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Royd Audio

Adam N

Adam N

pfm Member
My name is Adam and I am now the director of Royd Audio. For those of you who do not already know me I am an industrial designer with a history of involvement in Hi Fi. I do not for one moment compare myself to the genius of Joe Ackroyd, however I am fortunate to have surrounded myself with people of equal talent, a gifted audio engineer and a production engineer. Between us we have high hopes to carry on Joe's legacy.

I have for some time been working hard behind the scenes to bring this beloved brand back to life. Sadly the old company has long gone however I am lucky enough to have taken hold of the brand and the mark. In the coming weeks we will finish testing and development of a loudspeaker design that will launch with a new website. It will bring the brand bang up to date and should be a familiar sight to those that already own Royd loudspeakers.

We considered very carefully if we should or could offer a repair and service to existing Royd owners but at this stage it isn't financially viable for us. What we are considering is for the new design to be available to existing Royd owners first and the opportunity to trade in their existing speakers regardless of condition if they wish.

It's an exciting time for me and one I need to take very careful and deliberate steps over so as to be sympathetic to Joe his speakers and all that he achieved with the Royd brand. I've launched a teaser website with a news letter sign up, this will be the best way for you to get the latest updates about Royd. It can be found here:

Royd Audio

I wish you all well.
 
All the best, Adam.

These were loudspeakers brought serious attitude and small form factor. Great value for money, particularly the Sapphires and Minstrels.

They worked well with Ion Systems amplifiers, now Heed Audio. See how well your new models work with Heed amps and it should help indicate whether you are on the right track.

Andrew
 
I have many happy memories of owning Edens and Sintra's in the 90's, my main hope would be that any products you launch can carry on the traditions and values of this range.

I will look forward to further developments with a great deal of anticipation, the very best of luck with this venture.
 
Thank you both.

kenworthy said:
my main hope would be that any products you launch can carry on the traditions and values of this range.
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This is first and foremost my aim, to bring it up to date but still maintain the heritage and carry on Joe's values.
 
Adam - I wish you all the best.

Please drop in at AudioChews & repeat your announcement, there is a lot of Royd love over there and we'd love to hear what you're about. Three of us run RR3s and have / had many other models between us.
 
Just referencing the other Royd thread that was running for a moment. Since you now have the mark do you know what happened to Joe Ackroyd and if he's still with us?
 
hughjampton said:
Just referencing the other Royd thread that was running for a moment. Since you now have the mark do you know what happened to Joe Ackroyd and if he's still with us?
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I'm afraid I don't and didn't want to continue to dig too deeply as I'm sure he values his privacy now he is in retirement. All I know is that he has my warmest wishes and my commitment to continuing his great work.
 
AndrewR said:
They worked well with Ion Systems amplifiers, now Heed Audio. See how well your new models work with Heed amps and it should help indicate whether you are on the right track.

Andrew
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Thanks Andrew, we're testing them against a variety of amplification from old to new, but all based round the philosophy of cost effective performance. I'll check out the Heed, thanks for the heads up.
 
Best of luck with this new venture! I loved my Royd A7IIs and, even though they were bottom of the range, I found them very musical. I re-foamed them and sold them this year but I still have Royd speakers in my Rega Ela Mk 1s! I have listened to new £1000 speakers which did nothing for me in comparison.
 
Can I ask, as a long time Royd owner and admirer, exactly what "Royd-ness" is there in these new products?
You announcement reads that you have acquired the name - the product will be entirely new with no carry over or relation to previous Royd's. In essence you have bought the name and your product is no more a Royd, than any other new brand that comes to market. I draw a comparison when BMW launched the new Mini.
I don't want to wish you any ill, quite the opposite, but buying a name does not mean anything.
 
Welcome Adam , I'm a big Royd fan too . I currently own a pair of Minstrels , a pair of ' broken ' A7s and a pair of Rega EL8s which I believe Royd had a hand in designing . Good luck with this venture and I'm also looking firward to the return of Royd Audio.
 
badger748 said:
Can I ask, as a long time Royd owner and admirer, exactly what "Royd-ness" is there in these new products?
You announcement reads that you have acquired the name - the product will be entirely new with no carry over or relation to previous Royd's. In essence you have bought the name and your product is no more a Royd, than any other new brand that comes to market. I draw a comparison when BMW launched the new Mini.
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It's a subjective question and therefore difficult to answer, however the Mini analogy is apt. You could say it is a BMW one series or a new Mini - both are correct. It is superior to the old mini in almost every measurable respect, handling, performance, safety, comfort, fuel economy. Is it a mini? It depends on your point of view.

In way of answering your question, we won't release anything that we feel doesn't measure up to previous Royd speakers and we aim to produce something that is compact, affordable, capable and suited to a broad range of amplification.
 
Actually implied in my question as to whether you knew if Joe Ackroyd was still alive was the one of how you acquired the Royd mark, and who from?

Though I don't suppose you expected the Spanish Inquisition when you posted here.
 
hughjampton said:
Actually implied in my question as to whether you knew if Joe Ackroyd was still alive was the one of how you acquired the Royd mark, and who from?

Though I don't suppose you expected the Spanish Inquisition when you posted here.
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No, Joe didn't have the Royd mark.
 
Congrats Adam, I wish you the very best and hope for a succesfull range.

Some questions please:

Are your new speakers based on similar Royd 5" bas/mid drivers(whoever made them for Joe ?) and similar small cabinets with simple or no x-over parts ?

Which older Royd speaker or how many of the originals do you have as reference ?
(I've allways lusted for the Albion & RR3)

Do you run manufacturing inside UK ?
 
Hi Per

I'll be announcing more details in the coming weeks via our newsletter. I can confirm we are using a 5" bass unit and tweeter. The speaker will be a small form factor along the lines of earlier Royd designs.

It will be designed and made in the UK.
 
Ooooh, this is exciting!

It's never easy trying to resurrect an old brand, especially one with such a cult following. Expect to be judged extensively, expect an up hill struggle, not only will you have to match (and maybe surpass) the classic Royd speakers but the rose tinted memory of them that all hold in such high regard. Just look at the chap trying to bring back Norton at the Isle of Man TT this week.

Best of luck!
 
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