Celestion SL12 speakers

2

2tumsup

Well-Known Member
Going to audition a pair tomorrow. Looking for opinions from previous owners. I've done a bit of reading up on them but not too much info on these rare speakers. According to pics they look to be in good shape. Anything that I should be looking for? I'm wondering what the mid range will be like with two pair of woofers in each.
Listen mostly to jazz fusion and some rock.
Different options to power them - Yamaha CR1000, Yamaha M4, Marantz 2325 or a Bryston 4B.
Appreciate all feedback in advance - thanks
 
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I've never heard them but would love to audition them. I hear the bass is pretty much non-existent but the mid-range is to die for. Reportedly they like big power so your Bryston would be a good candidate. See if you can move this thread to the British Audio forum and report back please.
 
One of the best metal dome tweeters period ......There is good bass out of them but they need current.......The woofers are cast baskets with a large magnet as David said the midrange is a real treat...
 
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Don't get me started with Celestions :nono:. My first set of new audio enthusiast speakers were DL8 series II. Wisconsin Discount Stereo. $425

Still have them to this day, love the British sound, my Celestions (above my others) have been life-changing for other people who love music and appreciate fidelity.

No, they are not the last word, but - they work well for the way I hear and what I listen to. I'd like to hear SL6's. If you can score SL12's, I envy you .
 
I have owned a couple of pair of SL6 and have a love/hate relationship. On simple stuff they are magic. When things get complicated or loud the lack of bass and dynamics are very frustrating. The SL12 is basically a double woofer version of the 6 with the same magic copper dome tweeter. Could be very interesting.

Unless it is the ST or later version of the 4B my guess is the M4 is the way to go.

Keep us posted.
 
I own and use Celestion SL12si speakers in my main listening setup. I have found them to be very well balanced and easy to listen to. Speaker stands are a must. Their sensitivity is on the medium to low side (86 dB SPL 1 Watt/1 metre) and they sound best when not driven too hard. When set up properly, they will render a three dimensional sound stage.

Make sure that all the drivers are in good condition as I believe that replacement drivers are no longer available.

Celestion SL12Si on stand (left side of picture, behind Nipper):
 
Thanks for your input (and the others thus far). That concerns me a bit on more complex music. I have a lot of it and like to turn it up when in the mood. I suppose a sub might take care of the lower end.
I mostly use the M4/C4 combo with NS1000M's and a PF-800 TT.
By a fluke, I acquired a pair of Heybrook SB3 Series 2 and after listening to them for a bit decided to A/B vs the 1000's. Both different in certain ways but really compliment one another when played together. The room definitely comes alive when both are playing. I thought the Celestions might do something similar.
I mostly use the Bryston with the 1000's or Thiel CS2's when I'm in more of a jazz mode.
I have a pair of DQ 10's awaiting refoam/cap work and think the Bryston will make them sing.
Always willing to try something different that is quality and the less that are around, the more I like it.
 
Went to audition them today. Setting and source equipment was less than ideal and despite these conditions they sounded good enough to take home. Overall condition 8-8.5 with all drivers intact and stands went with them. Solid construction and beautiful fit and finish. Further research indicates $1600 new plus $250 for the stands.
I will get back after I give them a listen with better upstream gear and surroundings. Looking forward to it.
Quick question. Is there a SL12 and SL12is model? I've heard comments of the is. Was there an SL12 and then a follow up SL12is and if so, the difference?
Thanks in advance
 
I used SL6si on their stands for a decade, first in Bryston 2BLP, excellent match, then Kenwood L07M monoblocks, even better, then with Blue Circle BC22. Tried few amps on then, a 100 watts Classe, Bryston 4B NRB, 4B SST, others. In 3-4 apartments and 2 houses.

I played all kinds of music, used to blast classical symphonies and piano concertos, all kinds of rock blues and jazz. Good for everything.

Character is slightly dark, need good amplifier (4B SST not nearly as good as L07M) or else can sound bad. Actually they sound a whole lot like PSB Stratus Gold-i that replaced them. I got another pair on a whim and one day replaced the Golds. In the listening chair they were damn near the same; which kinda made me mad about the so-called "bass" I was getting with the 10" woofers, fixed that - have 15" Tannoy now. Anyway the SL6si couldn't be turned up to provide sound for upstairs but that was about the only difference with the Golds ... uncanny for speakers to sound so much alike, no?

---

If the woofers surrounds have no vertical hairline cracks then they could last forever. If there are a few minor ones shouldn't be a problem. There are no replacement drivers other than other boxes.

If not black then the cabinet would be worth a sand and finish because they are beautiful boxes.

Never heard the 12Si with extra woofer but they need the shorter stand, apparently not a whole lot more bass to the SL6 are far as I have read, only 6" after all.
 
