smoothest metal dome I've owned may be because of the faraday ring, plus the bass they produce is more than acceptable for a quite large room. They are fun but also genuine "audiophile" level.

Sent from my NEM-L51 using Tapatalk

dantheman91
19-05-2017, 14:28
Hi Guys

They are going in the main system on the weekend to put them through their paces. They are the black version - in very clean condition - they needed a wipe over otherwise fine...Tested last couple of days and their full working...:) heavy little things...
Does anyone have any reviews on the A1 compact i cant fine many online...:scratch: