The Celestion kid strikes again.....!

.....paying way too much for vintage speakers, lol. Here's what I won (or lost? :eyebrows:) on Ebay earlier:


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...760141&afsrc=1

I was all set to put my final bid in of a grand to secure them, or so I thought, (and yes even that was probably too much, as good ones like these normally go for around £600-900), and in the last 30 secs Del says to me: "If you *really* want them, increase your maximum bid quickly to £1500, just to make sure...."

So it was lucky (or unlucky, lol) I did, as unknown to me, some f*cker came out of the blue and placed a £1300 bid just before I'd upped my max bid to £1500, so I won them literally in the last few seconds of the auction!

Had Del not said what she did, I'd have lost them, and of course been £1320 richer!! :lol:

*However*, being serious now, as the speakers were local to me in the Wirral, I went along on Friday night with some CDs to check them out, and one listen to them on the end of the current owner's Technics separates system, playing music I know inside out, and it was obvious just how special these speakers were :eek:

I would not have paid what I did for them otherwise, and would probably have pulled out at around £700.

Anyway, apart from them being in gorgeous condition in a rich walnut finish I adore (rarer and likely to have been a more expensive option in their day), the sound they produced on the end of such a modest system (hooked up with bell-wire, no less!) was quite incredible.......

I'm obviously used to listening to speakers with huge slam, clarity, attack and immediacy, and these Celestions sounded rather uncannily almost as big, and as capable in that respect, as my Lockwood Majors!!

The sheer 'out of the box' shockingly vivid realism the 66s produce in the mid and top end, have to be heard to be believed. So I knew there and then that these speakers were very special and I just HAD to have them for the forthcoming show at Scalford Hall :trust:

There was no way I was lugging my Lockwoods down again, and the stand-mount speaker options we had I just don't think would've worked in the large-ish room we've been given, so being determined to produce a good sound in our room, I had to find a suitable pair of speakers to use.

I'd known about how good the 66 Studio Monitors were from what people had said the last time when I bought the 15XRs, and that coupled with some extensive research, is what piqued my interest in them, especially when I noticed a link to some for sale recently on pfm, which were the ones I eventually bought :)

Reading the description in this old ad, which mirrored what I'd heard myself, also made me want to buy them: http://cork.gumtree.ie/cork/58/57981158.html

So now I have three bloody sets of speakers! Never mind, I'm sure I'll find a home somewhere for them in Wynn Hall! ;)

I'll report back tomorrow with how they sound on the end of my system (and Ian Walker's), and also take some nice pics.

Off to bed now, so laters! :cool:

Marco.

Nice
You should have big ballerkz lifting those things aswell. ;)

Ask me what you want about em :)

Lol - well tell me what you think is best about them, oh and specifically what's good or bad about their crossovers (in terms of what would benefit from modifying, if anything ;)):

http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/4...crossovers.png

Looks pretty decent to me, but you know me, I'm up for a fettle-ette if it'd be worthwhile! :eyebrows:

Marco.

Those on the brown board are early ones.

E-mail dude

Got it, dude - cheers :)

When I get them, I'll double check that mine have those types of crossover boards. They should do, as the pic was taken from a site featuring early ones like mine with the black (non-veneered) fronts.

Mine definitely have the same terminals and face place as you indicated.

Regarding the crossovers, I've read that the later versions with the veneered fronts supposedly have improved crossovers (although some say they were just more complicated...), so I wondered if there was any truth in that?

Yes, the inductors look nice, so I'll leave those as they are.

Regarding re-capping them, as you recommended to ensure the tweeters or midrange units don't blow, I may well do that, although the old chap I bought them from (who'd had them almost from new) liked to play them loud (lol) and has done so for the last 30-odd years, so if anything was likely to blow, you'd have thought it would've happened by now? ;)

Finally, mine are in a beautiful rich walnut finish, which seems quite rare, as all the other 66 Studio Monitors I've seen are in ubiquitous 70s teak... Do you know if that would've made them more expensive to buy originally? I know that more 'exotic' finishes on speakers, usually only available as a special option, often attract a premium price.

If so, that may explain why those I were bidding against were prepared to pay 'over the odds', bearing in mind that the bidding was already at £620 before I got involved, with nearly two days of the auction still left.

Marco.

Here's me thinking you may have paid a couple of hundred for 'em....... :D

The rest of us could buy some Beovox 5702's for a ton or two, re-cap them and grin from ear to ear :lol:

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Originally Posted by Andre

You should have big ballerkz lifting those things aswell. ;)

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Actually they don't weigh anywhere near as much as you'd think, pretty easy to carry one on your own as i have found out :) They aren't bulky except in height.

Nice speakers, i'm keeping my pair :cool:

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Here's me thinking you may have paid a couple of hundred for 'em....... :D

The rest of us could buy some Beovox 5702's for a ton or two, re-cap them and grin from ear to ear :lol:

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Lol! Show me a near mint pair of Studio 66 monitors which have sold recently for a couple of hundred quid, particularly ones finished in walnut?

:popcorn: :popcorn:

Marco.

Hi Mark,

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Actually they don't weigh anywhere near as much as you'd think, pretty easy to carry one on your own as i have found out They aren't bulky except in height.

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Indeed, but I'll confirm it after lugging them into the car tonight...

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Nice speakers, i'm keeping my pair :cool:

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If you're coming to Scalford, you'll hear just how nice they can sound when perfect. Did you refurb yours in the end? :)

Marco.

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Originally Posted by Marco

If you're coming to Scalford, you'll hear just how nice they can sound when perfect. Did you refurb yours in the end? :)

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Oh i know how good they sound :eyebrows: It really is surprising given the standard light weight enclosures but there you go :confused:

Not yet no, i still have a mess of other stuff to get round to before considering what to do about the visually challenged 66s :D

At least knowing the speakers will give me some insight into what the other equipment is doing ;)

Marco, those capacitors are old and as suggested could do with replacing. Bear in mind that sometimes putting really good capacitors works fantastically but at other times said capacitors whilst having the same capacitance as the originals will be quite different in their ESR (resistance). This can change crossover points and possibly phase - but nothing that will damage anything. Having given that warning I'd suggest some ClarityCap MR.

"as unknown to me, some f*cker came out of the blue and placed a £1300 bid just before I'd upped my max bid to £1500"

That was the sellers bezzy mate:lol:

Drats - scuppered by a devious scouser's dasterdly plan!! :doh: :eyebrows:

Marco.

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Originally Posted by Ian Walker

"as unknown to me, some f*cker came out of the blue and placed a £1300 bid just before I'd upped my max bid to £1500"

That was the sellers bezzy mate:lol:

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At least it wasn't Ian trying to bag the same speakers for the same reason - now that would have been funny! :lol:

Look forward to hearing them Marco, they're a speaker I'd considered - well, until some numpty paid way over the odds for them and prices will have rocketed - 15XR's still haven't recovered to normal levels on ebay since the last time you bought speakers! ;)

Hi Clive,

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Marco, those capacitors are old and as suggested could do with replacing. Bear in mind that sometimes putting really good capacitors works fantastically but at other times said capacitors whilst having the same capacitance as the originals will be quite different in their ESR (resistance). This can change crossover points and possibly phase - but nothing that will damage anything. Having given that warning I'd suggest some ClarityCap MR.

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Thanks for that, and noted :)

However, I'm unsure if the crossovers in my pair are identical. One would certainly presume so, although they will most certainly be of a similar vintage.

Can anyone work out the cap values from the pic - or does anyone have a circuit diagram, or know from experience what they are?

Clarity Cap MRs are what I used in the crossovers of my Monitor Golds, so I know how good they are, and those are the ones I will use if I decide to tweak the Celestions.

The thing is though, they sound amazing as they are and seemingly don't lack any clarity, nor do they have a rather tubby old-fashioned sound (quite the opposite!), like the MGs did before I upgraded their existing crossovers....

I can also say that about my 15XRs, which are entirely original and sound simply wonderful for their size.

Perhaps Celestion were simply very good at matching the right capacitors to their drive units, sonically in terms of voicing them, regardless of if they are the best available now, bearing in mind that their speakers in those days were built from scratch from the ground up as entirely their own designs?

Sometimes with these things you just hit upon the right recipe and get the 'seasoning' spot on.

It's a difficult one to judge whether it's worth the risk (and expense, as CC MRs ain't cheap) of f*cking them up when they sound quite wonderful as they are now..............

All sensible suggestions, though, will be gratefully received! :cool:

Marco.

Hi Alex,

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At least it wasn't Ian trying to bag the same speakers for the same reason - now that would have been funny! :lol:

Look forward to hearing them Marco, they're a speaker I'd considered - well, until some numpty paid way over the odds for them and prices will have rocketed - 15XR's still haven't recovered to normal levels on ebay since the last time you bought speakers! ;)

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Lol - indeed that would've been a serious giggle!! Hope you like them when you hear them, dude.

Regarding your other point, yes, but my job here is to inform people of what's good, vintage or new, particularly when it offers high SPPV, so they too can benefit from the discovery of an amazing product by trying it themselves - not to worry about inflating prices (not that Ditton 66 Studio Monitors being superb is news to anyone here!) ;)

Incidentally, if anyone would like to read a PDF file of the original brochure from 1973, it can be downloaded here:

http://www.mediafire.com/?6asa528p5yomsao

Marco.

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Originally Posted by Marco

Regarding your other point, yes, but my job here is to inform people of what's good, vintage or new, particularly when it offers high SPPV, so they too can benefit from the discovery of an amazing product by trying it themselves - not to worry about inflating prices (not that Ditton 66 Studio Monitors being superb is news to anyone here!) ;)

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Just having a bit of fun, bud - the 66's certainly don't need any encouragement to sell, and especially in the walnut (which is what I'd be after) I reckon, as they are timeless to look at, too.

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Originally Posted by Marco

Lol! Show me a near mint pair of Studio 66 monitors which have sold recently for a couple of hundred quid, particularly ones finished in walnut?

:popcorn: :popcorn:

Marco.

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Not mint, not walnut... If they really DID sell for that then someone got a stupendous bargain! :eek: (And now I'm thinking F*ck, why didn't I spot those before!)

The crossover looks quite good actually :) Looks like a 24Db/octave low pass feeding the bass driver, the mid is fed by a 12Db/octave high & low pass from what i can make out. The tweeter looks to be fed from an 18Db/octave high pass filter, interestingly the caps feeding the tweeter look like metalised plastic of some form or another.

The only nasties are on the mid & bass units. It looks like the mid is fed via a 24uf & 6uf in parallel & there is a cheapy directly accross the driver itself at 4uf (by the looks of things - from what i can see :eyebrows:).

If i was going to change anything it'd be the caps on the midrange, but seeing as you know the tweeter caps are of reasonable quality & not cheap reversible electrolytics you could upgrade those as well if you wanted to with no worries about ESR & phase shifts :)

Hey Marco,

That review you saw on Gumtree is posted by a guy from Cork, Ireland. As I live in Cork I would love to know who this guy is, since he always has some serious kit for sale on Gumtree.

I wonder has anyone on this forum spoken to the guy, or know who he is? :scratch:

Nathan

Hi Nathan,

Yes I noticed that, so you should try and find out. I particularly enjoyed reading this part of his appraisal:

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...wait till you hear the thrill of the power of a bass drum reproduced through these masterpieces as the "thud" hits you in stomach and gives you goosebumps!

...These speakers are the very antithesis of modern "tight" speakers with their hamburger sized bass drivers which attempt to defy the laws of physics...

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Hehehe... Definitely a man after my own heart! :eyebrows:

And it mirrors what I heard from them on Friday night on the end of a good but fairly unremarkable Technics separates system. Goodness knows what they'll be capable of on the end of my Copper amp, etc!!! :eek: :gig:

Marco.

P.S Does anyone know how efficient they are? I can't seem to find any mention of this anywhere.

Just had a quick Google and apparently they are fairly inefficient 4ohm monsters requiring a bit of grunt. So your copper amp might not be up to the job.

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The crossover looks quite good actually :) Looks like a 24Db/octave low pass feeding the bass driver, the mid is fed by a 12Db/octave high & low pass from what i can make out. The tweeter looks to be fed from an 18Db/octave high pass filter, interestingly the caps feeding the tweeter look like metalised plastic of some form or another.

The only nasties are on the mid & bass units. It looks like the mid is fed via a 24uf & 6uf in parallel & there is a cheapy directly accross the driver itself at 4uf (by the looks of things - from what i can see :eyebrows:).

If i was going to change anything it'd be the caps on the midrange, but seeing as you know the tweeter caps are of reasonable quality & not cheap reversible electrolytics you could upgrade those as well if you wanted to with no worries about ESR & phase shifts :)

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Cheers, Mark - noted. However, I'd need to know the µF value of the relevant caps before proceeding any further :)

Marco.

Hi Nathan,

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Just had a quick Google and apparently they are fairly inefficient 4ohm monsters requiring a bit of grunt. So your copper amp might not be up to the job.

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Cheers for the info. Yes I read that somewhere, but I've also read the opposite and that they're pretty valve friendly. Experience with Celestion speakers from the same product line suggests that I'm more inclined to side with the latter view.

