A couple of weeks back I took a bit of a risk and bid for a pair of Castle Richmond II speakers on Fleabay. They have finally been plugged in and I'm giving them a listen even now.
So, given that these cost me the handsome price of £36 (inc P&P) and the Spendor S3e pair cost £619.99 (inc P&P), what do I think?
Cripes, but they're plug-ugly! They look as though they were knocked up in someone's garden shed on a wet Sunday afternoon using an old sideboard. They have the appearance of true hi-fi: it doesn't matter how it looks as long as it sounds good, and we'll cobble together whichever parts sound best! Being a good few years old, they have the slightly battered but loved look about them that comes with being owned by a hi-fi fan who has enjoyed them, a family and at least one house move. They're solid and uncompromising. I've just put the foam panels back on - a definite improvement in the looks department. [🙂] So not very spouse friendly, then.
Sonically, I am taken aback. They are easily driven, pounding out music fit to wake the neighbours much more quickly than the Spendors. I wouldn't want to take them much past 40 (which is about midway) on the Primare's volume indicator. They have clarity in spades and dish up detail well. Toe-ing them in slightly quickly eliminated an imbalance in the soundstage which nows fills the wall opposite me nicely. Perhaps there is too much top end; certainly there's a touch of sibillance that the Spendors do not exhibit.
I started with Melody Gardot's second album, My One And Only Thrill, but have moved on to the Austrian rockmeisters, Serenity, who are pounding out Words Untold and Dreams Unlived quite merrily and convincingly. OK, not the last word in bass power, but holding it together well enough to provide a driving beat that stands out rather than being a dull background thudding. Next up is The Lens and the opening track of A Word In Your Eye - that should test them! Hmmm, not bad. The heavy bass-line is not too flabby and out of control. However, I believe that the top end is just that bit too dominating whilst lacking some of the sense of space I have heard the Spendors give. There is no doubting the clarity and zing even if there is that slight extra sibillance to mar the overall performance. For their age, they seem to have a lot of youthful enthusiasm about them. Maybe refinement is an alien concept for these chaps? I have to say they are loving Jean Michel Jarre's 30th Anniversary edition of Oxygene. It's crisper than I expected and taller than I had previously noted. And now onto Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade and we certainly get a sense of a large orchestra playing, but unless it is the fault of the recording the sound is that bit too brash and strident at volume. Finally, a quick burst of Blackmore's Night and it confirms for me that if you want clarity and detail for vocals, guitar strings, tambourines and such, they are great, but I imagine that if you play them loud they will soon become fatiguing because of the bright edge.
So, for £36, I reckon the Castle Richmond IIs are quite bargainous. I will certainly get them hooked up in the front room when we get that far. Which, in a way makes me feel quite certifiable if I am considering a sum of up to £1500 on a new pair of speakers for the living room! Something costing that much is going to have to deliver something quite wondrous!!
So, given that these cost me the handsome price of £36 (inc P&P) and the Spendor S3e pair cost £619.99 (inc P&P), what do I think?
Cripes, but they're plug-ugly! They look as though they were knocked up in someone's garden shed on a wet Sunday afternoon using an old sideboard. They have the appearance of true hi-fi: it doesn't matter how it looks as long as it sounds good, and we'll cobble together whichever parts sound best! Being a good few years old, they have the slightly battered but loved look about them that comes with being owned by a hi-fi fan who has enjoyed them, a family and at least one house move. They're solid and uncompromising. I've just put the foam panels back on - a definite improvement in the looks department. [🙂] So not very spouse friendly, then.
Sonically, I am taken aback. They are easily driven, pounding out music fit to wake the neighbours much more quickly than the Spendors. I wouldn't want to take them much past 40 (which is about midway) on the Primare's volume indicator. They have clarity in spades and dish up detail well. Toe-ing them in slightly quickly eliminated an imbalance in the soundstage which nows fills the wall opposite me nicely. Perhaps there is too much top end; certainly there's a touch of sibillance that the Spendors do not exhibit.
I started with Melody Gardot's second album, My One And Only Thrill, but have moved on to the Austrian rockmeisters, Serenity, who are pounding out Words Untold and Dreams Unlived quite merrily and convincingly. OK, not the last word in bass power, but holding it together well enough to provide a driving beat that stands out rather than being a dull background thudding. Next up is The Lens and the opening track of A Word In Your Eye - that should test them! Hmmm, not bad. The heavy bass-line is not too flabby and out of control. However, I believe that the top end is just that bit too dominating whilst lacking some of the sense of space I have heard the Spendors give. There is no doubting the clarity and zing even if there is that slight extra sibillance to mar the overall performance. For their age, they seem to have a lot of youthful enthusiasm about them. Maybe refinement is an alien concept for these chaps? I have to say they are loving Jean Michel Jarre's 30th Anniversary edition of Oxygene. It's crisper than I expected and taller than I had previously noted. And now onto Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade and we certainly get a sense of a large orchestra playing, but unless it is the fault of the recording the sound is that bit too brash and strident at volume. Finally, a quick burst of Blackmore's Night and it confirms for me that if you want clarity and detail for vocals, guitar strings, tambourines and such, they are great, but I imagine that if you play them loud they will soon become fatiguing because of the bright edge.
So, for £36, I reckon the Castle Richmond IIs are quite bargainous. I will certainly get them hooked up in the front room when we get that far. Which, in a way makes me feel quite certifiable if I am considering a sum of up to £1500 on a new pair of speakers for the living room! Something costing that much is going to have to deliver something quite wondrous!!
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