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What is your favourite Royd speaker

My entry into the real world of hifi came after listening to a pair of Sintras back in the 90's. Unfortunately, the voice coil went on one of the pair and could not be replaced as Royd had closed.
I have had other Royd stand mounts and demo'ed RR2's but the Sintras remain a favourite for revealing how hifi can be.
 
I used a pair of Edens with an Exposure X back in the late eighties. They were really communicative with rock and pop, but completely inadequate with anything orchestral.

I can't say I have listened properly to any other Royds, though I remember preferring the Edens to the Sevens in the dealer's demo.

Alex
 
Gromit's Merlins were very special, like Minstrels but better.

I like my RR3s the best, but only with very serious amplification. Without this, they don't boogie as well as the Minstrel IMO.
 
I guess my favorites would be The Squires mkI, which had the bass driver with the visible centre pole. I also had the later model with the bowl-shaped woofer, which I thought sounded less open than the original model. I really regret selling the first pair.
 
MartinDurham said:
Did Royd make a Templar too? I'm only familiar with the Ruarks.
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DOH ! I'm on the wrong thread here, or I've 'lost the plot'. Probably the latter... Ruarks are very good, but some Royds are outstanding speakers. I know of someone with Minstrels, driven by a Quad 33/303. Quite superb. As I said, I know of a pair of Ruark Templars for sale. I'm tempted myself, but have too many speakers. MGM .
 
Too many great Royds to mention but of the ones I own or have owned, the Eden Mk1, Sapphire Mk1, Doublets and Minstrels are amongst the favourites.
 
Hmm I originally said the Apex but I've got my pair of Edens out of the loft this morning plonked atop Linn Sara stands of all things & they sound stupendous... Must say I had forgotten how heavy they were! I wonder what Minstrels would sound like with 1/4" steel plate glued to the cabinet walls ?!
 
With my Ion Obelisk 2 amp, my favourite Royds were Mk1 Sapphires - I had this set-up while living in Dubai, and it was sweet as a nut. So crisp & clear & fun. I've got Edens with that amp now, and while I still love the sound, it's not quite got the bouncy deftness the Sapphires had. The Sintras with it are great too, but again, I just loved the bounce factor I had on that system in Dubai.

With my Ion Obelisk 3/X-pak, my Sintras probably just about edged it, though the Edens were very close [as of course were my Mk1 Sapphires].

And for sheer thrill, my old Naim 32.5-160 into A7s was a bit in your face for some but awesome to me. I used to switch between those & my Neat Motives [I think they were called?] - more bass & sound from the Neats, but I preferred the simple thrill of the A7s.

I also really do like a pair of Minstrels I bought a year or two back - I've only ever had them plugged into a simple Pioneer amp for the TV, but they sound terrific.

In answer - for me, overall favourite is probably Mk1 Sapphires. But I love all Royds, for their amazing sound and also as someone else pointed out earlier, cos they're such amazing value for money [though I'm noticing their prices seem to be rising quite a lot again over the past year or two? I've never spent more than £75 or so on Royds I don't think, but I'm seeing them going for much more than that now - I bookmark every pair that comes up on ebay out of curiosity]

When / if we finally manage to get ourselves a slightly larger house, I'll be able to set my systems up properly again and switch things around. Currently most of my Royds are sadly on leave in the attic.
 
The prices really are on the rise. I would love to get my hands on the later models.

The real sadness is that if Royd were still going, they would still be making amazing speakers. There may have been a possibility of upgraded parts! There may even have been a 20th anniversary Minstrel for 2013.
 
Coniston Rs

Years ago, when my SBLs were away having the bass units upgraded, the dealer loaned me a pair of Coniston Rs and I was blown away! I've come close to buying a pair a couple of times as back ups. In fact, I have a pair of A7s in the loft; I've not got around to trying them TBH, because they have a couple of issues. I wonder how close they would be to the CRs?
 
Personal fav-, the Minstrel SE.

Minstrels were "good". But the SE was just plain awesome. SOmething about the sum of the small changes made that speaker into something entirely different and so much bloody fun.

From there the last gen Sorcerers I think were certainly "better" although also more expensive. And one of my favs.
 
I would have the Sintras over the Minstrels in a second, but then I never did like the Minstrels much.
 
The best small speaker was the Sorcerer. The only Royds I've owned are Apex floor standers, which I've had for 20 years and are still capable of holding their own now. Like many Royds, they're a bit light on bass given their size, but otherwise just very competent all round. They seem to sell for very low prices these days, which makes them a great bargain.
 
For me the RR3 is Royd's masterpiece. Quite the opposite to usual Royd standmounts, the bass goes deeeep for their size, but with no flab or overhang. Needs a very powerful amp (not necessarily high watts) to sound their best due to the crippling 84db sensitivity.

I have also owned Sapphire MK1 (very similar to Sintra), still own Sorcerers, Minstrels & RR3s of course. The Revelation series still have the Royd house sound, but with more refinement & flatter response. Some might prefer the 'feisty' and 'raucous' presentation of classic Royds though.
 
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