The Celestion kid strikes again.....!

[Marco]

.....paying way too much for vintage speakers, lol. Here's what I won (or lost? ) on Ebay earlier:


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...760141&afsrc=1

I was all set to put my final bid in of a grand to secure them, or so I thought, (and yes even that was probably too much, as good ones like these normally go for around £600-900), and in the last 30 secs Del says to me: "If you *really* want them, increase your maximum bid quickly to £1500, just to make sure...."

So it was lucky (or unlucky, lol) I did, as unknown to me, some f*cker came out of the blue and placed a £1300 bid just before I'd upped my max bid to £1500, so I won them literally in the last few seconds of the auction!

Had Del not said what she did, I'd have lost them, and of course been £1320 richer!!

*However*, being serious now, as the speakers were local to me in the Wirral, I went along on Friday night with some CDs to check them out, and one listen to them on the end of the current owner's Technics separates system, playing music I know inside out, and it was obvious just how special these speakers were

I would not have paid what I did for them otherwise, and would probably have pulled out at around £700.

Anyway, apart from them being in gorgeous condition in a rich walnut finish I adore (rarer and likely to have been a more expensive option in their day), the sound they produced on the end of such a modest system (hooked up with bell-wire, no less!) was quite incredible.......

I'm obviously used to listening to speakers with huge slam, clarity, attack and immediacy, and these Celestions sounded rather uncannily almost as big, and as capable in that respect, as my Lockwood Majors!!

The sheer 'out of the box' shockingly vivid realism the 66s produce in the mid and top end, have to be heard to be believed. So I knew there and then that these speakers were very special and I just HAD to have them for the forthcoming show at Scalford Hall

There was no way I was lugging my Lockwoods down again, and the stand-mount speaker options we had I just don't think would've worked in the large-ish room we've been given, so being determined to produce a good sound in our room, I had to find a suitable pair of speakers to use.

I'd known about how good the 66 Studio Monitors were from what people had said the last time when I bought the 15XRs, and that coupled with some extensive research, is what piqued my interest in them, especially when I noticed a link to some for sale recently on pfm, which were the ones I eventually bought

Reading the description in this old ad, which mirrored what I'd heard myself, also made me want to buy them: http://cork.gumtree.ie/cork/58/57981158.html

So now I have three bloody sets of speakers! Never mind, I'm sure I'll find a home somewhere for them in Wynn Hall!

I'll report back tomorrow with how they sound on the end of my system (and Ian Walker's), and also take some nice pics.

Off to bed now, so laters!

Marco.

[Rare Bird]

Nice
You should have big ballerkz lifting those things aswell.

Ask me what you want about em

[Marco]

Lol - well tell me what you think is best about them, oh and specifically what's good or bad about their crossovers (in terms of what would benefit from modifying, if anything ):



Looks pretty decent to me, but you know me, I'm up for a fettle-ette if it'd be worthwhile!

Marco.

[Rare Bird]

Those on the brown board are early ones.

E-mail dude

[Marco]

Got it, dude - cheers

When I get them, I'll double check that mine have those types of crossover boards. They should do, as the pic was taken from a site featuring early ones like mine with the black (non-veneered) fronts.

Mine definitely have the same terminals and face place as you indicated.

Regarding the crossovers, I've read that the later versions with the veneered fronts supposedly have improved crossovers (although some say they were just more complicated...), so I wondered if there was any truth in that?

Yes, the inductors look nice, so I'll leave those as they are.

Regarding re-capping them, as you recommended to ensure the tweeters or midrange units don't blow, I may well do that, although the old chap I bought them from (who'd had them almost from new) liked to play them loud (lol) and has done so for the last 30-odd years, so if anything was likely to blow, you'd have thought it would've happened by now?

Finally, mine are in a beautiful rich walnut finish, which seems quite rare, as all the other 66 Studio Monitors I've seen are in ubiquitous 70s teak... Do you know if that would've made them more expensive to buy originally? I know that more 'exotic' finishes on speakers, usually only available as a special option, often attract a premium price.

If so, that may explain why those I were bidding against were prepared to pay 'over the odds', bearing in mind that the bidding was already at £620 before I got involved, with nearly two days of the auction still left.

Marco.

[DSJR]

Here's me thinking you may have paid a couple of hundred for 'em.......

The rest of us could buy some Beovox 5702's for a ton or two, re-cap them and grin from ear to ear

[Reid Malenfant]

You should have big ballerkz lifting those things aswell.

Actually they don't weigh anywhere near as much as you'd think, pretty easy to carry one on your own as i have found out They aren't bulky except in height.

Nice speakers, i'm keeping my pair

[Marco]

Here's me thinking you may have paid a couple of hundred for 'em.......

The rest of us could buy some Beovox 5702's for a ton or two, re-cap them and grin from ear to ear

Lol! Show me a near mint pair of Studio 66 monitors which have sold recently for a couple of hundred quid, particularly ones finished in walnut?



Marco.

[Marco]

Hi Mark,

Actually they don't weigh anywhere near as much as you'd think, pretty easy to carry one on your own as i have found out They aren't bulky except in height.

Indeed, but I'll confirm it after lugging them into the car tonight...

Nice speakers, i'm keeping my pair

If you're coming to Scalford, you'll hear just how nice they can sound when perfect. Did you refurb yours in the end?

Marco.

[Reid Malenfant]

If you're coming to Scalford, you'll hear just how nice they can sound when perfect. Did you refurb yours in the end?

Oh i know how good they sound It really is surprising given the standard light weight enclosures but there you go

Not yet no, i still have a mess of other stuff to get round to before considering what to do about the visually challenged 66s

At least knowing the speakers will give me some insight into what the other equipment is doing