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Celestion Ditton 66’s. ‘Upgrade’ to modern speakers consequences?

I have some vintage Celestion Ditton 66’s that have had their crossovers professionally recapped and serviced. All speaker units are in excellent condition.

My question is.. what might I gain and what might I lose (sonically not financially..) by replacing them with high quality large/floor standing speakers manufactured in the last decade or so?

My amplification set up is a Yamaha C4 preamp and a Yamaha 2200 power amplifier both recently recapped and serviced.

Source is mostly streaming Tidal or CD player via a Chord Hugo DAC, and occasionally some vinyl.

yamayama

Showing 4 responses by yamayama

yamayama OP
4 posts
 

Thanks for the advice everyone.

The P2200 delivers in excess of 200W per channel.

 

@stereo5 what power level would you suggest I should be looking for?

@jtcf I’ve always liked Tannoys.. thanks.

yamayama OP
4 posts
 

@stereo5 here’s some specs.

 

yamayama OP
4 posts
 

Thanks guys, appreciate the feedback.

@jasonbourne52 thanks for the reassurance and, yes, I think these two Yamaha amps have excellent reputations and pedigree. Internals share some similarities with Accuphase, especially these early models, and the P2200 apparently still in service in many LA recording studios.

@petg60 nice, even flattered, to think that the Ditton 66’s are so special that the Yamaha amps are the weaker link in my system but would be interested to hear what their failings might be? My understanding is that the Dittons are very efficient and don’t need much power to sound loud. However, high current and high damping factor amplification allows the Dittons to perform to their fullest potential.

Would be good to know if there’s another level to be achieved by purchasing more contemporary speakers. Would it be a ‘higher’ level of audio quality, or just a ‘different’ audio signature?

yamayama OP
4 posts
 

Thanks everyone for the contributions, very helpful and duly noted.

@twoleftears mine seem v similar to yours sans the wood renovation. Three loudspeakers and one passive radiator. With the MD (or is it the MF) 500 pressure horn midrange. (Which I think must be key to the 66’s distinctive sound..)

Are yours MKI or MK II?

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