Can anything under £500 beat 22 year old wonder speakers?

robdmarsh

Well-known member
Well, spring is here and I'm back on the hunt: to find a speaker that sounds better than my Celestion 3 mkii with my Marantz mcr603. I've tried two Wharfedales (Diamond 901 and 220), Rega rs1 and Dali Zensor 3. The Regas (£400 when new!) came the closest but just sounded small in comparison and not as sweet in the midrange and voices. The Zensor 3s were incoherent sounding and the Wharfedales were nowhere near as good as my old speakers.

I've heard great things about Elac debut b5 and b6. Do any of you rate either of these with something like the Marantz? I know, I know if I like my Celestions so much why bother? It's just a curiousity thing; how much would I have to spend to get a speaker what sounds better than these little beauties?

Thanks, Rob
 

robdmarsh

Well-known member
OK point taken, but what speakers do you use? Do you also get the impression that some of the old designs were utter gems? There's a guy over at Steve Hoffman forums (ArdenHiFi) who slates the Wharfedale 220s so badly it's comical! I had these for about two weeks and would have to agree with him.
 

chebby

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Jun 2, 2008
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robdmarsh said:
Well, spring is here and I'm back on the hunt: to find a speaker that sounds better than my Celestion 3 mkii with my Marantz mcr603. I've tried two Wharfedales (Diamond 901 and 220), Rega rs1 and Dali Zensor 3. The Regas (£400 when new!) came the closest but just sounded small in comparison and not as sweet in the midrange and voices. The Zensor 3s were incoherent sounding and the Wharfedales were nowhere near as good as my old speakers.

I've heard great things about Elac debut b5 and b6. Do any of you rate either of these with something like the Marantz? I know, I know if I like my Celestions so much why bother? It's just a curiousity thing; how much would I have to spend to get a speaker what sounds better than these little beauties?

Thanks, Rob

The Celestion 3's designer (Andy Whittle) worked with the BBC, Rogers, Celestion, Mordaunt Short and now Audio Note.

He was responsible for designing my excellent Audio Note AX-Twos (design unchanged in almost 20 years, so an 'oldie' that's still available brand-new).

However, my AN AX-Twos cost £750 over a year ago (not sure about current price), so they fail your 'under £500' criteria.
 

robdmarsh

Well-known member
Yes, I remember those Kefs. Another classic I think was Mission 751. I might hunt down a pair. As for Audionote AX-2 they are completely new to me but they look very high brow and understated. But you're right £700 is beyond my budget.
 

robdmarsh

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whoops... I thought Kef reference 1 was a budget bookshelf speaker. No, I certainly don't know these and I see you're maybe a tad taking the mickey recommending them to me with your "if ain't broke" stand point. Fair enough.
 

jjbomber

Well-known member
robdmarsh said:
whoops... I thought Kef reference 1 was a budget bookshelf speaker. No, I certainly don't know these and I see you're maybe a tad taking the mickey recommending them to me with your "if ain't broke" stand point. Fair enough.

Not taking the mickey at all. I was pointing out that old speakers still sound fabulous. I have the Rosetta Burr ones and they look better than any of my furniture. I don't see any reason to change them, so I am in the same situation as you. Stick with what you love.
 

Frank Harvey

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Jun 27, 2008
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robdmarsh said:
They are a pair of Target stands I found on ebay, not too heavy with twin posts, about 50cm tall, nothing special really.
I remember experimenting with stands for the Celestion 3 and 5 models, and found that open frame stands were by far the best sounding with them. With heavier stands, and single column stands (much like your two column ones), the bass sounded congested and bloated. On the open frame stands (which were Epos ES11 stands), balance was restored, bass what tight and defined, and they just sounded right. Maybe picking some up used might be worth trying, or I believe Custom Design do a pair of open frame stands which are similar.
 

Vladimir

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chebby said:
robdmarsh said:
Well, spring is here and I'm back on the hunt: to find a speaker that sounds better than my Celestion 3 mkii with my Marantz mcr603. I've tried two Wharfedales (Diamond 901 and 220), Rega rs1 and Dali Zensor 3. The Regas (£400 when new!) came the closest but just sounded small in comparison and not as sweet in the midrange and voices. The Zensor 3s were incoherent sounding and the Wharfedales were nowhere near as good as my old speakers. 

I've heard great things about Elac debut b5 and b6. Do any of you rate either of these with something like the Marantz? I know, I know if I like my Celestions so much why bother? It's just a curiousity thing; how much would I have to spend to get a speaker what sounds better than these little beauties?

Thanks, Rob

The Celestion 3's designer (Andy Whittle) worked with the BBC, Rogers, Celestion, Mordaunt Short and now Audio Note. 

He was responsible for designing my excellent Audio Note AX-Twos (design unchanged in almost 20 years, so an 'oldie' that's still available brand-new).

However, my AN AX-Twos cost £750 over a year ago (not sure about current price), so they fail your 'under £500' criteria.

Good info.
Shows you good engineers create good sound, not exotica cabinets and crossover caps rubbed with virgin blonde eskimo sweat.
 

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