Celestion - what to choose

[Alex_UK]

thank you for taking the time to reply.
I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that there are potentially so many choices that I probably need just to take the plunge, try something and see if I like it or not.

I'd agree Stuart - with the secondhand speaker market you'll almost certainly get your money back if you buy something you don't like, or maybe even make a profit if you're lucky! (or like me, end up with 13 pairs in your loft!)

[MisterMoseley]

I'd agree Stuart - with the secondhand speaker market you'll almost certainly get your money back if you buy something you don't like, or maybe even make a profit if you're lucky! (or like me, end up with 13 pairs in your loft!)

thanks Alex.
I know that this is what I’ll probably end up doing but I will have to tread very carefully. more than 2 sets of speakers in the house will leave me in deep water!
and I absolutely hate all the hassle associated with selling anything which isn’t easy to post!
Ah well, needs must I suppose.
there are some Celestion 15XRs quite near me which could be a good starting point.
regards
Stuart

[Patrick Dixon]

I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that there are potentially so many choices that I probably need just to take the plunge, try something and see if I like it or not.

Yes, that's really what you need to do. In pre-covid times, you could go and listen to other people's systems and get an idea of what works and doesn't work for you, and also some of the shows (particularly the forum ones) are good for hearing a lot of combinations of equipment available secondhand; but that's a bit harder now.

The other way is to buy stuff that's easily saleable and that you won't loose much money on, and just stop when you find something that works for you. Of course the chopping and changing can easily turn into a habit if you are not careful.

do you mind me asking what room size the 66s are now being used in?

From memory it would be about 4m x 5m, a single story extension. When they were here they were in a 5m x 6m room with a 'cathedral' roof. I don't think they are particularly hard to drive.

Since you have a Brio R, you could always look at something from the Rega range. I haven't owned a lot of their stuff but have always been impressed whenever I've heard it and I'm sure there must be some Rega floorstanders going for not too much money.

I believe there is a long thread on here about restoring a pair of 66s which you might enjoy reading. The tweeters are a weak point as they are old and NLA, but there are reasonable alternatives that can be used with a small tweak to the crossover. They are also very easy to work on. 66s can be quite expensive now so you could try 44s to start with and see how you get on. They are not as good, but will have a similar character.

[Macca]

the Ditton 44 does not have the same character as the 66. The 44, whilst it has it's good points is too flawed to be worth serious consideration. They really are not similar.

A Brio will work with the 66 in that sound will come out but the 66 impedance drops to 4 ohm and the Brio is not at its best with low impedance loads. So sound quality, although it might be acceptable, will be sub-optimal IME. With vintage Celestions lower down the line it should be fine.

It absolutely won't work with a Celestion A2 as that offers a very difficult load to the amplifier, there will be poor bass performance and a rolled off top end. Been there, done that.

[Patrick Dixon]

Yeah, had 44s and 66s. They are similar enough.

[Macca]

Yeah, had 44s and 66s. They are similar enough.

In what way? I've owned 44s and heard 66 many times. I'd say the only real similarity is that they are both loudspeakers and have a Celestion badge.

Midrange is completely different, bass performance, not comparable. Do they even use the same tweeter? I can't recall.

Anyway as a former owner I would say absolutely don't bother with the 44. I'd take the Castle Severns over them any day and I'm not that keen on them either

[MisterMoseley]

Well, I’ve gone and “done it’.
As per my previous post, I’d begun to realise the best way forward was (having listened to pros & cons), to go and buy a pair of speakers, try them out, see if I like the sound with a view to deciding if it that make/range of speakers was for me. Not thinking for one minute that my purchase would be the end of the story. And if I didn’t like what I was hearing or simply didn’t like the speakers, sell them on and try something else.
earlier this afternoon, I won an auction for and then picked up a pair of 15XRs. All in the space of a couple of hours!
The speakers are currently sitting in my garage awaiting a good polish before coming into the lounge.
The cabinets are in pretty good nick apart from a small area on the front of the speaker where the trim is missing, exposing a small area of chipboard. So I don’t know the correct name for it, but I need to find some very thin, possibly triangular shaped ‘beading’, probably 2/3mm wide.
Any ideas much appreciated.
Also, would anybody know if it’s OK to put rubber conditioner onto the rubber surround of the mid range driver. I can see some very light cracking and thought I should attempt to do something about it.
My sincere thanks to all who have posted above.
I’m interested to see how they sound compared to my Castle Severns.

[Pigmy Pony]

My mum used to have 15XRs, which I borrowed for a while when I was between speakers. Much better than I expected them to be. When I inherited them a few years ago I should have kept them, but no room in this house for surplus stuff. So I sold them at a car boot sale. They were nearly mint and I let them go for £30. I'm still pissed off with myself

Also Marco has (had) a pair which he had tweaked, and rated them highly. Let us know what you think.

[struth]

Well, I’ve gone and “done it’.
As per my previous post, I’d begun to realise the best way forward was (having listened to pros & cons), to go and buy a pair of speakers, try them out, see if I like the sound with a view to deciding if it that make/range of speakers was for me. Not thinking for one minute that my purchase would be the end of the story. And if I didn’t like what I was hearing or simply didn’t like the speakers, sell them on and try something else.
earlier this afternoon, I won an auction for and then picked up a pair of 15XRs. All in the space of a couple of hours!
The speakers are currently sitting in my garage awaiting a good polish before coming into the lounge.
The cabinets are in pretty good nick apart from a small area on the front of the speaker where the trim is missing, exposing a small area of chipboard. So I don’t know the correct name for it, but I need to find some very thin, possibly triangular shaped ‘beading’, probably 2/3mm wide.
Any ideas much appreciated.
Also, would anybody know if it’s OK to put rubber conditioner onto the rubber surround of the mid range driver. I can see some very light cracking and thought I should attempt to do something about it.
My sincere thanks to all who have posted above.
I’m interested to see how they sound compared to my Castle Severns.

https://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Pine...B&gclsrc=aw.ds

[Patrick Dixon]

I'd say the only real similarity is that they are both loudspeakers and have a Celestion badge.

Midrange is completely different, bass performance, not comparable. Do they even use the same tweeter? I can't recall.

They use the same tweeter, bass driver and crossover. The midrange on the 66 is different (and much nicer) and the 66 has the passive radiator too.