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Currently I have a pair of Celestion Ditton 44 speakers, a Nad 7020e amp and an entry level Cambridge Audio cd player. The cd player was purchased new but the speakers and amp came from ebay. I've had this system for a few years and it sounds OK but not spectacular.

 

I've been thinking about having the speakers refurbished but on a whim went into the HiFi shop in York St, Sydney and listened to a pair of Monitor Audio Silver 6 speakers and the difference to what I have at home was amazing. So I am interested to hear what others think: should I continue with the vintage stuff and see if spending some money on the speakers brings an improvement or bite the bullet and buy some new gear?

 

Can anyone suggest what kind of price I might get for the Celestions? They only owe me a couple of hundred bucks.

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Vintage equipment has its merits if you are after a particular style of sound, I.E. You love the forward mid's and big bass of some old American speakers or you might like the smooth musicality of some of the British equipment from that era.

 

It is unfair to compare your Celestions as you haven't heard them through the same equipment, I assume they didn't have a NAD 7020E for you to compare with.

 

With that being said your system should really be built around your speakers so if you are thinking about a change I would certainly bite the bullet now rather than changing the speakers later only to find out they are not a match for your new equipment.

 

I can't find any solid prices on the Celestions on Ebay Australia or gumtree. Judging from a quick google search I would expect anywhere from $500 - 1000+.

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Guest rondine

If you're interested in listening to music buy some modern components and for you, start with the speakers.

There is hardly any old or "vintage" audio equipment that performs. The most famous members of this group (about which everyone will disagree) are possibly:

Quad electrostatics and valve pwr amps

various JBL, Altec etc horn drivers

American muscle amps such as Threshold, early Krell etc

exotic Japanese gear produced for the home market

the odd rim drive turntable

Blah, blah, blah.

All of these need refurbishing. If you think you can just go and buy some old Kenwood, Pioneer, Voxson electronics with some old speakers with 5 or 6 drivers shoved in a box, forget it.

ron

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Thank you for the replies. Wife is keen for me to upgrade so happy days ahead.

 

Happy days, indeed. Here are my suggestions:

 

* Select your new speakers BEFORE you buy anything else.

* Consider buying used equipment, as there can be some serious bargains. SNA classified section is always worth a look.

* Whatever you do, listen to any new equipment, before purchase and, if possible, in your listening room. 

* Don't forget that speakers are a very personal choice. What others like, you may not and vice versa.

* When listening to speakers in unfamiliar surroundings, be VERY careful. Unscrupulous sellers (which may include some dealers) may employ dodgy tactics to induce you to purchase what they want to sell (like running $10k amplifiers to run $1k speakers).

Edited by Zaphod Beeblebrox
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Any partner who approves any audio upgrade is a definite keeper. As a start consider just focussing on perhaps the speakers first. These can be the foundation of your system and will also determine what kind of amp you will then need to best drive the speaker. The speaker/amp relationship is important.

Also I'd suggest you have a listen to a few different types of speakers first to get a sense of the sound you prefer eg panels, high efficiency speakers like horns, widebanders, as well as having a listen to different types of box speakers with different material drivers.

A good clue for what type of speaker you'll best connect with is often in the type of music you like as this gives you some clear hints as to the best type of speaker for you. There are plenty of impressive speakers out there but ultimately speaker preference tends to be a personal thing. Don't rush it... Spend lots and happy hunting!

Graham

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Couldn't have said it better Graham, also maybe pick 4-6 of your worst sounding favourite songs and always use them when having an auditioning listen, if any speaker makes any of them sound nice, they will surely make your better-recorded stuff sound great. it worked for me when I went out for a look around after 20 something years of blasting some big old Bose Studiocrafts. :)

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Josh,

 

Look in SNA Classifieds.  there are some really good buys.  Not sure what your budget is but it will go much further here rather than Quality HiFi on York st  (I've had very ordinary dealings with those guys).

 

If that's no good,  check out the sponsors section - there are always specials.  Eastwood HiFi, Sydney HiFi at Castle Hill etc...   always have specials and 2nd Hand gear.  And I suspect you could try them at home (or at least be able to take your current gear to run Speakers).  Always take music you are familiar with as well.

 

Nice one with the Mrs..

 

John

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Currently I have a pair of Celestion Ditton 44 speakers, a Nad 7020e amp and an entry level Cambridge Audio cd player. The cd player was purchased new but the speakers and amp came from ebay. I've had this system for a few years and it sounds OK but not spectacular.

 

I've been thinking about having the speakers refurbished but on a whim went into the HiFi shop in York St, Sydney and listened to a pair of Monitor Audio Silver 6 speakers and the difference to what I have at home was amazing. So I am interested to hear what others think: should I continue with the vintage stuff and see if spending some money on the speakers brings an improvement or bite the bullet and buy some new gear?

 

Can anyone suggest what kind of price I might get for the Celestions? They only owe me a couple of hundred bucks.

 

the silver 6 are a pretty awesome speaker, but will need a decent amp and source to go with as well. all could add up :)

 

the dittons were a lovely speaker too. worth refurbishing ? its like old cars…do you don't you… am not sure ever get your money back, so if doing do for yourself. or just sell on for something that sounds more up your alley…which for many might be an easier/simpler move with more guaranteed result.

