Page 1 Stereo Speaker Systems
Celestion SL6
(early 80's) $400
In excellent cosmetic condition and operating perfectly, this pair of Celestion SL6 comes with the original (and very rare) matching factory stands along with the original box (for the speakers). This pair features the upgraded titanium dome tweeters, similar to those used in the Celestion A-Series. As a matched pair, they have sequential serial numbers.
The Celestion SL6 was launched in the early 80s as a higher end addition to their popular Ditton range from that era. The engineers from Celestion used some pretty advanced techniques (such as optical interferometry) to get the best from a relatively small 2 way speaker.
Drivers:
The 6.5″ bass driver was developed where the shape of the cone and dust cap as well as suspension and voice coil termination were all designed to reduce distortion.
A similar approach was used during the tweeter design process, which resulted in a 1.25″ dome tweeter. Some of the earlier models were built using copper domes (which had a tendency towards shorter life spans) but this later model features longer lasting, ultra thin titanium domes which also extends and forms the voice coil. As mentioned above, these are the same tweeters used in the Celestion A series models.
All of the above, combined with luxurious walnut veneer on the fairly small sealed cabinets and matching veneer on the wood and iron stands, resulted in the Celestion SL6 having low distortion and low sensitivity with a bottom end extension that could be "enhanced" when using high quality amp power.
Specs:
Frequency Response:60 – 20,000Hz (+/- 6dB)
Sensitivity: 82 dB (1W input, measured at 1m)
Impedance:8Ω (4Ω min.)
Power Capacity:100 watts
High Frequency Driver: #190434017 (1.25″) Titanium Dome
Low Frequency Driver:#T3507 (6.5″) PVC Diaphragm
Crossover Frequency:2,300Hz
Dimensions 14.5H x 8"W x 10″D
Weight:19 lbs each
About Celestion...
The story of Celestion begins in 1924, in the thick of a radio industry boom. In 1924 Cyril French set up a small business to manufacture loudspeakers, helping Eric Mackintosh improve his invention – one of the earliest cone loudspeakers. In 1927 – The Celestion Radio Co and Celestion Ltd were formed; The company’s motto, and for many years to follow, was “The Very Soul of Music”.
French and two of his brothers, Leonard and Edgar, created ‘The Electrical Manufacturing and Plating Company’ at 29 High Street, Hampton Wick. At the time, many manufacturers were looking to improve the quality of their equipment, and using Celestion speakers proved to be a popular way of doing so. This popularity grew even more in 1932, when the company introduced permanent magnet technology, making their speakers easier to assemble and use. In 1948, after Celestion was purchased by Rola, the focus of the company switched to supplying speakers for more “luxury” items such as stereo audio systems and an emerging new technology called television. It was also at this time that Celestion began working on a new model of speaker, one that would reshape the sound of music.
By 1980, Celestion’s continued investment in technology bore fruit behind the scenes of loudspeaker design. An instrument was developed that uses laser light to scan a diaphragm and produce moving ‘microscope’ pictures on a computer screen. This system taught Celestion’s designers hitherto unknown subtleties of loudspeaker design, many of which remain trade secrets to this day.
In 2003, the Celestion and KEF manufacturing operations were united under the banner of KH Manufacturing Ltd. While Celestion International Limited continues the tradition begun by Cyril French and Eric Mackintosh over 70 years ago: the research, development, sales and marketing of loudspeakers of the highest quality.
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JBL 4401
Control Monitor (mid 80's) $400
In absolutely excellent cosmetic condition and functioning perfectly, this pair of JBL 4401 "control" monitors are increasingly hard to find in such perfect shape. The real walnut veneer, grills, badges, tweeters and controls are all 100% original and, basically...unmolested. The proprietary mid-bass units were reconed and refoamed in January 2023.
These are best defined as a compact bass-reflex monitor speaker system developed by JBL's professionally and globally respected technology.
The 4401 was an adapted version of their JBL's 4301 studio monitor. It was also an "affordable" model at the time, but still out of the reach of many home recording enthusiasts
The 6.6" cone woofer uses an SFG magnetic circuit to significantly reduce secondary harmonic distortion. Its mass is controlled by a long-travel voice coil with improved linearity and a *Lansaplus coated cone, improving bass reproduction capability despite its small size.
