+ Reply to Thread
Page 1 of 7 123 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 64

Thread: Celestion - what to choose

Hybrid View

Previous Post Previous Post   Next Post Next Post
  1. #1
    Join Date: Aug 2021

    Location: South West

    Posts: 151
    I'm Stuart.

    Default Celestion - what to choose

    good morning all
    new member here.
    long term lover of music, but don’t have the experience of many others of having used/owned different hi-if components.
    I was only asking the other day where I was during the time when British companies made some of the best (affordable) hifi kit around and I let it pass me by.
    Anyway, for reasons which I can’t really explain I have a desire to try a pair of legacy Celestion Dittons. I would have liked to try some Tannoy DCs but my budget just isn’t going to stretch that far. Well I suppose it could if I could be sure from the outset that I was getting my “for ever” speakers.
    I’m struggling to know where to start.
    the obvious place is perhaps a pair of 15Xrs, but I’ve also tried to read up on 25s, 33s, 44s and 66s. I wouldn’t mind having to tidy up the cabinets but I would not have the skills to change internal components, etc.
    If relevant, the room size is 4.3m * 3.8m & my amp is a Rega Brio. I have a nasty bass hump/standing wave present at around 44/45Hz which when I use my streamer, I can equalise this out so that the house doesn’t shake.
    I guess what I’m looking for are a pair of speakers which will last me a few years without having the constant urge to upgrade to something “better”.
    Any help very much appreciated, even if it’s to say give up before you start and just enjoy what you have (which by the way are a mint pair of Castle Severn 2s which are a delight to listen to from a non-fatiguing perspective).
    What should I look out for with Celestions? Are there any obvious pitfalls, danger signs, etc. How easy/difficult ,might it be to source replacement parts?
    Are any of the models such a head and shoulders jump above others that those are the ones to go for?
    Thanks everyone.
    Stuart

  2. #2
    Join Date: Aug 2009

    Location: Staffordshire, England

    Posts: 37,786
    I'm Martin.

    Default

    The 66 are not bad but I don't think a Brio R will have enough welly to do them justice. None of the others are worth considering as 'forever' speakers IMV.

    I'd go with the Tannoy DC. They come up fairly regular around the £2K mark.
    Current Lash Up:

    TEAC VRDS 701T > Sony TAE1000ESD > Krell KSA50S > JM Labs Focal Electra 926.

  3. #3
    Join Date: Aug 2021

    Location: South West

    Posts: 151
    I'm Stuart.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Macca View Post
    The 66 are not bad but I don't think a Brio R will have enough welly to do them justice. None of the others are worth considering as 'forever' speakers IMV.

    I'd go with the Tannoy DC. They come up fairly regular around the £2K mark.
    Thanks. Amongst the many questions in my mind, I did wonder if the Brio might be a bit lacking.

  4. #4
    Join Date: Dec 2008

    Location: East Riding of Yorkshire these days

    Posts: 4,779
    I'm Shaun.

    Default

    I remember back around 1983 listening to a pair of Celestion SL6's and being completely blown away by the vocal realism. The track in question was by Joan Armatrading 'Love and affection' and was truly amazing. The demo was at a local dealer using a Logic DM101 and Crimson Electric monoblocks and preamp. I've never forgotten that sound.

  5. #5
    Join Date: Apr 2012

    Location: N E Kent

    Posts: 51,624
    I'm Geoff.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Haselsh1 View Post
    I remember back around 1983 listening to a pair of Celestion SL6's and being completely blown away by the vocal realism. The track in question was by Joan Armatrading 'Love and affection' and was truly amazing. The demo was at a local dealer using a Logic DM101 and Crimson Electric monoblocks and preamp. I've never forgotten that sound.
    Yes, they are better than those originally mentioned.
    It is impossible for anything digital to sound analogue, because it isn't analogue!

  6. #6
    Join Date: Feb 2013

    Location: W Lothian

    Posts: 99,005
    I'm Grant.

