Vintage British Speakers

[Radfordman]

I've got a pair of the original KEF Cresta speakers built in August 1969, they are beautiful sounding speakers for their size and vintageh. The Cresta's have got B110 & T27 speakers yet have a wider frequency range than the LS3/5a.

Also have a look at some of the early B&W speakers, I've a pair of DM 1's (bookshelf) and a friend has the DM3's (floor standing), both very highly recommended.

I have all of the above in my collection, and would agree that all are good. On DM1 and DM3 watch out for the surrounds on the bass units. They can shrink with age etc.

Yes, the Crestas of that vintage have T27 and B110 units, but the crossover is very basic and does not have the equalisation etc. built in as in LS3/5a. Doing an A/B it is obvious of the superiority of the 5a (in the treble and mid). That is not to say the Cresta is bad. It is not.

 

[MunkeyQ]

If you can get your hands on any early Goodmans speakers, go for it - you won't be disappointed. They're much rarer than most British speakers though, and sound quite different.

Avoid the fullrange Axioms as they're pretty expensive and are pretty picky when it comes to amplification. Look for Mezzos, Goodwoods, Magisters and if you find it at the right price, the Maxim. The Maxim is regarded as the forerunner to the LS3/5a.

 

[Evil_Roy]

Purely sound-wise I'm not entirely convinced it's worth paying so much extra for the "cult" models, there are quite a few good British speakers from the same period.

That's precisely what I'm afraid of.
I'm not into pride of ownership, I'm into high VFM.
That is the essence of my question: what will I be really paying for if I decide to replace my Calindas for other 70' British speakers?

 

[soundmotor]

If you can get your hands on any early Goodmans speakers,

....or a Pioneer CS-51 set. (Goodmans Maxim knock-off)

 

[thedelihaus]

I found KEF's of that era to be much darker than what I like.

What about Monitor Audio - I am getting a pair of Monitor Audio MA-3 series II floor standers - I can't wait.

excellent- I hope I get to hear those Monitor Audios when you get them!

 

[thedelihaus]

Castle...?:yes:
I am such a huge fan of the Brit speakers.
I am actually down to 3 pair that I will be living with for a while...AE Aegis I's, Rogers LSI's and Castle Stirling III's...all British engineered...:thmbsp:

I would bet the Castle brand indeed would bring you great happiness.

 

[nickv41]

No one mentioned Wharfedales. I have never heard any Wharfedales. Are any of their models in the same league as what has been mentoned above?

 

[Isotonic]

I found KEF's of that era to be much darker than what I like.

What about Monitor Audio - I am getting a pair of Monitor Audio MA-3 series II floor standers - I can't wait.

My Dittons opened up very nicely after a quality recap. Not dark at all. Very even with excellect mids etc.

 

[HypnoToad]

I had a pair of Kef transmission lines in my early days and besides needing an amp the size of a house to drive them properly they sounded good.

The had the same drivers and crossover as the Concerto's but had a slightly recessed mid range because it was mounted without it's own chamber.

The Concerto's I had were very good also but in comparison to other speakers sounded a little on the dull side.

Another problem I had was blowing the T27 tweeter which happened a few times.

 

[classic carl]

I listened to a pair of Monitor Audio Gold GS60's last week and all I can say is WOW!!!
At $4,500 a pair, they are out of my league, but this week I listened to a pair of Silver RS8's and they are quite impressive also. They are about $1500 new, but I've seen used pairs for as little as $750. They might be in my future. I just bought a MA FB-210 sub on Agon. It has a front firing 10" and a down firing 10" and should be here in a week or so.
I went to my local dealer looking for a sub and the sales guy, who I've known for a couple of years, said I had to hear these speakers that just arrived. I was not in the market for a pair of speakers, but the MA's impressed me so much that I may be in the market for a pair sooner rather than later.

 

[JohnVF]

The great bargain classics include the B&W DM2, DM2a DM4, all have the very same tweeters and supertweeters as Spendor BC1, very comparable speakers at much lower cost than BC1.

I'd been thinking about a pair of BC1s, but a pair of DM2s popped up today and I picked them up. Just wanted to offer a thanks for this mention here, as I hadn't known about them...and as I listen to them now, they are one of the most fantastic speakers I've heard. Just pure joy to listen to. Vocals are very real, and everything just sounds musical.

They're the early DM2s with the Celestion tweeter and Coles supertweeter, and the wood veneer baffles. MUCH bigger than I thought. They're temporarily sitting on a pair of AR3as as stands, and they're bigger than the AR3s (and sound better, too).