Well don't let me put you off Celestions, you'd probably find the original Ditton 15's good fun. The ones with the HF1300 tweeter. They tend to be very reliable if not over-driven.
As for earlier KEFs, I have a soft spot for the original Concerto and the Chorale. I like the Corelli a lot! I never quite came to terms with the 'rubbery' ABR bass from the 104 variants and the Cadenza, but they're not bad.
A lot of Concertos have been ripped apart by people looking for B110 drivers for their LS3/5a clone builds and as spares.
It is impossible for anything digital to sound analogue, because it isn't analogue!
The original 15's are to my ears the best and I've modded 4 pairs of 15XR's and 15's, the sensitivity of the original 15's is 90db.
SS
CD Teac VRDS25X(Audiotuned) DECK 1210 Mat Crystal Audio Mods MN Base/Bearing/Platter+Ebony armboard Feet Isonoe PSU Paul Hynes SR7EHD-27XL/DCSXL Ag DC lead/3 Stage Regs/Recap PCB+No Pitch/Strobe/Light ARM SME V(Kondo Ag Rewire&Tags) MC Cadenza Black FGS CABLES Arm Yannis SPD-4 IC Yannis 222 Litz+Ag bullets Power WAR PRE ATC SCA2 SPEAKERS ATC 50ASL STANDS Atacama PHONO Sugden Masterclass PA4 SUT Ortofon ST80SE POWER PSAudio P10
VALVE
PRE Croft Epoch(Modded) AMP Sondex S100 (Modded) SPEAKERS Tannoy 15"MG+RFC Warwick cabs+ Ref XO + Batpure supertweeters DECK Garrard 301 Mat Teunto Bearings 401(Bastin) Plinth Bamboo Arms 3009/3012 PSU Eagle+Tachometer MC Ag Meister II/FGS + Ortofon SPU MONO CABLES Arm Yannis 420.5 Litz+ SpeakerPC Tripple C+WBT-0681 Ag IC Oyaide FTVS-510 AgWBT 0110Ag Phonostages Paradise(4 Box Mega-Modded) / Croft Musicmaker
MONO
Pre Croft Epoch Power Sondex S100 Deck Garrard 301 Tonearm SME 3009 Cartridge SPU MONO mk II Phonostage Croft Music Maker Speaker Quad ESL 57 Cables Tonearm SME IC - Duelund Realsound Speaker SEAC 850C
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.
Location: London/Durham
Posts: 7,003
I'm Lawrence.
I used to be a vintage Kef fanboy until I bought some B&W DM2As them I realised that the Kef's, while good for their age, could be surpassed by contemporaries. In particularly their adherence to the T27 tweeter with known issues (later corrected by the aB upgrade on the Ref 104s) and B110 (which needed quite a bit of correction in the crossover to sound as good as it did in the LS3/5a).
I always found the addition of a HF2000 supertweeter to be beneficial to the sound of Kef drivers like in the Cambridge R50. I'm sure that would be the case with the Celestions too.
Regarding the A series I guess it depends on the size of your room, Is say the A1 or A2 depending on whether you want a bit more bass or don't like standmounts.
But I'd also recommend trying the B&W DM2As. There was always something about them I found myself going back to. So much so I've owned 3 or 4 pairs over the years. They do benefit from a low stand though (about 20-30cm) and shouldn't be mounted higher. Atacama make nice ones with 4 legs, I forget the model but there's an XL version for these sort of BBC dimensions.
Location: South West
Posts: 154
I'm Stuart.
Location: South West
Posts: 154
I'm Stuart.
Location: South West
Posts: 154
I'm Stuart.
Location: South West
Posts: 154
I'm Stuart.
Current Lash Up:
TEAC VRDS 701T > Sony TAE1000ESD > Krell KSA50S > JM Labs Focal Electra 926.