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Thread: That 'New' Royd Audio - What Happened?

  1. #1
    Join Date: Dec 2018

    Location: Neath, Wales

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    I'm Shane.

    Default That 'New' Royd Audio - What Happened?

    Bare in mind. I'm not talking about the 'Joe Akroyd' era of Royds.

    The name was resurrected in 2014, by a chap named Adam? He released a modern day Minstrel, which to be honest, didn't really pay much homage to the original.

    Have they gone bust or something?

    S.
    Shane Lonergan.

  2. #2
    Join Date: Aug 2012

    Location: Sunny Portsmouth

    Posts: 9,165
    I'm TheMostHonestPersonYouWillMeet.

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    I've no idea Shane

    I did own the original Minstrel and it was a lovely little speaker...
    Bev


    Mark Levinson N°390s CD Through:Atlas Elektra XLR's To: Mark Levinson N°383 To: Magneplanar .7's

  3. #3
    Join Date: Jan 2009

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    I think they have gone out of business. I heard their ‘reborn’ Minstrel at a show once and it was almost laughably poor with major issues. I wrote something similar in the report of the show and was subsequently contacted by a chap who had been involved in the design. He confirmed that some very ‘peculiar’ design choices had been made and agreed that the final product sounded poor.
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  4. #4
    Join Date: Apr 2017

    Location: Cheshire UK

    Posts: 843
    I'm Martin.

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    I remember being all for it in spirit but now think that the Royd audio name should not have been used.

    It should have been a different name and they could have noted the influences in the marketing literature. Its a bold thing to do in the current economic climate. I thought it was a touch risky

    I never did hear them. I would have liked to. As another contributor said at the time....they were never Royds and would have had to be pretty special in a competitive market

  5. #5
    Join Date: Dec 2018

    Location: Neath, Wales

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    I'm Shane.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Minstrel SE View Post
    I remember being all for it in spirit but now think that the Royd audio name should not have been used.

    It should have been a different name and they could have noted the influences in the marketing literature. Its a bold thing to do in the current economic climate. I thought it was a touch risky

    I never did hear them. I would have liked to. As another contributor said at the time....they were never Royds and would have had to be pretty special in a competitive market
    Agreed.

    S.
    Shane Lonergan.

  6. #6
    Join Date: Apr 2017

    Location: Cheshire UK

    Posts: 843
    I'm Martin.

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    I read that it was an existing design and the Royd name was a way of getting noticed. however I do have mixed feelings about this. I like the idea of trying to build something similar to the minstrel but its not a Royd and the name should have retired with fond memories along with Joe

    In a way I cant knock a man for trying to get his speakers noticed but the proof is in the pudding. Some would say its a touch cynical. I think you would have to create some pretty amazing speakers to be confident of using the Royd name

    I just dont think there is a big enough market for Royd nostalgia and he was not really going to attract people looking for their next Royds
    Last edited by Minstrel SE; 13-05-2019 at 01:39.

  7. #7
    Join Date: Apr 2011

    Location: cheltenham

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    I'm matt.

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    To make a successfull loudspeaker in this overcrowded market, I think you need to be very passionate or even obsessed with loudspeaker design. You also need good ears. Adam had neither of these things, and the only reason he did it was to run a business to support his family (not that I blame him for trying). I helped out with some measurements but I was still learning and I didn't have much say in what went on.
    The original prototype was easily the worst speaker i've ever heard in my life. Even Tracy Chapman sounded like she was singing in a small bathroom (Tracy Chapman is one of those recordings that sounds good on anything). The woofer was the SB Acoustics SB15NRXC30-8, but because of breakup it needed to be crossed over to a tweeter quite low (around 2khz IIRC) the Isodynamic planer tweeter tweeter didn't like being crossed any lower than about 4khz, so I suggested using a different woofer with a smooth roll-off (I think he went with Seas in the end). I gave up by this point and we parted ways (not that I was a partner or anything). I heard the final version at a show but it was still bad.

    It's quite frustrating to know that I think I could now make the original combination of drivers work by slitting the cone and filling the joints as Joe Akroyd did in the last speakers he made (Scanspeak also sell Slit coned speakers). I've done it with other drivers and it works quite well at smoothing the frequency response and lowering distortion with hard coned paper drivers. I'm also far better at crossover design and modelling port tuning etc - Oh well

    If there are any headhunters out there looking for obsessed loudspeaker designers, PM me (I'm confident I can prove myself, which is unusual for me because i'm not normally confident in anything I do).

  8. #8
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Witney Oxon

    Posts: 893
    I'm Martyn.

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    Quote Originally Posted by southall-1998_mk2 View Post
    Bare in mind. I'm not talking about the 'Joe Akroyd' era of Royds.

    The name was resurrected in 2014, by a chap named Adam? He released a modern day Minstrel, which to be honest, didn't really pay much homage to the original.

    Have they gone bust or something?

    S.
    Bare in mind ? Are you thinking about a naked woman ?!

  9. #9
    Join Date: Jan 2009

    Location: Deleted

    Posts: 6,585
    I'm Deleted.

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    Quote Originally Posted by fatmarley View Post
    To make a successfull loudspeaker in this overcrowded market, I think you need to be very passionate or even obsessed with loudspeaker design. You also need good ears. Adam had neither of these things, and the only reason he did it was to run a business to support his family (not that I blame him for trying). I helped out with some measurements but I was still learning and I didn't have much say in what went on.
    The original prototype was easily the worst speaker i've ever heard in my life. Even Tracy Chapman sounded like she was singing in a small bathroom (Tracy Chapman is one of those recordings that sounds good on anything). The woofer was the SB Acoustics SB15NRXC30-8, but because of breakup it needed to be crossed over to a tweeter quite low (around 2khz IIRC) the Isodynamic planer tweeter tweeter didn't like being crossed any lower than about 4khz, so I suggested using a different woofer with a smooth roll-off (I think he went with Seas in the end). I gave up by this point and we parted ways (not that I was a partner or anything). I heard the final version at a show but it was still bad.

    It's quite frustrating to know that I think I could now make the original combination of drivers work by slitting the cone and filling the joints as Joe Akroyd did in the last speakers he made (Scanspeak also sell Slit coned speakers). I've done it with other drivers and it works quite well at smoothing the frequency response and lowering distortion with hard coned paper drivers. I'm also far better at crossover design and modelling port tuning etc - Oh well

    If there are any headhunters out there looking for obsessed loudspeaker designers, PM me (I'm confident I can prove myself, which is unusual for me because i'm not normally confident in anything I do).
    Wasn't there also a late design decision to 'add more bass' by just sticking a random port in the cabinet? The end result was hideously disjointed and lumpy.
    Account Deleted

  10. #10
    Join Date: Dec 2018

    Location: Neath, Wales

    Posts: 1,515
    I'm Shane.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Martyn Miles View Post
    Bare in mind ? Are you thinking about a naked woman ?!

    Go away please.

    S.
    Shane Lonergan.

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