Nice. I have Royd Minstrels. Recently checked over by Phil March at Phonography in the UK. He knew Joe Ackroyd and liked his speakers so much that when Joe retired he bought up all his remaining stock of spares. Phil said one of his party tricks back in the day was to put a pair of Minstrels on the end of his most high end gear and watch his customer's jaw drop. They really do respond so well to quality amps and front end. Joe had a bit of magic about his designs - everything (apart from tweeters) were made in house. Apparently though he never managed to carry that magic over to bigger speakers - the bass was never right. Speak to Phil, he absolutely loves them, and is a joy to talk to.
These were designed by Joe Akroyd. Responsible for Goodmans and Wharfedale designs of the 60s and 70s. They have heritage. Genetics...DNA (OK I'll stop now..😸)
@@stereoreviewx Wikipedia In 1970, Joe Akroyd joined Wharfedale, where he was involved in the manufacture and design of the Denton, Linton, Melton, Triton, Doredale loudspeakers. Linton and Dovedale mid-large boxes with paper cone woofers...
I had a pair of the Minstrels in the mid 80s. Got them from a long gone hifi shop in Crystal Palace called Audio Venue. Surprisingly room filling sound from such a small floor stander. Beautifully three dimensional sound, great with jazz, chamber, folk, country and vocals, with amazing imagery. They loved my old Manticore Mantra turntable, Hafler DH 110 pre amp and Krell KSA 50 power amp combo. Sold the Royds a couple of years later and bought a pair of the original sprung tweeter Roksan Darius' Inc cradles from Sound Organisation in London Bridge. One for you to try, perhaps. Love your channel and your content. 👍
When I finally ‘got’ what Royd speakers were doing, I always tried to switch people from Castle, Mission etc when selling them. Not everyone got it, but one chap switched from a pair of Missions to Royd Sintras in the dem on my recommendation. We played the same piece of music (Pie Jesu) and he was almost in tears. What had sounded boxy and lacking on the Missions suddenly had all the emotion conveyed by the Royds. Whilst he took a pair of A7s with new system, due to budget constraints, he fairly soon came back for the Sintras! Always worked well with Exposure and Naim amps.
I love Royd. Bought a pair of Minstrels new (£225) back in 1996 from a small HIFI store in Raunds. I’d read a review of them and took my NAD CD player and Rotel RA820BX to audition. It was between these and a pair of B & W floorstanders, Minstrels hands down better for their out of the cabinet sound, imaging and bass. Still have them now. Picked up a pair of Abbots a few yrs back on eBay for £50 (about same in fuel to drive to pick them up) and what a buy, lovely sound but not quite the bass of the Minstrels but everything else superior. Just to add in now that I have a pair of The Heralds, a ported bookshelf speaker with the same mid/ bass driver as the Minstrel, they are great speakers with amazing bass for the size.
I watched your vids awhile and it inspired me to search around a bit.. I went with my starter as a KLH-32, for about $40, and am restoring it. I'd love to see a review of some of the older KLH speaker sometime. They don't look like much, but there is a community that is passionate about Klauss and his work and I could find a lot of resources to guide fixing them up! I think I'll get something with a dome tweeter next.
The old klh are interesting because they have a fabric surround, and there are like 2 guys that still have the special formula for the goo that you use to partially seal the surrounds with. It's supposed to be sealed (not completely) that the woofer takes a second if pressed in to return. I was worried about the paper tweeter, but in my small room they are pretty great even before I've restored them.
I had Minstrels, they were very good speakers regardless of price. The best Joe ever produced was the RR series apparently. You don't see them for sale very often because most people hang on to them.
@@BootJamesOut What link? :)) There's just a missing space between the full stop and TL so the programme thought it was a web address. Just google Royd Apex. By the way the Rega ELA is almost identical except for the crossover for a different voicing. It was developed jointly by the two companies IIRC.
Those stand mount sized Royd loudspeakers can recreate big soundstaged in the late 1980s better than the competition. It wasn't until the mid 1990s that most loudspeaker brands this size had the capability. Not as fleet-footed as a 1980s era Linn Kans but it has fuller sounding mid and upper bass and more affordable.
