enbee23
20-01-2016, 02:56
Available for your listening delectation: One late pair of the first generation Snell C loudspeakers, in Light Oak finish. These have the rear tweeter (non adjustable) and front port.
I have owned them since late 2013. Four previous owners since they were new in 1985/1986 with three of them being hifi forum regulars. Condition is truly excellent, these speakers have been looked after. The only point of concern with this model is that the woofers suffered from foam rot. A previous owner has replaced the originals in these speakers with new correct Snell factory-supplied drivers so they are now as good as you will ever find.
Having enjoyed the smaller Snells and various related AudioNote speakers that I'd heard over the years, I wanted to try the Snell "thing" for myself. I used the following amps : Audio Innovations 2nd Audio monoblocks, Pass Labs Aleph 3 and a BAT VK-60. Each combination had its own character and all three sounded excellent. These may be 30 year old speakers but they have tremendous openness, presence, vitality and wallop. They are remarkably transparent and coherent, while pulling off the neat trick of sounding nothing like a "hifi". They are very organic and the absolute opposite of sterile, you can hear and feel the music breathe. I won't spraff on but these are very good loudspeakers.
So if they are so good, why am I selling? I don't need four pairs of loudspeakers and the choice was to keep either these or a pair of GRFs. The Tannoys won but it wasn't a clearcut decision and there are areas where the Snells are clearly ahead, I will miss them. There will be a pair of LS3/5a for sale soon too.
Will they fit your room/system/life?
Dimensions: 113cm x 38cm x 33cm. They are a relatively benign amplifier load, nominally 4ohm, and sensitivity is 90dB. With the amps I used, 15wpc was just enough in a 5m x 4m room for reasonable levels and 60wpc is ample. They are not overly fussy re positioning but 30cm from the rear wall works ok, 50cm is better. Your room is different to mine though so YMMV. Not everybody likes the look, I quite like their rugged charm...
Practical stuff:
I am in central Scotland and auditions are welcome, collection ideal. If you don't fancy the drive but are not far away and the right deal is done, I might consider delivering the speakers myself. Otherwise it'll have to be a pallet courier at your expense. This is how they came to me from St Albans and I have kept the packaging so it should be easy enough to ensure their safe onward travel.
SOLD
At my place:
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k304/enbee23/Audio/WP_000077_zps98a51146.jpg
With a previous owner in 2012, condition is unchanged:
http://i1153.photobucket.com/albums/p507/Neiro2/_9081988.jpg
I have owned them since late 2013. Four previous owners since they were new in 1985/1986 with three of them being hifi forum regulars. Condition is truly excellent, these speakers have been looked after. The only point of concern with this model is that the woofers suffered from foam rot. A previous owner has replaced the originals in these speakers with new correct Snell factory-supplied drivers so they are now as good as you will ever find.
Having enjoyed the smaller Snells and various related AudioNote speakers that I'd heard over the years, I wanted to try the Snell "thing" for myself. I used the following amps : Audio Innovations 2nd Audio monoblocks, Pass Labs Aleph 3 and a BAT VK-60. Each combination had its own character and all three sounded excellent. These may be 30 year old speakers but they have tremendous openness, presence, vitality and wallop. They are remarkably transparent and coherent, while pulling off the neat trick of sounding nothing like a "hifi". They are very organic and the absolute opposite of sterile, you can hear and feel the music breathe. I won't spraff on but these are very good loudspeakers.
So if they are so good, why am I selling? I don't need four pairs of loudspeakers and the choice was to keep either these or a pair of GRFs. The Tannoys won but it wasn't a clearcut decision and there are areas where the Snells are clearly ahead, I will miss them. There will be a pair of LS3/5a for sale soon too.
Will they fit your room/system/life?
Dimensions: 113cm x 38cm x 33cm. They are a relatively benign amplifier load, nominally 4ohm, and sensitivity is 90dB. With the amps I used, 15wpc was just enough in a 5m x 4m room for reasonable levels and 60wpc is ample. They are not overly fussy re positioning but 30cm from the rear wall works ok, 50cm is better. Your room is different to mine though so YMMV. Not everybody likes the look, I quite like their rugged charm...
Practical stuff:
I am in central Scotland and auditions are welcome, collection ideal. If you don't fancy the drive but are not far away and the right deal is done, I might consider delivering the speakers myself. Otherwise it'll have to be a pallet courier at your expense. This is how they came to me from St Albans and I have kept the packaging so it should be easy enough to ensure their safe onward travel.
SOLD
At my place:
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k304/enbee23/Audio/WP_000077_zps98a51146.jpg
With a previous owner in 2012, condition is unchanged:
http://i1153.photobucket.com/albums/p507/Neiro2/_9081988.jpg