The Celestion kid strikes again.....!

[Reid Malenfant]

Yes i'll be at Scalford, but you are taking things for granted... The Celestion Ditton 66s are nothing to do with my main system, they are in another room with totally seperate components

Look, the only difference between my 66s & yours (forgetting the cosmetic condition) are the tweeters as the standard versions on my 66s were both blown... I doubt virtually anyone would notice a difference between mine & yours sound wise, best if they are blindfolded though

We both have 66s chap, nothing more to say, they were good in the day & still sound superb compared to modern smaller speakers, but the enclosures are really crap... Give em a knock

[Marco]

BOLLOCKS! Are you suggesting that just because we have the same speakers that they will sound the same? So all speakers sound the same regardless of the system being used to drive them????



You're entitled to your opinion (even if it is ludicrous), but the fact is you cannot hear what I'm hearing now - END OF.

So, Mark, don't try and tell me what I'm hearing and that it must be the same as you, just because we're using the same speakers. That is just plain daft. Anyway, you can judge the results for yourself at Scalford Hall.

I suggest, however, you re-read your remarks to me tonight (shown below), when I reported that I was clearly hearing something quite special with the Celestions, and consider if what you wrote was in any way appropriate or considerate?

It was your rather rude and dismissive tone that caused my annoyance, which prompted the subsequent reaction you got from me!

It's a pair of reasonable speakers, nothing more to say. Enclosures are cack in all honesty but i won't spoil your enjoyment. They are lightweights due to the design, seen nearly as much mass in Leak Sandwich 600s which are much smaller...

Dear oh dear....

Surely you can see how badly that came across? 'Raining on my parade' in a rather unconstructive and somewhat unfriendly way would be an apt way to describe it.

Marco.

[Reid Malenfant]

Not at all, but with the same system there will be very little if any difference between mine & your 66s as only the tweeters are different, if you think otherwise then you need some better drugs

[tommy6206]

we need pics

[Marco]

Hi Gary,

Oh don't worry pics will be coming tomorrow - they look lovely, if you like vintage speakers

Marco.

[tommy6206]

Hi Marco
Well I do have a pair of ditton 15xr's and a pair of 44's

[Marco]

Lol, well I guess that qualifies you as a vintage speaker fan

The 66s really are a bit special. I honestly can't believe I'm listening to completely unmodified, nearly 40 year-old loudspeakers

I had to spend a fortune on the crossovers in my Lockwoods to get them to sound this good (and admittedly a little better, but not by a huge margin other than in terms of sheer scale, due to the difference in the sizes of cabinets) - I kid you not.

They're just so effortlessly musical with any genre of music I've put through them so far - brilliant stuff!

I'm afraid it highlights again just how little progress we've made in terms of loudspeaker sonic performance in the last goodness knows how many years....

Oh, and I found out how sensitive they are after reading the PDF file linking to the original brochure I posted earlier

From the brochure:

4.8 watts pink noise input produces 90db SPL at one metre in anechoic conditions

The stated amplifier requirements are 10-160 watts RMS. So with that info and the above sensitivity specs, it's no wonder they have no problem being driven plenty loud by the Copper amp!

I can't believe some of the bollocks written by people sometimes, such as Nathan referred to earlier. Whoever thought that the 66's were a difficult or demanding load, needing loads of power to perform optimally, are quite simply idiots who don't have a clue.

Marco.

[Rare Bird]

I'm afraid it highlights again just how little progress we've made in terms of loudspeaker sonic performance in the last goodness knows how many years....

Thank goodness i'm not alone..welcome to 1973 dude

[Marco]

Hi Alex,

Bye Bye Lockwoods? Is anyone taking bets?

Sorry I missed that.... Lol, not quite! The Lockwoods are going nowhere.

What the Celestions have is a very similar sonic signature to the Lockwoods, using 15" Tannoy Monitor Golds, (very dynamic sounding and musically informative), albeit with less scale, as the cabinets on the 66's are about a third of the size.

*But* they appear to need less driving to make a very big sound, and yet, on paper, the Monitor Golds are much more sensitive (95db)

The uncanny thing, however, is that the Celestions are 3-way speakers, yet sound so seamless, coherent and well integrated that they almost give the 'point source' effect I so love of the Tannoys.....

There is simply no sense that you are listening to a 3-way speaker with multiple drive units, which is brilliant but rather bizarre!

From Hi-Fi Answers magazine, back in the day, commenting on Celestion Studio 66 Monitors:

The Power available proved to be more than adequate to cope with the loudest orchestral climaxes available (or even required), and indeed this power, and the relatively high efficiency of the chosen speakers, was sufficient on one occasion when we wanted to provide concert levels in a large hall 110 x 55ft with a 25ft high ceiling.

A most impressive performance, and on this occasion it was just possible to clip the amplifier into the speakers, which seemed perfectly willing and able to accept more power!

Near perfect.

We can say very little to criticise these speakers. They are large, expensive and extremely accurate!

Mid-range was typified by an almost complete lack of resonance, distortion or beaming effects, and certainly seemed to vindicate the new 2 ¼ inch dome radiator. The treble end, from 5kHz upward, was handled by the HF2000 unit.

I completely concur, especially with the bits in bold, as that's what I'm hearing right now with them.

Marco.

P.S (For those in the know) The serial number on my pair of 66's is 000260 - I presume that this indicates there are pretty early ones?

[RochaCullen]

Great to hear they are bedding in well.

If you use any more superlatives I might be convinced to use this years bonus to relieve my Cork neighbour of his set.

Tell us more about positioning, how you have them set up, and how they behave in the room.

Nathan