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Impressed with Rigonda loudspeakers

There is only one decent new speaker from them - Giant FS100 (well, maybe Gold also, never seen or heard them), but it demands juicy amp to sound good enough, I would say at average 100-120W, all others are more or less firewood. And now Giant costs almost twice as originally released, imho not that good deal anymore. Another worthy Soviet manucturer is Estonia, now they make quite decent speakers under Audes brand but I believe they mostly export to America and far East (might be wrong tho, not followed them for some time).
Just looked up the Giant FS100 and they kind of look similar to the Graham Audio VOTU.
 
Yes, I reviewed the FS100s when they briefly had a UK distributor and they were magnificent. One of the best speakers I’ve ever reviewed with bass to die for and an utter steal at their £1100 asking price! As an RRR makes everything for the speakers in-house, but also components for other speaker manufacturers. The review samples were delayed as the production line was busy making drive units for a well known premium European maker!

I also bought a pair of the speakers the OP has from a mate at university and they were my main speakers for a number of years. Very impressive.

I’ve also owned a Symphony radiogram, a Bolshoi radiogram and the Party Time record players. The weak link of all these is the turntable, which is quite basic and has a ceramic cartridge. I’d love to try the posher Victoria radiogram that has a proper transcription deck with MM cartridge but I’ve never seen one. There was also a record player with the same deck that would make more SWMBO sense but I’ve never seen one of those either!
Which is the European manufacturer that you mentioned in your post?
 
Any chance of a look at the crossovers?

Given they are Russian anyway, I'd fill 'em full of K73-16's
 
Yes, I reviewed the FS100s when they briefly had a UK distributor and they were magnificent. One of the best speakers I’ve ever reviewed with bass to die for and an utter steal at their £1100 asking price! As an RRR makes everything for the speakers in-house, but also components for other speaker manufacturers. The review samples were delayed as the production line was busy making drive units for a well known premium European maker!

I believe in Giants they use some (unknown) German made bass and mid units and Vifa tweeter, they don't make their own drivers anymore quite a long time ago.

Any chance of a look at the crossovers?

Given they are Russian anyway, I'd fill 'em full of K73-16's

In my first reply is link with schematics and pics, and they are Latvian, not Russian )).
 
A Party Time bought for me for Christmas 50 years ago is what got me started. It got used for hours most days, never broke down. I made up cables so I could use my ITT KB radio that had a din socket as a tuner and was given a Fidelity Braemar tape recorder. First system, hardly hi-fi. When Dad bought some new gear I got his old Garrard AP 76 with Decca Derram cartridge, removed the Rigonda turntable and made a matching wooden lid for the amp section. A trip to the surplus electronic gear shop and the Rigonda speaker drivers were swapped out for some 8" full range Richard Allen units. I made new backs for the Rigonda boxes and stuffed them full of shredded carpet underlay. Some blue cloth was fitted to the plastic original grilles to finish the job. Stood on their shorter sides they looked like mini clones of the then Tannoy Cheviots of the mid 70's.

Is that Richard Allen as in Sugden?
 
Latvia is a beautiful country ansis, I've visited friends there a number of times. There's no love lost between the Latvians and the Russians it seems...
 
Is that Richard Allen as in Sugden?

Yes but RA and Sugden had virtually nothing to do with one another bar the early Sugden A21 having RA name badges and prob distributed by RA through their dealers. RA made speakers. Sugden make electronics, test gear as well as hi fi in the past.
 
Yes but RA and Sugden had virtually nothing to do with one another bar the early Sugden A21 having RA name badges and prob distributed by RA through their dealers. RA made speakers. Sugden make electronics, test gear as well as hi fi in the past.

We’re the speakers good? Never come across them before.
 
We’re the speakers good? Never come across them before.

Wow how times change.... they were one of the big UK manufacturers in the 50's, 60's 70's and into the 80's... not sure when they went under but would guess mid 80's or so and a rival to Goodmans, Celestion, Wharfedale etc.

They made drive units and finished speakers such as IIRC the Sarabande and RA80 plus drive units for PA and guitar IIRC. Companies such as Fane, Baker and Whiteley were other competitors in the drive unit area.

I certainly have heard them at shows back around '79 ish but can't recall what they sounded like so I guess they must have made little impression on me.
 
Richard Allen briefly returned making LS3/5as.
Not for long though.
There’s quite a story there, but I’m not at liberty to divulge anything.
 


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