Tír Na HiFi

It is with great reluctance and after many months pondering that I'm putting by Eist Dubhs up for sale.

This are in solid walnut with gold (coloured!) drivers - I asked for this finish initially for the look of it but the sound is, to my ears anyway, warmer and more detailed because of it. The wood is quite thick and nicely bevelled. It's not just the facia but also the base that's done in walnut.
I include Ceraball feet on these as I found they worked best.

I'm asking €1600 including the feet.

I'm surprised, Ivor. What's next?

Good luck with the sale and all that. Somebody is going to get some nice speakers there!

Yes Ivor, what's next?

Good luck with the sale......

Ivor are you mad?

I'll start with the last question first.... possibly but I've given this a lot of thought. Or was that just a question about my sanity in general? You're not the first to have brought that up recently.

as for "what's next?" Well....
I've always had a soft spot for those old BBC monitors and speakers with that DNA. I loved the Harbeth speakers Noel had upstairs in Cloney's and anytime I've heard speakers from that bloodline I've been impressed. Last January I had a chance at a pair of Rogers LS6a speakers (from circa 1990), larger than most of that BBC lineage and sitting half way in the Rogers range so, to my mind, more a domestic than a studio monitor. I took them home and simply fell in love with them.
Having gone from Quad Electrostatics to the Eist "horn" design I wasn't expecting to be so taken with the Rogers, they were after all quite conventional and simple box speakers but they do seem to do a lot of things right to my years. No they're not "better" than either Eist or Quads (whatever "better" means) but they do have a warm airy sound that gets me involved in the music. Like the Eists they're very well suited to valves and vinyl.
In an ideal world I'd keep the Eists as well, and that was always my original plan, but I have limited space and a limited hifi budget so after much soul searching, speaker swapping and hand wringing I've finally arrived at the decision to reluctantly sell the Eist Dubhs.

I heard Rogers on HiFiWam show 2-3 years ago with tape and all BBC hardware as it would be used in the studio and.... it was best sounding system I have had a chance to listen to (not that i listen to that many).

Ivor wrote: ↑Fri Jun 30, 2017 9:58 am I'll start with the last question first.... possibly but I've given this a lot of thought. Or was that just a question about my sanity in general? You're not the first to have brought that up recently.

as for "what's next?" Well....
I've always had a soft spot for those old BBC monitors and speakers with that DNA. I loved the Harbeth speakers Noel had upstairs in Cloney's and anytime I've heard speakers from that bloodline I've been impressed. Last January I had a chance at a pair of Rogers LS6a speakers (from circa 1990), larger than most of that BBC lineage and sitting half way in the Rogers range so, to my mind, more a domestic than a studio monitor. I took them home and simply fell in love with them.
Having gone from Quad Electrostatics to the Eist "horn" design I wasn't expecting to be so taken with the Rogers, they were after all quite conventional and simple box speakers but they do seem to do a lot of things right to my years. No they're not "better" than either Eist or Quads (whatever "better" means) but they do have a warm airy sound that gets me involved in the music. Like the Eists they're very well suited to valves and vinyl.
In an ideal world I'd keep the Eists as well, and that was always my original plan, but I have limited space and a limited hifi budget so after much soul searching, speaker swapping and hand wringing I've finally arrived at the decision to reluctantly sell the Eist Dubhs.

Well said Ivor! You've tapped into the golden age of speaker design and they don't come any better than the lineage you've spoken about above. All you need now, like myself, is a pipe and slippers. Static free, of course ;) You just cannot beat a little bit of warmth and airiness as oppposed to hyper transparency and ultra detail. After all a home is not a studio.......unless you want it to be. Enjoy......

cybot wrote: ↑Fri Jun 30, 2017 2:35 pm... You just cannot beat a little bit of warmth and airiness as oppposed to hyper transparency and ultra detail.

To tell the truth there's loads of transparency and lots of micro detail... but not so much that it's tiring. They deliver those qualities along with warmth and space. If they have a problem it's that they can be perceived to be a little slow and sluggish which can sound a little less defined in the bass but really they're fine, positioned correctly they deliver an accurate if not earth shattering bass. They're not fast like so many modern speakers but that's ok by me. Like I say they're not actually better than the Eist but they deliver a lot of what I'm looking for in a system - the smile inducing musicality that is always my first requirement.

the smile inducing musicality that is always my first requirement.

A most important attribute in any equipment in my opinion - nice speakers glws!!

tweber wrote: ↑Fri Jun 30, 2017 7:54 pm

the smile inducing musicality that is always my first requirement.

A most important attribute in any equipment in my opinion - nice speakers glws!!

THE most important attribute you can have but only after you've learned from experience. Shiny and bright lit is most definitely not the way to go. My friend (ProAc Response One's) wasn't keen on my new Howard's back in the day for all the obvious reasons. He knows now that his judgement was on the hasty side......