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View Full Version : CHARTWELL The pm55 loudspeakers,


andyrlb
08-11-2016, 14:38
1843418435Hi all .
So I've gone and bought (site unseen) a pair of the above but cannot find a thing about them on the net Bar a few photos .
Any info/review would be most welcome.
18430

So these are made by Swisstone electronic ltd London

Well the crossovers need doing but with no info these I think I'm screwed.
Arkless Electronics
08-11-2016, 15:31
Builders of BBC style loudspeakers and first licensee of polypropylene cone manufacturing, made their own cones and bass units, went bust in 1978. IIRC I saw Chartwell speakers at Harrogate HiFi show though, which would have been about 1981, so I'm guessing the brand name was bought and there was a Chartwell MkII company....
DSJR
08-11-2016, 15:37
Rogers bought them I believe and then suffered their own issues, all documented fairly well on the Falcon website I believe. These babies would have evolved into the Rogers LS5's and similar I think. When I changed jobs in January 1982, we had a remaining pair of PM110's and they were soft toned and syrupy. The last Chartwells I knew were the PM310, which evolved quickly into the infamous Rogers LS7 post takeover/merging...
Arkless Electronics
08-11-2016, 15:48
Ah yes! Taken over by Rogers makes sense:)
andyrlb
08-11-2016, 16:15
Thanks
andyrlb
08-11-2016, 16:15
Nothing about these particular speakers?
Arkless Electronics
08-11-2016, 17:58
Found this!!! http://www.g4dcv.co.uk/ls35a/rogershistory.html now't on those speakers but the most edge of yer seat read on hi fi I've ever seen.. yes I'm probably sad... gutted that it says "to be continued" but as it appears to have been written a few years ago that seems unlikely..
walpurgis
08-11-2016, 18:46
Found this!!! http://www.g4dcv.co.uk/ls35a/rogershistory.html now't on those speakers but the most edge of yer seat read on hi fi I've ever seen.. yes I'm probably sad... gutted that it says "to be continued" but as it appears to have been written a few years ago that seems unlikely..

That's quite a story Jez.
andyrlb
08-11-2016, 21:12
So I now have them in my possession and will add another photo
struth
08-11-2016, 21:28
the speakers may have Dalesford chassis'. Look good.
andyrlb
08-11-2016, 21:46
I would describe them as a mini monitor, they don't sound mini though with my ION obelisk x3 .
Result I would say.
walpurgis
08-11-2016, 21:50
Chartwell made some pretty serious speakers. I had a pair of the big PM400's for a while. They were very well reviewed at the time.
Martyn Miles
09-11-2016, 16:09
the speakers may have Dalesford chassis'. Look good.

It may be a Rogers, not Dalesford, unit.
They also have the 'infamous' Audax tweeter, used in many speakers around that time.
The Wharfedale Diamond, for example.
walpurgis
09-11-2016, 16:15
It may be a Rogers, not Dalesford, unit.
They also have the 'infamous' Audax tweeter, used in many speakers around that time.
The Wharfedale Diamond, for example.

Yes. That is a particularly undistinguished tweeter. One of the first mass produced examples to employ ferrofluid if I recall. It needed it to disperse heat from that tiny voicecoil. Who knows though, It may sound OK in these speakers.
DSJR
09-11-2016, 16:27
Many speakers used that little tweeter. I understand they were literally pennies to buy back then and weren't too bad at all if properly implemented.
Martyn Miles
09-11-2016, 23:19
Many speakers used that little tweeter. I understand they were literally pennies to buy back then and weren't too bad at all if properly implemented.

I ran a pair of Diamonds in my University Lab. for many years.
Their top end was never a problem.
In fact, the little Diamonds were excellent.
Many happy hours of listening.

A speaker designer told me that the little Audax tweeter was fine if integrated correctly.
andyrlb
10-11-2016, 06:51
Hard to believe that there's no info on these .
hifi_dave
10-11-2016, 12:09
I reviewed a couple of pairs of Chartwell speakers back in the late 70s,for Hi-Fi for Pleasure magazine.

The company was owned by a couple of Chinese chaps whose main occupation was growing and delivering bean shoots to Chinese restaurants. I had several re-worked versions of each speaker to try and some of the cartons were rattling with bean shoot seeds. I kid you not.

Not sure what happened to the original owners.
sumday
12-11-2016, 17:53
given the evident quality of the bass driver, I would venture the tweeter is a aftermarket replacement.
the device was available for many years from maplins....indeed, I used it myself when I fancied myself as a ahem....speaker designer.....STOP LAUGHING AT THE BACK!!!

many years back I owned a pair of kef padgent speakers employing the unit and they were much improved with the substitution of a 1" soft dome....audax I think.

NIGE.