(*Lansaplus is a nanocoating that protects surfaces while making them easy to clean)
The dome shape tweeters have protective perforated metal screens and are constructed out of hard aluminum diaphragms which were vapor-deposited on lightweight phenol.
Specs:
Frequency response : 70 Hz-18 kHz (±3 dB)
Power handling: 60+ watts
Sensitivity : 88 dB SPL @1W/1 meter
Nominal impedance : 8 ohms
Crossover frequency : 2-5 kHz
Dimensions : 14.8"H x 9.4"W x 7.2"D (h x w x d)
Weight : 18 lbs each
Great technical review here: http://www.muzines.co.uk/articles/jbl-4401-monitors/2882
About JBL...
In 1927, one of the original pro-audio companies, Western Electric, pioneered cinema sound with 'The Jazz Singer'. In the Wall Street crash of 1929, Western Electric was split up. From the ashes, came Westrex (who are today still involved in the movie/video side of the business) and Altec, short for 'All technicians', because the new company's bosses and founders were the technical people from Western Electric. Most notable of these was James Buoloh Lansing, and when he became president, Altec took on his surname, thus Altec-Lansing. Like Western Electric, Altec-Lansing's main business was in cinema sound, but along with RCA, this is where high-power, large-scale sound reinforcement was pioneered, horn speakers being their forte.
In 1940, Lansing sold his shares and later set up his own, competing company, with an emphasis on speakers. Lansing was subsequently killed in a plane crash in the late 40s, but the company he founded - James B. Lansing Inc. - or 'JBL' as it's better known, has gone from strength to strength.
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Infinity RS-5001
('89-'91) $350
The Infinity Reference Standard 5001, made in California for two years (1984-1986) and originally priced at around $738 (pair), are certainly some of the best sounding and best looking, mid-size-tower floor-standing Infinity speaker systems.
The build quality is excellent as is the condition of the original drivers with the Oak cabinets also being in very good condition. The woofers have recently been professionally refoamed.
This 3-way system features the original Infinity 2" poly mids along with *EMIT tweeters (#902-3082) and 8" IMG woofers with treated foam surrounds and polymer dust caps.
The RS-5001 is a true three-way design with the amazingly detailed emit Cobalt ribbon tweeter, accurate polydome midrange, and deep-accurate bass producing polycone woofer.
The built-in factory base is slightly angled to give the cabinets a few degrees of upward tilt; there are also adjustable feet on the bottom.
Specs:
Nominal Impedance: 6 ohms
Power Rating: 25-125 watts RMS
Sensitivity: 89dB @ 1 watt, 1 meter
Crossover Frequencies: 600Hz and 4,200Hz
Frequency Response: 42Hz-45kHz +/-3dB
Dimensions: 37"H x 11.5"W" x 9.4"D (includes 1.5" angled pedestal)
*About those EMIT tweeters:
At 4,000 Hz the second crossover is to an electromagnetic induction tweeter, or EMIT, which employs a planar plastic diaphragm, with extremely low mass, on which a rectangular pattern of conductors is deposited. The diaphragm is mounted in a powerful magnetic field generated by samarium cobalt magnets. It radiates sound through four vertical slits in a metal plate.
At 600 Hz there is a crossover to a "Polydome" midrange driver, a 2-inch-diameter polypropylene dome driven at its outer circumference by a voice coil of the same diameter. This driver has a perforated metal grill just behind the transparent dome that protects it from damage caused by external physical pressure without affecting its forward radiation.
About Infinty...
Arnie Nudell, John Ulrick and Cary Christie founded Infinity in 1968. Their first product was the Servo-Static speaker system which had electrostatic panels and a servo-controlled woofer.
Infinity has produced both home and car audio products and they are known for their use of neodymium magnets, mylar diaphragms, and polypropylene speaker cones. Infinity produced the *EMIT tweeter and EMIM midrange drivers and later the EMIT-R, S-EMIT, and the L-EMIM which worked to move air based on the principle of electromagnetic induction.
The IRS (Infinity Reference System) which cost $65,000 in the 1980s is one of the first ultra-high end speaker systems ever sold. The IRS had 76 EMIT tweeters, 24 EMIM midrange drivers, and twelve 12-inch poly woofers in four tower speaker cabinets.
