Just won these on Ebay......

[Marco]

Well, the Dittons arrived today, professionally packaged to within an inch of their lives, in the same 'showroom' condition as I saw them in the pictures.... My GOD these things are as MINTY MINT as MINTY MINT ever gets - they look absolutely gorgeous!!

But the best bit came when I fired them up on the end of my system..... Oh, f*ck me sideways with a big fat bargepole, these are laughably good!!!

This has got to be up there with one of the best £260 I've ever spent on hi-fi. Even just sat on the floor at the moment until I get suitable stands, they sound amazing for little stand-mount speakers. They have a massive sound for their size which is, big-boned, punchy, dynamic, crystal clear, musically expressive and just huge FUN!!

You can hear the pedigree and that these are extremely well-sorted high-quality designs from an era when loudspeakers were built properly by companies using their own cabinets, crossovers and top-notch drive units - and rather crucially, voiced by ear, not bloody computers. They are also voiced to sound real, and not like the horrid shouty sounding monstrosities so often sold these days at the budget end of the market.

Sound and build quality-wise I wouldn't hesitate to put them in the £800-1000 price bracket, no problem whatsoever, so at £260 they are an umitigated undisputable bargain.

In fact they're *so* good, once I've got some stands, I doubt I'll bother doing anything else to them.... It just goes to show how much pish is talked about on forums and elsewhere about these speakers and other vintage designs like them - all they need is some decent kit upstream and they positively sing, so it's just as I suspected, folks: don't blame the speakers, blame some of the equipment they were partnered with in those days!

Moi is a very happy bunny.... God bless Ebay!

Marco.

[Ali Tait]

Nice one Marco,look forward to hearing them sometime.

[Rare Bird]

In fact they're *so* good, once I've got some stands, I doubt I'll bother doing anything else to them.... It just goes to show how much pish is talked about on forums and elsewhere about these speakers and other vintage designs like them - all they need is some decent kit upstream and they positively sing, so it's just as I suspected, folks: don't blame the speakers, blame some of the equipment they were partnered with in those days!

Yes i've been called a prick for stating just that for so many years i forgotted. folk can stick modern speakers where the sun don't shine as far as i'm concerned regardless of how expensive they are

[apanton1952]

Marco

Always nice to get a good surprise, enjoy!

[Marco]

Cheers, Ali and Arthur - it is indeed! But it's also a little sad, as it makes one wonder just what on earth the loudspeaker industry been doing in the last 40 years!

The Celestions now join my vintage Tannoys as veritable examples of British loudspeaker design at its best.

Yes i've been called a prick for stating just that for so many years i forgotted...

I wouldn't worry about it, mate.

Idiots like that wouldn't know what good sound was if it jumped up and bit them on the arse. Leave them to wallow in the delusion of their biased preconceptions, chasing their tails trying to get a system that they're happy with, and let those of us with good ears and without such blinkers enjoy the best of what vintage hi-fi has to offer

Next up, those SL-400 stands you recommended - then we'll really be cooking with gas!!

Marco.

[Rare Bird]

Next up, those SL-400 stands you recommended - then we'll really be cooking with gas!!

Awesome if you think SL-400 isnt too high..The Divine Audio i gave you link to a very fast dispatch & free postie..

[Marco]

I'll double check, dude, and do some measuring. A lot will depend on where my listening position is when I put them in the lounge. Outside it won't matter as much

Do you think open-frame types might be better?

Marco.

[retro]

.... My GOD these things are as MINTY MINT as MINTY MINT ever gets - they look absolutely gorgeous!! ...

...They have a massive sound for their size which is, big-boned, punchy, dynamic, crystal clear, musically expressive and just huge FUN!!

You can hear the pedigree and that these are extremely well-sorted high-quality designs from an era when loudspeakers were built properly by companies using their own cabinets, crossovers and top-notch drive units. They are also voiced to sound real, and not like the horrid shouty sounding monstrosities so often sold these days at the budget end of the market.

Sound and build quality-wise I wouldn't hesitate to put them in the £800-1000 price bracket, no problem whatsoever, so at £260 they are an umitigated undisputable bargain....


Marco.

I'll just say this:
And such speakers you will listen outside.I can not believe.
That would be the same if I used my own ,in also MINT condition,Sansui AU-11000 to sound some disco club.

Must have been a lot of this


Regards,

[Marco]

Lol, Robert

They'll be very well looked after, I assure you, when they're outside being used in the summer months - and let's remember that in the UK we're lucky if we get 4-5 weeks of good weather, so the rest of the time they'll be used indoors

What I'm looking forward to is getting them set up properly downstairs in the lounge, as I've always wanted to hear what my system sounds like on a decent pair of speakers in a different room to where the equipment is.....

The fact is, one of the biggest sources of vibration detrimental to the sound of your gear is generated by the speakers themselves when pumping out music, so it'll be very interesting when that particular effect is removed from the equation!

Marco.

[retro]

Lol, Robert

They'll be very well looked after, I assure you, when they're outside being used in the summer months - and let's remember that in the UK we're lucky if we get 4-5 weeks of good weather, so the rest of the time they'll be used indoors

Now I was relieved.A little.

I am familiar with that,and since you are on the island humidity is...let say over 90 percent.
For your garden party buy yourself some allwether Tannoy,Bose...

Regards,