Furthermore, if a 40W Technics amp can drive them to ludicrous levels, I suspect that I don't have much to worry about. The Copper amp certainly drives the 15XRs with no problems whatsoever, and normally small speakers are much less efficient than larger ones.

However, if it is a problem, I'll just have to find a monster SS amp to partner them! ;)

I'll let you know later if this proves to be a real issue or not :cool:

Marco.

Yes it would be great to know how you get on.

Your mentioning that a Technics 40W amp can drive them sufficiently would make me think that you are right and that they are reasonably efficient. Having had myself a Technics 40W amp, I know how limited their power output can be. Plus, given the speakers come from the 70s, when amplifiers with serious grunt were not the vogue, you would not expect the Celestions to be to power hungry!

IIRC the output transformers on the copper amp are wound for 6 ohms. Should be fine.

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Originally Posted by Marco

Got it, dude - cheers :)

When I get them, I'll double check that mine have those types of crossover boards. They should do, as the pic was taken from a site featuring early ones like mine with the black (non-veneered) fronts.

Mine definitely have the same terminals and face place as you indicated.

Regarding the crossovers, I've read that the later versions with the veneered fronts supposedly have improved crossovers (although some say they were just more complicated...), so I wondered if there was any truth in that?

Yes, the inductors look nice, so I'll leave those as they are.


Finally, mine are in a beautiful rich walnut finish, which seems quite rare, as all the other 66 Studio Monitors I've seen are in ubiquitous 70s teak... Do you know if that would've made them more expensive to buy originally? I know that more 'exotic' finishes on speakers, usually only available as a special option, often attract a premium price.

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You may prefer the early crossover being hard wired, later were tracked PCB's.

Light woods are in fashion at the mo within housholds no? even said that i would always go for a light wood over dark anyday.

I don't think manufacturers played silly games trying to squeeze money out the punter with different finishes back then..you pay around £200 ish for a pair of '66's around '73 (just short of £2K today)

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Originally Posted by Reid Malenfant

Actually they don't weigh anywhere near as much as you'd think, pretty easy to carry one on your own as i have found out :) They aren't bulky except in height.

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I've had '66's in the past, a very late pair

http://theartofsound.net/forum/showt...?t=9028&page=5

They are not light at a guess 25-28Kg, not mega heavy buy carrying a pair from the car to the listerning room twice aint too pleasant especially if marco had a knackered back like mine..

Hi Clive,

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IIRC the output transformers on the copper amp are wound for 6 ohms. Should be fine.

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Yep, I was just about to post the same thing. The crossovers don't look overly complicated either, so I doubt I'll have anything to worry about :)

In fact, there's about the same in them as inside my 15" MGs, and they only have one dual-concentric driver, not multiple drive units, as per the Celestions.

Marco.

Hi dude,

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You may prefer the early crossover being hard wired, later were tracked PCB's.

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Yup, that was my thinking, too! :)

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Light woods are in fashion at the mo within housholds no? even said that i would always go for a light wood over dark anyday.

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Indeed, but only if you have a modern-style house. Whilst I like some light woods, they just look wrong in a period property like ours, or Wynn Hall, should we move there.

My real preference though is a nice mid to dark oak or walnut, as I like warm, rich wood finishes, finding 'blond' wood rather cold and incipid.

I love traditional wood panelling in period homes, so that's the look I like to create. If you look at the advert for Tannoy Westminsters in the current brochure for the Prestige range, that's my ideal kind of room :cool:

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I don't think manufacturers played silly games trying to squeeze money out the punter with different finishes back then..you pay around £200 ish for a pair of '66's around '73 (just short of £2K today)

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Fair enough, if that were the case, but I don't think there's any denying that the walnut finish is rarer than the teak, and thus more desirable to some.

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I've had '66's in the past, a very late pair

http://theartofsound.net/forum/showt...?t=9028&page=5

They are not light at a guess 25-28Kg, not mega heavy buy carrying a pair from the car to the listerning room twice aint too pleasant especially if marco had a knackered back like mine..

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Fortunately my back is ok when lifting a straight heavy weight. What I can't do (since my op after the removal of a non-malignant spinal tumour three years ago) is stand or kneel for very long, as part of the bone structure of my spine needed to be cut out in order to remove the tumour, so it's left me with some partial immobility.

Other than that though, and of course being not right in the head, I'm hunky-dory! :eyebrows:

Marco.

