You don't see many '44 Series 2' (Not to be confused with the Mk.2), '442' & especially the '44 Legend' up for grabs..
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You don't see many '44 Series 2' (Not to be confused with the Mk.2), '442' & especially the '44 Legend' up for grabs..
Picked up the 44's this morning. one of the mids is knackard. but got the for even cheaper price.
If you can't test it fit the mid from the other cab see if it still does'nt work
Replacement here: (bit pricier than usual though).Quote:
Originally Posted by dantheman91
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CELESTION-...item1c2ebf69d5
The original '44' mid unit is called a 'D5'..
Is it worth replacing and fixing them.
Might be nowt wrong with it if you try swapping around..
I have had a look they are soldered on. I think its working just not as crisp and clear as the other one.
If you do swap it over & it becomes clearer, you may have a duff Electrolytic within the Midrange 2nd order.. Theres a couple of Elco strapped together & a Single on the board..Quote:
Originally Posted by dantheman91
I find it odd the Mid has gone duff.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rare Bird
Hi
Maybe they need to be used they have been sat for 10 years plus. The mid is rustaling when pushed in and out. rotated 180 deg still no luck.
run me by how to swap them over.
If they are soldered your gonna need a iron, be carefull soldering on the unit terminal, attach a miniture crock clip to dissipate some of the heat, as a temp measure you could cut the wire, transfer unit from other speaker, twist the wires back together wrap some electrical tape around the twist.
What you are trying to establish is weither one of the caps is duff or the unit, caps need replacing anyway..Im assuming you have an early pair with brown hard wired boards when you say they are soldred?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rare Bird
Hi
Just seeing if the unit is faulty. Got them home hooked them up :rolleyes: Called the guy he said they have never been tested and were sat in the loft for 10 years plus he was given them by a sound engineer who toured with bon jovi and queen. He said come back and collect your money and you can keep them as they need space :ner::. The condition is not too bad could be worse. The tweets have the grills missing.
They don't appear to be the original tweeters
Quote:
Originally Posted by Macca
Your right. I think their from the mk2's
They are 'HF2000' it's just the dust caps are missing from the diaphram.. You could buy new T2373 kits at one time..
[
Can buy a mid for £14. but!!!
Have you tested it then Dan?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rare Bird
Hi
What shall i do? unscrew and take the midrange driver out.
Post #111 Dan, were just trying to establish if it's the Driver or one of the X-Over caps that's the problem, the other mid range unit is ok.so by swaping them over the seemingly duff one should then sound ok, if it does'nt it's the unit that's the problem.
Its the driver thats faulty.
still the same is it?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rare Bird
Yes.
Shall i buy the driver from that well known place.
The midrange is completly gone. Nothing from it.
So i think a £30 replacement i a good deal
Sorry bout the midrange Dan, but once that is fixed you'll have a very nice pair of speakers! Actually, yours are identical to my pair, except for the missing tweeter grille. I changed the horrible greybrown cloth to a black one and the all of a sudden look a lot more contemporary! ;)
http://www.ollars.net/hififorum/CD44_01.JPG
http://www.ollars.net/hififorum/CD44_02.JPG
Regards //Mike
Dan, if you can get them fixed up for £30 it's a no brainer, as others have said a pair of working tweeters will sell for much more if it doesn't work out and you have to break them (perish the thought).
Post 77 has a picture of a crossover out of my pair if you need a reference.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mothman
Cheers they were free so. fix them up and use them. how are you finding yours
No brainer, once sorted could be really good.
Since pulling mine's out for the purpose of pics with blotched Wharfedale tweeters, i am enjoying them immensely,
the old boy who sold them to me said the crossovers have been serviced a while back,
that maybe has a bearing on what i am getting out of them besides the Wharfedale tweeters working surprisingly good,
while i've never heard Hf2000's, i am getting a nice crisp/airyness without the whiteish colouration of some metal domes,
nice mid, smooth, even, not overly warm, bass doesn't down as far as it's 12'inch suggests but nicely rounded,pacey/punchy sound,
not kick in the chest kind but not a'' bitch slap'' either, somewhere in between.
Overall, while not as charming, clearcut, beguiling, and realism as my previous Harbeth SHL5's,
or the dynamic kick,immediacy or easy dynamics of my current Tannoy 12' MG's,
(bear in mind i am not comparing but barely using them as yardsticks), the Ditton 44 are great performers, even handed and makes playing music ''FUN'',
i didn't analyse too much,i am not very good at describing things so maybe the vets on here could chip in to correct what i've wrote. :)
wii.
Mine should be up a running within the week.
:D
Tweeter grille:
I'm probably even more off my trolley than usual, but I read recently that the tweeter grille for the LS3/5A was nicked from the Celestion HF2000 unit. if so, these grilles MAY be available for sale from Stirling Broadcast, who make the pukka V2 LS3/5A (similar balance but better sound from modern drive units).