Joe Akroyd was a clever bloke. He had a definite thing about the 7 litre box, sticking with that volume throughout Royd's lifetime. There are many variants based on the exact same box. The minstrel is another 7ltr box stretched into a tiny floor stander, resulting in something quite magical. The bass mid driver is a Joe Akroyd design. A custom made cast alloy chassis, voice coil and cones, usually with hand applied dope for bass frequency management. Built to a price but overperforming. I've owned Royds for over 30yrs but only recently bought a tatty pair of Minstrels. They are amazing little speakers and you really must get your hands on some. They fill in the bass that is missing in the bookshelf Royds and add more of the magic. It was nice to see this review, its reassuring to see an objective confirmation of why we love these little speakers.
Thank you for your very helpful review. I was wondering if my Sinatra’s were now past their sell-by date and I ought to look for some new speakers, but not now. I have tightened the screws and bought a small sub-woofer and the results are superb. Thanks again Kelvin.
@@stereoreviewx Following on from your comments, I have now replaced my elderly Linn amp with an AudioLab Omnia (the name says it all) and came into the digital age. I already had a Linn LP 12, so that stayed. Well, I owe the Sintras an apology for even thinking of replacing them. They produce a christal clear top end which I have never heard before, combined with the excellent mid range that you remarked upon. It is almost as it the new amp has set them free to produce a sound quality they were always able to do, but never required to do.
The reason for their weight is due to the cabinets having been reinforced with steel plates.I owned a pair of these in the 90's. They worked well on the end of "grippy" and "dynamic " type of electronics e.g. Naim,but also on the end of "sweet" and "full" sounding gear,which steered their lively character towards a more refined presentation.Great "box free" clarity.They were the middle of Royd's range of bookshelf 7 litre designs,with the "Eden" model below and the "Sorcerer" above.
Ditton Works....Ha, ha, nice. Hold on..How come Ditton Works has Spendor speakers? PS My favourite tweeter has always been the T-27. Ubiquitous like the Scanspeak. Not sure why they always sound so lovely?
@@martinda7446 Ditton Works has a few different speakers. But as ex Celestion guy I didn’t think “Spendor Works” had the same effect 😂😂 Yes T27’s nice HF unit 👍 I love the Hf2000 too.
Yes, it's more so than he's making out here that tweeter is airy, warm smooth, it'll transform a speaker, it's not necessarily the midbass that the star of the show here, the tweeter is a special one.
@@eddiebaby22I think the best tweeter ever made is a fight between the Quad 57 which sounds like pouring liquid gold and the big Magnepan Ribbon which is so real its frightening. Then the T-27, Heil air transformer. Lowthers for just midband, none are as good as the Quads for midband. (57 only). I am available for a fight if you disagree.
I also had Minstrels, like many other commenters. Such funky, little speakers, they were. Loved them. They weren't perfect, but they sure knew how to groove.
Sintras have a steel lined cabinet, that adds quite a bit to the weight. I have the Sapphires in my second system (still not light), wonderful speakers, loads of fun. Not bass monsters by any means but so engaging.
Looks like my kind of speaker, a lot of things happen in the midrange, details is everything! Another speaker that I never see anyone talk about it, is Snell, maybe u could review some of their bookshelfs.
Hello :) I love Royds, I have a pair of Eden's and also a pair of Apex floor standers, they are all about detail as you say, they are superb if you're offer that mid/high end detail. Bass is insightful but not deep and full. The Apex do go a lot deeper but are room sensitive, some smaller rooms and they come alive :)
Cool video. I thought about something you said. Do we like gear or music more? For me it goes back and forth. Love the music and then I want hear to bring the best out of it. So, I think it’s both. Music and gear. Both have to be the best I can afford.
I own a pair of Edens which I find it difficult to part with. As you say the midrange is beguiling and female vocal is pretty much as good as anything I’ve heard regardless of price.
I havet royd Abott and Apex speakers. THE Apex speakers havet some of THE most impressive filters i havet seen from THE era. Driven by an AMC 3100 and at times a Nait 1
After walking into my local Hifi specialist in the mid 90's thinking I wanted a pair of Mission's I walked out with a pair of Minstrals after being blown away by a demo. These speakers are stunning, the level of detail and clarity these compact floorstanders push out still takes my breath away 25 years later. I've only ever paired them with an equally as elderly Kenwood KE3020 SE amp, so certainly not high end, but from what I'm hearing here it would be well worth me investing in a higher class amp to squeeze out even more from these beauties. Any recommendations?
