Martyn Miles
pfm Member
There is a pair of Squire speakers for sale in Milton Keynes for £100 on Gumtree.
What is your favourite Royd speaker
- Thread starter Conster
- Start date
Chris Cooke
pfm Member
Resurrecting this thread for a short moment because cannot contain my joy.
Have splurged on the ‘Bay more than I would think reasonable for a pair. But these were relaminated in olive wood veneer so perhaps ok.
Anyway the thing is they have just knocked my LS50s right off their pole position.
Ridiculously good in my (small) room.
Fed by Quad Solus one box machine.
So much fun. Makes me fall back in love with this hobby/obsession
Have splurged on the ‘Bay more than I would think reasonable for a pair. But these were relaminated in olive wood veneer so perhaps ok.
Anyway the thing is they have just knocked my LS50s right off their pole position.
Ridiculously good in my (small) room.
Fed by Quad Solus one box machine.
So much fun. Makes me fall back in love with this hobby/obsession
Chris Cooke
pfm Member
Should have clarified. Minstrels!
linnfomaniac83
I bet you can’t wheelie a unicycle!
I posted this in 2013, since then I’ve briefly owned a pair of minstrels which I enjoyed a lot, but already had too many other great speakers, a mate had them off me. And then I bought a pair of MK1 Sapphires off Gromit for a bargain price. The same mate who bought my minstrels wants my Sapphires but he ain’t having them, they’re keepers. I have them in my second system in dining/sitting room driven by (you guessed it) linn equipment and they’re just a joy to own and listen to, I use them every day.
Thanks for sharing.
I sold my Minstrels to a chap abroad, who was using 3000EUR Heed Enigma speakers. He kept the Minstrels...
He then got back in touch asking for some advice about Minstrel SE, because they just weren't as engaging or as fun for him, so has probably sold those on too now.
I'll maintain that Royd speakers really shine with much more expensive gear around them, and turn the 'spend the budget on the speakers' argument on its head.
Prices are steadily going up, I guess us fanboys don’t help here.
Chris Cooke
pfm Member
Just chipping in about the Minstrel SE, because I had the same experience with them.
Searched high and low for a pair - took a couple of years until they 'landed'. Were in lovely condition and everything.
But was sadly underwhelmed relative to the standard Minstrels that I had previously owned. Could be that the room set up just was not right for them or that they are 'pickier' about amp/lead synergies...I recall some comments that (like some Shahinians) the SEs do not really sing unless driven by more powerful amp.
i hope and expect that they are now someone else's pride and joy!
The 'standard' Minstrels are just fine for me
Searched high and low for a pair - took a couple of years until they 'landed'. Were in lovely condition and everything.
But was sadly underwhelmed relative to the standard Minstrels that I had previously owned. Could be that the room set up just was not right for them or that they are 'pickier' about amp/lead synergies...I recall some comments that (like some Shahinians) the SEs do not really sing unless driven by more powerful amp.
i hope and expect that they are now someone else's pride and joy!
The 'standard' Minstrels are just fine for me
foxwelljsly
Me too, I ate one sour too.
Hmm. I worked through Edens, Sintras, Sintra II’s and Sorcerors. The Edens do something special, but are fussy about positioning for any decent bass. Used on the end of an Exposure Super XV and Linn Lk140. All the others were voiced too bright for my taste, but did do bass a lot better.
I think Linn Katans and Harbeth P3 ESRs are both a better listen, but the Edens are definitely the best pair of standmounts you’ll find for less than £150. The others are a bit of a curates egg, IMHO.
If I can find a battered pair of Edens or Sintras, I’d like to rip out the crossover and try them active off my Aktiv 5125 - with the variable treble gain, this could be a winner.
I think Linn Katans and Harbeth P3 ESRs are both a better listen, but the Edens are definitely the best pair of standmounts you’ll find for less than £150. The others are a bit of a curates egg, IMHO.
If I can find a battered pair of Edens or Sintras, I’d like to rip out the crossover and try them active off my Aktiv 5125 - with the variable treble gain, this could be a winner.
linnfomaniac83
I bet you can’t wheelie a unicycle!
Katans are quite lovely but you do need good partnering kit to really appreciate what they can do (I used a pair on climax amps a few years ago and they really sang).
I think Royd speakers just have a special ability to charm, my Sapphires aren't perfect, they're less refined than katans but they are a lot of fun, and they really throw the music out into the room. mine are in a room about 3.5 x 6.5 and they fill the space nicely... conversely, a pair if Linn Keilidhs just sounded a bit lost, they had bass presence but the mids just sounded subdued, so the Keilidhs are in my daughter's room, I'm enjoying the Royds a lot more. My active Ninkas are another story, superb speakers.
foxwelljsly
Me too, I ate one sour too.
OT on this Royd thread, but standard Katans driven passive with a LK140 is a lovely, simple and cheap, combination, but there's nothing below 75hz and maybe a bit too much of that seductive Linn 'holographic treble'. Aktiv with a Dynamiked 5125, the bass is unreal for such a small enclosure, but the very top of the audible spectrum is a little over-egged and I can't quite find a treble gain setting to suit my ears for all programme material. I suspect mine, which now have the Hiquphon OL92 tweeters fitted, may no longer be voiced correctly for the treble Aktiv card, so I plan to draft in a pair of standard Katans for comparison.