    Default

    probably look for something fairly sensitive if i were you.. 90+db. probably avoid the older celestions.
    Regards,
    Grant .... ؠ ......Don't be such a big girl's blouse

    I've said it before and I'll say it again: democracy simply-doesn't-work
    .... ..... ...... ...... ................... ..... ..... ..... ..... .....
    FIIO K7 BT, M11 PLUS, BTR7, KA5 - OPPO BDP-103D - PANASONIC UB450 - PANASONIC 4K ULTRA HD TV - PIXEL 6 - AVANTREE LR BLUETOOTH - 2* X600 SOUNDCORE - HEADPHONES INCLUDE, FIIO, NURAPHONES', FOCAL, OPPO, BOSE, CAMBRIDGE, BOWER & WILKINS, DEVIALET, MARSHALL, SONY, MITCHELL & JOHNSTON - 2*ZBOOK'S- MERCURY BD ROM, ROON, QOBUZ, TIDAL, PLEX, CYBERLINK, JRIVER - MULTI HDD'S -

    Oh my god! There's nothing wrong with the bidet is there?

    “Nothing discloses real character like the use of power. It is easy for the weak to be gentle. Most people can bear adversity. But if you wish to know what a man really is, give him power. This is the supreme test. It is the glory of Lincoln that, having almost absolute power, he never abused it, except on the side of mercy".

    “You see these dictators on their pedestals, surrounded by the bayonets of their soldiers and the truncheons of their police ... yet in their hearts there is unspoken fear. They are afraid of words and thoughts: words spoken abroad, thoughts stirring at home -- all the more powerful because forbidden -- terrify them. A little mouse of thought appears in the room, and even the mightiest potentates are thrown into panic.”

    "You don't have free will. You have the appearance of free will.”

    “There's a war out there, old friend. A world war. And it's not about who's got the most bullets. It's about who controls the information. What we see and hear, how we work, what we think... it's all about the information!”


    ***SMILE, BE HAPPY***

  7. #7
    Join Date: Aug 2021

    Location: South West

    Posts: 151
    I'm Stuart.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by struth View Post
    probably look for something fairly sensitive if i were you.. 90+db. probably avoid the older celestions.
    Thank you. Exactly the sort of advice I need to prevent me making a colossal mistake. I appreciate the help.
    Last edited by MisterMoseley; 03-09-2021 at 14:31. Reason: Typo

  8. #8
    Join Date: Jun 2015

    Location: London/Durham

    Posts: 6,869
    I'm Lawrence.

    Default

    Does it have to be vintage as the A range are exceptional speakers?

  9. #9
    Join Date: Aug 2021

    Location: South West

    Posts: 151
    I'm Stuart.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Lawrence001 View Post
    Does it have to be vintage as the A range are exceptional speakers?
    Thanks for taking the time to reply. No, it doesn’t have to be the older Celestions. I haven’t come across the A series before - I’ll have a look. Is there a particular model you would point me towards?

  10. #10
    Join Date: Aug 2009

    Location: Staffordshire, England

    Posts: 37,786
    I'm Martin.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by MisterMoseley View Post
    Thanks for taking the time to reply. No, it doesn’t have to be the older Celestions. I haven’t come across the A series before - I’ll have a look. Is there a particular model you would point me towards?
    The range is
    A Compact
    A1
    A2
    A3

    the A3 are monsters and superb but too big for your room. I had the A2 for many years, good speaker but again large with very deep bass, might be too much for your room
    The A1 and the Compact are small two-ways, the A1 is very good but not a 'forever' speaker. I've never heard the Compact.

    My suggestion for a forever speaker for your room would be JBL. There was a pair on here recently that would have been ideal but I think they have sold now.

    Any of their 3 way standmount models from about 1977 to 1990, should all come in at a grand or less. Get some before more people discover them.
    Current Lash Up:

    TEAC VRDS 701T > Sony TAE1000ESD > Krell KSA50S > JM Labs Focal Electra 926.

+ Reply to Thread
Page 1 of 7 123 ... LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •