CELESTION DITTON 15s

yup , still looking for some speakers.
these keep comming up from time to time and their old retro like styling would suit my living room nicley.
so , what can any one tell me about em?
i know that the bass/sub is passive and they arnt all that powerfull but are they a good buy ?, il be running them with a wharfedale 2050 duel mono amp (50 watts rms) and my sharp minidisc for now.

cheers,
Rob.

 

OK, the reason for the monica is that I am the long time owner of a pair of these, bought as first owner in 1976 for £109.50 - and I still have receipt.

These were in service in main system until a few years ago, and now do so in second system in the dining room. I loved them, and still do, even though sig. says that I've replaced them with something with more control.

I have the original flyer, so could give you the specs if you wanted.

 

thanks ditton,
the spec would be great.
how would you describe their sound? a lot of people have reviewed them as being very warm sounding.
cheers,
Rob.

 

Would it be these perchance?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=5723902648&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT

They certainly look nice!!

 

the very ones.
i am worried about the cones on such old speakers though , no doubt they are paper so do you think age would effect the sound quality of the speaker cones?

cheers,

Rob

 

They look well kept so I would assume the cones are in good condition, might be worth asking for pictures though (if the grills come off)

I don't know about paper cones but I have had old speakers which have had no problems at all, a set of Rank Domus from the 70's which still sounded great and some Kef Cantor II's from 1981 (sticker inside) which again are in great condition.

As long as you don't pay over the odds, I'm sure you could sell them on if you didn't like them (don't hold me to that though)

Andrew

 

cheers andrew,
ive asked the guy for some pics of the cones with no reply, the thing is if they were subject to sunlight the cones become brittle over time so without knowing what condition they are in its not worth bidding over the odds for them.the cabinates do look nice though eh?

rob.

 

ive just noticed to that they are 4 ohm's , my amp is 8 , would this matter?

 

Hi,

Ditton 15's were my first speaker. Magazine rave reviews at the time.

They seemed to have a 'very deep' bass for their size however, I was an inexperienced listener. They would now probably be described as having a woolly indistinct bass, but if you run them with a tight powerful modern amp I think that they would tighten up considerably.

Mine had the Celestion HF 1300 tweeter and eventually that was the reason I sold them. Whilst it was smooth, I find it is a tweeter that leads to frustration there is so much missing. I believe that there was a later version that had the Coles 401 or Celestion HF 2000, they were much better.

If it was me I would buy them, try them, if you don't like you can always re sell.

Ken

 

I've found the brochure.

"The HF 1300 (cone) operates from 2.5 kHz to 15kHz. This famous and widelt used tweeter employes domed diaphram and phase correction plate. It is noted for its smooth frequency response, excellent dispersion and transient characteristics." ... " as supplied for use in BBC and other monitors"

"FC8 specialised long throw 8in unit ensures accurate bass response."
ABR main base unit, is in phase from 60Hz to 30Hz, and "secures better bass in this compact system".

53cm x 24 x 23

30 Hz - 15kHz, level +/- 5bb 75hz to 14kHz, roll off at 12db/actave below 75Hz

to match 4-8 ohmn amplifoers (nominal 6 ohms)

THD at 96db: 100hz 1.1% 400Hz 0.9% 1kHz 0.7% ...
30 watts DIN ("30 watts per channel would be ideal. Even higher power amplifiers may be used safely providing the controls are treated with respect. Over loading of loudespeakers will almost invariably become evident aurally before any posibility of damage. A good amplifier pays off when coupled with high quality loudspeakers."
crossover freq: 2.5 kHz

There's more but ...

I really have enjoyed them from the first, initially (back in late 1970s) driving them with 15 watts from a Pioneer. But on my upgrade, having invested in Dax Decade etc, I was persuaded by folk on other forums that I should try a more modern speaker (and eventually went for the JM Lab Electra 905s) as there is a looseness/laid-back character to the bass - which I had quite gotten used to.

But the sale item looks in good nick and would be worth a whirl. So fond are we of the Dittons that they play sweetly with no boomyness in our dining room, even though a small pair would be more convenient/tidier for WAF - cos she is fond of them too.

.. and of course my first HiFi/AV nickname was ditton15 - but you can call me ditton

 

review from 'Records and Recording':
"Iliked very much the results obtained, particularly the good efficiency and the clear evidence of a reduction in distortion due to te load-sharing arrangement of two diaphragms... the available bass is of good quality and .. the speaker will accept substantial imputs and not too quickly show signs of distress. The mid-range performance, too, is acceptable: the top end is clean, as epected from the Celestion tweeter, and results on speech are pleasant".

.... that last bot reminds me of my delight at hearing the original HitchHiker's Guide in 1979 from stereophonic workshop on radio 4 through the Pioneer 450 receiver and the Dittons - magic!! BTW, buying theory in 1976 was to spend half the available dosh on the speakers, and £109.50 seemed a lot of dosh to me at the time though dividing that by 25 makes good annual enjoyment rate.

I reacll wondering not about the tweeter but the rubber in the two diaphragms. But if it has been looked after, then all should be well.

 

well it looks like ive just got my self a set of new speakers and for 26 squids if i dont like em (im sure i will) i could always get my money back.
he he , cant wait now to try em out.
thanks for the info guys , il let you know how i get on.
cheers,

Rob.

 

Well done, let us know what they sound like!!

If you don't like them, offer them to the bidder who didn't win who may still want to buy them

 

Well done, give them some time, I am quite sure that with a modern CD front end you will be delighted with them.

Ken

 

ditto(n)!!