Incidentally, it was your suggestion to try an LK140 with my Royd Speakers that first led me down the Linn path a year or so ago. I now have a AK/0/D, 5125/D and Aktiv Katans.
Alan Brown
Registered LUser
I scored a lovely set of Minstrels a month ago, it was great to be reminded of how much I love them. I also have too many speakers, and a friend who was looking for some small floorstanders...
They are now happily being driven by the new EWA claymore at it's designers house, and they really do boogie like nobody's business!
I agree with the point above, they are capable of shining in a system where they are by far the cheapest item. There's nothing quite like them in hifi imo!
They are now happily being driven by the new EWA claymore at it's designers house, and they really do boogie like nobody's business!
I agree with the point above, they are capable of shining in a system where they are by far the cheapest item. There's nothing quite like them in hifi imo!
wylton
Naim and Mana member
I can't honestly say that I am very familiar with the Royd range, but I loved the Coniston R's when my dealer loaned me a pair while the SBLs that I was using at the time went away for an update. The only problem that I found with them, was that they were very sensitive to the supporting stand. They sounded amazing on Linn Kan II stands, but the magic disappeared when the dealer needed the stands back for a customer; they just didn't sound the same with the Sound Org stands he brought over to replace them.
I've got a pair of A7's up in the loft (or at least I think I do, if they have survived the many clear outs we have had over the years); I don't know how close they are to the Coniston R's in sound quality.
I've got a pair of A7's up in the loft (or at least I think I do, if they have survived the many clear outs we have had over the years); I don't know how close they are to the Coniston R's in sound quality.
Like the RR3, they need a lot of power / current delivery (the Sorcerer SE). Not to play loud, just to play tight and deep. I found them far far far more engaging with a big 90W dual mono amp over my stereo 50W. At the change of day at one time I was running RR3s, Minstrels, Sorcerer SE and Sapphire MK1...
Vitor Teixeira
New Member
This isn't usually me bringing up old threads, but i just got some Royd Minstrels in my possession that i would like to put to good use (aka bring musical tears of joy to my hairy face). One of them has a really good looking woofer, which does not move at all (the other woofer looks live crap and sounds good, as the Royd-gods intended).
I've tried de-gumming (still an ongoing process), but the there is absolutely no sound, the cone is simply not moving at all. I dont know if this is usual with gummed up drivers or not, or if i simply have a dead woofer. I've read in another thread here that even a gummed driver would have some sound coming through, although this is my first experience this issue, so i'm at a loss.
Anyone with experience would like to chime in?
I've tried de-gumming (still an ongoing process), but the there is absolutely no sound, the cone is simply not moving at all. I dont know if this is usual with gummed up drivers or not, or if i simply have a dead woofer. I've read in another thread here that even a gummed driver would have some sound coming through, although this is my first experience this issue, so i'm at a loss.
Anyone with experience would like to chime in?
tenpercenter
Don't ya rile 'em.....
All of them ! Much missed
If I had to pick one it would be Edens - first of the steel lined ones as I recall and just so enjoyable
If I had to pick one it would be Edens - first of the steel lined ones as I recall and just so enjoyable
Fatmarley
"It appears my intelligence circuits have melted"
I'd be surprised if you didn't at least get some sound with a gummed up driver. Have you got a multimeter? Best bet would be to remove the driver and check to see if there's any resistance or if there's a cable that's come loose.
Edit: What do you mean by one driver is good looking and the other crap? They should look the same.
Vitor Teixeira
New Member
I've connected the amplifier directly to the woofer without desoldering it from the crossover board. The tweeter played as usual, but no sound/movement from the woofer.
Here are some pics so you can see for yourself. It looks like the working woofer is as old as the speakers themselves, whereas the non-working woofer is brand new - https://imgur.com/a/zvDJyDc
EDIT: i have tried using the multimeter in the woofer. There's signal between the crossover board and the driver, but when i connect it to the driver's soldered terminals there is no signal. I tried this with another pair of drivers where one of them is faulty and had the same result (the good driver lets signal through the terminals, the bad one doesnt).
EDIT 2: Dissassembled the working speaker and tested it with the multimeter. There's signal passing through the woofer's terminals. I guess this means my other woofer is dead? I mean, if it was gummed up, then at least some electrical signal would pass through, right?
Guess my option now is to either get a replacement woofer (unlikely to find one from what i gather), or try to replace both woofers with a different model.
Any suggestions?
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Fatmarley
"It appears my intelligence circuits have melted"
If there's no continuity, then there must be a break in the voice coil wire. All the Royd minstrel drivers i've seen look like the non-working unit. I've never seen a Royd Minstrel driver with red stuff around the inside of the cone. It looks like it's been bodged to me.
The midbass drivers were hand doped by Joe Acroyd to achieve the correct crossover slope to match the tweeters and are connected directly to the amp without a crossover (the tweeter does have a crossover though). The chances of finding an off-the-shelf driver that will work is incredibly slim. I'd be willing to bet that there isn't a driver anywhere that would work properly.
If it were me, I'd sell them as spares or repairs (probably on ebay or here) and buy another working pair.
The midbass drivers were hand doped by Joe Acroyd to achieve the correct crossover slope to match the tweeters and are connected directly to the amp without a crossover (the tweeter does have a crossover though). The chances of finding an off-the-shelf driver that will work is incredibly slim. I'd be willing to bet that there isn't a driver anywhere that would work properly.
If it were me, I'd sell them as spares or repairs (probably on ebay or here) and buy another working pair.