Royd Minstrels.

[icehockeyboy]

Your thoughts/experience of these please?

Thanks.

[IHP]

A non-Hi Fi and short response, wonderful and fun ! A friend of mine has a pair, runs the with an old Audiolab 8000 something, they just put a smile of your face. I'll leave maybe more detailed responses to others, but for the money, tremendous speakers. I love the aesthetics as well.

[YNWaN]

I liked other Royd speakers but not the Minstrel.

[southall-1998_mk2]

Decent speakers. Top end can sound a tad hot at times. Not for high volume levels.

S.

[fatmarley]

Musical, fun and quite a big sound for a small speaker. Bass is tight, treble can be a little OTT but I wouldn't let that put you off.

[thingfish]

I thought the Minstrels good, but preferred the Eden's.

[carruthersesq]

My first pair of ‘real’ speakers back in the 90’s and absolutely loved them. They are quite special.

[Shovel_Knight]

I have heard them in a buddy's system -- very full-bodied sound for something so dinky, lots of fun

[hifi_dave]

Raucous and bright but fun, at the right price.

[fatmarley]

I'd never describe Minstrels as bright. Coupled with good quality electronics they are surprisingly sophisticated. Like a lot of budget speakers, they get a bad name because of the budget electronics people usually use with them.

[Minstrel SE]

Yes they deserve the best source and flat earth amplification you can throw at them. There is a lot to say if you can pick them up for the right price now

You have to find a pair without gumming issues so its hard to recommend a no brainer buy. It can be a labour of love and I had to circle paper round the core with careful use of white spirit. They have a great soundstage and detail jumps out of nowhere in a way I havent heard other budget speakers do. Royd dont play it safe like other budget speakers I could mention...they deserve your experimentation. What they do with bass just has to be heard to be believed.

They have a delicateness but a punch if you get me. A sophistication and a taste of the high end. A bounce and a timing just right to put a smile on. They are growers as you learn what they are capable of. I feel they are not going to amaze everybody on a first listen and youve got to get a pair that have been well looked after.

What Royds give is that knowing feeling that youve bought something very well designed by someone who cares. You will nod and think yeah and that new awareness can happen every time you listen..... like they keep growing on you.

Yes Joe had speakers higher up the range but its hard not to love the little Minstrel

They can sound bright balanced and you cant be too shy with the volume control but Im not feeding them with the amps they deserve. I havent heard them at their best yet which excites me to get a move on

Oh and I find they they sound better spiked onto concrete slabs.

What can I really say but you should really try and hear a pair fired up

[thingfish]

Royds are superb.....they are the Jim Carrey of speakers.

But ...it's Eden's ya want.

I've tried em all, but the wee Eden's are like Harbeth P3-ESRs on speed.


Superb.......Ali Tate call back...!!!

[southall-1998_mk2]

I've heard Minstrels sounding good with 35w tube amps. Do the Minstrels have internal bracing inside? I've always wondered, considering the cabs are quite narrow etc.

S.

[fatmarley]

I've heard Minstrels sounding good with 35w tube amps. Do the Minstrels have internal bracing inside? I've always wondered, considering the cabs are quite narrow etc.

S.

No, they have a steel plate glued to the inside of the back panel and a chunk of rubber type substance (a bit more dense than raw jelly) inbetween the back of the woofer and the inside of the back panel. Whenever you buy a pair of Minstrels, it's worth removing the midbass driver to make sure the chunk of rubber hasn't fallen to the bottom of the cabinet. It probably wouldn't fall on it's own but if someone removed the driver in the past, they may not have noticed it drop.

[Yomanze]

3hrs to go on these RR1s, Royd house sound with more refinement & more fleshed out sound, I'd take these over Minstrels:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Royd-RR1-floor-standing-speakers-stunning-looking-and-sounding-very-rare/254253462320

[Minstrel SE]

Yes those RR1s went for £367 so providing they work as they should, someone has got one hell of a good buy there.

The Minstrels are not a no brainer buy as there are plenty of tatty/knackered examples out there.

I picked my mint looking pair up for £142 with Linn K20 cable thrown in. Ok it cost me to go and collect them but not that much. If I had paid double that price I would still have been happy.

I would say that its well worth experiencing the Royd sound. I never said the Minstrels were the last word in sound...just something I had to do :)

Other models are available from time to time :)

[Magic]

I've been listening to a pair of these recently matched with a Nait 5 (cranked up to 3pm) connected with Chord Carnival Silverscreen & I was pleasantly surprised, having been underwhelmed originally when I heard them over 2 decades ago.

Even more surprising was how much better things got when I swapped in a Nait 3. Not the easiest amp to love @ times, but breathtaking @ times running the TV (Chernobyl was a revelation). Similarly great with 6Music.

I swapped in Royd Abbots, which were good, but underwhelming.

I changed again to the Nait 3's usual partners, Mordaunt Short MS25i & although pacey & exiting, they just weren't as exuberant.

I just think the Minstrels need to be driven to give their best & the often denuded Nait 3 can show just how good it can be.