Celestion Ditton 332 - speakers that surprised me the most!

[Krosya]

I happened to come across these a little while back. I read all sort of good things about this company and about these in particular. Other than one thing - if something breaks, its next to impossible to find a replacement. I also read that many are found with some issues - not all drivers work, crossovers failed, etc. So, when I saw these for sale several months ago, I decided to pass. Yet something kept nagging me in a back of my head that I should have given them a try.
These are not a brand that comes up for sale very often. At least not where I am. Yet, a couple of weeks I see another pair of these being listed locally. This time I decided to give them a chance. When I came to look at them - I was able to listen to them and all drivers worked, and all looked to be in a good shape. Just the grills were pretty worn and dirty. Cabinets - just dusty, but overall - good shape.
I didnt think very long and got the speakers.
Now, some of you that follow my posts, may know that I have (or had in a past) some well respected speakers, so I'd like to think that I know a good speaker when I hear one. Imagine my amazement when I hooked up these 332s and within a few minutes I was blown away but the clarity and quality of the sound. These sound most natural, clean, clear - I am not even sure how I can describe them, other than they sound most realistic of all of my speakers. I do like somewhat colored sound - sound of Klipsch speakers, for example. And for some things my Heresy III are still better. But these are sooooo good. I like them better than ADS L710, better than Definitive bipolars I have, better than Advents Legacy or Heritage, better than several others - Synergistics, Vintage Jensens, and several others. While I did read some good reviews of these, but I never thought they would be THIS good! They are quickly becoming my favorite speakers. I use them for music/stereo and for the Home Theater and they sound great either way.
Ok, here are some pics:

Since original grill covers were all beat up - I got some fabric from the Jo-Ann's and made them look better, I think:

I think I like them better with new black grills - match my other speakers:

Glad I took a chance on these! Fantastic speakers! I only can imagine how good all those bigger Celestions are.

 

[larry777]

They turned out really nice and they look like they mean business. Your description of the sound is how I remember them.
I was always interested in Celestion speakers but never ended up with a pair. Lately I find myself on the lookout for one
of their midrange models from the 44 down, in case shipping is necessary. Enjoy the 332's !

 

[Rik Abel]

Did you replace the tweeters or are they original?

 

[Krosya]

All original

 

[Rik Abel]

Just got my pair back after having caps in crossovers changed as it turns out tweeters were working. They sound fantastic! Powered by NAD 1020A preamp and Kenwood Basic M1 power amp, a combo I got yesterday for $40 . Winning!

 

[AmpsOnTheSly]

I have the Ditton 551 and my experience was the exact same. I was NOT expecting that! Wowzers they sound so clear. Downside: my non-audiophile wife even loves them (both sound and appearance) and I’d have a hard time getting the green light to replace them.

 

[Audioscenic]

I found a pair of 332’s recently and bought them. One of my Bose 301’s died and that weekend I saw the 332’s were just down the road for sale on marketplace. I always wanted a proper loudspeaker compared to the bookshelf 301.

They’re great! Caps and crossovers were replaced recently and they sound amazing (I’m only new to the audiophile world but I’d heard about these and snapped them up). So the question I ask is I have a technics su 8044 amp with 47w per channel and I wanted to know if this is giving them enough power or could I look at upgrading to a more powerful amp and if that would enable them to reach a further potential?

I guess I’ve been bitten by the bug now and want to know from anyone’s experience about how far they can go.

 

[AmpsOnTheSly]

I found a pair of 332’s recently and bought them. One of my Bose 301’s died and that weekend I saw the 332’s were just down the road for sale on marketplace. I always wanted a proper loudspeaker compared to the bookshelf 301.

They’re great! Caps and crossovers were replaced recently and they sound amazing (I’m only new to the audiophile world but I’d heard about these and snapped them up). So the question I ask is I have a technics su 8044 amp with 47w per channel and I wanted to know if this is giving them enough power or could I look at upgrading to a more powerful amp and if that would enable them to reach a further potential?

I guess I’ve been bitten by the bug now and want to know from anyone’s experience about how far they can go.

I have a pair of Celestion Ditton 551, very similar to the 332, and I run them off my Sansui AU-555A.

I had been using the Sansui as a preamp and powering the speakers with an XTZ Edge A2-300, which controlled the bass very well but seemed to over damp them just a bit. The Sansui does a better job handling complex music and even though it’s rated at only 25 wpc into 8 ohms, it never sounds strained.

If you want to go with something new, I’d point you towards the Musical Fidelity M3si.

 

[montrecott]

I found a pair of 332’s recently and bought them. One of my Bose 301’s died and that weekend I saw the 332’s were just down the road for sale on marketplace. I always wanted a proper loudspeaker compared to the bookshelf 301.

They’re great! Caps and crossovers were replaced recently and they sound amazing (I’m only new to the audiophile world but I’d heard about these and snapped them up). So the question I ask is I have a technics su 8044 amp with 47w per channel and I wanted to know if this is giving them enough power or could I look at upgrading to a more powerful amp and if that would enable them to reach a further potential?

I guess I’ve been bitten by the bug now and want to know from anyone’s experience about how far they can go.

Congrats on some excellent speakers--I had a pair of 332's once. To me, they sounded better with more power. If you can find a more powerful amp for a reasonable amount of money, try them out with it. If you don't like them better with it, sell the new amp for what you bought it for, and you've answered your own question.

 

[sax6]

Aaaahh. Celestion..ss

 

[garf666m]

Congrats on some excellent speakers--I had a pair of 332's once. To me, they sounded better with more power. If you can find a more powerful amp for a reasonable amount of money, try them out with it. If you don't like them better with it, sell the new amp for what you bought it for, and you've answered your own question.

Same for me, at high volume, the bass is taking his place. But at any volume i find the tweater way too powerfull, the high tone gives me pain in my ears. But the magic is when you hear guitar. With these speakers, the instruments seems all around me, the sound envelop me. I use my ditton 332 with a Marantz 1070.