Ok Marco, you just knew i was going to perform operation 66 :eyebrows:

I can confirm that the values i gave earlier are correct :)

The capacitors fitted on the crossovers on my pair of 66s are different, but still film types. In my case the capacitors connected directly to the tweeter (top right of the picture) are both 3.3uf for a total of 6.6uf.

The capacitors connected to the speaker input feeding the tweeter (top left of picture) in my case are 6 x 0.68uf for a total of 4.08uf. I'd suggest 4uf is close enough & that on the picture they'd both be 2uf...

Cool, Mark - thanks for that. I'll copy it for reference :)

As an aside, how difficult would you say the 66's are to drive?

I know you've got a monster SS amp, but I'm sure you'll have a feel for how they perform in that area compared to other speakers you use and whether you'd foresee any issues when using them with my Copper valve amp (40 WPC pure Class A with trannies wound for 6 ohms).

Any thoughts on this, dude, would be appreciated :cool:

Marco.

I can't see any problems with even a low powered amp in all honesty, 40W will make some noise :eyebrows: They are a relatively easy load :)

Excellent! :)

If you fancy a wee interlude in between my ramblings, here's an interesting video, showing a guy who's just bought an old Revox reel-to-reel machine, and his system just happens to use Celestion Ditton 66 Studio Monitors, which he plays some music through, enthusing beforehand about how good they are:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf-ZI...eature=channel

Enjoy!

Marco.

Great video,

Sounds like there is plenty of slam coming from those speakers. Can't believe I just used the word slam!! :lol:

He's got some nice kit.

Just got home with the Celestions..... Oh lordy, lordy, mummy daddy!!!!! :eek: :eek: :eyebrows:

That's all I'm saying for the moment, dudes ;)

Laters!

Marco.

Bye Bye Lockwoods? Is anyone taking bets? ;)

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Originally Posted by Marco

Just got home with the Celestions..... Oh lordy, lordy, mummy daddy!!!!! :eek: :eek: :eyebrows:

That's all I'm saying for the moment, dudes ;)

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It's a pair of reasonable speakers, nothing more to say :eyebrows: Enclosures are cack in all honesty but i won't spoil your enjoyment :) They are lightweights due to the design, seen nearly as much mass in Leak Sandwich 600s which are much smaller ;)

Sorry, Mark - they're behaving like much more than merely reasonable speakers here, trust me!

Maybe yours aren't performing at their best due to their very poor condition?

You and I have different ideas when it comes to what constitutes as a good enclosure. High-mass is not ALWAYS the best way. The 66's sound like a smaller version of my Lockwoods (almost identical voicing), and that's the best compliment I can pay them :)

And they absolutely LOVE the copper amp. I suggest you come to Scalford and have a listen, matey, and hear it for yourself! :cool:

Right, more music beckons - I am a very happy bunny :gig:

Marco.

:D Marco, i know how they sound & yes they are rather nice. No doubt this is due to the midrange dome & the bass extension due to the ABR...

I know yours won't sound much if any different to the pair i have, after all we just have different tweeters at the end of the day ;)

The enclosures on my speakers may be looking a tad unpretty, but all an enclosure is about is the woofer & bass at the end of the day, as mine are not compromised in that respect i know they'll be the same as yours :)

Mine are just cosmetically damaged, they will match yours except for the treble end ;) The enclosures are still just as sealed as when they were new...

Mark, we've got VERY different systems, dude, which could explain why we're hearing things somewhat differently, so let's just leave it there.... ;)

Are you coming to the Scalford Hall show?

Marco.

Yes i'll be at Scalford, but you are taking things for granted... The Celestion Ditton 66s are nothing to do with my main system, they are in another room with totally seperate components ;)

Look, the only difference between my 66s & yours (forgetting the cosmetic condition) are the tweeters as the standard versions on my 66s were both blown... I doubt virtually anyone would notice a difference between mine & yours sound wise, best if they are blindfolded though :lol:

We both have 66s chap, nothing more to say, they were good in the day & still sound superb compared to modern smaller speakers, but the enclosures are really crap... Give em a knock ;)

BOLLOCKS! Are you suggesting that just because we have the same speakers that they will sound the same? So all speakers sound the same regardless of the system being used to drive them????

:lol: :lol: :mental:

You're entitled to your opinion (even if it is ludicrous), but the fact is you cannot hear what I'm hearing now - END OF.

So, Mark, don't try and tell me what I'm hearing and that it must be the same as you, just because we're using the same speakers. That is just plain daft. Anyway, you can judge the results for yourself at Scalford Hall.