I can tell you first-hand that Sugden pairs well with the Minstrels. My A48b sounded great with mine - better than my Exposure 2010. I'd bet that a Sugden class A amp would be an awesome match.
I know Wharfedale is still popular in US. My first floor standing speaker was a Wharfedale but I kept blowing out the woofer with American & British Rock&Roll music...:) I'm sure their woofers are more durable today than they were back then...(1970+?)
At the start of my teen years in the mid 1980s, Metallica's first four albums - even in cassette format - were notorious for destroying 1970s era thin paper coned woofers.
Have some Minstrels myself. Bought the new in 1995. Will never get rid of them. Best speakers I have in the house and I have stuff that is pretty expensive. They image incredibly well. Set them up well and the music “floats” above the speakers, almost detaching itself from the source. The go surprisingly deep for their size (they aren’t big at all Kelvin, promise you. Tiny things) and the mids and uppers are super responsive, detailed, airy, clear and natural sounding. I utterly adore them and as others have said, respond more and more as the gear you hook up to them gets better. Started off with an Arcam Alpha 5 amp on mine and sounded fantastic. Now run them will an Alpha 9, Alpha 8 CD and an upgraded Thorens TD160 and they absolutely sing. They don’t need huge space, but put space between them, tune with the side firing port (I find it better in my room with them firing outwards, not inwards) and just wait to he really really surprised. Tremendous little speakers for what they are. Still highly sought after but again, owners tend to hang on to them so won’t see many around. Find some. You won’t be disappointed if you like these, I can tell you!
Conclusion Sonically somewhat idiosyncratic, Sintra is also highly communicative and informative, and a worthwhile improvement over Eden to boot. It doesn’t go particularly loud or deep, but in certain important respects sets standards for miniatures - indeed for loudspeakers in general - which demand recognition. The simple fact that it makes music so enjoyable and involving is ample grounds for Recommendation, though I must add the rider that the sound will not be to every taste.Reproduced from a Hi-Fi Choice published in January 1991
If you ever get a chance, check out IMF transmission line speakers. Ditto Radford speakers. The IMF TLS 50 in particular. Midrange is sooo good and bass is deep but very even, tight and tuneful.
My best speakers all from smaller Dutch makers Audiolab (unrelated to the British Audiolab) and BNS. Better than the Celestions and Beovoxes (DL8 and 3702) I also have. They were more expensive in the day but less known. Probably better crossover components were used. It can do no harm to dive into your local speaker history.
@@D1N02 glad to hear. I own a pair of Kekkoh Delta's, mid seventies, three way costing a hefty fl 675,00 a piece at the time and was positively surprised when I put them up against Imf Super compact II and Tannoy t125. (On luxman 150 / 350 combi). I also own a pair of Translator morganiet (fl 800 around 1990 i believe that Clearly surpassed Audiolab Symbol (in that case on Tandberg Tr 2025).
I have been hoping you would try Royd speakers one day. I’m glad you like them. I think the Sintra’s are among the very best Royd had to offer. How do they compare to your LS3/5a’s? The cabinets are nearly identical.
Well I will tell you because I did compare to ls35a They generally sound quite different the Royd is more airy lighter delicate even The royd are kind of funny because at first you’re surprised because they have a unique sound but you just adjust to it quite quickly and it’s so entertaining in detail
I had to keep one it would be the LS35A is because I’m such a purist I suppose you would say now. Prefer to keep them both and I wouldn’t be happy about the choice
scan speak dome tweeter.. same as in early pro-ac tablettes.. I have Royd Apex'es and Royd conniston speakers. I used to have Abbott's and regret selling them. Never heard a Royd speaker i didnt like
Hi Again. Have you reviewed speakers with twin woofer set ups - and if not, will you! I would be very interested in your thoughts about these type of set ups, and i own 2 which i still have and they do produce extra power obviously, but just what are the pros and cons...thanks
I just totally recaped a Naim3 and made the split thing, so I bought a flatcap for it. It is playing exactly like a nac92/nap90 with a flatcap XS2. Could you please give me a suggestion for a nice pair of speakers to this combo ? Thank you very much, and thanks for your videos. Francisco
Yes it looks like it but actually it’s not that Twitter is also seen on some splendour speakers the INR one I think is a paper this is and I did think the same by the way
Hey seem to your stuff pretty well. I had a pair of speakers from the 60's no name at all the grill sort gold and orange 12 in woofer's no magnet boxes stuffed with insulation there was a cross over. What type of speaker you wrekin they were. Mike west Nephew
And I think I could find the God particle more easily Only joking I just don’t know what I speak as well but a 12 inch wall for probably sound a good in someway
Well generally speaking better than Wharfedale is which mostly weren’t very good in the 70s early 80s Rogers are a bit more seriously British monitor sound the rioyd are more fun
Any experience with the Royd Abots?? I managed to get the opportunity to audition a set from an older gentleman I know. Apparently they are really good and are flying under the radar. I should have them next week and can give u my input.
