Information - See also contacts and conditions
Some comments from my customers buying Celestion Speakers etc.-
- There is currently a real interest in interest in 'proper vintage' British speakers, especially from the late 70's and 80's which was the golden era of hi-fi in many respects. Whether the interest is linked to the resurgence of vinyl is another question but one thing is true, buying good quality secondhand quality products makes very good financial sense. There was a mass market for hi-fi in those days which kept prices down to a realistic level compared to producing the small numbers demanded today. Many items sell for as much now as when they were new 30 odd years ago, some even more. I wish I'd bought a crate of Linn Ittok arms when I had the opportunity, if only I'd had the cash. Still one of the best arms ever produced in my opinion. Investing in quality used hi-fi will realistically mean that you will get your money back if you ever want to sell. If you keep it long enough you might even make a profit!
- The Celestion SL6 series speakers have been my speaker of choice for many, many years. Fortunately I worked in the Hi-Fi trade for years and so had the opportunity to own several pairs in their various guises. I see differing opinions about their sound but the consistency of these opinions seems to be largely based on what sort of music you like and what you listen to most. I think a lot of this is down to the original 'copper' dome tweeter which was very smooth and great for vocals, acoustic guitar etc. However it was too smooth for many and had been described as lacking in life or sparkle. The later aluminium versions were less smooth so I guess Celestion felt they didn't have it right from the start! I listen mainly to voice and guitar and always felt the whole SL6 series more than lived up to it's reputation for handling those suberbly, and, although I love the 'copper' dome, I can see what people mean when they say they prefer the later aluminium dome, I've been doing a lot of listening lately to the later models and they really do perform, and on all types of music. The cabinet build quality is certainly better!
- Contrary to popular opinion the SL6 was never made with a Titanium tweeter dome, the domes were Aluminium, even some later, lighter coloured 'copper' ones which were anodised and dyed in the production process to emulate the original copper finish. Some later (but good quality) Celestion speakers were equipped with Titanium domes.
- In later years, as the technology improved, pairing the SL6's to a decent quality sub woofer gave the SL6 a new lease of life for those who wanted more bottom end. Celestion thought so too, see - http://www.regonaudio.com/Celestial%20Sytem%206000.html. Now very rare, the last set I saw on e-Bay fetching £1999 (Jul 16). I've tried sub woofers but they aren't for me, except for my home cinema system !
- I've rebuilt many SL6's for others and, after watching the original replacements get more rare - and more expensive - I researched potential replacement units which are available for a more reasonable price, and yet perform to very similar standards. I've compared them side by side and been extremely impressed with the results, as have others, no complaints or returns yet!
- With an decent second hand pair of SL6's now fetching £300 to £400, when they come up on e-bay, you can now experience the classic SL6 sound at an affordable outlay, or renovate or repair your own pair without breaking the bank. Over the last few years I've enjoyed putting life back into unused and damaged SL6's. I do it as a hobby and not for profit so I don't respond to haggling over price. The prices I quote cover my costs and allow me to keep going and that's about it. I am happy to quote the best price I can for multiple purchases and specific orders. I resist splitting working models and would rather sell complete as one of my aims is to keep as many of these going as I can.
- For those who've asked - I use a Shanling PH300 valve pre-amp with two Linn LK85 power amps using a Shanling PCD300B CD player to test all my speakers, and a Brennan B2 for general (random) listening. I have recently eliminated a weak spot which was the Brennan's pre-amp and installed a Meridian 203 DAC, this did the trick and I now use the Brennan all the time. This gives a realistic level of performance proving you won't need to go out and buy a huge amp to get fantastic results from the SL6 series. I rate the Shanling highly, given it's price. I don't know why they haven't arranged a UK importer, but can give advice if you want to import your own.
- Since putting in the DAC I now use the SL600's out of preference, if they have a weakness it's that they show up weaknesses somewhere else ! Repair and initial testing is done in my work room using vintage Pioneer SX550 and SX434 Receivers.
- I tried out, and still have, a rare pair of floor standing Celestion 300's which were issued in 1992, as the third generation of the SL6 series, at a price of £1000 a pair. The pinnacle of Celestion design, as they were subsequently bought out, went down market and then failed altogether. They are very well finished, using the transmission line format with the classic (but slightly different) aluminium 1.25" tweeter and the later two piece SL series bass unit. They can also be Bi-amped/Bi-wired. Most notable impression is the increase in bass, even over the SL12's in my system. I liked them straight away, after a couple of months they were still there! The SL12s went back in eventually as they use stands and so it's easier to slot in new speakers for trial and evaluation. The 300's are very big and heavy.
- JUST AN ENDING THOUGHT - Cost of SL6 when new in 1982 - £399 (average house price £23,644!) average earnings in 1982 - £7,369 average earnings in 2012 £29,300, so the equivalent cost of the SL6 today would be over £1500!
Some comments from my customers buying Celestion Speakers etc.-
- "The speakers that you refurbished for me are incredible and I am so blown away by how good they sound"
- "Thanks so much, I love them really. Do you have another pair ?" (SL600Si)
- "I have installed the tweeter you repaired for my SL6si and it works perfectly – thanks so much for all your help"
- "Everything OK and perfect!"
- "For the first time my speakers are sounding good, in fact brilliant and all because of you and your good advice"
- "Your service cannot be bettered your cable and plugs are better than described"
- "Thanks again for the excellent service"
- "Just wanted to let you know that I'm really pleased with the speakers" (Refurb SL600)
- "I'm a great fan of the Celestion speakers. And I must say, that I'm very happy with your SL6. The sound is great. Thank you."
- "They play together with my Celestion SL 600Si and it is fantastic"
- "Very good, thank you"
- "Keep on doing what you do – it is much appreciated "
- "I bought the Celestion SL6 and I'm very happy with the speakers"
- "Fantastic! I'm really happy!!
- "Top eBayer AAAAA +++++ Recommend"
- "One of the best E-bayer!! Easy transaction! Recommended+++++"
- "Very good seller"
- "You not only breathed new life into a fabulous pair of speakers, you also breathed new life into me as a collector and listener"
- "EXCELLENT. Prompt service. Many thanks."
- "All as described, many thanks, A++++++++++++"
- "Got the tweeters a few days ago. Installed and they work fine. Thank you very much!"
- "Wonderful to have that SL6 sound restored"
- "Many thanks for an excellent service"
- "Fantastic item & vendor. Many thanks" SL6 eBay
- "They sound good as new, couldn't be happier"
- "The speakers are great" SL6 repair
- "Thank you so much for your very good job. The speakers are in a lovely condition
and sound perfect! The packing and delivering was of a high standard" SL6Si with Peerless bass units - "Yes, it is a significant improvement"
- "Thanks" SL6Si eBay
- "The cabinet has duly arrived and it looks great"
- "They look and sound brilliant"
- "They are performing well, I am very happy with them" (SL600)
- "The speakers arrived beautifully packed"cannot recommend highly enough very quick delivery
- "Cannot recommend highly enough, very quick delivery" (replacement units SL6 eBay)
- "Just fitted the tweeters, they sound superb" Repaired SL600 tweeters
- "Many many thanks for the replacement tweeter for the SL6. Sounds great"
- "delighted with it" User manual SL6
- "Many thanks for taking time to help and advise with my system, SL6's
arrived perfect condition to compliment my 300's, I now have something
very special to listen to, thanks for everything" - "Thank you so much for refurbishing my SL600s. They are looking and sounding great!"