I suggest, however, you re-read your remarks to me tonight (shown below), when I reported that I was clearly hearing something quite special with the Celestions, and consider if what you wrote was in any way appropriate or considerate?

It was your rather rude and dismissive tone that caused my annoyance, which prompted the subsequent reaction you got from me!

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It's a pair of reasonable speakers, nothing more to say. Enclosures are cack in all honesty but i won't spoil your enjoyment. They are lightweights due to the design, seen nearly as much mass in Leak Sandwich 600s which are much smaller...

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Dear oh dear.... :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Surely you can see how badly that came across? 'Raining on my parade' in a rather unconstructive and somewhat unfriendly way would be an apt way to describe it.

Marco.

Not at all, but with the same system there will be very little if any difference between mine & your 66s as only the tweeters are different, if you think otherwise then you need some better drugs :eyebrows:

we need pics

Hi Gary,

Oh don't worry pics will be coming tomorrow - they look lovely, if you like vintage speakers :)

Marco.

Hi Marco
Well I do have a pair of ditton 15xr's and a pair of 44's ;)

Lol, well I guess that qualifies you as a vintage speaker fan :)

The 66s really are a bit special. I honestly can't believe I'm listening to completely unmodified, nearly 40 year-old loudspeakers :eek:

I had to spend a fortune on the crossovers in my Lockwoods to get them to sound this good (and admittedly a little better, but not by a huge margin other than in terms of sheer scale, due to the difference in the sizes of cabinets) - I kid you not.

They're just so effortlessly musical with any genre of music I've put through them so far - brilliant stuff! :eyebrows:

I'm afraid it highlights again just how little progress we've made in terms of loudspeaker sonic performance in the last goodness knows how many years....

Oh, and I found out how sensitive they are after reading the PDF file linking to the original brochure I posted earlier :doh:

From the brochure:

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4.8 watts pink noise input produces 90db SPL at one metre in anechoic conditions

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The stated amplifier requirements are 10-160 watts RMS. So with that info and the above sensitivity specs, it's no wonder they have no problem being driven plenty loud by the Copper amp!

I can't believe some of the bollocks written by people sometimes, such as Nathan referred to earlier. Whoever thought that the 66's were a difficult or demanding load, needing loads of power to perform optimally, are quite simply idiots who don't have a clue.

Marco.

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Originally Posted by Marco

I'm afraid it highlights again just how little progress we've made in terms of loudspeaker sonic performance in the last goodness knows how many years....

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Thank goodness i'm not alone..welcome to 1973 dude ;)

Hi Alex,

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Bye Bye Lockwoods? Is anyone taking bets? ;)

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Sorry I missed that.... Lol, not quite! The Lockwoods are going nowhere.

What the Celestions have is a very similar sonic signature to the Lockwoods, using 15" Tannoy Monitor Golds, (very dynamic sounding and musically informative), albeit with less scale, as the cabinets on the 66's are about a third of the size.

*But* they appear to need less driving to make a very big sound, and yet, on paper, the Monitor Golds are much more sensitive (95db) :scratch:

The uncanny thing, however, is that the Celestions are 3-way speakers, yet sound so seamless, coherent and well integrated that they almost give the 'point source' effect I so love of the Tannoys.....

There is simply no sense that you are listening to a 3-way speaker with multiple drive units, which is brilliant but rather bizarre!

From Hi-Fi Answers magazine, back in the day, commenting on Celestion Studio 66 Monitors:

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The Power available proved to be more than adequate to cope with the loudest orchestral climaxes available (or even required), and indeed this power, and the relatively high efficiency of the chosen speakers, was sufficient on one occasion when we wanted to provide concert levels in a large hall 110 x 55ft with a 25ft high ceiling.

A most impressive performance, and on this occasion it was just possible to clip the amplifier into the speakers, which seemed perfectly willing and able to accept more power!

Near perfect.

We can say very little to criticise these speakers. They are large, expensive and extremely accurate!

Mid-range was typified by an almost complete lack of resonance, distortion or beaming effects, and certainly seemed to vindicate the new 2 ¼ inch dome radiator. The treble end, from 5kHz upward, was handled by the HF2000 unit.

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I completely concur, especially with the bits in bold, as that's what I'm hearing right now with them.

Marco.

P.S (For those in the know) The serial number on my pair of 66's is 000260 - I presume that this indicates there are pretty early ones?

Great to hear they are bedding in well.

If you use any more superlatives I might be convinced to use this years bonus to relieve my Cork neighbour of his set. :eek:

Tell us more about positioning, how you have them set up, and how they behave in the room.

Nathan