 

get out demo some options…plenty of specialist stores around and this is the time of year with all the specials…soon know what your looking for :)

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Yeah, you could make a very nice rig doing what scuzzii suggests, just trawling the classifieds.

@@JoshGray

good advice from darren, as it happens a pair of monitor audio RS6 have popped up for sale and with amp to go as well,

http://www.stereo.net.au/forums/index.php?/topic/76222-fs-nad-c-355bee-stereo-amp-monitor-audio-rs6-floorstanding-speakers-photos-up/

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  • 5 years later...
On 29/12/2014 at 7:31 PM, rondine said:

If you're interested in listening to music buy some modern components and for you, start with the speakers.

There is hardly any old or "vintage" audio equipment that performs. The most famous members of this group (about which everyone will disagree) are possibly:

Quad electrostatics and valve pwr amps

various JBL, Altec etc horn drivers

American muscle amps such as Threshold, early Krell etc

exotic Japanese gear produced for the home market

the odd rim drive turntable

Blah, blah, blah.

All of these need refurbishing. If you think you can just go and buy some old Kenwood, Pioneer, Voxson electronics with some old speakers with 5 or 6 drivers shoved in a box, forget it.

ron

A different view on this. 

 

There is some modern equipment which is absolute rubbish - poorly designed, and will only last the warranty period before it fails and due to design is difficult/impossible to repair.  There is other modern equipment which is well-designed and built to last, and will sound fantastic and be a good investment. 

 

Same with vintage equipment.  There is some very average vintage equipment that isn't worth considering for a serious setup.  There is other vintage equipment that has lasted for many years and can still provide wonderful sound quality, and has many decades of life remaining.  These can be a great investment and can often outperform modern equipment.  Of course, it depends on what you are comparing.

 

The statement "There is hardly any old or "vintage" audio equipment that performs." is a sweeping generalization that is completely incorrect (a look at the number of SNA members who talk about the excellent performance of their vintage equipment is evidence of this).  Yes, it is possible to buy vintage equipment that needs refurbishing.  But it is also possible to buy vintage equipment that works perfectly as is, or has been previously refurbished. 

 

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33 minutes ago, MIKE.D79 said:

about 5 years to late.

Yes.

 

I really do wonder why people post in a 5 years old thread as if it was opened yesterday. It is totally out of context and means nothing.

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On 30/12/2014 at 6:44 AM, betty boop said:

 

the silver 6 are a pretty awesome speaker, but will need a decent amp and source to go with as well. all could add up :)

 

the dittons were a lovely speaker too. worth refurbishing ? its like old cars…do you don't you… am not sure ever get your money back, so if doing do for yourself. or just sell on for something that sounds more up your alley…which for many might be an easier/simpler move with more guaranteed result.

 

get out demo some options…plenty of specialist stores around and this is the time of year with all the specials…soon know what your looking for :)

@betty boop I need an advice please, I recently purchased a Silver 8 and not happy with my old RA971 MKll Integrated amp. Will Elektra do justice planning to connect 2 channel of Elektra to MA Silver speakers through Marantz AVR? If not good idea what will be the recommendation like good integrated amplifier,how much power is needed for the monitor Audio to come to life? Thanks in advance.

Edited by SBM
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27 minutes ago, SBM said:

@betty boop I need an advice please, I recently purchased a Silver 8 and not happy with my old RA971 MKll Integrated amp. Will Elektra do justice planning to connect 2 channel of Elektra to MA Silver speakers through Marantz AVR? If not good idea what will be the recommendation like good integrated amplifier,how much power is needed for the monitor Audio to come to life? Thanks in advance.

for silver 8 a great match will be something like musical fidelity m6i... if that's too much look older m6 or A5 2ch integrated with ht bypass. will give you a nice 2ch integrated and with ht bypass a power amp to keep driving the mains. best of both worlds :) 

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3 minutes ago, betty boop said:

for silver 8 a great match will be something like musical fidelity m6i... if that's too much look older m6 or A5 2ch integrated with ht bypass. will give you a nice 2ch integrated and with ht bypass a power amp to keep driving the mains. best of both worlds :) 

Thanks, m6i has 220/channel at 8 ohm it's a killer power vow.....

Edited by SBM
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1 hour ago, betty boop said:

musical fidelity partners well with monitor audio, i would be sure to check out :)

There is M3i in SNA asking 800$ 2010 model it's ,75w/channel is that two loo power

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26 minutes ago, SBM said:

There is M3i in SNA asking 800$ 2010 model it's ,75w/channel is that two loo power

id just lookout for older 2nd hand  m6 or a5 as mentioned....though id doubt get an a5 for $800. id suggest expect to spend in the order of some $2k there about for an amp that does the MAs justice ....

 

something in the likes of the denon 2500 being sold for $2k something, discussed in another thread is also a great option. this is a very nice flagship amp ! also goes well with MA

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1 minute ago, betty boop said:

id just lookout for older 2nd hand  m6 or a5 as mentioned....though id doubt get an a5 for $800. id suggest expect to spend in the order of some $2k there about for an amp that does the MAs justice ....

 

something in the likes of the denon 2500 being sold for $2k something, discussed in another thread is also a great option. this is a very nice flagship amp ! also goes well with MA

Thanks @betty boop

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