So I hooked up the Royd Abots. For my taste they could use a subwoofer when listening to electronic music or reggae. But man oh man acoustic and vocals are the most enjoyable I have heard in a long time. They image very well and boy do they ever have some depth, I was hearing things well beyond the left and right of the speaker and behind them. I will be adding two small 8" Andrew Jones designed subs to see if they can satisfy that hunger for some low end thunder. The other thing I noticed is that they did better in my bigger room than in my smaller room and I found they opened up the further away I sat from them. Hope this helps.
I had them hooked up to a Bryston 2.5B3 power amp and Rotel RSP-1570 and a Sony X7ESD ES cd player. My EAR 834P phono is out for servicing so I didn't listen to any records just yet.
Well seriously these Roitz or the ride minstrels I just lovely with detail you can pick up the minstrels for like £150 sometimes I think it would go down well with the valve amp You know these speakers will be seven £800 if new
Do you agree that you have to find a speaker manufacturer that designs with your preferred type of music in mind? I’m thinking particularly that these traditional British speakers were mostly designed with classical music in mind. I have a (totally unproven) theory that it is impossible to design hifi gear to be equally suitable for all kinds of music.
Hi Andrew well I Gotta say I have thought the exact thoughts you have there in the past. Then I change my mind and think no it’s a good speaker is a good speaker. And right now I’m not sure what I think 🤔
@@stereoreviewx Thank you for your reply. I respect your view because you’re in a much better position than me to decide this! I’m always amazed at the variety of hifi gear. You’d think that after all these years what constitutes good design would converge ie you’d simply have a ‘good’ CD player, ‘good’ amplifier or ‘good’ set of speakers. In my limited experience, even CD players and amplifiers can sound radically different whilst all being basically acceptable. This is even more so with vinyl cartridges and speakers, I think. Maybe it all comes down to taste in the end.
Yeah this is also a question that perplexes me other areas of products have become uniformly better I would say like Cameras One thing might be true say with amplifiers is that no one exactly knows what is making what sound like what so it’s kind of random and when something great comes along maybe it was a fluke
@@stereoreviewx Thanks a lot. Actually I ordered the 551 already. I thought that 217 is a bit more transistory (but it may be due to the source of the people auditioning it). Will see how it performs. It will not be my main amp. And even if it is not tops I can listen to the radio. Also tempted with B&W DM4 as it is available locally.
Royd speakers were well suited to accoustic and easy going music and were very similar to the old Ruarks. Definitely not one for rock fans. Ps.. British-ish?
Back in the 1980s, standmount sized Royd speakers are often praised for their uncanny ability to reproduce Richie Blackmore's Marshall stack in your listening room with timbral accuracy as close as being live in the recording studio.
That’s a real nice sweeter curiously after I did this review I discovered the crossover frequency was 4000 Hz might have even been 4.25 Which is high very high if you know how that works
@@stereoreviewx That tweeter has been used in many a famous model of speaker, it's one of the best in the business. Some legendary ProAc, 1sc,1.5, 2.5 I could go on, but they wouldn't have been so legendary without it. But many other have used it, Naim, Ruark just to name a couple. It's a special tweeter that brings everything together and gives music that life. That bloody expensive these days tho for what they are, still, they are good at what they do.
Well I have got Caffe LS 50 is also elac debut I don’t sound very good and no one comes in my house thinks they sound any good. Honestly if it sounded good I would love it