The Reference, and later Kappa series, were discontinued after Nudell sold the Infinity brand to Harman Kardon. Nudell later formed high-end loudspeaker company Genesis Technologies,. Genesis' flagship speakers system, the 1.2, sold for $235,000. It was for the most part an updated version Infinity IRS Speaker System.
In the 1990s and beyond Infinity speakers have been slightly more affordable (competition!) and a bit more mass-marketed. The popular SM (Studio Monitor) series speakers had polycell tweeters and graphite impregnated midranges and woofers.
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PSB Image T45
towerss (2008) $400
In excellent cosmetic condition and functioning perfectly, this pair of PSB Image T45 speakersis an integral part of their "Image" lineup of top shelf loudspeaker design. Often associated with the excellence of NAD speakers, PSB is best described as the "sister" company of NAD. (see "About PSB" below for more info)
Each of the "Sienna" (light tan) tower enclosures has two 5.25" midrange/bass metalized polypropylene cone drivers in conjunction with a 1" tweeter in a "two-and-a-half way design" (The T45 is referred to as a two-and-a-half-way because one 5.25" driver does double duty, handling both the midrange and upper-bass regions.)
The aluminum dome tweeter (with Ferrofluid) handles everything above 2.2kHz, and the midrange hands off to the bass driver at 500Hz.
Tech info for T45:
~Anechoic sensitivity: 90dB/W/m (with approximately 93dB/W/m being the case in a "typical" listening room).
~Nominal impedance: 6 ohms (minimum of 4 ohms), a relatively easy load for 50 watts and up)
~Frequency response: ± 3dB (35-23,000Hz)
~Dimensions: 36"H x 14.7"D x 7"W
~Weight: 37 lbs each
About PSB...
Last year, the Canadian-based PSB celebrated 50 years since it was founded in St Jacob’s, Ontario by classically trained violinist and self-taught acoustics designer, Paul Barton, and a couple of his school friends.
The three letters in the company name stand for “Paul and Sue Barton” (he and his wife of over 50 years). Founded in 1972, PSB is located in Pickering, Ontario Canada, and Paul’s work both at the NRC (National Research Council of Canada) with Floyd Toole and independently has helped shape a continuing advancement and revolution in loudspeaker design and performance.
Marrying psychoacoustics research with loudspeaker design, Barton took a scientific approach to designing loudspeakers that was rare at the time. Over the course of the late 70's and 80's, he conducted thorough and detailed measurements of loudspeakers at the National Research Council (NRC) in Ottowa, Canada, utilizing its state-of-the-art anechoic chamber and instruments to perfect the signature sound of PSB Speakers that are so well known today.
Now, as part of the Lenbrook Group of companies, Mr Barton continues to spearhead design and development on his namesake brand but also assists sister company NAD with the development of certain products. In 2018 he was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Toronto Audio Fest commemorating his almost five decades of work in loudspeaker design.
Mr Barton has consistently contributed to the audio scene as we know it and he shows absolutely no sign of slowing down!
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Linn Index
('85-'92) $200
In excellent shape, sounding great and with all original components (drivers, crossovers and grills) the original Linn Index bookshelf speakers were considered Linn's "budget" model. We're not sure what that's supposed to mean but, regardless, LInn has never designed a speaker system that didn't sound excellent.
As was the choice by a lot of European audio designers, Linn opted to use the popular 8" KEF B200 coated mid-bass driver and the wonderful KEF "K" series tweeter in each of the black ash veneer enclosures.
Probably more so than most speakers we've heard over the years, these guys need to be placed very close to the wall.
Even though these are sealed boxes (no ports) the bottom end is definitely enforced by that back wall. The Linn Index has convenient, factory installed banana jacks on the rear.
Basic specs:
Frequency response: 60Hz-20KHz +/-3dB.
Sensitivity: 86SPL, 1w/1m
Impedance: 8 Ohms nominal, 6 Ohms minimum.
Dimensions: 17W x 11"D x 18"H
Weight: 17 lbs. each
About Linn...
Rather than go into a lengthy history, it's suggested to click on this link instead:
https://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?7806-A-true-synopsis-of-Linn-s-history-and-status-or-not
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