Well worth asking anyway and some of their parts are on eBay in their shop.....
Quote:
Originally Posted by DSJR
Hi
Contacted them
thanks
I love em, picked mine up cheap just as an experiment to see what they were like and I haven't been dissapointed, been my main speakers ever since. Other than their size they are very easy to live with. As Macca has already said, if you have a big space to fill (I don't) and lots of bass is your thing then there are probably better choices but otherwise I think they are great, especially if you can get yours working for little money :).Quote:
Originally Posted by dantheman91
I rember my dad's old 66's. I'm sure i will love these. The condition is excellent just need to polish them up. I have a beautiful vintage Quad 33 / 303 to go with them.
I can fix them cheap really cheap so everyones a winner.
....not from the seller's POV. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by dantheman91
Have reeled mine's away and pressed my Tannoy's back in service and there's no contest,through my set up and room,they just have more of everything,
wider,deeper,way more open and better dynamic shading,singers seem more real and instruments seems to come from a more defined bigger soundstage,
and bandwidth the 44's just couldn't match, infact my other sulking speakers (40kg of homebuilt Spendor SP100r clones)
are much nearer and would happily live with them before i'd settle for the 44's,
but hey.... i've tried them and they are still good in their own way.
Let us have your views when you're done. :cool:
The Mid has arrived. There now running and sounding very sweet.
Very low volume to warm them up a bit.
:D
What Tannoys?Quote:
Originally Posted by wiicrackpot
I've owned Ditton 44s and whilst they're pleasant and OK for the money they can still be picked up for (although I've seen a few sellers asking loony prices), they won't seriously compare to any decent Tannoy. The Ditton 66 is another story though, it competes well against the bigger Tannoys, albeit with a totally different presentation.
The 44s let down is the midrange driver, it's just not that incisive or tranparent and is expected to extend quite a way into the upper frequency ranges, crossing over to a tweeter that really only comes into its own above about 7kHz.
In theory, I suppose the 66 midrange unit could be used in the 44 along with the 66 crossover. That might be worthwhile, as it should be just a straightforward substitution job (with minor cabinet mods) and you'd only be losing out on the deepest bass in comparison.
There sounding good at the moment just running them up.
These are FANTASTIC very happy with them.
:cool:
Good Dan
Maybe a capacitor upgrade will be in order now but don't let other people put you off the '44's', a lot of people tend to compare modern speaker sound to vintage sound claiming the vintage are crap in comparison, this get on my titz & is of course a totally foolish thing to say in the first place..
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rare Bird
Hey
The modern equivelent would just not be the same you would need to spend thousends i think. It was a cheap fix. I just love stuff from this era or earlier i belive the celestions are 1974!
They are quite room friendly once you get used to there size. I have them raised about 6 inches from the floor the bass is sweet and punchy. The mid and highs are great. The BBC spec HF2000's come into there own. For a free pair of speakers i can't complain. I'm just running them in with my denon amplifier for the time being. They still retain their quality down low.
Hi Dan
I was trying to say that Bright detailed in your face & all that is some peoples idea of good sounding speakers :spew:
I don't know what vintage yours are but the '44's were out around 1972
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rare Bird
1972! even better. Well each to their own buddy. :cool: These are currently ticking the boxes.
Great stuff Dan they are nice speakers, Vintage all the way with me..
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rare Bird
:cool:
Can't go wrong
If you got a pair of aluminium plates lazer cut the same shape of the '44' Mid Range units, but cut out to mount a pair of Celestion 'MF500' mid range units, thay may work well.
Owning and using both on a daily basis, I would concur with that assessment :)Quote:
Originally Posted by walpurgis
The very different presentation, however, never ceases to both amaze and delight me in equal measures... It's great having the choice of using two such superb pairs of speakers! :cool:
Andre is right - modern speakers just don't have the same richness of tone or addictive musicality. It's patently obvious when you listen!
Marco.
Exactly the reason it knobz me orf when people buy Components/Hi-Fi strickly on spekificati'oo'n :nono:Quote:
Originally Posted by Marco
Geoff, 12''inch Monitor Gold's, think you've mis-read my post, i wasn't saying the 44's were better than my MG's, it's the other way round, :)Quote:
Originally Posted by walpurgis
i actually agree with 99% of all your input i've read on here, just that i don't normally get involved with technical threads as i don't know what i am talking about,
just that OP asked for opinions, he's a happy camper and thats all that matters. :cool:
I am with RB regarding most people's assumption regarding bright speakers as good detail/fast sound, don't do bright either.
If you like having your scalp surgically removed, it's great............for about 10 minutes. After that, folks think their front end or amp needs upgrading because the shiny new speakers sound amazing and, funnily enough they can't listen to music anymore. Can't be those amazing new speakers though can it?Quote:
Originally Posted by Rare Bird
It looks like these are staying. Thanks for the help guys.
:D