2tumsup said:
Went to audition them today. Setting and source equipment was less than ideal and despite these conditions they sounded good enough to take home. Overall condition 8-8.5 with all drivers intact and stands went with them. Solid construction and beautiful fit and finish. Further research indicates $1600 new plus $250 for the stands.
I will get back after I give them a listen with better upstream gear and surroundings. Looking forward to it.
Quick question. Is there a SL12 and SL12is model? I've heard comments of the is. Was there an SL12 and then a follow up SL12is and if so, the difference?
Thanks in advance
Click to expand...

Pretty certain 3 models, SL6/SL6s/SL6si, and SL12/SL12s/SL12si.

The technology was derived from the SL700 (pic in this thread), super expensive (the beginning of the uber-$$$ home mini-monitor some would say, hence infamous LOL)

Original SL6/SL12 had cooper tweeter changed to aluminum (with the 's' i think).

Try all your amplifiers, it really benefits from a good match.

http://www.hifinews.co.uk/news/article/celestion-sl6--vintage/9405

yb11_vin_celestion1.jpg
 
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Keep us posted. I had a pair of DL8 (series 1's) that hit well above their price for vocal clarity and smooth treble - close to my much more expensive Dynaudio Contour 1.3's. I agree that a sub would help with bass and higher volumes. A recap to decent film caps wouldn't hurt either.
 
Sl600si's are great . definitely a different sound than the SL6, SL6i, SL600 and even the SL700. - Celestion wasn't just slapping various name badges on these models , the speakers evolved with each version.
 
Well I reserved myself some time to do an audition on these speakers. I hooked them up to a Yamaha M4/C4 combo, a Yamaha PF800 TT and a Marantz CD 63SE and a Dahlquist DQ-200 subwoofer. I also used an Adcom 4 speaker selector to do some A/B comparisons with a pair of NS1000M's. Used 12/14 bi-wire cables and hooked the 14 gauge to the woofers.
Initially just played vinyl from a cross section of music genres including Santana, David Sanborn, Simply Red, Steely Dan, Dire Straits, Patti Austin, Grover Washington and Eva Cassidy - same artists on cd's.
I began playing with the sub off to hear the speakers on their own.
First thing I noticed was their lack of sensitivity. I had to turn the volume up almost one digit higher than I would normally do to achieve a similar volume as to what I'm used to (4 instead of 3)
I do not consider myself to be an audiophile or a wine connoisseur for that matter so I won't go into a hint of this or a trace of that but just give out what I thought/noticed to my aging ears (although still pretty sensitive).
I moved the speakers around a bit until I found the sweet spot and noticed they like a bit of space from rear/side walls and feel 2-3 feet is optimum.
The first thing I noticed was a beautiful mid range especially on vocals and strings and saxophone. The higher end was equally appealing and my overall impression is slightly coloured and I guess I could use the term "silky smooth". Bass was there but in a subdued manner and not enough for my taste so I turned on the subwoofer and after some frequency tweaking there found the right balance. A whole different sound came alive. The added bass presence made them really wake up up and I started to smile. I was now listening to something pretty sweet.
At higher volumes with a subwoofer they handle rock very well. These are not "@ss kickers" but they do not need to apologize either.
As someone previously mentioned, they are not the "be all" but they are pretty impressive.
I then did an A/B comparison with the 1000M's.
The first thing i noticed was the difference in sensitivity between the two as the Yammy's were much louder at the same volume level. At first I thought the Yammy's were way too forward and a bit bright but when I turned the volume down it was not as apparent. I know these speakers aren't necessarily a fair comparison but I just wanted to see the difference. When I ran them both at the same time, the Yammy's ate them up and the SL12's were just adding decibels albeit softening the overall sound a tad and the two together complimented one another.
With everyone saying they need good clean power to drive them properly, I then hooked them up to a Bryston 4B and .5 pre.
Again initially, no sub and they did sound a bit better with a tad more bass presence but in my opinion and for my taste, still not enough lower end. I turned the subwoofer on and again with tweaking found the optimum sound. With the Bryston I couldn't use the turntable with it's MC cartridge so I just listened to cd's.
The added power did add to the overall pleasure that I was listening too. Same qualities as previously mentioned just a bit more noticeable so I guess I agree with others comments that the more power you feed them, the better they sound.
I listened for 5-6 hours and could've listened all night so I don't feel fatigue would ever be an issue.
It would take some serious dollars in current gear to rival or surpass these little gems.
I am fortunate enough to have some very nice speakers in my possession and these compliment them very well and will be part of my quarterly rotation process.
I might even try these as fronts in my HT setup as sometimes I listen to 2 channel mode and listen to cd's on that system. With 170wpc in stereo mode there should be enough power to do the job quite well.
I'm very pleased with this acquisition and would highly recommend that if you have an opportunity to audition or possibly purchase a pair, make some time for them.
Thanks to all that commented and thank you for your time reading my input.
 
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